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 DVD
Bits Staff
So who are
those poor souls behind the DVD Bits...
Click on the Staff member's name for their full Bio
John
Zois
Webmaster, founder, and Mysterious Benefactor
John is the person in charge of the DVD Bits. He runs around like
mad and spends enormous amounts of time ensuring everything is working
well. Living proof that spending too much time working on a website can
be detrimental to your health. It's a tough job being the editor and webmaster
but hey somebody's got to do it! The vast majority of the website is run
off a dynamic database. Currently John is in charge of configuration and
maintenance of the database, although if anyone is interested in taking
over the database administrator duties then please drop me a line (ASP
scripting knowledge is essential). While having written many of the reviews
on the website, John has shifted some of his attention now to the day
to day running of the site. Read Bio
Mark Mills
Technology adviser, site designer, DVD reviewer and news reporter
Mark is responsible for optimising the database and other network
systems as well as writting all of the new database code. He also does
the occassional DVD review. Mark is glued to the screen for most of the
day and as a result he is currently being studied by the Department of
Defense for a futuristic 'Radioactive Soldier' program.
Read Bio
Richard Gray
Chief News Reporter, Reviewer and Dogsbody (and Chief Annoying Guy too)
Legend tells of a man so funny that he could bring the most stern person
to tears of laughter. Richard would like to meet this man one day. His
other goals include having the most complete collection of Disney DVDs
on the planet, and eating the largest wheel of cheese known to humankind.
Turn-offs include mobile phones, people who wear thongs with jeans and
people who touch themselves a lot when they talk. If you see him don't
make direct eye contact, just point and laugh Read
Bio
Ben Gourlay
DVD reviewer, news reporter and Random Revelator
After getting into DVD in 1998 at the tender age of 13, Ben's obsession
with film and technology met and he is now thoroughly obsessed with all
things DVD. A long time science fiction and action fan, Ben prides himself
on the ability to distribute movie news and trivia, and has an impeccable
knowledge of upcoming DVD releases. You may see Ben haggling at his local
Audio Visual shop, or hassling the staff at K-Mart over a title that he
just *knows* is out the back, but are too lazy to put on display. Read
Bio
If you've heard from the following people, please consider them fluffy and cuddly:
Dean Beasley
DVD competitions, DVD polls, site designer, DVD reviewer and news reporter
Dean joined DVD Bits in 2000, and since then his interest in film and
DVD has grown exponentially. He's always had an interest in documentaries,
so naturally he likes lots of extra features, especially behind the scenes
featurettes. Sound is the other thing he's passionate about. "I
love surround sound and I love bass, I especially like it when the windows
rattle." He's the sort of person that feels compelled to buy
sequels, even if they are crap, just because he owns the first film. Dean
also arranges his DVDs by distributor and then by title. "I'm
not entirely sure why, but hey, everyone's entitled to their own silly
foibles aren't they." Apart
from posting news and reviews, Dean is also responsible for dreaming up
the questions for our DVD competitions and giving away all those wonderful
prizes. Furthermore, Dean is in charge of writing and running the DVD
polls, so if you have any ideas for future polls, please let him know.
Read Bio
Sarah Goodman
DVD reviewer and news reporter
As a very young child, legend has it, she was scared out of her wits by
the Michael Jackson featurette / film clip "Thriller" (looking
back, who wouldn't be!). Luckily she lived to tell the tale, and overcame
her scare by becoming scarily obsessed with film and television. For those
who know Sarah, it means they have the pleasure (or misfortune, depending
on whether you agree with her) of listening to an endless stream of film
reviews and trivia, and constantly getting told off for messing up the
alphabetical order of her DVD collection. Finally deciding to jump into
the fray, Sarah started complementing her university studies in film with
reviewing for community radio and arts and culture websites in 2003, and
hasn't looked back. An avid fan of DVD Bits since 2001, she joined the
DVD Bits team in 2004 with the aim to watch more films and DVD's without
needing to write a 4000 word analytical essay on the underlying motivation
of the director to justify spending so much time of her time glued to
the screen, but hey, old habits are hard to break. Read
Bio
Al Day
DVD reviewer and news reporter
Al Day was forced into Home Theatre by his Father in Law, a Roman Legion Reenacting
enthusiast who bought a Widescreen Television, DVD player and ONE Disc....Gladiator.
Six months of Russel Crowe later, our hero fled England for the other side of the world
and the comparative safety of Western Australia.
Cunningly constructing a crude home theatre system from string, baling wire and parts of
a 1963 RCA black and white television he can now be found hanging around discount bins
in department stores, sniggering at all the Pan and Scan copies of Harry Potter that
they can't sell and fighting little old ladies to get to the price scanners.
Read Bio
He'll be fine when the pills kick in....
Damian Madden
DVD release schedule,
DVD reviewer and news reporter
Damian has been singing, making and acting in films since he was 10 and
so watching DVD movies was a natural thing to do. Currently treading the
boards in theaters around Sydney he fits DVD reviews in around writing,
filmmaking and university. Damian
is an avid film buff with extensive knowledge in film history and a cult
follower of anime films and television shows. Damian is in charge of maintaining
the DVD release schedule, so if you notice a discrepancy, please let him
know. Read Bio
Allan
Harris
DVD reviewer and news reporter
Allan is a long time devotee of DVD. In 2001 he stopped pouting on
the sidelines and got in the game. After about a year as one of the staff
of DVD Blokes (now DVDAnswers.com), he joined the DVD Bits crew in November
2002. Allan appreciates films that are technically proficient and DVDs
that show off the strengths of the format. He abhors shoddy transfers
and incorrect aspect ratios. "I believe DVD is the perfect format
to preserve classic films, there is no reason they shouldn't capture the
artist's original vision." Read
Bio
Shane Aston
DVD reviewer and news reporter
Very little is known about this reclusive character except for a vague
rumour that he once tried to alter his biochemistry so he could somehow
use DVDs as a form of sustenance. Shane may reside in Queensland for now,
but he prefers to be called "a Victorian on a bloody long holiday". At
this time he's still working on a plan to rid the world of reality TV,
although he admits it's "tougher than I thought" citing "people are just
dumber than I ever gave them credit for" as the main problem. Unfortunately,
he's also clearly delusional as he holds the belief that one day his beloved
Richmond Football Club will once again win a premiership. Sad really.
Read Bio
Nathan Laird
DVD reviewer and news reporter
One of Nathan's earliest memories from his childhood is of seeing Star
Wars at age 3 in Sydney. Since that time film has remained an ever constant
source of fascination for Nathan. He lives for those trips to the cinema,
the flickering screen, the darkened room, a return to the womb as it were.
Since being burned in the Beta vs VHS wars of the 80s Nathan adopted a
more cautious approach for new mediums for viewing films and managed to
ride out the passing hour of the Laserdisc by furtive trips to a friends
house to utilise their machine. With the advent of DVD Nathan was an early
adopter of the technology, realising quickly its beauty and simplicity
but also the dangers and frustrations of region coding. To this day Nathan's
first port of call when reviewing or deciding to buy a DVD is always to
do a comparison with what is available in other regions. Read
Bio
Michael Keith Ashley
DVD reviewer and news reporter.
Michael is a passionate film buff, with extensive knowledge in film history, which
for most people is entirely useless. However for those who understand, he decided to
eventually join the DVD Bits team and provide a number of interesting and controversial
reviews. Michael has a keen eye for what he likes, and believes in the preservation of
film. It’s very clear that Michael has an addiction. Read Bio.
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