The Repertory Notebook https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/ A reference notebook on repertory cinema in the US, with lasting film entries and practical guides for volunteer societies, programmers and students. en-us Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 The Rules of the Game Keeps Getting Bookedhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2007/TheRulesOfTheGame.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2007/TheRulesOfTheGame.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Repertory ClassicsRenoirs 1939 ensemble comedy of manners is unpacked for programmers, from its hunting party structure to why the film rewards projection and talkback. M and the Sound of a City in Pursuithttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2007/M.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2007/M.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Repertory ClassicsLang's early sound manhunt is explained for revival audiences, from Dusseldorf panic to the trial scene, plus notes on sound, crowd psychology and care. Amarcord and Memory as Carnivalhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2007/Amarcord.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2007/Amarcord.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000World Cinema EntriesFellini's town carnival is outlined for societies, from episodic memory to parades and adolescence, with tips for framing nostalgia without cliche. Persepolis as Animated Memoirhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2008/Persepolis.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2008/Persepolis.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000World Cinema EntriesSatrapi's animated memoir is set in context for US viewers, from Tehran childhood to exile in Europe, and how drawings carry history without lecture. Double Indemnity Shapes American Noirhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/spring2006/DoubleIndemnity.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/spring2006/DoubleIndemnity.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Repertory ClassicsWilders 1944 insurance murder tale is broken down for noir nights, from voiceover trap to venetian blinds, and why the ending still chills rooms. Film Noir and What Came Afterhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/spring2006/FilmNoirAndBeyond.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/spring2006/FilmNoirAndBeyond.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Repertory ClassicsA short season guide to noir and its heirs, from hard boiled streets to neo noir, helping volunteers carefully pair titles, themes and speaker prompts. The Battle of Algiers as Reconstructionhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2005/BattleOfAlgiers.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2005/BattleOfAlgiers.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Repertory ClassicsPontecorvo's Algiers reconstruction is clarified for study, from street tactics to interrogation scenes, and why it is argued over, not shown lightly. The Lives of Others and Surveillancehttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/spring2008/TheLivesOfOthers.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/spring2008/TheLivesOfOthers.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000World Cinema EntriesDonnersmarcks Stasi drama is placed in history for groups, from file keeping to bugging craft, plus how the film shaped later debates on watching. Modern Times Between Silence and Soundhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2019/ModernTimes.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2019/ModernTimes.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Repertory ClassicsChaplin's tramp in the factory age is described for families and students, from feeding machines to roller skating, and the move toward spoken sound. A Separation Inside Iranian Lawhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2016/ASeparation.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/fall2016/ASeparation.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000World Cinema EntriesFarhadis Tehran domestic drama is explained through law and custom, from separation petitions to oaths, and why every viewer sides differently. Taste of Cherry and the Long Refusalhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/spring2016/TasteOfCherry.htmlhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/archive/spring2016/TasteOfCherry.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000World Cinema EntriesKiarostami's driving film is read patiently for discussion, from Tehran hills to the stranger who listens, and why the ending divides every room. How a Volunteer Film Society Workshttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/volunteer-film-society-guide/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/volunteer-film-society-guide/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitWhat keeps a volunteer cinema alive across a season, from mission and roles to money, outreach and partnerships that survive turnover and fatigue. Public Performance Rights for Small Societieshttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/public-performance-rights/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/public-performance-rights/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitWhen a public performance license is needed in the US, what umbrellas cover, what they exclude, and how local small societies book titles correctly. Finding Prints, DCPs and Running Screeningshttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/prints-dcp-screenings/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/prints-dcp-screenings/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitHow programmers find 35mm prints and DCPs in the US, compare costs and lead times, shape a season arc and run a calm small hall screening night. What a Town Event Calendar Teaches a Societyhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/town-event-calendar/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/town-event-calendar/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitHow a small town keeps recurring traditions separate on a public calendar, and what a volunteer film society can borrow for its own season page. The Committee Year of a Volunteer Film Societyhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/committee-year/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/committee-year/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitHow the working year of a volunteer film society breaks down: affiliation, planning, the jobs a screening night needs and where sign up happens. Using a Film Still to Publicize a Screeninghttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/film-still-publicity/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/film-still-publicity/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitWhere publicity images come from for a repertory screening, what editorial use allows, and what changes when a still moves to a poster or merchandise. Programming Classic Japanese Animationhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/programming-anime-classics/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/programming-anime-classics/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitHow a volunteer society builds a strand of classic Japanese animation, from Ghibli to Akira, and what a program note should hand the audience. Where Independent Film Actually Screenshttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/where-independent-film-screens/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/where-independent-film-screens/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitIndependent describes money before style. How a small venue or film society builds a program outside the usual circuit, and where repertory titles go. The Music Around the Film in the Repertory Yearshttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/music-around-the-film/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/music-around-the-film/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitThe records that framed 1940s and 1950s pictures belong in an era program too: where to find the songs, the pressings and the theater documents. When a Suspicious Email Reaches a Societyhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/suspicious-email-first-steps/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/suspicious-email-first-steps/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitA volunteer treasurer or booking contact will eventually click a bad link. The first moves that limit the damage, drawn from plain security guidance. Hosting a Local Short Before the Featurehttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/hosting-local-shorts/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/hosting-local-shorts/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitWhen a local filmmaker offers a short to open an evening: what a society should know about how small shoots are planned, lit and delivered. Booking Small Hotels for a Society Triphttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/society-trip-small-hotels/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/society-trip-small-hotels/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitWhen a society organizes a trip to a festival or archive, small family hotels are booked directly. Deposits, breakfast scores and cancellation windows. Photographing the Hall for the Recordhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/photographing-the-hall/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/photographing-the-hall/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitA society that documents its hall leaves a record for funders, landlords and the next committee. How a building shoot is briefed, listed and lit. What a Fan Gathering Teaches About a Screeninghttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/fan-gathering-lessons/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/fan-gathering-lessons/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitFan run gatherings face the same room hire, license and access questions a film society meets. Their checklists translate directly to a screening night. Reading a Bead Spec Sheet Before Orderinghttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/reading-a-bead-spec-sheet/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/reading-a-bead-spec-sheet/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitHow to read stated dimensions, hole size, finish, batch variation, quantities and manufacturer certificates on a bead specification sheet before ordering. Reading Local Traces Before a Screening Nighthttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/reading-local-traces-before-a-screening/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/reading-local-traces-before-a-screening/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitA programmer's method for reading studio portraits, letters, anonymous group photographs, place names, inns and ledgers before a local history screening night. Reading an Exhibition the Way a Season Is Readhttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/reading-an-exhibition-like-a-season/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/reading-an-exhibition-like-a-season/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitA programmer's method for reading group shows, sound installations and public sculpture: room rhythm, dialogue between works, and honest observation. Writing From Primary Records Without Inventinghttps://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/writing-from-primary-records/https://shepherdstownfilmsociety.org/society-toolkit/writing-from-primary-records/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000Society ToolkitHow a volunteer turns deck logs, muster rolls, photographs and oral accounts into verifiable history, and what a preserved archive actually needs.