SHORT FILM'S SPIELBERG AMATEUR CINEMA CLUB HAS ITS OWN STARS.

Byline: Rick Coca Valley News Writer

The odds of an aspiring filmmaker becoming the next Steven Spielberg is pretty slim, but at the Los Angeles Cinema Club in Burbank chances are better for becoming the next Walt Gilmore.

Gilmore is the recipient of many national and international short-film awards and the program coordinator for the LACC, an amateur film club that meets monthly. At the meetings, club members show their short films, discuss filmmaking techniques and participate in workshops.

The LACC was established in 1931 and worked on film projects for the 1932 Olympics and the building of Hoover Dam. Today, with about 70 members, the club is part of an international network of amateur clubs with chapters as far away as England, New Zealand and Croatia.

Gilmore, a Burbank resident, worked for 22 years in the film industry, primarily as a production manager and assistant director. He joined the club in 1994.

``As an AD, I was an organizer,'' Gilmore said. ``(Then) I'd go home. I wasn't able to create the thing. As an amateur (filmmaker), I write the script. (I have) the ability to tell a story and take a whole bunch of odd shots and make something amusing and make people laugh.''

In the early days of amateur filmmaking after World War II, Gilmore said, films were shot on 16-millimeter film, and later 8-millimeter sound. Then the much-cheaper video became the medium of choice. Most members now show their films on DVD, with the movies generally running between five to 10 minutes long.

``We have members from all (skill) levels, from international prize winners to beginners working with their first cameras,'' Gilmore said.

Gilmore said the club is as much a social club as it is a filmmaking one, with the common denominator being a love of films among members.

Gilmore's wife, actor Pamela Gilmore, is president of the LACC and works hard behind the scenes keeping the club together. She also helps write and narrate Gilmore's films. The two particularly enjoy working on one-minute films, saying the limited format makes for good storytelling in skilled hands.

``I think they're the hardest of all to make because it's hard to come up with ideas for a one-minute movie,'' Pamela Gilmore said. ``(You) need to give it a twist, a funny bit at the end.''

The two come up with titles such as ``An Act of Con-fidence'' and ``The Secret-ary.'' She said a well-placed dash can go a long way.

``I love dashes,'' said the British-born Gilmore. ``They're silly, those silly dashes.''

The Gilmores are hoping to attract younger people to the club so members can pass on their award-winning expertize and inspire the next generation.

The LACC meets the fourth Wednesday of every month, except November and December, in the Social Hall of the Little White Chapel at 1711 N. Avon St. in Burbank. For information on meetings or membership, call [phone].

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Pamela and Walt Gilmore's short film ``An Act of Con-fidence'' earned the couple the Harold Burke Memorial award, given to the Los Angeles Cinema Club's outstanding video of 2005.