The Film Project 2013 is an idea of mine born from the users of Letterboxd, and hopefully will shape and enhance the way myself and a few friends watch our films. There are four of us who will be attempting this project, me - Mike, Tony, Martin and Steve. That said anyone else can join in these challenges, as
dmosbon has done with the Twelve link challenge.
The four of us are all unlimited card holders at Cineworld and so have pretty good access to all the latest releases.
That said even though we have watched a lot of films in 2012, they are just based on the cinema release schedule and then random films at home. There is no goal, no focus except to see has many films as possible, mostly at the cinema - because what beats a film on the big screen with great sound? Nothing!
So why not make some goals, some challenges which will lead us into genre's we might not really watch or a film by a Director we've never heard off. If there is one thing Letterboxd has shown me this year there are hundred's of films I've never heard off which recieve very good reviews. Like Man From Nowhere - recommended to me from a couple of Letterboxd users and it was one of the best films I've seen for a long time.
On letterboxd a December Challenge was issued to see if you could watch a 100 films in a month. Extreme yes! But a great idea, while I didn't take part, it did make me think about doing something like that for myself. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that it would be better done with a group and so I put together a starter pack for the Project. With some ideas, I also compiled some of the monthly challenges and I posted it out to the my friends. The plan is to keep the challenges smaller as there are multiple challenges running through the year.
I wasn't sure how they would take to the project to say they accepted the idea's was an understatement - Steve came up with a brilliant challenge while we were at the cinema and we ironed out various kinks on the drive home. Within a few hours all the challenges were set, except the personal ones, and everybody was on board!
Letterboxd with it's use of lists and tags is the ideal place where we can log the films we see.
So this is the Project.......
The Big unlimited Year – This is our standard list. Our standard goal to watch as many films with our unlimited cards - the total to beat this year is 193 films!
We will tag this
‘Unlimited 13’ as well as standard tags (Action, Comic book etc). Each of us will create a List “My
Unlimited Cinema 2013” Main tag is as stated above you then we log our films to
this list and put it in order of rating.... this then shows what films you’ve
enjoyed or not through year. The list will
only allow 1 entry of a film, but you can log multiple watches under you film
review and the tag Unlimited 13 – this will then count the “complete” number of
films you’ve seen.
The Monthly Challenge – Each month is a set challenge usually a
theme, so December will be 12 Films of Christmas. So we have to watch 12 Christmas films within that month, we can watch more,
it’s up to them how many they watch over the target!
Monthly
Challenges
January
|
Project is Go! 20 Films to get us started! (Any
Format – Any Film!)
|
February
|
14 Rom-Com’s or Romance films
|
March
|
First 15 Films of the Imdb 250 you have never
seen
|
April
|
April Fools – 15 Comedies!
|
May
|
Eurovision Song Contest – 11 Musicals or Music
themed Films (eg 8 Mile/ Moulin Rouge)
|
June
|
12 Blockbusters (Blockbusters released in May to
August - Any year)
|
July
|
10 Foreign Language films
|
August
|
10 Films featuring a Holiday
|
September
|
Sci-Fi September - 14 films not of this world!
|
October
|
13 Halloween films! – Horror Baby Horror!
|
November
|
No-Rewatch-Vember 20 films you’ve never seen.
(Any Genre, Any Language)
|
December
|
12 Films of Christmas!
|
The Project Twelve Link
This challenge was thought up by Steve. And we liked the idea a lot!
We start in January with 1 film (We all watch the same
film – Nominated by Steve – His game he starts it)
We then branch out from that film using 1 of the 11 links
available and watch the linked film in February (it might even be part of
another quest or challenge). Again
using a list on Letterboxd to log the films we can add in the comments post what the link was and
why)
Once that link has been used it’s crossed off the link
list.
March’s film is another link from the remaining list and
so on till you finish the challenge in December with the final link. The links can be used in any order.
1) Director
2) Actor/Actress
3) Composer
4) Director
5) Actor/Actress
6) Cinematography
(Director of Photography)
7) Country/City
(A featured Country or City in that film – Skyfall use London etc)
8) Studio
(Either the Main Studio or the Distribution Studio)
9) Song
(A song featured (Not in full) is used as the link – Perk’s – Heroes by Bowie)
10) Same
Year (Released in the same year of each other)
11) Casting
Director
The Personal Challenges - These are challenges created by each of us for the other members of the Project. They run all year
– (well from sometime in January when we have set them up)
We all compile a
list of 6 challenges each from the following guidelines
1)
On a theme, actor, director, place, country,
using a certain device etc. etc. Be a little creative and do your homework,
make sure there is a good supply of films to fill the challenge. Remember make it
fun not impossible and something you would like to do yourself.
2) 15 films are required so if you wanted all the films of John hughes – you would have
to state Written or Directed by John Hughes. You couldn’t get Afflecks directed
films, you would have to go for Actors who have had a go at directing!
3)
You have 11+ month’s to complete the 6 tasks, that's 90
films! – Piece of cake!
When the lists are complete we will pick 2 each from each other giving us our 6 challenges.
So these are the challenges we have set ourselves for the Project.
It runs the whole year...... It's going to be fun!
