Film Criticism

Journalistic criticism Newspaper, TV, magazines, broadcast media & online publications Important impact on viewer whether to see the film Impact on box office performance

Film Reviews Blogging Personal reflections, essays, observations Common movie goer expressing opinions Community driven (not interest driven such as box office profit) Rotten Tomatoes, Flixter, Popcorn Business

Academic Criticism Academic approach using film theory and historical context This field is often known as “film theory” or as “film studies” Notable names: Sergei Eisenstein, Andre Bazin, Francois Truffault, Jean Luc Godard= Cahiers du Cinema http://www.scribd.com/doc/19239635/re-Cinema-Volume1PDF-KG#page=11

Review Criticism General plot summary May focus on a specific aspect of a film Rates or ranks films from an entertainment, cultural, or artistic perspective Discusses films within a historical, social, political, or theoretical context Usually short to medium length Substantive length Written by journalist or staff Written by a scholar, or other expert in the field of film studies

Review vs Criticism A film review should focus on potential viewers and be primarily focused on the film's entertainment or information value. In short, will people like it?  A film critique is primarily for film makers and art lovers. It's focus should the techniques and execution of the film. In short, how well done is it?  The two overlap to a large degree so the difference is often subtle and depends largely on the writer's intension. Also, many reviewers/critics often mix the two, or fail to distinguish between them increasing the confusion.

A reviewer writes for those who haven't seen the film, as a kind of consumer guide, and is usually concerned with value judgements (is the film under consideration worth the price of admission?). The critic writes for those who have seen the film, as part of a critical dialogue, and is concerned with articulating the film's thematic concerns (what meanings arise from the narrative concerns and the formal devices of the film?).

A good film critique provides the reader with a basic idea of what the film is about. It provides the writer’s critical assessment of the success/failure or effectiveness/ineffectiveness of the film supported by the evidence the writer gathers from the film. For the writer, the critique is an opportunity to exhibit a critical awareness of the elements of the film as well as to share the delight and pleasure (or frustration and disappointment) the film offers the viewer.

Your essays Should not summarize the plot. Assume the reader has seen the film. Criticism means developing an argument and supporting it with evidence from the film, not delivering opinion.

Your essays Should advance an argument about what the sequence or film under consideration is saying thematically -- this argument (your thesis) must be clearly stated in the introduction. Consider what meanings (thematic implications) are constructed by the use of certain cinematic features (such as lighting, editing, sound, dialogue, characterization, narrative structure, setting). The theme may be thought of as what the film is "saying" about what it depicts -- remember, no film is neutral. One word is not a theme.

Don't organize your thoughts or arguments according to the narrative progression -- i.e. starting with the first scene and ending with the last. Organize according to thematic concerns. Aim for an organization that logically develops/builds your argument.

Sketch Early in the critique it is desirable to sketch enough of the plot to give the reader an idea of what happens in the film. Do not try to recount everything—the key word here is sketch.

Overview and convince If you provide only a plot summary, you are not writing a critique—you’re writing the equivalent of a book report. Once you introduce the main characters and devote a few lines to the plot, thus giving the reader a good overview, get down to the job of convincing the reader that you have something interesting to say about the film—the plot is trivial, the hero is not really a hero, the plot and characters are fine but the camera work is needlessly tricky, or whatever else you decide your thesis to be.

Some Rules Always use the present tense when writing your review and avoid words such as “great’’, “excellent” and the all- encompassing “really good”. Choose your words carefully. Avoid superlatives ("fascinating," "genius") and vague terms ("interesting“ “boring”) Be specific. Aim for a clear style – try reading your work out loud -- if it doesn't make sense to the ear, it won't make sense to the eye. This is also a good way to eliminate convoluted sentences -- any sentence that causes you to gasp for breath is too long.

Rules A film entry usually begins with the title, in italics, and includes the director and the year. Talented Mr. Ripley, Dir.Anthony Mingella, 1999 Film titles are italicized. Essays and articles are in “quotes.” Book titles are underlined. As is the case in with all academic writing, there should be no first person pronouns (I, me) in a film paper. If you need to refer to yourself as a viewer, refer to the viewer, the audience or a collective “we/us.” Descriptions of action in a film are written in present tense, as if you are describing them as they happen on screen.  Example: Jacques and Marie sit and discuss their relationship. Then Jacques gets up to work things out with Marie’s father.