10 May 2006

After 16 months of operation, we have come up with a more definite goal to go in running this website. From now on, www.thaicinema.org will be acting as a news agency and partly as a resources center. As a news agency, we will cover new and fresh movement about Thai cinema, from both inside and outside Thailand. As a journalist myself, I am always hesitating to write only a few lines and then flash to make a link with other websites. It is more a waste of time for me to concentrate on technical work, than writing something more critical reports. However, we will still include such useful information as bibliography, production notes, annual releases, or directories. These data are always available for those who want to study more intensively on Thai cinema.

Also, from now on we will run the website both in English and Thai. But not all reports will be published in both languages. Some will be flashed in both while some others might include either in English or Thai only, depending on the resources each time. However, we will try to include both languages as much as possible.

Editor/from Nice, France

18 October 2005

English version clarifications

Recently I have received some comlaints from English language readers over the decrease of English texts in this website. We would like to thank you for your continual support. But let me give some explanations for this drop of English version.

We have been suffering a lot from an unethical Spanish website who has plagiarized our works without shame, and without any reference or links to us. We do not want this bad person to take advantage from our hard work and then decided to run our website mainly in Thai language. (Again, he still visits our website every day to find if he can steal anything). This change however turns positive with more than ten-time increases.

Secondly, our volunteer who usually helps the English version has been busy with his office work in the last two months. It is not easy for one person to run everything alone in both languages, plus the technical operation. And then the English version has been dropped.

However, in order to give the best solutions for everyone, we would like to check up the number of persons who still want to read the English version. If the number is good enough, we would send a bi-monthly newsletter through email only. This newsletter will include the exclusive news while general information will still be available online. This information will be later developed into the membership sytem where you will log in the site on your own. Of course this membership is free.

This is the evidence we found.

The whole page is taken from our website. Everyone must be upset in finding it, especially the box-office chart. In Thailand, each magazine has different system to gather the top-ten box-office chart. So our chart is different from others. We gathered from several sources: several magazines and the theatres runners before finalizing to this information. We also stated this in our website. See box-office 2004

We asked only for a credit from him. But he denied it. So we said we would ask justice from the court. He changed his pages immediately. Luckily, we saved his page before in order to show his dishonesty.

One common fact: Before our website is opended, he reported about Thai cinema only a few times a year. After our website is opened in January 2005, he suddenly happended to be flooded with detailed information. Some information was also personally given to us by the producers and studio's managers and they are not reported in anywhere yet.

Please note that we already stopped and ignored him. But he still keeps bullying us. All of the juniors that came to help this website are voluntary. They did not get paid. And they worked hard to write either in Thai and English. I always told them to respect others by giving credits. As an editor, I also have to protect their works if they are violated.

Editor

___________________________________________________________________

January 2005

This website is initiated at the requests from friends and readers, who have read my work and writing from the printed media or electronic forms in various websites. Many of them have complained over the lack of English-language updated news on the Thai cinema, although the Thai film industry has developed into a big hit in the recent years.

The website has some limitations, which is clarified below:

One-year trial : Due to the self-funding nature, this website will run on a one-year trial basis. We will review at the end of the year and consider whether to continue its operation.

Copy editor needed : Writers for this website are non-English native speakers, so English language used in this website will not be perfect. We need volunteers to help edit the website content. If you are interested and willing to donate your time to do the editing work, please let us know.

Industrial and academic mix : Due to my background as a film critic and a film researcher, the information provided here includes both general writings about the industry and film circle, as well as academic-based analyses. Preference, however, is given to the former.

Correct information by the time of print : Thailand has no central organization that collects data or information about Thai films. Often time, film critics and writers have to research, collect and archive their own personal data and information. All the information here, therefore, is accurate by the time of print and based on each writer's personal method of research and collection. Please clearly attribute the reference sources every time you quote or use the information, so that, future user/s can track down the origin of the information sources.

I would like to give thanks to Yindee Lertcharoenchok who helps do editing, and Warinporn Wuthikornwipak who helps coordinating with the website programmer.