Becoming a great Film Critic

Here are some tips in become a great film critic.

1. Enroll in a college that is known for their school of Journalism or broadcasting, making it easier to get a job in the long run.

2. Set up informal interviews with future employers to see what their standards are for the film critic.

3. Gain experience by writing reviews for plays, concerts, and shows for your college newspaper or radio show. You will gain great experiences and polish your skills for the future.

4. Take courses about the Entertainment Industry. You will need some knowledge about the history of the industry to make your writing more effective.

5. Become familiar with all sorts of art. Your future employer might want you to write about things that are not part of your expertise.

6. Obtain an internship with newspapers or stations during college. This will help you get a entry level job following graduation.

7. Consider working for a freelance critic to gain experience for your resume.

Want to be in the Film Industry.

For those of you interested in getting into film, her is a few tips into making it a little easier for yourself.

1. Movie to LA or anywhere that movies are made quite often. You wont be able to get a film job (unless you're really lucky) in a small town in Pennsylvania.

2. Decide what area of film you want to work in. If you're not specific, then you might end up as the re-recording mixer and not the script writer you wanted to be. So, if you get the chance to get into the film industry, tell them, right away, what part of film you want to be a part of.

3. Meet people that work in Film. Go to parties, screenings, film festivals...etc. This is important to get your name out on the market so people can start hiring you.

4. If you would like to do production work look into journals such as the Hollywood Reporter production breakdown. This will tell you what independent films will need production assistants. This can get you acquainted with people all over the industry.

5. If you are in college, look for internships in major studios or independent production companies. Make sure you get to know the people you are working with, this will also help you get great connections.

6. Once you have got the job in the industry make sure you work hard and make everyone know that you want to be there. This will help in becoming popular with other productions in the future.

Observe and Report.

A couple weeks ago I decided to spend my Friday night out with friends instead of working. So, we treated ourselves to the new Seth Rogan film "Observe and Report." I was excited for this film, considering I've been satisfied with other Seth Rogan films. But, the first couple of scenes started off with some naked man flashing women in the parking lot and Seth Rogan cursing... a lot. Usually I think cursing is funny coming out of Rogan's mouth but not in this movie, it was a little too much and went a little too far. However, I did enjoy the story line (if you break it up in peaces and put it back together in a better more structured way). It had a dark side to it; a man with mental issues who was struggling through that as well as keeping mall security at top notch. But, unfortunately, that was ruined with a whole bunch of drug use, lots of blood, terrible comedy, and slutty girls. And my dreams were haunted because of the five minutes of a man running completely nude...Not fun.


Rating: 2

The problem with the review.

In recent posts I've been using the article from Stanford University. Because it is an informative essay about the movie reviewer, I will use it again for the last and final time. One of the biggest problems of the movie reviewer are the different ways of seeing a film and for reviewers to become authoritarian in their writing. Reviewers see over 100 more films then their readers do a year, which creates the way the reviewer responds to the film. The reviewer sees technical problems in film, as well as seeing the technical improvements in films. They see the small things that most viewers don't see (like the general public don't recognize as often as the reviewer does). Such as when a person has a different hair style one second and then the next second looks completely different. Of course this information is useful to the reader and essentially enlightens the audience but it also helps in the reviewer becoming cocky over their work and looking down on their readers. This leads to the authoritarian writing in their reviews. At some points reviewers start to become self-important in the writing, and the begin to tell the reader how to think and this generally makes the reader feel insulted. So, when writing a review, make the reader enjoy your writing by sharing your opinion but not in the "if you don't listen to this review, you are not worth liking movies," way.

Sundance Film Festival

One of the biggest independent film festivals in the U.S. is the Sundance Film Festival. The festival is shown in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and the Sundance resort in Utah. It originally started in 1978 in Park City, Utah in efforts to attract more filmmakers to Utah. Back then it was mainly for independent filmmakers to make a name in the Independent film making world. But now, because of its popularity, it has become a big film festival for all sorts of celebrities. At the most recent Sundance there are some movies that are more popular and others that were mostly independent (a list of movies that won). Although the prices to go to this festival ranges from $325 to $195, the festival does have some great reviews and if you're willing to spend money, you will have the great privilege to see some great works.

The Film review...again!

According to the article from Stanford University that I mentioned a couple posts ago, Film reviewing is a form of "consumer reporting,"(what the movie's about), a account about how good the movie was, a teaching opportunity ( how is this an example of a drama, comedy, thriller…etc.), and a form of entertainment. So, ideally, the review is essentially something that enlightens, entertains, and answers whether you should see the movie or not. But each (as was stated in many of my blogs) can be objective or subjective. The “consumer reporting” aspect of the review is mainly objective because you are only telling the reader about the film. The account about the movie (if it was good or not) can usually be very opinionated, which, in some cases, is to be expected. People have their own preferences about certain things in life, and if something isn’t good, I’m sure you’ll hear about it. The teaching portion of a review can either be objective or subjective. As you know, there are good teachers and bad teachers, and if the movie isn’t portraying what it really should be, then the teaching is obviously off.

But, if the writing is good in a review it is pleasant to read and because film reviewing is the least formal out of all journalistic writing, subjectivity is much appreciated.

You want to be in the Movies?

Throughout the semester I've been researching websites that allow people like you and me become extras in movies or stars in t.v. commercials. The way I found these particular websites was while I was surfing the web and on one of the advertisements it said "Do you want to be an extra on the Office?" and because 'The Office' is my favorite t.v. show I immediately clicked on it and found out how to become an extra. First you must sign up for this website called, talenthunter.com.

On this website you put your name, a picture of yourself, a summary of your experience, and where you live. The basic networking to get yourself known. Then after you're finished with this task, you wait a couple days and you begin to get e-mails from talent scouts who would like to help you find work. While I was a member (unfortunately, not anymore, because they wanted me to pay 33 dollars a month, money that I'm not willing to give up) I got 5 messages from 4 different scouts. One wanted me to be the lead in a commercial, another wanted me to be an extra in the second coming of Twilight, and the others wanted me to be an extra in t.v. shows, one of them being "The Office," which I would of loved to be a part of, but the only way I could become an extra is if I paid monthly.

So, if you're willing to spend money every month, go ahead and see if it works!