Last week an interesting discussion formed after a Criticwire article asked the question “Do movie critics need filmmaking experience or an understanding of film theory to do their jobs?”. Which I think is something to think about. Dan from Public Transportation Snob also wrote about his way of writing and it is something which you should definitely give a read. Now I do not want you to answer this question (although you can), but on a related note I was wondering:
Do you use any sites or books to learn more about the history and techniques of movies?
I never have studied film or worked in the field I always do try to learn more about it. When I have the time I do read books about movie history and reviews of well known critics as I think it does help you develop your knowledge, which can only improve your writing. I have not focussed yet on the actual filming techniques. Not because I have not been interested in them, but because I have not looked into where to start. As for how to write about movies, I watch them mostly to be either entertained or informed and if a movie manages to do that convincingly I consider it a good movie. That is what I focus on and I might notice a beautifully framed shot or the right use of music, but unless a movie demands it I don’t usually overanalyse them, possibly afraid that it might take away from my enjoyment. I have seen enough movies to know whether or not something is good and if it is bad I can tell you why that is and why I still might have liked it. Do I consider myself extremely knowledgeable on film? No, far from it, but it does not mean I can not give my opinion.
I usually watch films to learn about filmmaking on how a director would frame a scene or how they would approach something. One of the reasons why I buy DVDs is the special features where they sometimes show how a scene is shot and such.
Yeah some have lots of that type of information!
I’ve taken some film courses and regularly read books about cinematography and directing. It’s quite informative and really helps the viewing process for films.
I should try to do more of that too I guess…
I read a lot of movie reviews, but always after I’ve seen the film – I don’t want anyone else’s opinions influencing my ideas about a movie while I’m watching it. MRQE (Movie Review Query Engine) is my bible in this respect – I always hit Slant Magazine, Roger Ebert, The New York Times & Variety in particular for in-depth movie analysis.
I always try not to read reviews either before I write my own either…don’t always manage that, but I do my best 🙂
Never heard of MRQE! Thanks for mentioning that one.
Very cool question. Personally, I’ve studied filmmaking, and even briefly worked in the field. Despite that, my reaction to movies as a fan, are always emotional first, then technically analytical.
When it comes to reviewing, my writing has evolved A LOT. At first I thought I should discuss everythin regarding the movie, actors, crew, etc… Which resulted in 8 pages of unnecessary nonsense. Later, I only focused on knee jerk reactions, which resulted in Reviews with the overuse of the word ‘awesome’. Now, my ‘reviews’ are written more with the thought of ‘Do I have anything meaninful to say about this?’ And building on that.
I feel for critics and reviewers, objectivity is key. I was actually going to email you about using this as a questio for this feature. These days, with, literally 20-something Trailers, reviews of those Trailers, news and theories regarding a film releasing months, if not years before release, hype and early reviews all over the place, I find it’s very hard to go into a Review maintaining pure objectivity, without letting all those outside influences having some sort of lingering effect. More so than film knowledge and technical understanding, I find that those things affect and drive a Reviewers opinions and thougts sometimes. Not saying everyone, but its something I definitely have to keep an eye on for myself.
Yeah, I can imagine. There are a lot of people discussing the latest news trailers etc, but I stay clear of all of that myself and go into a movie knowing as little as possible. It makes me judge the movie on its own without much of the hype or negativity surrounding it in advance.
I always try to keep my reviews short and sweet which does mean I might not touch on a lot of aspects of the movie, but in general I think most people browsing the internet would rather read something short compared to something which takes several pages. It usually is about quick fixes. Of course there will always be movies where you will write more because you really hated or loved them and that’s fine too. Lately I have been thinking about switching the format up a bit, but have not given it enough thought yet.
I think an appreciation of film is better informed by those who know how it is done but that doesn’t necessarily mean being a film-maker either now or previously. The more films you watch, the better critic you become, I say!
Yeah, it is with everything. Just put in enough time and you will eventually get good at it 🙂
IMDb would be about it, though I do have some books on the history of movies.
Yeah, I do occasionally check trivia of movies (always nice to read), but yeah I try to occasionally read movie related books.