Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Happy Birthday U, Me and Films !!


About 13 months ago from today, I saw an article in now extinct IMDb Hitlist on Hitchcock and his movies that took me to a blog Riku Writes (now Streams of Unconsciousness). At that time, I was completely oblivious to the concept of a movie blog even though by then, I was already turned into a film buff for quite some time. My friends were referring me as a 'movie guy', they had stopped asking me 'Hey dude, what are you doing ?', it turned into 'So, what are you watching now ?', they were asking me for movie recommendations and my opinion on whether should they watch certain movie or not. But, personally this particular habit of mine was kinda stagnant, going nowhere. So, I was looking for something different to do with it. On personal front, I was done with all the course work for my masters with 3 months of summer just around the corner. Even when the semester would start in the Fall, only thing I had to worry about was my Master's Project which meant that I can pretty much have my own time-table for the whole week except one weekly meeting on Friday. 

With all this in mind, me stumbling onto this blog was quite serendipitous. Wheels started to turn inside my head, contemplating the idea of starting my own blog. I spent some time going through contents of that blog. In the matter of few days, I discovered that there is a whole world of movie bloggers out there which was encouraging. However, not only that I did not have any prior experience of writing anything, much less of writing it in English, I didn't have any formal film education neither to help me. For those who do not know, English is not my second but third language. Up until I was 10 years old, only thing I knew about English was A-Z. My 4 year old niece knows more nursery rhymes than me as no one read them to me when I was kid. So, I took my time not only to decide whether to go ahead or not but also to try and see if I can really write something worth putting out there. I spent a little over a month deliberating, practicing before I finally published my first article exactly year ago from today on 13 June 2011. And that is how U, Me and Films came into existence !!

Journey in this year has been fulfilling to say the least. I would like to believe that my writing has evolved over this year, but to tell you the truth I have no way of judging this. What I do know is my movie tastes have evolved a lot, what I do know is my knowledge, my horizons have widened for certain. I still don't get a lot of pop culture references but even then I at least know what people are talking about. I know that I have written only around 60 posts, but with me being a master procrastinator and with an extremely limited vocabulary that I have, it still takes quite some time for me to write it. I also took it little slow till I graduated at the end of January. I have doubled my speed since then but even then it comes to around 6-7 posts/month. I am still doing my best. However, the most fulfilling experience has been how welcoming and friendly this whole blogging community has been and that has been true especially since I joined LAMB in March. Anywhere you go, first blogging advice you will receive is always blog for yourself, not for anyone else and even though I agree with it completely, it is always great to know few people around you that you can look up to, that can inspire you, that can set example for you. Over this one year, I have been lucky enough to get acquainted with quite a few bloggers through different channels. So, let me take this chance to raise my glass to some of these phenomenal film bloggers that I have come across in last year who have done exactly this to me...

Richard Hourula@Stream of Unconsciousness: Unfortunately, I haven't had any communication with him over the year. But, as I previously stated, his blog has played an instrumental part in conception of this blog and he deserves due credit for it.

Alex@And So It Begins: For being an inspiration to almost half of the posts on this blog with his encyclopedic knowledge of movies, and more than that for being such a great patron with a lot of encouragement. We are eagerly waiting for your film, Earrings !!

Ruth@...Let's be Splendid about This...:  For our mutual Ghibli love and for all the lovely comments over the time and 7x7 Link award which ungratefully I didn't reply to. So, maybe she will forgive me for that.

Scott@Front Room Cinema: For his persistence of commenting on almost every single post. He is being missed in this part of blogosphere but since he is enjoying a rare family time(or that's what he told me), I can't really complain.

Stevee@Cinematic Paradox: For giving U, Me and Films it's 1st ever Blogging award and for maintaining an awesome blog and for her rating system and for her running features. I am sure she will win quite a few Lammies this time around.

Tyler@Southern Vision: For being a great point of reference as far as foreign or art house movies are considered - I have always been in awe of his passion for it and For being go-to guy to find movies on YouTube :D

Nikhat@Being Norma Jeane: A fellow Indian movie blogger, who also writes about English movies in English(unfortunately, I haven't found many of us) and who also has a colorful and beautiful blog.

Sati@Cinematic Corner: For...Have you seen her blog ? You wouldn't ask why if you have. She has Best Design Lammy in her pocket and then she writes something stunning like this as well.

Chris@moviesandsongs365: Even though he hasn't done them in last couple of months due to the health reasons, I loved his eclectic reviews with much more information than just a normal review and his song suggestions are always awesome.

Mette@Lime Reviews and Strawberry Confessions: For being passionate about Indian movies more than lot of us, Indians are. If you look at her site, you will notice she has a lot more Bollywood stuff than me.

Never Too Early for Movie Predictions: He was one of those people who were extremely supportive and welcoming immediately after I joined LAMB and off course, all of us are in awe of his round the year Oscar predictions. You can count on my vote for this !! 

CS@Big Thoughts from a Small Mind: For all the blogging love shared.

Murtaza@A Potpurri of Vestiges: Another fellow Indian movie-blogger who writes a great blog with very detailed reviews.

Some of my favorite pod-casters Reel Insight, Matineecast, French Toast Sunday and off course LAMBCast and they all have phenomenal blogs that I am in constant awe of.

LAMB: Last but probably the most important, for giving the platform to come and talk with fellow movie geeks without feeling like the only person on the earth who cares about something like this.

And in the end, let me raise it to anyone and everyone, who has ever visited this blog or commented on it or who has ever tweeted with me sharing their opinions about movies, please come and join me on this festive occasion. There is a lot of room for you all !! I really do not know how long will I keep blogging. But with such an encouragement, I can only hope I will go on and on !!

HERE IS TO FIRST COMPLETE YEAR AND HOPEFULLY MORE TO COME !!


36 comments:

  1. Happy birthday to you blog!
    Keep up the fantastic work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy birthday to your blog :D
    Here's to many more such anniversaries!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for being so welcoming! Cheers for the praise of my blog, and well done so far with your own site!
    Discovering there is a whole world of movie bloggers out there was pretty awesome for me also. I don't have a formal film education either, it is the passion for the medium that counts, and I think reading other sites, and getting feedback, makes me a better writer in the long run ( :

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks and you are welcome Chris !!

      Reading other sites has to be the single most source of learning for me too. Various sites I mentioned above and more have taught me not only how to make my own reviews better but also how to challenge my own perceptions of movie. I doubt if I would have seen such a diverge range of movies had I not been blogging.

      Delete
  4. Congrats on your one year blogiversary Shantanu! I love getting different perspectives on movies from people of varying backgrounds. (I still want to get to some of those Bollywood movies you wrote about...soon). It has been a pleasure reading your blog. Your enthusiasm for movies (and life in generally) shines through in most every post. Congrats again, and thanks for your kind words!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should be thanking you Alex. There is really a lot I have learned from you and your work and am sure will continue to learn from it. It's been a real pleasure to call you Friend !!

      I will look forward to the day you watch some Hindi movies. Cheers !!

      Delete
  5. That's some pretty fireworks! I never can get enough of those. Even just a picture makes me smile. Happy blogoversary and here's to many more years of blogging!

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot Jessica !! You should come to India sometimes, especially during the period of Diwali(Oct-Nov). We have lot of fireworks then, maybe even too much. :)

      I have said this on your blog as well once but I really like the way you keep your blog different from anyone else. I can only hope to have my own distinct identity just like yours !!

      Delete
  6. A lot of folks out there decide to start a movie blog and can't make it past one month - so one year is quite the benchmark.

    Congrats good sir. Not only have you turned this into a wonderful font of cinematic love, but the company you keep includes many of the most passionate people I know!

    Salut!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I keep on telling myself that I do not want to be one of them. I am certainly glad that I have made this far and hopefully continue to go even further !!

      As for the company, I am certainly proud to be associated with any of them, including you good sir !! Including You !! (Bows.)

      Delete
  7. Happy Blog Birthday, and I hope you stick around for many more of them!

    Great list of blogs too. I already follow every one of them, even Streams of Unconciousness which is an excellent blog despite the fact that the writer prefers not to take part in the community.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks BT !! I mean to or at least I plan to. :)

      I certainly am glad to know them all, couple of them on your recommendations as well. I should also thank you for your blogging tricks !! I have found really useful over this year !!

      Thanks again for stopping by !!

      Delete
  8. Congrats on the anniversary! Many blogs don't make it through the first year, so this is a big achievement. I've had mine just a few months longer than you, so we're in the same boat. That's a great list of blogs too. There are a few in there that I don't know and will definitely check out. Nice job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your blog looks way more matured and organised than a normal year-old blog would Dan and I believe that speaks volumes as to what kind of blogger you are Dan !!

      I will be really glad if you find few blogs ere that you like. This sense of community is what has made this experience of blogging special for me. Thanks and all the best for Lammies !! :)

      Delete
  9. Congratulations on reaching one year! It is quite an achievement especially considering that blogging is often a thankless job. I am glad film blogging has allowed you to expand your taste and knowledge in cinema. This is one of the things that has kept me going as well.

    In regards to the blogging love shared, all I can say is as long as you keep on writing, I will keep on sharing. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Considering overwhelming appreciation I received here as well as on Twitter, I wouldn't complain. At least not today. :)

      Not only I am watching more movies due to this, I am watching diverse variety of movies now. I do not think I would have chosen to actively seek out so many foreign movies, had I not been part of this community - which means I may have missed on Rashomon, Bicycle Thieves or maybe even 12 Angry Men and The Sweet Hereafter as I never heard of them a year ago.

      I will always look forward to making your list. Thanks for a comment CS :)

      Delete
  10. Happy Birthday and Congratulations! I really like what you said about your tastes in films changing over the year, as I think that is one of the first things I noticed for myself as well. Once we start getting involved in a community, the quality of films we look forward to changes as well! Glad that I could lend some support at certain points, and I am wishing you many more years of film blogging!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot NTEMP !! You are really doing a fine job with LAMB Welcome Committee.

      In this very month, I am trying to watch as many 'Foreign movies made in 60s from 1001 movies list' and this is only since I have heard so much about so many of them and have seen so few. I really doubt if I would have done this on my own. A little nudge here and there is always good !!

      Delete
  11. Congrats on hitting one year !!! Look forward to reading another year of your posts :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot for stopping by and commenting !! I hope I keep writing too.

      Delete
  12. Thank you for the menition! I hope you are celebrating with watching good films today, you deserve it! I also don't have film education or study something even remotely related to that, I think it's love and passion for cinema that count the most.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I finally saw Election and LOVED it !!

      I really am glad that there are people who are doing this film blogging just for passion and love of the craft, it encourages me much more.

      Thanks !!

      Delete
  13. Happy birthday to your blog! Long may it continue! I shall try to be along more regularly in the future!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot of Pete !! Even I can should say the same about your blog. Really.

      Delete
  14. Congrats on this awesome achievement. I hit my one year blogaversary back in February, and it was a great feeling! Awesome work, I'll definitely have to make sure your site is part of my weekly blogging rounds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Tyler. I sure do remember you writing about your blogoversary.

      Always happy to have yo here dude !!

      Delete
  15. Very Happy Birthday SDG!! you must be feeling pretty cool right now!! Here is to many many more Birthdays!

    I AM very sorry I haven't been here for a little while. I will try harder from now on I PROMISE!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pinky Promise Scott ?? :O (I just could not resist saying that).

      I am actually feeling really cool right now, bunch of comments here are definitely helping it. Thanks a lot for all your support Scott !!

      Delete
  16. A big happy birthday! May there be many more years to come. And thanks for the kind words, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Stevee, I hope so too !!

      Believe me, you deserve every word of it and I know there are lot of people who agree to it.

      Delete
  17. I finally got here, woohoo! Happy Birthday to the blog - it certainly doesn't feel like a year, it's hard to believe! Thanks so much for the shoutout! Ghibli will always rule! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WooHoo !! Ghibli Rocks !! (Not drunk, just excited)

      Ohh, it certainly does not feel like a year but something tells me it is.

      Thanks Ruth !!

      Delete
  18. Congrats on the one year achievement! Here's to many more!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...