Second Edition

I thought that there was a couple more of late contributions to arrive, but since I announced a week-long duration, let's close it (the blogathon, not the blog!), temporarily at least. Please don't give up on your contributions if you still want to post them. The CCC discussion is non-stop.

The second Contemplative blogathon only lasted 1 week this year, but it was almost as big (36 contributions!) as last year in 3 weeks (47 contributions), topping my most optimistic hopes. So thank you all very much for your generous participation once again. Full table of content for the blogathon 2008 here.
It is a (good) surprise to see more new faces this year. I thought we'd be only among old timers from the first blogathon, because this topic is boring everyone. So thanks a lot for joining in numbers this year again. We're up to 34 members now, with 8 new members.

The contributions have been exceptionally rich and varied. It's great to read all this. I'm sorry I didn't comment on every single one yet, but I will.
By the way, it's puzzling how the discussion is harder to kick in given the enthusiasm to post so many contributions. Although we had a great conversation in the two roundtables.
Also I don't know why the cross-posting here at Unspoken Cinema didn't become an habit yet. I'm wondering if it's shyness or if it's because the collective team-blog is less "in" than the individual blog? Is it a matter of territoriality? I'm still giving directions here to make sure this trend stays focus on core principles (rather than let in include more and more light-contemplative or partially contemplative attempts), but I wish this team-blog would function on its own, without a titular animator. That's why I've granted admin-rights to several old-time members, so that every changes need not my sole validation. Is there no motivation to appropriate and get this blog going on its own?

Maybe this should become an annual event, to keep track of how this trend evolves both among filmmakers and in the press. In the meantime this blog stays open, and more contributions are still welcome here anytime. I have more things to write on CCC narrative strategies on deck.

Maybe you noticed that the map of the traffic (at the bottom of the blog) was reset on January 12 2008, after a year of survey. So above is the picture right before wipe out. I'm not sure how representative this kind of traffic is, because I usually mistrust any automatised, indiscriminate counters. But it gives a general idea of the variety of origins for our readers (mostly from Europe and USA though, since it's an English-written blog).
This blog is rather confidential among art-film fans, so it's not really representative of the film blogosphere. Still, it's interesting to take a look at the blank areas on the map! Nothing in Africa, nothing in Russia, very few in South America or China... and this has to change. Quite a few in India and South Asia though. Please speak up, where ever you are. Let the global cinephile community arise.

Thank you all, participants, commentators, readers and lurkers to make this event so fascinating!
See you here soon and hopefully next year again if we last that long.

Comments

David McDougall said…
I hope we can start to use this space all year round. Many of us are writing and thinking about these concepts a lot as it is, and this is a great venue to have a constant conversation on CCC. I for one will do my part.
Carlos Ferrao said…
I'm not sure what I should cross-post or not. For example my latest post is kind of related to Unspoken Cinema, but should it be here?
HarryTuttle said…
thanks for the support Dave! :)

Yes you should Carlos! Anything that can add to the discussion, to approach CCC from various angles is welcome. If a critical mass of visitors is reached one day, these posts will be the necessary resource to make creative connections between ideas. That's my hope.
Anonymous said…
Yes I've thoroughly enjoyed my first blogathon experience. Theres been so much stimulating thinking and writing, well done Harry for convening so assuredly.

In a bid to make a smaller and more frequent event of this space, perhaps each of the members should set (or agree) on a specific topic for monthly discussions? I'd love to see screen captures, which would enhance this space as a repository of images as well as text.

eg. Eyeline matching

eg. Joy, elation and ecstasy

eg. Vehicles, cars and transport

eg. Kinky sex etc...

(Please do not attempt a Freudian reading of my examples!)
HarryTuttle said…
Yeah this is a great idea. I'm all for the organisation of events here, or proposal for a topic to consider together... But I'll stop complaining for now and we'll see what happens.

Actually I'm also interested in a survey of the various typology of the representation of sexuality in CCC films. It seems to be a big deal, at least for some of them, and they are quite transgressive in depicting it.