thakur@zerkalo.harvard.edu (Manavendra K. Thakur) (02/26/90)
As moderator of this newsgroup, I would like to welcome everyone to
rec.arts.cinema. This newgroup has been created to to provide a forum
for serious discussion of all aspects of film.
So please, send your articles and postings to me. My email addresses
are listed below. Below that is a copy of the charter of this group.
I also welcome suggestions, comments, and criticisms of how this
newgroup is faring. Remember, this newgroup will survive only with
our concerted effort. I hope we can keep the noise to a minimum.
With help from everybody reading the group, I feel confident that we
can create a newsgroup that people will actually want to read on a
regular basis.
One of the ideas I have for the group is to post editorials from time
to time, on various issues related to film. In conjunction with this,
I hope to have a semi-periodic feedback section, where readers can
send in their comments and have them posted in digest form.
Once again, welcome to this newsgroup. I look forward to many
fascinating ideas, discussions, articles, and debates in the months
ahead.
Manavendra K. Thakur
Moderator, rec.arts.cinema
Email addresses:
In general, I have two sites where I can receive mail: one at Harvard
and one at MIT. Try the Harvard ones first.
HARVARD MIT
Internet:
thakur@zerkalo.harvard.edu thakur@eddie.mit.edu
thakur@cfa.harvard.edu
BITNET:
thakur@cfa.BITNET thakur%eddie.mit.edu@mitvma.bitnet
DECNET:
thakur@cfa.DECNET <unknown>
UUCP:
...!harvard!zerkalo!thakur {decvax!genrad,uunet}!mit-eddie!thakur
Finally, here is the charter of rec.arts.cinema. I shall strive to be
as faithful as possible to the purpose and spirit of this charter.
=====================================
CHARTER: REC.ARTS.CINEMA
This is a moderated group intended for serious articles addressing any
and all aspects of cinema. Topics appropriate for discussion include
(BUT ARE BY NO MEANS LIMITED TO) the following:
-- cinematic techniques
-- comparative analysis between cinema and other mediums of artistic
expression
-- film history
-- cinema as an entertainment medium
-- cinema as popular culture
-- interpretation or analysis of a particular film or set of films
-- financial, social, or legal issues that affect filmmaking (and vice
versa)
-- the quality and/or success of film festivals and other film-related
events
-- and any other topic related to film that people want to discuss in
a serious way.
The following criteria shall be among those used by the moderator to
decide whether an article is acceptable or not:
-- Is the article making a sincere argument? A more precise
way to phrase this might be: does the author truly
expect the readers to believe the points being made? Or
a third way: is the article intellectually honest?
-- Are the points being made in the article cogent and
consistent? Have any important facts or data relevant to
the issues being discussed been left out? Are there any
gaping holes in the fundamental assumptions or the logic
being professed?
-- Is the article likely to be correctly understood?
If the moderator determines that an article is likely to be
misunderstood, it will be returned to the author for
clarification. The moderator will not alter an
article in any way unless the author indicates that this is
acceptable. The moderator will not reject an article solely
on the basis of minor spelling or grammatical errors.
Items that are specifically excluded from rec.arts.cinema:
-- Any kind of trivia questions/answers/games: use r.a.m instead
-- Simple lists (eg, movies made by director X): use r.a.m instead
-- Simple factual queries (eg "Who starred in x"): use r.a.m instead
-- Movie reviews (as opposed to analysis): use r.a.m.reviews instead
-- Queries/Reports of video availability: use r.v.software if it passes
-- Flames: If you are genuinely outraged by an article, count to 10,
collect your thoughts, and write another article in response.
Otherwise, the moderator will feel free to hose you to help you
cool off.
Moderator: Manavendra Thakur
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