The 500th Post on The Black and Blue

What you’re reading right now is history: this is the 500th post published on The Black and Blue. Almost 500,000 words (490,453 specifically) have been written in those posts. That’s more words than Moby Dick and Ulysses combined – whoa.

Of course, within the 500 posts published on The Black and Blue, there are some stinkers. There are also some that are irrelevant and some I no longer agree with. There are some made entirely of other peoples’ words or videos or quotes from those with more talent than I’d know what to do with.

But that’s what I love about this site – the wonderful variety of topics, all focused through the lens of filmmaking, that have been written about post-after-post until reaching number 500 today.

So, Which is Your Favorite Post?

Personally, I have a lot of favorites, but that’s because each post is like a child of mine – much in the same way a director feels about his movies, unless you’re Alfonso Cuaron:

For me, my films are not like my children. They are like my ex-wife. They gave me so much; I gave them so much; I loved them so much; we part ways and, it’s OK, we part ways.

But maybe Cuaron is right. I put a lot into each post and then, afterward, I rarely revisit them except when somebody comments or points out a typo that needs to be corrected.

In any case, I want to know which posts are your favorites? Which ones brought you here for the first time? Which ones kept you around? Which ones do you always tell friends they have to read?

To help you discover or rediscover them, here are the top 10 most popular posts of all time:

And here are ten of my personal favorites:

To mark this occasion, I want to ask you for a favor: pick any post/article from The Black and Blue – whether one listed above or elsewhere – and share it on Twitter, Facebook, or wherever you connect with friends and tag it #blackandblue500.

I think it’d be a great way to share the variety of topics in the archives of The Black and Blue while introducing the site to others who may find your favorite post just as entertaining, informative, or useful as you did. Thanks in advance for your help!

Let’s Inspire Future Filmmakers

Finally, The Black and Blue is donating $500 to Kids in the Spotlight.

Kids in the Spotlight (KITS) is a non-profit that offers foster kids and underserved youth the chance to “create, write, cast, and star in their own short films.” $500 will cover the cost of one child over the 10-week course in which they write a screenplay, take acting lessons, run casting sessions, and work with professional crews to shoot a short film. At the end is a premiere of the films with awards.

Making movies as a kid is what pushed me to pursue a career in the film industry and that same passion is a big reason The Black and Blue even exists. So it only makes sense to help a younger generation discover the joys of filmmaking. Even if these kids end up in a different career, the skills you build while making movies – teamwork, resourcefulness, abstract thinking – and the intangibles it promotes – creativity, persistence, leadership – are important in any aspect of life.

I hope if you like what you’ve read throughout the past 500 posts on The Black and Blue, that you’ll also consider donating to Kids in the Spotlight – whether it’s $5 you save by skipping Starbucks today or $20 pulled from the hour of overtime you worked yesterday. To donate, visit their website here.

Thank you so much for your support of The Black and Blue and I hope to see you around during the next 500 posts!