You have a family member, friend, or a colleague at work that you have decided to get a gift for a special occasion. You know that person has a special interest in a certain area and decided to get that person a gift towards their interest.
You thought you did your due diligence and got that person a great gift only to find out later the person didn't like the gift, couldn't use the gift, or returned the gift for one reason or another. That person's reaction made you feel bad and questioned what could you have done differently.
As a Cinephile I can be a hard person to buy an item for. There are so many factors that come into play and like other cinephiles we all have our likes and dislikes. Well there are a few things you can do to come out a winner.
Simple Rules
A gift card would be the simplest answer, but then that for alot of people is the easy way out and not going to give them the satisfaction of the reaction they are looking for.
Last year I was at the Hollywood Show, when my friends at BS Movies screened Pieces at the Film Bar Phoenix. Lynda Day George the star of that film was at the show I was at. A simple gift from the heart for Brian and Shelly was to have Lynda do a quote from the referencing the screening with a cute little play on it. That one gesture on my part made it a unique gift for two Cinephiles that could only work for them. The reaction gave me all the satisfaction I needed.
The issue is what kind of gifts are going to do that? A gift card is not going to do that. If you buy a Cinephile a film chances are the Cinephile owns the film. If you try to get the person merchandise related to a film or an actor may have that merchandise, may not be into that type of collectible, or you just bought the person a collectible for an actor they love for a film they don't love.
Like I said it gets tricky buying for cinephile when you want to give from the heart.
The Key is Research
Your best way of getting a great gift for a Cinephile is do your research on their Facebook and Twitter accounts and ask friends and Family about the Cinephile. My family and friends might say Michael is into this and this is some of the stuff he has been working on. Yet just be careful on the info the person gives you.
I can tell you I love framing posters and hanging them on the wall. I have a quite a few waiting to be framed, but even if a family member or friend hands you an unframed poster from my collection it's probably best to tell them no.
So the idea is listen to them to find out is there a film a person hold to their heart for various reasons. Like above the film Hello My Name is Doris is a special film to me. I loved the film so much I based my service dog's name tag on the film. So when I recieve something like a signed BluRay copy of the film well then I associate that gift with my partner Gaston. It takes on a whole new meaning.
That may be a perfect route to go. Yet maybe you will find out that person has been looking for something for years just can't find it that is another good route to go.
Other good options also include signed Vinyl LP soundtracks to films Cinephiles love. They are relatively small compared to a poster and make nice wall art.
Closing thoughts
Buying for a Cinephile can be hard it just means a little extra work, but don't worry that extra work will get you a reaction you will not believe.
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