1007 DVDs

I meant to make note of this when hitting 1000 DVDs but time kind of kept rolling and I found myself 7 movies further along before putting this post together. So, 1007 titles. It all started in December 2001 when I had asked for a DVD player for Christmas and had already started buying DVDs to replace my then 100 VHS tapes. Not quite 7 years later I've crossed the thousand mark and have acquired quite an extensive and diverse collection of work that I like to refer to as my library.

I used to receive a lot of flack from my folks, especially in my early uni days because of the money I'd spend on movies. I understood their point, but really, all students have their vices. For some it's booze, some it's fast food, and mine just happened to be DVDs. I can't remember the number of times that I used the excuse that because I was in film production, DVDs were really like my textbooks. That's true, but it's also clear they weren't the most financially responsible choice (especially back in the beginning when they were $20 and up).

Now-a-days, I'm a previously viewed buyer and because I've acquired most of the movies that I had on my wish list, most of my purchases are either pre-1980 films or recent releases. Keeping track of all these flicks can be difficult, but thankfully I'm a pretty organized guy and have all my films databased, referenced, and alphabetically catalogued in binders. A bit obsessive? Maybe a bit, but it's tough not to care about the films that I've spent thousands of dollars on.

The nice thing about having my films in a database is that I can easily share some of the statistics about the films I love and the collection itself. So, here goes!

• There are 1007 titles in my collection.
• With a total of 1361 actual discs.
• A total length of 146852 minutes.
• It would take approx. 102 straight days to watch all the movies.
• The average year of the collection is 1993.8
• The years I have the most movies from are 2005 and 2006, both with 80 titles.
• Top 5 directors in my collection: Steven Spielberg (18), Charlie Chaplin (11), Robert Zemeckis (11), Woody Allen (9), Martin Scorsese (9).
• Time it took to reach 1007 DVDs: 6 years and 9 months.
• That's 2.9 DVDs purchased per week since December 2001.
• I was 17 when I purchased my first DVD which was Mel Brook's Spaceballs (1987).
• Oldest movie in the collection: The Kid (1921) directed by Charlie Chaplin.
• DVDs by decade: Pre-1970 (98), 1970s (38), 1980s (130), 1990s (225), 2000s (516).
• 17 Genres in my collection: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Fantasy, Holiday, Mockumentary, Music, Science Fiction, Sports, Television, Thriller, War, Western.
• Most common genre: Comedy (253)
• Least common genre: Mockumentary (13)
• 48 Academy Award Best Picture Winners
• Oldest Oscar Best Picture in collection: Grand Hotel (1933)
• Most Recent Best Picture in collection: No Country for Old Men (2007)
• And yes, I have watched every DVD I own. Some only once, some tens of times, and the majority somewhere in between.

So there's a handful of tidbits regarding my DVDs, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of things slowing down. Although over the years, whenever I told people how many DVDs I was at, they'd always assume the next time I saw them that I must have several hundred more movies. I bet from the date of this post if you add 3 DVDs per week to whatever date, that will be the current total.

I don't have a single favourite movie, but if you're interested the Desert Island Flick entries I've been writing on this blog are all about the movies I own and love. Happy flick watching!

Jungle Cruise at Disneyland

Sure it'd be nice to pretend that I took a weekend excursion to the jungles of Africa and Asia, but it's doubtful that story would hold up once you saw the animatronic elephants, tigers and hippos. Oh well, I guess that's why there's Disneyland.  Here is the brief edit of the jungle cruise from our 2004 trip.

Basic Film Portfolio Skills

So you're going into, already in, or just leaving film school and you're asking yourself, "What should I consider when making my film portfolio?". What should you include? What's the value of putting together a portfolio in the first place? As a film student just months ago and as an avid independent filmmaker I'd like to share a few things to consider when constructing your film portfolio that I found have helped me get work, and in general, have just made it easier to share my projects.

First things first, if you don't believe in what your creating it's easy to say that no one else will. I'll state the obvious and say, if you're attempting a portfolio you'll first need some decent projects (get some critical feedback from profs, film fests, use your best judgement, etc. to help figure this out). If you can't explain your work, if you don't have a defense or justification for it, than you're not really showing your creative control of it and what kind of sell is that? Consider this when your sitting down and reviewing all the projects you've done. You'll want to know your selections inside and out because there's always questions about why you did things the way you did.

Ultimately you want to compile a cross-section of your projects that you feel highlight your skills, concepts, and interests for the simple sake of presenting yourself as a motivated, unique, and focused filmmaker. True, at this film student stage you won't necessarily be proposing your skills to the most illustrious ends of the industry, but there is a lot to be said about passion. How you present yourself is half the battle. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) The Shorter the Better:
The more you can get across in less time, the less likely you'll be diluting your portfolio. You don't have to include full projects. Select clips that showcase what it is you feel is the real strength of your film. If cutting down some of your projects means you can include more work, you'll not only save the viewer time, you'll be providing a wider representation of your talent.

2) It's All About Variety:
You never know who might ask to see your portfolio so construct it with diversity in mind. I've always included one of my experimental, narrative, music video and/or promotional shorts not only for the difference in style, but to show that my interests are varied as well.

3) Keep It Current:
Since I'm always working on new things, and because I simply can tire of some of my old projects, I've re-worked my portfolio about once a year since my early film school days to keep it fresh. Having an even spread of old and new work is important because strong older work speaks to experience and new work speaks to your drive.

4) Organization and Promotion:
This is your portfolio so make sure who ever is watching it knows it. I've always included my name and contact information at the top of the DVD menu, on the disc, and the DVD sleeve. I keep the layout of the DVD clean and simple on a single menu, and have often highlighted the selections by listing the festival credits of each project just below. The presentation shows confidence in yourself and pride in the work you're presenting.

5) Always Have A Backup:
This is probably the easiest guideline. If you've gone through all the work of making a promotional film portfolio DVD, make sure you have hard copies prepared so it's simply a matter of getting it if someone asks. The hassle of rushing to reburn, organize and find files is saved by just having a few discs on your shelf for anyone who asks, or anyone you need to send it to. If you're a filmmaker you should know anyways: always have a backup!

So there's a few basics. It comes down to your personal talent and how hard you feel like working. The more excited you are about it, the more you'll naturally push yourself to standout. Just know there's a lot of competition, so shortcuts aren't necessarily the best option. Best of luck!