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100 EDITIONS OF REEL DEALS
( plus a few more )
Mike Trickett
Somewhere along the track, I lost count of the Part of my frustration stemmed from the delays
number of editions of Reel Deals that have involved in having to buy films from such a
been produced. My Adelaide friends, Yuergen distance. I dealt with quite a number of very
Kellermann and David Donaldson have been good collector/dealers during that time, but
on the trail and have produced a full list of all there were always the few that would send junk
Reel Deals, right from the first edition, way film – or even worse, would not send anything
back in 1993. at all!
Not only does the list show edition number and Eventually, I decided to produce a modest few
date, but also the cover picture used. As an pages of photocopied advertisements as a
afterthought, I have now started to list the means for film collectors to communicate with
articles contained in each edition. each other – the “Keeping Collectors in Touch”
idea.
You might ask how I
managed to lose count The first six or so editions
and ignore such a mile were printed by Barb and
stone as the 100th edition myself using my work pho-
- I don’t have an answer. tocopier. I was amazed at
It seems that in my enthu- how quickly interest spread,
siasm? to get another edi- and within a couple of years
tion out, I lost track - well the circulation had exceed-
that’s my excuse anyway! ed 200, and often reached
48 pages. It became neces-
A Look Back sary to have it commercially
The first edition of Reel printed, as the task was be-
Deals was put together in yond us.
February* of 1993 – a
somewhat modest edition Many changes in the way
of 12 pages. It was pro- RD is produced have taken
duced on a photocopier place over time. The origi-
and posted free to about nal editions were “paste-
20-30 people who I knew ups”, the material supplied
had an interest in film by advertisers were reduced
collecting. *The publication month was later in size if needed, and pasted onto an A5 sheet
changed. of paper, which was photocopied and used by
the printer to make the final print.
At the time I started producing RD, buying,
selling or swapping film (except for maybe Because I was working full time, running a
Super 8, which I had no interest in) was either business, RD run up against the posting dead-
underground (you had to be in the “know”) or, line, and invariably there was the odd grumble
purchased from overseas. I had been a sub- about it being “late again”. Now retired, with
scriber to the American publication (allegedly) lots of spare time, it is generally in
The Big Reel, and had made many purchases the mail as per the statement on page three.
from its pages over the years, so I thought
something along similar lines might work here.
4 REEL DEALS March 2019