When people think of careers in the film industry, their minds go to acting, directing, producing, theatre management, and other renowned jobs. However, there is more in the industry that people are not talking about. For instance, film critique is an outstanding, creative, and lucrative career. It is worth noting that film critic jobs have been popular since the early 1900s when they first surfaced and have continued growing.
Film critics are essential to the film industry and movie lovers. They help actors, movie producers, and other industry stakeholders understand people’s impressions of the movie. Furthermore, film critics help movie lovers analyze a movie and give them more profound insight into it. Also, they help people know which films to watch, why to watch them, what to expect, and which movies not to see.
Of course, they are not allowed to give spoilers and do not use their opinion to shape watchers’ feelings about a particular movie. However, a good movie critic can help people know if a movie is worth their time and other resources.
The importance of film critics to the film world has made the profession a worthy topic of discussion. Hence, we have collaborated with experts from job aggregator Jooble to discuss how to become a film critic and their responsibilities.
How to Become a Film Critic: Step-by-Step Guide
The journey to being a film critic is defined. You do not need to attend university to get a degree in film-making or criticism. However, a university degree is usually required. Also, you need some experience and skills to get the reputation you need to become a renowned critic in the film industry.
Education
Getting the necessary education is the first step toward becoming an accepted film critic. Although it is not obligatory to have a degree, it is essential to have one. You can use your degree in any field to transition to film criticism. However, you should take some humanities and literature courses to acquire more knowledge.
Experience
It is best to start building your experience right from the moment you decide to pursue a career in the profession. Watch movies, and read critiques from expert critics. Also, you can freelance as a writer or work in a related field to get the necessary knowledge.
Skills
There are some skills required in movie criticism. They include research skills, analytical skills, writing skills, communication skills, etc. It is important to hone and develop these skills before starting work.
Portfolio
After completing some projects, it is time to start building your portfolio. Collect samples of the freelance jobs and jobs you did during your internship, and put them on a blog. You can also use your social media platform as your portfolio.
Growing
Now that you have started as a movie critic, forge on and keep growing. Keep networking within society and make your presence known. With time, you can explore other fields in the industry, such as acting, writing, producers, and directors. There is no time to stop growing in the film industry.
What Are the Duties of a Film Critic?
Many people think the duties of a film critic are to see a movie once and give their opinion on it. However, film critique goes beyond that. You have to put in a lot of hard work before starting the critique journey.
Below are some of the duties of a film critic:
Watching Films of All Genres
Do you like watching movies? If yes, great! You have the first thing it takes to be a great movie critic. However, if you are the type that selects the kinds of movies to watch, it can be a problem for your film critique career. One of the significant duties of a movie critic is to watch different genres of movies. Also, watching movies more than once is necessary to pick essential parts from them and understand them thoroughly.
Taking Notes of Important Details about a Movie
Film critics do not just watch movies─ they note vital things about the movie. That is to help them remember when they want to make a comprehensive note later. Although you may enjoy watching the film so much that you forget to jot it down, it is essential to intentionally decide to note important things about the movie in review. After all, there is a limit to what the brain can take.
Taking Note of Technical Details
Not only are you tasked with noting details about the film’s plot, but you also need to note the technical part. Is the resolution good enough? How about the lighting? Is the editing work well-done? You also need to take note of the audio, shots, color, and camera angles to ensure that they are appropriate for the film type.
Reviewing and Analyzing Movies
Now that you have watched and noted significant details of the movie, it is time to review it. You can now leverage the background knowledge gained from research and education. You can also consider the trends in the movie industry, the reaction of people to the latest movies, and ideas that are coming out every day.
Attending Film Events
Another duty of a film critic is merging with the film industry. Attending film events is a significant way to meet and mingle with people in the sector. For instance, you are bound to meet many actresses, producers, and other stakeholders at a movie festival. Also, attending smaller events like movie launches, premieres, etc., makes it easy to network with moviemakers.
Interviewing Film-making Cast and Crew
There is always an author’s perspective in every literary work. Many people may not detect this perspective until the author reveals it. Therefore, it is always important to hear from the authors of a literary work. In this case, you need to interview the writers of a film to get their perspectives. You can ask the director to know why they tilted the movie in the direction it was produced. Also, hearing from the actors and other crew members will help you learn their views and why they interpreted their roles in the movie the way they did.
Conclusion
Film critique has grown in leaps and bounds since the days of Frank E. Wood, the first acknowledged film critic. However, due to technological advancement, the profession is growing exponentially. The demand for professional film critics is increasing, and you can explore it to make some dough.
Anton Savka is a cinephile who loves watching drama and thriller movies. He is also an applied linguist who adores learning foreign and programming languages and works as a Senior Outreach Specialist at Jooble (a job search website that operates in 68 countries and is used daily by millions of people).
