Post by lonesomepolecat on Nov 5, 2023 8:53:27 GMT
TCM PROGRAMMING CHALLENGE VERSION 2.0: THE RULES
Welcome fellow movie buffs to the TCM Programming Challenge, version 2.0! WE’RE BACK, BABY!!!!!
********TIP: If you’ve already written one of these, you can skip ahead to the next post!
WHAT IS THE TCM PROGRAMMING CHALLENGE?
TopBilled summed it up on a previous thread: The TCM Programming Challenge “is where members play the role of 'TCM programmer' by creating a schedule of films that fall under a general theme...but they also develop individual sub-themes that may include star birthdays, holidays and other topics they'd like to explore. They choose their own Star of the Month to weave into this. And each day follows a 24-hour timeline, meaning they have to research the running times of the titles they've selected.”
The original Challenge was created in February 2006 on Ye Olde Turner Classic Movie Message Boards by a long-vanished user named path40a to give people a glimpse into the complexities of the programming process. The challenge has endured because it allows entrants to exercise their imagination, display their knowledge and introduce rare classics. The Challenge is to create a week’s schedule following TCM’s standard format.
These Programming Challenges are NOT sponsored by TCM but are merely a way to express what we wish we could see on the channel as well as an excuse to research films and filmmakers in depth. I can’t begin to list all the movies I never heard of before I wrote one of these schedules that are now beloved personal favorites. Other people’s schedules also introduced me to new films and stars. Think of it as creating a Classic Movie Mix Tape or a TV Guide Crossword Puzzle. This is the Ultimate Fan Fiction Schedule, if you will. The Great Waldo Lydecker summed it up perfectly on another thread: “It’s the chance to play TCM Programmer for a week”.
WHEN IT BEGINS/WHEN IT ENDS:
This challenge starts right now and ends at 11:59PM (Pacific Time) on November 30, 2023, marking one year since the TCM Forums went offline. That means you have all month to write your challenge, relax, AND enjoy Thanksgiving! A separate voting thread will be started shortly after the end of the challenge.
WHO CAN ENTER/WHO CAN VOTE:
Everyone is welcome to create and post a schedule, and everyone is welcome to vote! It’s much easier than it sounds, and it’s quite fun! Voting takes place in a separate voting thread after the challenge is closed. You may either vote by posting your selection on the thread or by directly messaging me. The tradition on the TCM Boards was for the winner to run the next challenge. But please don’t let that scare you from trying your hand at a schedule. If you want to enter but don’t want to host the next challenge, enter anyway, then we will figure it out later. We want to see your ideas too!
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
1. Create a week's schedule which begins at 6 AM (EST) Sunday and ends at 6 AM (EST) the following Sunday. The week selected must be between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2024.
2. Each day’s programming can begin whenever the evening schedule is over. TCM spills their evening schedules into the next day all the time, or sometimes starts the next day at 3am, so there is no official starting time. Use your own judgment on this one.
3. Primetime/Evening MUST begin at 8 PM (EST). TCM never strays from this, so neither shall we.
4. Feature films must start on the hour, quarter-hour, half-hour or three-quarters hour. Short films or other material can be used to “fill-in” between movies so that there is never more than 14 minutes of unscheduled time between features, but don’t feel like you need to schedule all those little in-between trailers, promos, and interviews—we can all assume they are there.
*******TIP: Here is a cross section of a previous schedule I wrote “back in the day” just so you know what they usually look like. As you can see I put a couple shorts in between to make the schedule stretch til 8pm (prime time), but never worried about all those other little fillers:
******************
HOT AIR BALLOONING
Your TCM schedule MUST include each of these features that appear on any regular month on TCM:
1. Star of the Month -- At least 4 movies on one evening to showcase an actor. The SOTM must have a body of work large enough to allow similar blocks the other weeks in the month.
2. Silent Sunday Night -- A silent movie which begins at approximately 12 AM (EST) Sunday night/Monday morning.
3. TCM Imports -- A foreign film that begins at approximately 2 AM (EST) Monday morning.
4. TCM Spotlight -- A group of films which showcase a theme which appears in primetime each one night a week for a month.
5. Noir Alley – a film noir starting at midnight on Saturday Night
6. Mandatory Challenges as outlined for this particular challenge
Optional features you may include, some of which are defunct programs that TCM may do again at any time, so we can too:
1. The Essentials -- An indispensible classic film that may begin at 8 PM (EST) Saturday night.
2. TCM Underground -- A little known or “cult” film which may begin at approximately 2 AM (EST) Saturday night.
3. Guest Programmers – a celebrity guest host who for our purposes may be either living or dead, and who may even be a fictional character (heck, Robert Osbourne himself interviewed Kermit the Frog!)
FYI:
• For our purposes you may schedule March and August as if they were regular months. IGNORE “SUMMER UNDER THE STARS” AND “31 DAYS OF OSCAR”!
• If you’re wondering what constitutes a classic movie, that’s up to you—there is no cut off for release dates. TCM has shown some pretty recent movies, so use your own judgment.
• Programming related to birthdays, anniversaries of historical or cinematic importance, genres, places or anything else that can reasonably be thematically grouped together is encouraged. Thought provoking, humorous and/or outrageous themes are especially welcome.
• Programming notes to explain your themes or to provide additional information on your selected movies are not required but are greatly encouraged. These notes should be on a separate post following the posting of your schedule. This can be a big long blog post justifying your ideas or a short summary of how you fulfilled the challenges.
********TIP: Programming notes usually include a quick “at a glance” summary that looks like this one I wrote for a previous challenge:
*********
LonesomePolecat’s Schedule for TCM Programming Challenge #40
Scheduled Week of Sunday November 3, 2019 – Saturday November 9, 2019
STAR OF THE MONTH: Marsha Hunt
TCM SPOTLIGHT: Comedy Duos
SILENT SUNDAY NIGHTS: The Gunfighter (1917) & The Border Wireless (1918)
TCM IMPORTS: The Baker’s Wife (La Femme du Boulanger 1938)
NOIR ALLEY: Jigsaw (1949) & Raw Deal (1948)
CHALLENGE #1 (life changing events): Royal Coronations
CHALLENGE #2 (new TCM monthly feature): TCM Locations Tour to the Hollywood Bowl
CHALLENGE #3 (actors outside their box): Danny Kaye Takes on British Classics
*********************
FORMAT AND JUSTIFICATIONS:
Follow the standard TCM scheduling format for each film: Time, Title, Year, Actor(s), Director(s), Studio, Running Time, and justification (if any).
EXAMPLE:
6:15pm The Pirates of Penzance (1983) Kevin Kline & Linda Ronstadt, dir Wilford Leach & Joseph Papp UI 1h52min PREMIERE
Running times and studio information may be found in the TCM database or at IMDB.com. The studio refers to the big figurehead, or the most famous organization connected with the film. No need to list every little studio name.
Justifications:
• P/S for movies or programs which have been previously shown.
• PD or “Public Domain” for films in the public domain.
• “PREMIERE” for movies which have not aired on TCM before.
• No notation is needed for any movie in the original Turner film library or anything already shown on TCM.
Studio abbreviations some of us have used for less typing (not a requirement, just helpful):
• AA = Allied Artists
• COL = Columbia Pictures
• DIS = Walt Disney Pictures
• ES = Ealing Studios
• FOX = 20th Century Fox
• GOLD = Samuel Goldwyn
• MGM = Metro Goldwyn Mayer
• PAR = Paramount Pictures
• RANK = J Arthur Rank
• RKO = RKO Radio Pictures
• UA = United Artists
• UI = Universal International Pictures
• WB = Warner Brothers
Please do not include pictures, gifs, or emojis in your schedule. Let’s keep the schedules clean for the users with slow connections.
HELPFUL LINKS & INFO:
• Any movie not shown on TCM before should be labeled as a “premiere.” In the past there has been a limit for these, but not this time.
• Disney animated feature films are never allowed unless as part of a special programming challenge (because Disney is so tight fisted with them!)
Movies in the original Turner library are:
• Warner Brothers (pre-1948 only): www.imdb.com/company/co0026840/
• MGM (pre-1986 only): www.imdb.com/company/co0020206/
• RKO (all): www.imdb.com/company/co0041421/
Some movies in the public domain are found here: archive.org/details/feature_films/
The most commonly used libraries are:
• Columbia Pictures: www.imdb.com/company/co0071509/
• United Artists: www.imdb.com/company/co0026841/
• Samuel Goldwyn: www.imdb.com/company/co0016710/
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors: www.imdb.com/company/co0027356/
• 20th Century Fox: www.imdb.com/company/co0000756/
• Paramount Pictures: www.imdb.com/company/co0023400/
• Universal Pictures: www.imdb.com/company/co0005073/
• British Gaumont Pictures: www.imdb.com/company/co0103050/
How to tell if a movie has aired previously on TCM:
Many thanks to TCM Forum Member MovieCollectorOH for his “unofficial report” of what has aired on TCM since 2001. It can be a great resource as you are creating your schedule:
www.moviecollectoroh.com/reports/TCM_SCHEDULES_SUMMARY_alpha.htm
THAT’S THE BASIC INFO!
I hope this hasn’t scared anyone away. It really is super fun to create a schedule!
If you have any questions, post them here in case someone else has the same question. The info on the specifics of this challenge can be found in the next post……..
Welcome fellow movie buffs to the TCM Programming Challenge, version 2.0! WE’RE BACK, BABY!!!!!
********TIP: If you’ve already written one of these, you can skip ahead to the next post!
WHAT IS THE TCM PROGRAMMING CHALLENGE?
TopBilled summed it up on a previous thread: The TCM Programming Challenge “is where members play the role of 'TCM programmer' by creating a schedule of films that fall under a general theme...but they also develop individual sub-themes that may include star birthdays, holidays and other topics they'd like to explore. They choose their own Star of the Month to weave into this. And each day follows a 24-hour timeline, meaning they have to research the running times of the titles they've selected.”
The original Challenge was created in February 2006 on Ye Olde Turner Classic Movie Message Boards by a long-vanished user named path40a to give people a glimpse into the complexities of the programming process. The challenge has endured because it allows entrants to exercise their imagination, display their knowledge and introduce rare classics. The Challenge is to create a week’s schedule following TCM’s standard format.
These Programming Challenges are NOT sponsored by TCM but are merely a way to express what we wish we could see on the channel as well as an excuse to research films and filmmakers in depth. I can’t begin to list all the movies I never heard of before I wrote one of these schedules that are now beloved personal favorites. Other people’s schedules also introduced me to new films and stars. Think of it as creating a Classic Movie Mix Tape or a TV Guide Crossword Puzzle. This is the Ultimate Fan Fiction Schedule, if you will. The Great Waldo Lydecker summed it up perfectly on another thread: “It’s the chance to play TCM Programmer for a week”.
WHEN IT BEGINS/WHEN IT ENDS:
This challenge starts right now and ends at 11:59PM (Pacific Time) on November 30, 2023, marking one year since the TCM Forums went offline. That means you have all month to write your challenge, relax, AND enjoy Thanksgiving! A separate voting thread will be started shortly after the end of the challenge.
WHO CAN ENTER/WHO CAN VOTE:
Everyone is welcome to create and post a schedule, and everyone is welcome to vote! It’s much easier than it sounds, and it’s quite fun! Voting takes place in a separate voting thread after the challenge is closed. You may either vote by posting your selection on the thread or by directly messaging me. The tradition on the TCM Boards was for the winner to run the next challenge. But please don’t let that scare you from trying your hand at a schedule. If you want to enter but don’t want to host the next challenge, enter anyway, then we will figure it out later. We want to see your ideas too!
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
1. Create a week's schedule which begins at 6 AM (EST) Sunday and ends at 6 AM (EST) the following Sunday. The week selected must be between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2024.
2. Each day’s programming can begin whenever the evening schedule is over. TCM spills their evening schedules into the next day all the time, or sometimes starts the next day at 3am, so there is no official starting time. Use your own judgment on this one.
3. Primetime/Evening MUST begin at 8 PM (EST). TCM never strays from this, so neither shall we.
4. Feature films must start on the hour, quarter-hour, half-hour or three-quarters hour. Short films or other material can be used to “fill-in” between movies so that there is never more than 14 minutes of unscheduled time between features, but don’t feel like you need to schedule all those little in-between trailers, promos, and interviews—we can all assume they are there.
*******TIP: Here is a cross section of a previous schedule I wrote “back in the day” just so you know what they usually look like. As you can see I put a couple shorts in between to make the schedule stretch til 8pm (prime time), but never worried about all those other little fillers:
******************
HOT AIR BALLOONING
7:30am Strike Me Pink (1936) Eddie Cantor & Ethel Merman, dir Norman Taurog, GOLD 1h40min (p/s)
9:15am Mysterious Island (1961) Michael Craig & Joan Greenwood, dir Cy Endfield, COL 1h41min (p/s)
11:00am The Perils of Pauline (1947) Betty Hutton & John Lund, dir George Marshall, PAR 96min (p/s)
12:45pm SHORT: Two Boobs in a Balloon (1935) Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, dir Lloyd French WB 10min
1:00pm Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) David Niven & Cantiflas, dir Michael Anderson UA 175min (p/s)
4:00pm SHORT: The Balloonatic (1923) Buster Keaton & Phyllis Haver, dir Edward F Kline & Buster Keaton, 1st National 27min (p/s)
4:30pm The Wizard of Oz (1939) Judy Garland & Frank Morgan, dir Victor Fleming MGM 102min (p/s)
6:15pm Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) Red Buttons & Barbara Eden, dir Irwin Allen FOX 1h41min PREMIERE
*********************SCHEDULE FEATURES:
1. Star of the Month -- At least 4 movies on one evening to showcase an actor. The SOTM must have a body of work large enough to allow similar blocks the other weeks in the month.
2. Silent Sunday Night -- A silent movie which begins at approximately 12 AM (EST) Sunday night/Monday morning.
3. TCM Imports -- A foreign film that begins at approximately 2 AM (EST) Monday morning.
4. TCM Spotlight -- A group of films which showcase a theme which appears in primetime each one night a week for a month.
5. Noir Alley – a film noir starting at midnight on Saturday Night
6. Mandatory Challenges as outlined for this particular challenge
Optional features you may include, some of which are defunct programs that TCM may do again at any time, so we can too:
1. The Essentials -- An indispensible classic film that may begin at 8 PM (EST) Saturday night.
2. TCM Underground -- A little known or “cult” film which may begin at approximately 2 AM (EST) Saturday night.
3. Guest Programmers – a celebrity guest host who for our purposes may be either living or dead, and who may even be a fictional character (heck, Robert Osbourne himself interviewed Kermit the Frog!)
FYI:
• For our purposes you may schedule March and August as if they were regular months. IGNORE “SUMMER UNDER THE STARS” AND “31 DAYS OF OSCAR”!
• If you’re wondering what constitutes a classic movie, that’s up to you—there is no cut off for release dates. TCM has shown some pretty recent movies, so use your own judgment.
• Programming related to birthdays, anniversaries of historical or cinematic importance, genres, places or anything else that can reasonably be thematically grouped together is encouraged. Thought provoking, humorous and/or outrageous themes are especially welcome.
• Programming notes to explain your themes or to provide additional information on your selected movies are not required but are greatly encouraged. These notes should be on a separate post following the posting of your schedule. This can be a big long blog post justifying your ideas or a short summary of how you fulfilled the challenges.
********TIP: Programming notes usually include a quick “at a glance” summary that looks like this one I wrote for a previous challenge:
*********
LonesomePolecat’s Schedule for TCM Programming Challenge #40
Scheduled Week of Sunday November 3, 2019 – Saturday November 9, 2019
STAR OF THE MONTH: Marsha Hunt
TCM SPOTLIGHT: Comedy Duos
SILENT SUNDAY NIGHTS: The Gunfighter (1917) & The Border Wireless (1918)
TCM IMPORTS: The Baker’s Wife (La Femme du Boulanger 1938)
NOIR ALLEY: Jigsaw (1949) & Raw Deal (1948)
CHALLENGE #1 (life changing events): Royal Coronations
CHALLENGE #2 (new TCM monthly feature): TCM Locations Tour to the Hollywood Bowl
CHALLENGE #3 (actors outside their box): Danny Kaye Takes on British Classics
*********************
FORMAT AND JUSTIFICATIONS:
Follow the standard TCM scheduling format for each film: Time, Title, Year, Actor(s), Director(s), Studio, Running Time, and justification (if any).
EXAMPLE:
6:15pm The Pirates of Penzance (1983) Kevin Kline & Linda Ronstadt, dir Wilford Leach & Joseph Papp UI 1h52min PREMIERE
Running times and studio information may be found in the TCM database or at IMDB.com. The studio refers to the big figurehead, or the most famous organization connected with the film. No need to list every little studio name.
Justifications:
• P/S for movies or programs which have been previously shown.
• PD or “Public Domain” for films in the public domain.
• “PREMIERE” for movies which have not aired on TCM before.
• No notation is needed for any movie in the original Turner film library or anything already shown on TCM.
Studio abbreviations some of us have used for less typing (not a requirement, just helpful):
• AA = Allied Artists
• COL = Columbia Pictures
• DIS = Walt Disney Pictures
• ES = Ealing Studios
• FOX = 20th Century Fox
• GOLD = Samuel Goldwyn
• MGM = Metro Goldwyn Mayer
• PAR = Paramount Pictures
• RANK = J Arthur Rank
• RKO = RKO Radio Pictures
• UA = United Artists
• UI = Universal International Pictures
• WB = Warner Brothers
Please do not include pictures, gifs, or emojis in your schedule. Let’s keep the schedules clean for the users with slow connections.
HELPFUL LINKS & INFO:
• Any movie not shown on TCM before should be labeled as a “premiere.” In the past there has been a limit for these, but not this time.
• Disney animated feature films are never allowed unless as part of a special programming challenge (because Disney is so tight fisted with them!)
Movies in the original Turner library are:
• Warner Brothers (pre-1948 only): www.imdb.com/company/co0026840/
• MGM (pre-1986 only): www.imdb.com/company/co0020206/
• RKO (all): www.imdb.com/company/co0041421/
Some movies in the public domain are found here: archive.org/details/feature_films/
The most commonly used libraries are:
• Columbia Pictures: www.imdb.com/company/co0071509/
• United Artists: www.imdb.com/company/co0026841/
• Samuel Goldwyn: www.imdb.com/company/co0016710/
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors: www.imdb.com/company/co0027356/
• 20th Century Fox: www.imdb.com/company/co0000756/
• Paramount Pictures: www.imdb.com/company/co0023400/
• Universal Pictures: www.imdb.com/company/co0005073/
• British Gaumont Pictures: www.imdb.com/company/co0103050/
How to tell if a movie has aired previously on TCM:
Many thanks to TCM Forum Member MovieCollectorOH for his “unofficial report” of what has aired on TCM since 2001. It can be a great resource as you are creating your schedule:
www.moviecollectoroh.com/reports/TCM_SCHEDULES_SUMMARY_alpha.htm
THAT’S THE BASIC INFO!
I hope this hasn’t scared anyone away. It really is super fun to create a schedule!
If you have any questions, post them here in case someone else has the same question. The info on the specifics of this challenge can be found in the next post……..
