Well that was more fun than I thought it would be. I had a great time doing it and I'm glad a regular won. Not that I wouldn't want anyone to win, but it feels more like a family gift now rather than an anonymous prize for an anonymous player.
I'd like to do this again soon (by soon I mean next three months or so) and will announce the next one much further in advance.
By now, most of you have probably read the other posts on the subject relating as to why I was a little late in getting the first link up and how I blew it by not going to the first blog until after a large chunk of players had stalled there. All will be corrected next time.
And speaking of next time, is there a better time for everyone to do this? I was thinking non-working hours but frankly I'm pretty much offline after work until about ten at night. But if ten is good for everyone then I have no problem with it. The game would be over before 11:30 (8:30 West Coast time) and we could all go to bed. Let me know.
For the curious here are the links to the blogs and their respective riddles. The answer to the final trivia question is contained in the animated banner here.
First Riddle - Answer: The Bridge on the River Kwai
Second Riddle - Answer: Bunny Lake is Missing
Third Riddle - Answer: The Magnificent Ambersons
Fourth Riddle - Answer: My Man Godfrey
Fifth Riddle - Answer: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Sixth Riddle - Answer: A Letter to Three Wives
Seventh Riddle - Answer: The Thing From Another World
Eighth Riddle - Answer: A Countess From Hong Kong
The first riddle caused many problems. I was referring to The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man in the White Suit, both films with Alec Guinness being pursued either by the police or an angry mob, and then "bridging" across "water" as well as "what I've done" were in reference to the answer, The Bridge on River Kwai which contains Guinness' famous moment of realization, "What have I done?" If I did it again I would include the full quote "What have I done" rather than the contracted one "What I've done." I think that would have made it clearer. So, my bad. Yep, that bad belongs entirely to me. Don't ask anyone else to claim responsibility for that bad 'cause I own it. Suffice it to say, "Bad: Mine."
The rest didn't seem to cause any difficulty (or as much) until the last one but that was by design. I wanted the last one to be a little trickier than the others since it was the one that leads the player to the final question. Here it is:
My films are entrenched in the Pantheon
A notable place to be
But who would’ve guessed my last one
Would use the Method on the sea?
I've always found it interesting that Charlie Chaplin, an actor supremely skilled in pantomime ended his career with an actor known for being an exemplar of the modern "method" acting style, Marlon Brando. So that was the reference to "the Method" and since they're on a ship in the film, "on the sea." Which immediately made everyone think of Mutiny on the Bounty. That was by design. I thought more people would be thrown off by the Method line but it seems as if everyone who made it to that riddle immediately thought of Brando. Cool.
Congratulations again to Bill for successfully navigating the riddle-filled waters (riddle-riddled waters?) and making it through. Any thoughts on future games, ideas, times or just general suggestions are welcome. Thanks again everyone for making it so successful.
Showing posts with label Game Thingy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Game Thingy. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
We Have a Winner!!!
Thanks to everyone for playing. If you want to keep going please do, just don't look at the comments in the trivia section post or you'll get the answer.
But for everyone who is still playing I must inform you that at this point you are playing for fun only. That's right, we have a winner.
It is...
Drumroll please...
Bill! It was a five way race among Bill, Kimberly of Cinebeats, Adam of DVD Panache, Marilyn of Ferdy on Films and Given to Hyperbole who just baaaaarrrreeely missed out on answering before Bill. Marilyn showed up shortly after that.
And now for things I learned during this game.
1. Next time, hire a staff. My god, the zipping back and forth between blogs to check comments and leave them was maddening. I need a pot of coffee and an entire pack of unfiltered cigarettes right now. I'm frazzled.
2. Never assume. I assumed, like an ass, that the first one was a gimme with the "lavender" (Lavender Hill Mob) and "white" (Man in the White Suit) and "bridge" and "what I've done" ("What have I done" from Bridge on the River Kwai). So I didn't check in on that one until late and some 30 comments had piled up with everyone stuck.
3. The frontrunner doesn't always win. Adam Ross of DVD Panache got to the last riddle so damn fast I figured he'd have the whole thing wrapped up in less than twenty minutes. But then Cinebeats, Bill and Marilyn caught up and plowed forward. After the last riddle, Given To Hyperbole showed up out of nowhere and almost got it.
I hope everyone enjoyed it. I know I did. And one last thing.
I put the rules up around two to give everyone time to read them. I planned on them being up for about two minutes tops. Then someone walked in my office and needed help with something. ARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!! I told them I was on a tight deadline for a report and got rid of them as fast as I could. Now you know why no one here knows about the blog. That's not exactly professional behavior but geez, I just couldn't believe the timing. I resolved everything through manic e-mails during the game.
So biggest lesson learned: Next time, I have to take the day off first.
UPDATE: I'm purposely not revealing the answer in case anyone wants to play through for fun.
Also, Bill asked in the comment section how many were playing. I don't know exactly but I do know that between 2:05 and 2:15 I had about 160 unique visitors, which would average out to 23,040 visitors a day and I can tell you I've never had 23,040 visitors in one day. Never. Even. Close. So for a brief period there this blog had one hell of a visitorship. And the page views, wow. With everyone re-clicking while I was trying to get that co-worker out of my damn office, they were through the roof. So anyway, I'd say we had anywhere from 100 to 150 start out. Anywhere between 20 and 40 in that time would be close to normal so they could have just been visitors who happened upon the site. I didn't bother to set up a sitemeter for the riddle blogs so I have no idea how many made it past the first click.
But for everyone who is still playing I must inform you that at this point you are playing for fun only. That's right, we have a winner.
It is...
Drumroll please...
Bill! It was a five way race among Bill, Kimberly of Cinebeats, Adam of DVD Panache, Marilyn of Ferdy on Films and Given to Hyperbole who just baaaaarrrreeely missed out on answering before Bill. Marilyn showed up shortly after that.
And now for things I learned during this game.
1. Next time, hire a staff. My god, the zipping back and forth between blogs to check comments and leave them was maddening. I need a pot of coffee and an entire pack of unfiltered cigarettes right now. I'm frazzled.
2. Never assume. I assumed, like an ass, that the first one was a gimme with the "lavender" (Lavender Hill Mob) and "white" (Man in the White Suit) and "bridge" and "what I've done" ("What have I done" from Bridge on the River Kwai). So I didn't check in on that one until late and some 30 comments had piled up with everyone stuck.
3. The frontrunner doesn't always win. Adam Ross of DVD Panache got to the last riddle so damn fast I figured he'd have the whole thing wrapped up in less than twenty minutes. But then Cinebeats, Bill and Marilyn caught up and plowed forward. After the last riddle, Given To Hyperbole showed up out of nowhere and almost got it.
I hope everyone enjoyed it. I know I did. And one last thing.
I put the rules up around two to give everyone time to read them. I planned on them being up for about two minutes tops. Then someone walked in my office and needed help with something. ARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!! I told them I was on a tight deadline for a report and got rid of them as fast as I could. Now you know why no one here knows about the blog. That's not exactly professional behavior but geez, I just couldn't believe the timing. I resolved everything through manic e-mails during the game.
So biggest lesson learned: Next time, I have to take the day off first.
UPDATE: I'm purposely not revealing the answer in case anyone wants to play through for fun.
Also, Bill asked in the comment section how many were playing. I don't know exactly but I do know that between 2:05 and 2:15 I had about 160 unique visitors, which would average out to 23,040 visitors a day and I can tell you I've never had 23,040 visitors in one day. Never. Even. Close. So for a brief period there this blog had one hell of a visitorship. And the page views, wow. With everyone re-clicking while I was trying to get that co-worker out of my damn office, they were through the roof. So anyway, I'd say we had anywhere from 100 to 150 start out. Anywhere between 20 and 40 in that time would be close to normal so they could have just been visitors who happened upon the site. I didn't bother to set up a sitemeter for the riddle blogs so I have no idea how many made it past the first click.
La Règle du Jeu
Welcome to the game which will start shortly. Here's how it works:
Once the game starts you will click on a link I provide to get things rolling. This will take you to a site with a riddle. That riddle will describe a movie or an actor or character clearly associated with it. For instance, let's use this very bad riddle as an example:
People make my blood boil
They make my hands quake
Cause when it comes to drilling oil
I drink your milkshake
Okay, that riddle was pretty sucky but unless you've been completely out of the movie loop for some time you should have immediately thought of There Will Be Blood.
So your next step is to type in therewillbeblood.blogspot.com in the address bar to go to the next riddle. Don't actually go to that site because it's not mine (it's a Russian blog for the curious).
Each riddle identifies a movie and that movie's title placed in front of blogspot.com takes you to the next riddle.
A word of caution: TYPE IN THE WHOLE TITLE. Don't leave out a "the" or an "a" that comes in front. If you think you know it but didn't get to the right place try a "the" or "a" in front of the title, or conversely, take them off. You'll know you're at the right place because each site has the same banner referring to the game. Also DON'T TRUNCATE. There is one movie that is often truncated but here I use the WHOLE TITLE (don't worry it's not that long). For instance, Sunrise (which is not used) is fully titled Sunrise A Song of Two Humans. Were Sunrise a part of the game (which again it is not) you would have to type the whole title, not just Sunrise.
There are eight movie riddles and then once you get to the eighth you are congratulated and given the link to the site with the question. Answer the question there, NOT HERE, to win the game. First one to answer the question wins a DVD of their choice provided it is $49.99 and under. The DVD pick and mailing will of course be dealt with by e-mail and I won't reveal what you chose unless you want me to but I do want to reveal who won so if you don't want your name used when I announce the winner don't play. And by name I mean the one you go by online. In other words if you're a well known pseudonymous blogger I of course would use the pseudonym (like The Siren or Arbogast) not your real name. I'm just saying I want to let everyone know who won so that's the deal.
And that's it. Personally I think the riddles are quite simple, in line with the ease of There Will Be Blood above. I used movies from the thirties on, but nothing past the seventies. However, they are all well known movies, nothing obscure. However, if you are stumped on one go ahead and comment there on that blog and if enough people are confused and comment I'll make the clues blunter so that everyone can move on.
And remember, it's a game of speed. When you get to the trivia question, don't spend time writing about how you knew what it was or you just watched it the other night or some other thing like that. By the time you hit "publish comment" someone else could have put up the answer. And the first comment with the right answer is the winner.
Good luck.
Once the game starts you will click on a link I provide to get things rolling. This will take you to a site with a riddle. That riddle will describe a movie or an actor or character clearly associated with it. For instance, let's use this very bad riddle as an example:
People make my blood boil
They make my hands quake
Cause when it comes to drilling oil
I drink your milkshake
Okay, that riddle was pretty sucky but unless you've been completely out of the movie loop for some time you should have immediately thought of There Will Be Blood.
So your next step is to type in therewillbeblood.blogspot.com in the address bar to go to the next riddle. Don't actually go to that site because it's not mine (it's a Russian blog for the curious).
Each riddle identifies a movie and that movie's title placed in front of blogspot.com takes you to the next riddle.
A word of caution: TYPE IN THE WHOLE TITLE. Don't leave out a "the" or an "a" that comes in front. If you think you know it but didn't get to the right place try a "the" or "a" in front of the title, or conversely, take them off. You'll know you're at the right place because each site has the same banner referring to the game. Also DON'T TRUNCATE. There is one movie that is often truncated but here I use the WHOLE TITLE (don't worry it's not that long). For instance, Sunrise (which is not used) is fully titled Sunrise A Song of Two Humans. Were Sunrise a part of the game (which again it is not) you would have to type the whole title, not just Sunrise.
There are eight movie riddles and then once you get to the eighth you are congratulated and given the link to the site with the question. Answer the question there, NOT HERE, to win the game. First one to answer the question wins a DVD of their choice provided it is $49.99 and under. The DVD pick and mailing will of course be dealt with by e-mail and I won't reveal what you chose unless you want me to but I do want to reveal who won so if you don't want your name used when I announce the winner don't play. And by name I mean the one you go by online. In other words if you're a well known pseudonymous blogger I of course would use the pseudonym (like The Siren or Arbogast) not your real name. I'm just saying I want to let everyone know who won so that's the deal.
And that's it. Personally I think the riddles are quite simple, in line with the ease of There Will Be Blood above. I used movies from the thirties on, but nothing past the seventies. However, they are all well known movies, nothing obscure. However, if you are stumped on one go ahead and comment there on that blog and if enough people are confused and comment I'll make the clues blunter so that everyone can move on.
And remember, it's a game of speed. When you get to the trivia question, don't spend time writing about how you knew what it was or you just watched it the other night or some other thing like that. By the time you hit "publish comment" someone else could have put up the answer. And the first comment with the right answer is the winner.
Good luck.
I'll put up the first link in a couple of minutes.
I Like to Play Games...
... as Lisa Boyle once said (bet you never thought that movie would be referenced here - neither did I quite frankly). But it's GameDay so I can't help myself.
The Rules of the Game (much better reference) will be outlined shortly before the game starts (which is 2:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time today). ** It's very simple and very easy, at least I think it is. In fact, the more I look over the sites the more I think this is going to be a game of speed more than skill. None of the movies are obscure and have enough fame attached to them that even if you haven't seen them you probably know the basic plot.
Anyway, I'll see you shortly.
** which I suppose is actually Eastern Daylight Savings Time but you get the picture: 2:00 o'clock on the Atlantic Coast of the States.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Gameday's Coming Soon
Mark your calendar and put on your thinking cap because tomorrow's the big day: The Cinema Styles DVD Giveaway Trivia Game. All the rules will be explained tomorrow. I certainly hope as many people as possible play. I'm not getting anything out of it (actually I'll be losing something - the cost of a DVD) but I have connections and I like playing games. So please stop back by tomorrow at 2:00 (or maybe a little before for some rules heads up, or maybe not). I'll see you then.
Game begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Tuesday, April 29th.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
The proprietors of Cinema Styles, all one of us, have decided that a game must be held. It is a movie game and it comes with a prize, provided there is a winner.
The game is open to all and hopefully all will compete in the spirit of international peace and camaraderie and all that stuff. The game begins next week so keep your calendars open. This is not a game of obscure movie screengrabs but of movie knowledge.
I will not describe the rules until the game begins, lest some nefarious gamester get a heads up. Suffice it to say you will be provided with a riddle that will, hopefully, bring to mind a movie title. That will lead you to an undisclosed location on the interwebbing netting tubes where you will receive another riddle. Once you have successfully navigated the oh so clever minefield of websites and their various riddles you will at last be directed to one more undisclosed location where you will be presented with a trivia question. A single, solitary trivia question. The first person to answer the question in the comment section is the winner. And I don't care if you know it or have to look it up, as long as it's the right answer. The prize, as with the last picture game, is a DVD of your choice with the following caveats:
1. It must be $49.99 or under. I am not a rich man but I do have some DVD ordering tricks up my sleeve. Which leads me to ...
2. It must be available on Amazon.com, because that's where I'm getting it from, due to certain shipping deals I have as well as credits.
And it is open to all! Ladies, gentlemen, bloggers and commenters alike. And don't worry if you're an anonymous blogger like The Siren or Arbogast and you want to play but think, "Oh no, if I win he will have my real name and address." I'm anonymous too, as we all now know, and I can tell you absolutely and wholeheartedly I don't care to ever discuss your real name with anyone, anywhere at any time so don't worry. If you don't believe me just ask Larry Aydlette. 
I knew who he was long before anyone knew him as anything other than The Shamus and trust me, I didn't tell anyone. I do not gossip and I do not divulge anonymous identities to anyone for any reason. Really, I truly don't. I know how important they are.
So come one, come all to the First Annual Cinema Styles (insert clever movie trivia game name here) Game Thingy. Play as often as you like, although I'm not sure why you would because there's only one winner: Whoever gets that comment answer up first.
The game will begin Tuesday, April 29th at 2:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. That places it in the middle of the day so that those up late on the other side of the world can play, those on the East Coast just coming back from lunch and having no intention of doing any more work for the rest of the day can play and those on the West Coast who will be only an hour away from lunch and, in all likelihood, have no intention of getting any work done before then can play. It's a win-win situation all around.
Tuesday, April 29th, 2:00 P.M. EST. Be there!
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