Dear fellow Hitchcock Geek,
Since 2004, I've been publicly blogging, publishing, teaching, speaking and generally geeking out on Alfred Hitchcock. And I love it. But there's one aspect of the writing that never quite sat well with me.
Film is a visual medium. We "get" cinema in ways that words can't quite express. To paraphrase great artists from Gustav Mahler to Edward Hopper, if you could say it with words, why go to the movies? That, I believe, is at the heart of why so much scholarly writing on film is eye-gougingly hard to get through. Reading about movies is like trying to listen to music with binoculars. Words fail.
That's why, back in April, I started producing videos about the films of Hitchcock. There are a number of advantages:
- On video, I can share a full movie clip and control time. I can slow it down, freeze the frame and even rewind to pick up a stray detail.
- You don't have to take it from me. Hitch recorded numerous interviews and speeches. Why should I quote the Master when I can let him speak for himself?
- Stars, collaborators and others have generously given of their time to share their perspective on video. Let's hear from them!
- I believe in the power of infotainment. I'm here to share this lifelong obsession with as wide an audience as possible. Video is the perfect medium for that.
That said, video production is also A LOT OF WORK. Every minute of finished footage involves a good four to six hours—often even more than that—of research, writing, shooting and editing. In addition, production equipment, software, web hosting and more bring with them hard costs. Going forward, I'd like to improve the quality of these videos. That means bringing in professionals to help put the polish on the work. I can't accomplish all that alone.
That's where you come in.
For as little as $2 per month, you can have a meaningful share in supporting the geekery. Your monthly pledge will be used for video equipment upgrades, to pay my talented pro team and to support the many hours of research and production that go into each carefully crafted project. In return, you get access to a range of exclusive rewards. For your support, I'll produce a range of videos that you'll get "first viewing" of before I release them to the public, while others will remain yours and yours alone.You Medici, Me Tarzan
I'm doing this on a platform called Patreon, a crowdfunding platform whose monthly subscription model makes it possible to bring cool stuff into the world—while covering costs and even make a small living. (Check my page!) I love that Patreon leans towards smaller non-Medici-esque pledges. And don't worry, you can quit any time! Learn more about Patreon.I've already produced a handful of videos. Over the next few days, I'll be posting them here so you can get caught up on what's going on. In the meantime, I do hope you'll consider supporting the work!
Thanks so much for your association over the years.
Joel
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