Ryan McNeil
A small change in the program this week.
Earlier this week, The Kid in The Front Row (whose writing has inspired me for a good long while now) dropped me a note wondering if I wanted to open up about blogging and this blog in particular. In addition, he likewise suggested that I post the conversation here. I hesitated for a brief moment, since talking about myself isn’t my first choice of activity. However, I soon realized that the answers to his questions might be of interest to some who read this space…perhaps those new to the site who might not know how things got to this point.
So while I take a breath and bear down for the first film festival of the year, allow me a moment to shed some light on The Matinee and I arrived at this point.
The Kid: When did you start blogging and why did you start?
Ryan McNeil: I wrote a LiveJournal from 2004 to 2007, and while it was fun to record my ideas in that manner and make new friends, it had low appeal. Few people want to read the day-to-day of an average office drone. However, my wife Lindsay suggested I find a way to reach a broader audience through it. I noticed that some of my most popular posts were the ones where I talked about the movies I’d watched, so it dawned on me that by focusing the writing, I’d have a chance to reach others interested in what I was writing about…even if they’d never met the writer himself.
K: You have a very modern design — it’s more like a website, like a collection of stuff, than a typical blog. What made you move away from your previous site, ‘The Dark of the Matinee‘?
Ryan McNeil: The seed to up the ante came about a year ago. A podcaster and blogger that I’d been following for a long time moved to town and told me “I like what you do, but I think you can do it better”. I’m not the greatest at taking criticism, but something within these notes he was giving me struck a chord. I had been covering film festivals as accredited press, interviewed Oscar winners, and was starting to feel somewhat “legit”. However, the makeup of the old site wasn’t reflecting the work that was going into it. So I decided to up my game.
In mapping out the design of the new site, I wanted to move to something radically different from the previous space – and if possible, something that stood out from most of the other sites I frequented. The funny thing is, that critique my friend gave me has stuck with me ever since. I’m always looking for a way to “do it better”.
K: I love it when you discuss old movies with other bloggers, like on your ‘Falling For The First Time’ section. What do you get out of doing that? Why do you find it appealing?
R: The motto of this site is “Passion and Perspective”, and the latter of those is something I think a lot of people overlook. When it comes to pop culture films that occupy a high pedestal, I realized a while ago that they often have their flaws overlooked because their biggest fans saw them at an impressionable age. My theory was that if someone saw these films for the first time now, that I’d gain a perspective most readers weren’t privy to.
The appeal is to vicariously relive that first experience, and see something I’m deeply familiar with through fresh eyes.
K: Do you pay attention to readership numbers and stats?
R: I try not to since I’m very much a small fry. Most of my interest in stats is in gauging where people are finding out about the site.
K: Is blogging always enjoyable, or now that you’ve been doing it a lot time do you feel a pressure to produce content?
R: If blogging wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it. I’ve had an immense amount of support from my wife, family, and friends…enough that I’ve been able to make blogging a part of my daily routine and a big part of my identity. However the fact is that everything you see on this site takes effort, and if I didn’t get a large measure of satisfaction from the effort I was putting in, I’d find something else to do with my time.
The only pressures I feel are self-inflicted.
For starters, there’s the fact that for over two years now, I’ve been on a streak of posting every day. I’m rather proud of that in a wickedly-low-rent Cal Ripken sort of way, so I’d like to keep the streak alive if I can.
Along with that, there’s the trouble of coming up with topics to write about. After almost five years, I’ve covered a lot of the usual points (“What’s with remakes?”, “My desert island top five”, etc). So there have been a few nights of staring at a blinking cursor at 12:30 and thinking “I think the streak ends tomorrow”…but beyond that I haven’t felt much stress or pressure from my writing.
K: Have you seen the film ‘One Week’, that was shot a few years ago and set in Canada? Intrigued by your thoughts on it.
R: I have! It was discussed on an archived episode of The Matineecast with Simon Columb since I believe it to be one of the best Canadian films of the last ten years. It could actually serve as a tourism ad for my country. I’ve actually not paid Canadian film much attention until the last two or three years, so discovering gems like ONE WEEK has been a great experience.
K: Do you work in film, or do you do something entirely different?
R: I work for a photography supplier, so no – I don’t work in film. Now that yo mention it, that might be a good thing since I recall reading a recent post by someone who said nothing would ruin one’s passion for film faster than working in the film industry. Since you brought it up though, my work does play a part in my writing habits. The Matinee is something I do with my free time, and only with my free time. I keep hard and fast to a pair of rules: I don’t write about work, and I don’t write at work. I might respond to a comment now and then on a coffee break, but no more than that.
K: Do your friends and family read your blog?
R: I think I have a reputation for guilt-tripping my friends and family into reading my blog.
Jokes aside, many of them do – even my mom, who isn’t all that interested in film. Funny thing about friends reading this space though, writing this space has actually introduced me to a whole host of new friends. A few years ago, some other local movie bloggers decided to host a night at the bar for any interested movie bloggers (or just movie lovers) in the city. That gathering went so well we all decided to do it monthly, and it;s been running for three and a half years. Many of these people I’ve met are people I’ve become quite close with.
What’s amazing about that is that I don’t think many people out there make a whole lot of new friends, once they get into their 30’s. Maybe if you move to a new neighbourhood, or change jobs…but even then, how many new people will you find yourself getting together with? One or two, tops?
So yes, my friends and family do read this space, and I’m happy that they do. They’ve all been so encouraging about it, that I likely would have shut it down and quit several times were it not for their support.
Yay! I’m glad you participated in this. The kid visited my place to and it will come up shortly.
I loved to read about you; that’s actually the kind of posts I enjoy most to read. The people who run the blogs are usually more interesting than the movies they write about. 🙂
The posting schedule you’ve put up for yourself is just crazy. Kudos for doing this but gosh, I’d never do such a thing.
I’m afraid my family and friends don’t read my blog. But then I don’t talk about it very much. My closest family knows about it but so far they’ve shown non interest at all to read it. So basicaly it’s my own little corner where I poke around.
I skimmed your entry into this series. Will be giving it a closer read on my lunch break later.
Nice to know you enjoyed reading a bit about me – I was worried that doing such a long post about myself would seem narcissistic (even if it was Kid’s idea), but given the comments that followed, some folks *must* have liked learning a little more about the dude behind the keyboard.
The schedule hasn’t killed me yet…but I’m sure the day will come when I say “Enough’s enough”
I’m the opposite to you when it comes to talking about my site to friends and family. I’d wager if you asked them, they’d prefer I shut up about it for a while.
Wow, I actually beat you by a couple years. I did some semi-regular film blogging in live journal from 2002-2004 before starting my blog proper.
Of course, I didn’t really start getting serious about my blog until 2007/2008. 😛
I can’t say for sure why I was late to the game where blogging is concerned. The funny thing is, I only ever got into it because it showed up as a feature on a music community I used to frequent.
Nice post, Ryan. And I’m glad that film (and blogging) has brought us together. New friends are great no matter what age you are, although you don’t feel like a new friend anymore (which is not at all meant as a diss!).
After 3.5 years it’s more like old friends isn’t it? Funny how time can fly like that. The great thing though is that in this town I’m still meeting people and finding lots in common.
I don’t think I ever would have been this social without the site as a springboard.
Really interesting post. As a newcomer to your site these were all the questions that I had in my mind, but I wasn’t sure if it were polite to ask. Thanks for being so open, really enjoyed reading it.
In general, I tell people that if you have a question you can always ask. If it’s not something I care to answer, I won’t answer and likewise won’t think any different of you for asking.
You’re most welcome – and thanks in turn for the readership.
I do love posts like these. I always wish that more people asked me questions about myself/my blog, but there’s a good reason for that: who would be interested in that?! Haha.
I don’t even know how you’ve managed to write every day for the past two years. That’s insane. I wish I had that work ethic, but with school becoming increasingly difficult so will sticking in the blogging world. Don’t be surprised if Cinematic Paradox is an empty space on the internet by the end of this year (which would be sad, the blogging world has taught me so much).
But yeah, awesome stuff!
Funny – I was wondering who would be interested to know these details about me. Guess you never know, right?
Part of how I’ve been able to write every day is because of a rhythm I’ve managed to fall into. Had that rhythm been disrupted – say, by work getting crazier than usual, or health concerns – then there’s no way it would have worked.
I’d be sad if Paradox turned into an empty corner. Even if you only update it once a week, try to keep it going for those of us who visit regularly.
Interesting to know a bit more about the person behind the site and its history. Also read an interview he did with The Velvet Cafe.
I read that piece on Velvet as well and really enjoyed learning so much about Jessica. The Kid has really come up with something great this time!
Ryan! Great post. It is fascinating that the whole blogging-lark, in turn, presents you with meeting others and what not. Not many of my friends are as obsessed with film as I am … and as you are … and as all the other film bloggers we read are. At least that ‘passion’ is not lost on the assumption that we think we are alone.
Yeah, ONE WEEK … not a big fan … but then again, I watched it after travelling to the US, so maybe the im-so-tired aspect affected my judgement. But I like good ol’ Josh Jackson, so theres always that.
I keep thinking about the one-post a day thing, because its so tough, I think for me I commit my Sunday to my posts for the week ahead, and then anythign else is extra. I think if my outputwas anymore, my wuality would suffer … simply not enough time!
A great post [as usual]!
Simon
the fact that i spent quality wrong, clearly says how it is already dipping when i write on my lunch.
SPELT… god damn!
This comment thread might have given me the biggest smile I’ve had all week.
I’m somewhat surprised you don’t have more cinema-obsessed friends. Aren’t there a whole gaggle of them in and around London? You should organize a night at the pub like we do here…you’ll probably make a host of new friends. You’ll feel like that girl dressed like a bee in the Blind Melon video.
ONE WEEK is a nifty little flick, but were we to do that top five again, I’d likely suggest something else in its place. Perhaps LAST NIGHT or CAFE DE FLORE.
The daily post streak will end eventually, and actually you might have just given me an idea as to how that can happen gently. Eventually, the posts could drop down to weekends off, or even just only weekends. For now though, the nightly ritual continues…
Thanks for reading mate.
Much love to LAST NIGHT.
The rewatching of it reminded me how much I really love that film.
What a great idea Kid, glad you’re taking part in this Ryan, I always enjoy reading the personal side of a blogger. Nice photo by the way, if you don’t mind me saying, I think you have nice eyes! [I think I can say that as we’re both happily married, ahah]
I think your blog and your writing is outstanding, keep up the great work man, and you certainly ain’t no small fry to me.
Thanks – I actually had to really crop that photo down because I hadn’t shaved that morning, and while it worked for the photo I wanted, it wouldn’t have suited this post all that well.
I will do my best to keep the site and the writing as outstanding as I can make it, long as loyal readers like you keep coming back.
I’ll be honest – weeks like this where my readership takes a dive thanks to all the documentaries I’m writing about make it tricky to keep the work level high.
But again – thanks, for your readership and your friendship.