Site Archive

Expanded Cinema: Still fresh after forty years
Written by David Tames on August 17, 2010
Filed Under Art, Books, Featured, Filmmaking, New Media
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A few months ago I pulled Gene Youngblood’s classic Expanded Cinema (E.P. Dutton & Company, 1970, available online) off the shelf and read it again. The pages in my well worn softcover edition were falling out, the glue having dried over the two decades I’ve owned the book....  Continue Reading...

Pearls of wisdom
Written by David Tames on April 23, 2010
Filed Under Art, Books, Design, Featured, Reviews
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Back in February I attended a conference “Who’s Afraid of New Media” held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Wendy Richmond, who has recently published a book, Art Without Compromise* (Allworth Press, 2009), was one of the speakers. During a break we had a delightful conversation...  Continue Reading...

The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative
Written by David Tames on February 12, 2010
Filed Under Books, Narrative, Reviews
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I recently finished reading The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative by H. Porter Abbott (Cambridge University Press, 2nd. edition, 2008). This book is by far the best introduction to narrative currently available, encompassing the range of narrative forms including literature, cinema, and...  Continue Reading...

Fans, friends, and followers
Written by David Tames on April 2, 2009
Filed Under Books, Distribution, Filmmaking, Reviews, The Media
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This week I had a chance to read Scott Kirsner’s new book, Fans, Friends & Followers, which provides a fresh guide to building an audience in the new media landscape. The book starts out by painting with broad brush strokes the challenges artists have faced finding an audience for...  Continue Reading...

Inventing the Movies
Written by David Tames on July 31, 2008
Filed Under Books, Business, Filmmakers, Filmmaking, Interviews, Media Technology, Television, The Media
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Some of the things I love about summer are weekend trips to the Berkshires, taking time off for a vacation, and all that means more time available to read books. On my summer reading stack this year was an advance copy of Inventing the Movies, a new book by Scott Kirsner that takes you on...  Continue Reading...

Making Media Now (slides from Opening Remarks)
Written by David Tames on June 2, 2007
Filed Under Books, Business, Filmmaking, General, Media Literacy, Sticky, The Media, Video on the Web, Web
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Here are my slides from the Opening Remarks I made at the Making Media Now: Filmmaking in Transition conference held yesterday at Boston University. A special thanks to Jennifer Kaplan, Bonnie Waltch, and all the people and sponsors who made this lively and engaging event possible. Continue...  Continue Reading...

Boston Media Makers Meeting, April 1, 2007
Written by David Tames on April 1, 2007
Filed Under Books, Events & Screenings, Media Literacy, Podcasting, The Media, Video on the Web, Web
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Today I attended another wonderful meeting of Boston Media Makers held at Sweet Finnish in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, the first Sunday of every month. We go around the room and everyone talks about what they are doing, triggering interesting discussion, questions, answers, suggestions,...  Continue Reading...

The Future of Web Video
Written by David Tames on January 23, 2007
Filed Under Books, Business, Podcasting, QuickTime, Video on the Web, Web
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With all the excitement over Google’s purchase of YouTube and videomakers making money putting Mentos into Diet Coke bottles, you’d think that the viral video phenomena is where all the action is. But for independent filmmakers who are looking to get some financial return on...  Continue Reading...

Four key business books for understanding our changing times
Written by David Tames on December 15, 2000
Filed Under Books, Business, General
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There are four books that stand out as particularly relevant to understanding the challenges businesses face going into 2001. It’s time we put our aspirational predictions of the future aside and take a look at what’s really happening in the environment around us. The books are...  Continue Reading...