In order to insure that I am receiving all correspondence, please note the new mailing address. If you are wanting to share your film, or other correspondence, please send it to:
Mark Hale-Brown P.O. Box 86091 Portland, OR 97286-0091 USA
DVD Player Information:
With DVD players becoming more widely available you may want to spend some time considering the format and machines that you want to purchase to get the most out of digital imaging. The DVD-R format seems to play better, on average, than the DVD+R format, although you want to be careful about the player you have to insure the best performance. Visit VideoHelp.com if you want to see listings of thousands of models of players (including the newest Blu-ray format) and how consumers have ranked their performance, using a 5-star rating.
Film and Media Chronology:
For an extensive 30 page chronology of film and media development I would refer you to James Monaco’s book: How to Read a Film: Movies, Media, Multimedia (Oxford Press, 2000). Here are the seven periods that are outlined:
To 1895: Prehistory
1896-1915: The Birth of Film
1916-1930: Silent Film, the Births of Radio and Sound Film
1931-1945: The Great Age of Hollywood and Radio
1946-1960: The Growth of Television
1961-1980: The Media World
1981- Present: The Digital World
Filmmaker’s Dictionary:
From a book of the same title by Ralph S. Singleton, 2000.
If you have any interest in one day shooting a film, or being knowledgeable on the set, then here are a few terms that may perk up your running ears. But wait, there is no need to lace up the shoes until you hear that you are to appear in the "running shot".
Run Lines: To rehearse dialogue, something actors typically do before shooting a scene , so as to be well prepared. Run-by: Shot in which a moving car (or other vehicle) travels past a stationary camera. Running Shot: Shot in which a moving camera keeps pace with a moving object or person. Related terms: tracking shot, dolly shot, traveling shot. Running Speed: Rate at which film runs through a camera or projector, or at which tape runs through a recorder or playback machine. The running speed for film is measured in frames per second; for tape, it is in inches per second. Related terms: fps, ips. Running Time: Length of time a movie, TV program, video, commercial or stage presentation runs, from start to finish. A theatrical film's running time is clocked from the head frame to the last frame of the end credit sequence. Most feature films are between 85 and 120 minutes long, though in recent years running time has increased. Run Through: Complete rehearsal of actors without film running in the camera. Related term: walk-through.
Five Types of Documentary Films:
Next time you watch a documentary ask yourself, "What type of documentary is this?" (Film Studies by Warren Buckland, Hodder & Stoughton, 1998.)
Expository: A series of images that aim to be descriptive and informative with a disembodied and authoritative voiceover commentary. Observational: A direct representation of the events with the film maker completely invisible. Interactive: The film maker is prominent and interacts with the people and events often with interviews to draw out specific comments and responses. Reflective: Rather than focusing on events and people, this type focuses on how they are filmed with the film making process becoming the main focus of attention. Performative: The poetic and expressive dimensions of the film areemphasizedd over the events that are captured
"Motivation for Rent":
In the May 2006 issue of Runner’s World Magazine there is an article on pages 68 and 69 about 10 running movies to "help motivate and kick-start a deeper dedication to and enjoyment of running". Even RunningMovies.com got a nod as a place to get more information. The ten titles mention, in order of appearance were:
As noted in the film listings, The Games has never been released or distributed to the public. Hopefully with more exposure and awareness of these types of films, folks will pull these classic productions off the shelf, dust them off, and make them available in DVD format for folks to enjoy.
The "Olympic Effect":
Visitors to RunningMovies.com tripled during the Olympic competition in Athens (August 2004). I hope that everyone enjoyed the games from a variety of sources (print, on-line, television, and live viewing). Over the next several months there will likely be numerous video and DVD releases resulting from these games and I will do the best that I can to post the new productions in a timely manner. I look forward to increased film entries over the next several months. It will be interesting to see what type of increase happens in 2008.
Popularity Based on Links:
Here are the top 12 films, by link tracking, from Amazon.com. The most current ranking is based on the 2005 results with previous rankings from 2004 and 2003 listed after the date of the production. Endurance has now topped this list 3 years in a row. Interestingly, the top four productions have yet to be released in DVD format and four movies broke their way into the top 12 that were not present last year. It will be interesting to see if readers reach a similar voting this year (See Voting Page for more information).
You can now link to a screenplay, The Legend of Tarzan Brown, written by David Gary Wilson, from Canada, about "Tarzan" Brown, a two time Boston Marathon winner (competing in Boston nine times between 1934 to 1946) and participant in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games in the marathon. He was a Narragansett Indian runner from Rhode Island whose tribal name was Deerfoot and this movie concept is based on the remarkable and true story of this amazing athlete. If you have never read a screenplay before here is some help on the jargon you may find:
OS = Off Screen
VO = Voice Over
POV = Point of View
SUPER = Superimposed over visuals on screen
EXT = Exterior Shot
INT = Interior Shot
BEAT= A very brief pause in dialogue
CLOSE = Close up camera shot
DISOLVE TO = One scene fades into the next
Seeking DVD Releases:
Amazon.com writes: "Do you have a list of favorite flicks that still haven't been released on DVD? We know how frustrating that can be, so we've added hundreds of currently unavailable titles to our DVD catalog. When you search for these titles, you'll see a page that allows you to sign up for a free notification service. Entering your e-mail address ensures that you'll receive an e-mail the moment the title is available for purchase. This system also helps us keep track of what customers are clamoring for, so we can encourage the studios to get those much-loved movies on DVD. Take a look at the current list of most popular requests below, and be sure to sign up for all the films you're itchin' to own." Here is a list of the running titles:
From the Filmmaker’s Dictionary, see entry below, comes the following definitions:
Announcer: An individual who reads the voiceover copy for the television spots. Also called an off-screen or off-camera announcer. Commentator: An individual describing the proceedings of a live or recorded event. Typically they add planned or spontaneous comments. Host: On screen individual who conducts the activities of a television, stage, or radio program. Narrator: An individual who provides an oral guide to the story or course of events. A narrator usually follows a planned script and does not offer spontaneous personal comments. A narrator may be visible to an audience or positioned off screen. Voice Over: Dialogue or narration coming from off-screen, the source of which is not seen.
