Terms

Last updated: September 2026

These Terms explain the basic rules for using The Moment Before.

The Moment Before is an independent film-writing project focused on close reading, movement, gesture and visual storytelling.

By using the site, creating an account, commenting, submitting to the Guestbook or choosing to support the project, you agree to use the site reasonably and lawfully.

Editorial content

The articles, essays and other editorial material on The Moment Before are provided for reading, discussion and educational interest.

The interpretations expressed on the site are the author's own readings of the films, scenes and creative work being discussed.

They are not presented as the only possible interpretation.

Membership

Membership is currently free.

Creating a member account may allow you to:

• sign in
• manage newsletter preferences
• comment on articles
• use other member features provided through Ghost

There is currently no paid membership tier.

The Moment Before may change or discontinue member features in the future.

Newsletter

If you subscribe to New Readings, you may receive emails about new writing or other publication updates.

You can unsubscribe at any time through the unsubscribe link in an email or through your member account.

Comments

Comments are intended for constructive discussion.

Please do not use comments to post:

• harassment or abuse
• spam
• impersonation
• unlawful material
• private or sensitive information about another person
• content intended to threaten or harm others

Comments may be moderated, hidden or removed where necessary.

Access to commenting may also be limited where a member repeatedly abuses the feature.

Guestbook

The Bruidhean Guestbook allows visitors to submit notes without creating a Ghost account.

Guestbook submissions are moderated before publication.

By submitting a Guestbook note, you confirm that:

• you are submitting the content voluntarily
• the note may be published if approved
• you have the right to submit what you have written
• you will not knowingly submit unlawful, abusive, impersonating or unnecessarily private information about another person

The Moment Before may decline, redact or remove a submission where necessary for moderation, privacy or safety.

Substantive changes to the meaning of a contribution will not normally be made without the contributor's agreement. A contribution may instead be declined or removed.

You may ask for your approved Guestbook entry to be corrected, anonymised or removed at any time.

Support and donations

You may choose to support The Moment Before through an optional one-off contribution processed through Ghost and Stripe.

Support is voluntary.

A contribution does not:

• purchase membership
• unlock content
• guarantee additional access
• create editorial influence
• guarantee public recognition

The amount you contribute does not affect your access to the site.

Supporter Ledger

The Supporter Ledger is an optional form of public recognition.

Supporting the site does not automatically place your name on the Ledger.

A name, initials or chosen pseudonym will only be added where the supporter has explicitly chosen public recognition.

Donation amounts, payment history and transaction details are not published.

You may ask for recognition to be corrected, anonymised or removed at any time.

The Moment Before may decline inappropriate, misleading, abusive or impersonating display text.

Intellectual property

Unless otherwise stated, the original writing, site copy, branding and original design elements created for The Moment Before belong to The Moment Before and its author.

You may link to articles and quote reasonable portions for discussion, criticism or commentary.

Please do not reproduce complete articles or substantial parts of the site's original writing without permission.

Film stills, characters, titles, logos and other third-party material remain the property of their respective copyright holders.

Their appearance on The Moment Before does not imply ownership, sponsorship or endorsement.

Film discussion and third-party works

The Moment Before discusses films and other creative works for purposes including criticism, commentary and close reading.

References to studios, filmmakers, actors, characters and copyrighted works are descriptive.

The Moment Before is not affiliated with or endorsed by those rights holders unless explicitly stated.

External services and links

The site uses third-party services to provide features such as:

• hosting and publishing
• member accounts
• newsletters
• comments
• payment processing
• Guestbook storage
• anti-spam protection
• internal notifications

These services operate under their own terms and policies.

The site may also link to third-party websites.

The Moment Before is not responsible for the content, availability or practices of external websites or services.

Availability of the site

I try to keep The Moment Before available and working properly, but I cannot guarantee uninterrupted access.

Features may occasionally be changed, suspended or removed for maintenance, technical reasons or future development.

No guarantee of accuracy or outcome

The Moment Before is an editorial and interpretive publication.

I try to make the work accurate and well-supported, but I do not guarantee that every interpretation, factual detail or external source will always be complete or error-free.

Nothing on the site should be treated as professional legal, financial, medical or other specialist advice.

Privacy

Information about how personal information is handled is explained on the Privacy page.

Information about cookies and similar technologies is explained on the Cookies page.

Changes to these Terms

These Terms may be updated as the site and its features develop.

The date at the top of the page will show when they were last updated.

Contact

If you have a question about these Terms or about using The Moment Before, please use the Contact page.