Monday, June 19, 2017

My History with DVD Netflix



One service that has been integral to my life as a classic film enthusiast is DVD Netflix. Over the years I’ve come to rely on the DVD rental service to enrich my life with classic movies but also contemporary, indie and foreign ones too. (And TV shows, lots of TV shows!) Before I share my own personal history of my time with DVD Netflix, let’s take a brief look at the history of the company.

Netflix, founded in 1997, was started as a DVD subscription service. Subscribers would visit the Netflix website and request discs rather than visit brick-and-mortar video stores like Blockbuster. Netflix sent out their very first DVD, a copy of Beetlejuice (1988), in March of 1998. The service grew in popularity and eventually overtook Blockbuster and rendered video stores obsolete. The subscription service worked on the model of renting a certain number of discs at a time or number of discs per month. Subscribers explored the library, marked the films and TV shows they wanted to watched and built a queue of future disc deliveries. A bright red envelope, which would become the signature of Netflix, arrived in the mail with the disc at the top of your queue. Once you were done, you’d put the disc back in the original mailer which would repackage into a convenient prepaid envelope ready for mailing. Convenience was key to the success of DVD rental service. Then in 2007 Netflix added streaming to the mix. They became the pioneers in streaming entertainment and a part of the cultural lexicon. In 2011, Netflix’s streaming service was so popular and such a big part of their business they attempted to split off the DVD portion. They came up with the name Qwickster which was met with online backlash. Netflix wisely scrapped this idea. In 2015, they successfully split the DVD service to DVD.com, also known as DVD Netflix. The service also includes Blu-Rays if you upgrade your subscription. Netflix's streaming service and their original content is now separate from the DVD Netflix rental service. However, the company kept both services linked for user convenience.





I joined Netflix in August of 2002. My friend Amit, who used the service to get his Anime fix, signed up a couple of years earlier and kept signing its praises. Persuaded by his enthusiasm I signed up. The first movie I ever rented was Wonder Boys (2000) and a few months later I rented my first classic movie DVD Some Like it Hot (1959). At the time I signed up I still wasn’t quite a classic movie fan. I developed a love for movies as a teenager in the late 1990s and loved new movies about bygone eras. In my early twenties I was exploring a variety of contemporary and indie movies and it wasn’t until I took a film course in college that I got hooked on classic films. Renting classic movies from Netflix helped fuel that early passion. While I watched a lot of TCM, I relied on DVDs from Netflix to single out particular films. If I liked a particular actor, actress or director, I’d use Netflix in order to rent every film of theirs that was available. Besides a couple of times when I was in college and had to cancel Netflix briefly, I’ve had the DVD part of the service almost continuously since 2000. These days I use it to help with my blog research, to explore the canon of a particular director, to plug in holes in my classic film knowledge and also to watch newer movies I missed at theaters.

Earlier this year I was invited by DVD Netflix to be one of their Directors. This means I’m an online ambassador for the service and I help them come up with fun posts and social media ideas to promote the brand. For example, here is my post on the DVD.com blog about Classic Sports Movies.

Photo source: DVD Netflix
 
To celebrate my 10th anniversary and also my almost 15 years with DVD Netflix, I’m hosting a very special giveaway. If it’s been a while since you’ve rented DVDs from DVD Netflix or you’ve never tried the service before, now’s your chance. I’m giving away 3 $100 DVD Netflix gift cards. If you get a one-at-a-time DVD Netflix subscription, this give you a year of the service! The contest runs from now until Friday morning. You must complete all of the prompts. All entries will be double checked. Good luck!

Giveaway is now over! Congrats to Sarah, Bernie and Heather.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Out of the Past: A 10th Anniversary

At Dick Cavett's TCMFF book signing

It was on this day 10 years ago that I started my classic film blog Out of the Past. It all began with a  welcome post followed by a short piece on The Dick Cavett Show with special guest Alfred Hitchcock.  Little did I know the journey this blog would take me on. I started with a post about Dick Cavett and I bookended the decade with my red carpet interview with the man himself. If you told me that back in 2007 all of the wild and wonderful experiences that were coming my way and all the amazing people I would meet I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s been a wild ride and I hope there are many more adventures to come.


Outside the Harvard Film Archive circa 2009

Why did I start the blog? In 2007 I was in graduate school, working full-time and living on my own in an apartment just outside of Boston. When I wasn’t doing homework, working, or hanging out with friends, I was watching classic movies. A lot of classic movies. I couldn’t get enough. I’d mostly watch them by myself or with my mom. This was satisfactory for a while but eventually I found that I couldn’t just watch classic movies. I needed to talk about them. I found myself working classic film into my every day life. It was getting out of control. One day at a company meeting I brought up Cary Grant in conversation because one of my coworkers shared the same first name. My other coworker Frank brought up that same conversation later on and I discovered that we had a mutual interest in classic film. I didn’t realize how desperately I needed someone, anybody to talk to about classic movies until I started bugging Frank incessantly with film chatter. I had a lot to say and I needed an outlet. Then on June 15th, 2007 I started Out of the Past: A Classic Film Blog. I found the perfect place for my voice and the rest was history.

Me and Carlos in front of the Hollywood sign

When I was coming up with the name for my blog I was looking for two things: something that described the theme of my blog that also worked as a recognizable classic film reference. Out of the Past was perfect. The 1947 noir was my gateway into classic movies. I watched it for the first time as an undergrad when I took a film course. I was mesmerized by this beautiful yet confusing noir. I wanted to know more about the actors and wanted to see more films like it. That led to many more classic movies and lots of time spent watching TCM. The phrase Out of the Past also described the theme of my blog. Anyone who would visit would know immediately that anything discussed would be out of the past. I hoped that name would lure classic film lovers as well as vintage gals and gents and history enthusiasts. The name has confused some folks who visited the blog thinking it would solely be about Film Noir. I still stand by the name and it’s grown to be such a part of this blog that I can’t imagine ever changing it.

First time on the TCMFF Red Carpet, circa 2016

At first my blog started as a way to liven up discussion of classic movies. I wanted about each post being as fun as possible. A few years into the process I became more serious about my writing and started tackling lengthier and more in-depth posts, did a ton more research and started reading and reviewing many classic film books. The blog took on a much different tone. Frankly, I grew up and grew out of that originally goofy style. In fact I look back and cringe at some of those really silly posts. A few have haunted me for years. I hope if anything they're still amusing to some readers even if I can’t bring myself to look at them. When people tell me my blog was one of the first they’ve ever read, I really hope they weren’t reading those early posts.

Making new friends at TCMFF. Max and I at the Charlton Heston Stamp Ceremony

It wasn’t until I started attending the TCM Classic Film Festival in 2013 that my blog started to have a big impact on my life. When I first visited Hollywood I couldn’t believe I would not only be in the epicenter of film history but I’d also be seeing classic film stars in person, I’d finally get to see Robert Osborne and most importantly I’d get to meet face-to-face with all those wonderful film blogger friends I’ve talked to over the years. TCMFF tested my introverted nature but I kept traveling to California each year. In 2014 and 2015 I got very ill while attending, mostly my body’s reaction to the onslaught of social interaction that it wasn’t able to handle. By 2016 I got the hang of it and one of the things that helped me the most was conducting interviews on the red carpet. Not only is it the coolest thing I’ve ever done but it also helped me grow as a person. If I can interview Dick Cavett on the red carpet, I can talk to literally anybody and be okay. Every single TCMFF was a long-weekend packed with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. One after the other after the other. I live off of 4 days worth of memories for an entire year. I got to go to 5 TCM Classic Film Festivals thanks to my blogging.

Epic group selfie with a bunch of my classic film friends at the 2016 TCMFF

Over the years of writing this blog I’ve developed wonderful partnerships with brands, studios, repertory theatres, filmmakers, classic film writers, authors, musicians, social media influencers and many more. These have turned into wonderful collaborations as well as friendships. I had no clue when I started this blog 10 years ago how many amazing people would come into my life as a result of this blog. And for that I’m forever grateful.


Meeting my friend Jonas for the first time. Cinefest circa 2015

I took some time to look at my old posts to curate a collection of some highlights from my 10 years.




If you have any memories you'd like to share, either of meeting me at a festival or interacting with me online, feel free to share in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

On Blogging for a Decade: Three Bloggers Share Their Journeys

This month I'm celebrating 10 years of blogging. Before I share the story of my own journey I thought it would fun to highlight some other classic film bloggers who've been blogging for close or more than a decade. A big thank you to Jessica, Laura and Terry for participating.


Jessica at Robert Osborne's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame


Jessica P.

How long have you been blogging?
I started in April 2009, so nearly 10 years! Fun fact: My blog was originally named Living on Velvet, but another film blogger at the time had the same name so I changed it.

Why did you start a blog?
In journalism school, my professor Larry Timbs, PhD., kept urging us in our news and featuring writing classes to start a blog. He said no newspaper would hire us if we didn't have a blog. (I'm not sure that's true now, but blogs and citizen journalism were on the rise then).

On top of that: I felt like I needed a place to voice my classic film love and share classic film information with my friends. I didn’t have that previously. Friends thought my interest was interesting or cute, but I couldn’t carry on a conversation about it. This was pre-film Twitter and I felt pretty alone in my film love and thought, "Maybe if people knew more about classic films, they would be interested." After I started writing, I began meeting others who loved films —something new to me! I don’t know if I shared any new information to film fans or converted anyone into a pre-1968 film lover, but I stopped feeling so alone in my love.

How do you approach creating content for your blog?
Other than the weekly Musical Monday features, I don’t often write standalone film reviews. I figure everyone knows what “Random Harvest” is and has their own ideas about it, so they don’t need my lengthy plot rehash and gushing thoughts.

I try to pick out unique trivia tidbits that I would like to know more about and hope others do too! For example, why did Mae West start making pop records? What did Madeleine Carroll do for the war effort? Bruce Bennett was an Olympic medalist? Sometimes I can find a great deal of information and other times there isn’t, but I hope that I’m introducing someone to new information, since I learned a lot in the process.

How has blogging changed your life?
I didn’t think any other young people liked classic films as much as I did until I started blogging. Blogging allowed me to connect with others, discuss my classic love with others who understand and learn new facts about classic movies. It also allowed me neat opportunities, like interviewing actors James Best and Dolores Hart.

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Terry C.

How long have you been blogging?
I have been blogging for 13 years now. My blog just turned 13 last week, on June 4. I think June must be a very good month to start a blog!

Why did you start a blog?
I've always enjoyed writing. In fact, I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was only in junior high school. As an adult I had articles published in various small press publications. Back in 2004 I had a girlfriend who had a blog and it looked like it could be a good outlet for my writing. I then started my blog to write about what interests me, which was primarily pop culture and nostalgia.

How do you approach creating content for your blog?

I really don't have a single approach to creating content for my blog. In most cases I think of an idea for a post and then I will research the subject. Sometimes that is as simple as re-watching a movie or an old TV show episode. Other times it might mean searching through books and old newspaper and magazine articles. I have had posts that, when the research is factored in, have taken literally days to complete. A lot of times there will be an important anniversary (the birth of an classic actor or the release of a classic movie) and I'll want to write about it. Sadly, I also write a lot of tributes upon the occasions of the deaths of actors, directors, and music artists I admire. I like covering their careers in depth, so they also involve a lot of research. Other posts, such as opinion pieces, simply come about because I simply want to speak my mind about something. This seems to usually be the case when I write about social media. It seems as if social media sites are always making changes I don't like!

How has blogging changed my your life?

I think blogging has enriched my life immeasurably. It has given me the opportunity to write about what I love, which is something I might not have had the chance to do otherwise, at least not to the extent that the blog has allowed me. Blogging would even lead to the publication of my book Television: Rare & Well Done, which is comprised mostly of material from my blog. Most importantly, I have made a lot of dear friends through blogging. I haven't met any of them in person, but I would have to say I feel closer to them than many people I have met in person. Honestly, there is nothing I regret about having taken up blogging, except perhaps the title of my blog. If I had it to do all over again, I would have chosen a more fitting title than A Shroud of Thoughts!

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Laura and I at the TCM Classic Film Festival

Laura G.

How long have you been blogging?
I'll celebrate my 12th anniversary as a blogger in July 2017!

Why did you start a blog?
I've always loved to write and as my children were growing older and I had more free time, blogging appealed to me as a creative outlet. I learned about blogging via political bloggers and initially my blogging topics were both more random (hence the title "Miscellaneous Musings") and current events based, but within the first three years or so I realized that I wanted to mainly focus on the topics which make me happiest, classic films and my overlapping interest in all things Disney.

How do you approach creating content for your blog?
Quite a bit of the content for my blog is driven by the calendar, whether it’s previewing the upcoming month on Turner Classic Movies, covering a film festival, celebrating an actor’s birthday, or sharing classic film photos with a holiday theme. Another significant percentage of my blog content consists of film reviews, whether it’s DVD or Blu-ray screeners or titles from my personal collection. And trips to Disneyland often result in my sharing a few photos!

I love finding new content to read at my favorite blogs, which helps inspire me to update my own blog regularly. I enjoy creating what I hope is a lively and informative blog, and I thus try to blog most days of the week, though sometimes it’s not possible due to a heavy workload. Conversely, being self-employed sometimes enables me to blog during work breaks! This is particularly helpful for posts which aren’t planned in advance; for instance, as classic film writers it’s a sad reality that we must regularly write obituaries. I’ll also sometimes be inspired to blog by something I see on Twitter, such as a mention of an actor’s birthday.

Generally speaking the only time I take notes in preparation for blogging is during introductions at film festivals, when I see so many films I’m likely to forget key points. Most of the time, though, I like to be “in the moment” and don’t use a notebook, but instead try to blog as soon as possible after seeing a film or attending an event. I find blogging is a great way to help reflect on and “process” films I’ve just watched or to remember an event. Often my blogging is done in the late evening; initially this was because it was a quiet time when I had children at home, but now that my children are older, it remains a good time due to my work schedule, plus it’s often when I’ve just finished watching a movie!

Although I don’t take notes during movies, I’m fairly methodical and organized, which helps me do as much blogging as I do. Reminders for things such as end-of-the-month TCM posts or birthday tributes are calendared in advance. I try to fill in links for my annual "Year in Review" post as the year unfolds, and as soon as I know a DVD screener is on the way to my mailbox, I’ll go ahead and set up the draft post with what I call the “boilerplate” – the cover picture, a link to the DVD company, and basic info on things like the director and running time. This helps me keep track of what’s coming up and plan my viewing and blogging schedule. When it gets really busy, such as during the spring film festival season here in Southern California, I also post a list of blogging ideas on the wall next to my computer and check off reviews and other posts as I complete them. I also keep a list of long-term ideas for future posts; I have many more ideas than I have time to write!

This may sound like a lot of work to some, but I truly enjoy it, and since it’s supposed to be fun, if I’m overwhelmed by demands on my time I may set aside something for a period of time in order to fit other things in. For instance, one of my favorite things to do as a blogger is my weekly “Around the Blogosphere” link roundups, sharing interesting news I’ve come across along with links to writing by my fellow classic film bloggers. During this year’s spring film season, when I attended four festivals in a ten-week period, something had to give, so I haven’t done one of those posts in the last three months. I’ll get back to it soon!

How has blogging changed your life?
 The most important way blogging has changed my life is the many wonderful friendships I've made -- with you being a very special friend, one of the first classic film bloggers I got to know! Some have become "in person" friendships, with the chance to spend time together at movie screenings, film festivals, and local events. I also have wonderful far-flung friends I correspond with, from as far away as Israel and the UK. So many people are supportive and have done many kindnesses for me over the years, for which I'm very grateful. I like to think of my blog as a friendly gathering place for people from varied walks of life who share similar interests.

Blogging has also led to amazing experiences I never could have anticipated when I began, whether it was interviewing a favorite actress, Coleen Gray; being invited by the family of another favorite actress, Loretta Young, to attend and write about her centennial celebration; touring the home of Joel McCrea and Frances Dee with their grandson; and the opportunity to cover a number of film festivals as a member of the media. And that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg! It makes me very happy when readers let me know they enjoy my blog and that I’ve helped them find “good things” to enjoy -- but I'm really so fortunate in what blogging and my readers have meant in my own life.

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