In David Carr’s excellent article for the New York Times this week, he spoke about the swathes of American film critics being laid off.
A colleague of mine recently commented on film journalism as a bit of a joke. How hard can it possibly be to write about movies? And can you really categorise film reviews as journalism?
Of course you can!
In my opinion quality writing on film is vital. Film is the most popular form of entertainment in the Western world. I cannot understand why film criticism is scoffed at so much.
As Carr quite rightly points out: “For a certain kind of movie, critical accolades can mean the difference between relevance and obscurity, not to mention box office success or failure.
Those who have studied film and journalism and have a proper understanding of both are, in my opinion, the only people properly qualified to speak on the subject.
What is killing film journalism, probably more than any other section of the media, is citizen journalism.
When Tom, Dick, Harry or in this case, Sally, submits a film review on the internet, it is available to anyone. The same can be said for any form of citizen journalism, but there is a difference.
When a citizen writes a news story for the web it is likely to be quickly discredited. It is unlikely that an untrained individual has the legal knowledge or journalistic skills to produce a fair report. And so, inaccuracies in news tend to be filtered through fairly quickly.
But when a citizen writes a film review there is no quality control. Despite the fact that the citizen doesn’t have the breadth of experience and critical qualifications of real film journalism, their work may be considered on equal terms.
Considering the fact that film critics have years of training in film, this hardly seems fair. Why should one form of journalism be considered more lightweight than another?
Citizen journalists just don’t have the necessary tools for in-depth film criticism.
Film journalism has always been pretty low on a newspapers list of priorities, probably only bettered in triviality by art criticism. But why should this be the case?
Scott Rudin, who produced ‘No Country For Old Men’ and ‘There Will Be Blood’, believes film critics are vital in getting his films seen. “For those of us who are making work that requires a kind of intellectual conversation, we rely on that talk to do the work of getting people interested.”
“All of the talk about ‘No Country,’ all of the argument about the ending, kept that film in the forefront of the conversation” and helped it win the best picture Oscar.
Film is the most popular form of entertainment in the western world. Cinemas are packed at weekends. Mobile phone companies entice customers with the prospect of free cinema tickets. DVD sales have remained solid.
If you are a journalist wanting to get into film journalism it can be near impossible unless you have the suitable skills, experience and qualifications. It is one of the most competitive job markets out there and yet people continue to pour scorn on the very idea of film journalism.
In an interview with Melvyn Bragg on the South Bank Show, Kevin Spacey said art is not a luxury, it is a necessity. If this is the case, which I believe it is, why do we devalue it so?
Related Stories:
4 comments
Comments feed for this article
May 15, 2008 at 12:16 am
David Cross
An interesting point you make beth. Is it much harder to be a flim journalist?
The course we did does not tayor specifically to it but there are qualifications that do.
You can get a Certificate in Film Journalism by Distance Learning from the University of Glasgow in association with Sight & Sound and the British Film Institute.
Plus, it may be low on the list of newpaper priorities, but maybe magazines would be more forthcoming.
Maybe it is much harder than being a regular, but I don’t think it’s out of reach.
May 15, 2008 at 12:34 am
dsmenon
I totally agree. Film journalism should be judged in the same way as any kind of journalism, whether it be sports journalism, news journalism or fashion journalism. Scorn should not be inflicted on film journalism, just because lots of people watch movies. Lots of fans watch football matches but people want to read the comments of those with expertise and inside knowledge of a genre. Journalists in the field are best qualified to fulfil this task, not the average Tom, Dick or Harry.
Also, as a working journalist, I believe film journalism is a very diffcult skill to master. It’s easy to describe the general plot of a film but difficult to sum up the finer points of film-making. A top film journalist is expected to comment on editing, lighting, use of colour, the decision-making process of a director, film length, location, acting skills, appropriate casting, budget – etc etc. And the writing has to be witty and engaging too to sustain a reader’s interest. And all that in just 400 words. It doesn’t sound like a simple job to me.
May 15, 2008 at 8:29 am
nate8steele
I also agree Babbit. There is a distinct art in being able to write a review that will encourage me to go see the film without giving the film away or forcing their conclusions on me that I find it difficult to freely form my own opinions or react spontaneously to what I am seeing.
The endless hype surrounding films often kill it for me. Before I watched No Country For Old Men I read countless articles describing Javier Bardem’s character’s method of killing and so my reaction was tempered when I eventually saw the film for myself.
The really saddening sight for me is when you see a poster for a film you instantly know is going to be a turkey (Three and Out is a good recent example) and the promoters are still able to find enough critics to emblazon their poster with superlatives proclaiming it to be ‘the best film ever’ and ‘certain to improve your life immeasurably’.
I guess the key is to know which critics you trust and whose own taste seems closest to your own. If the lavish praise is coming from Nuts or Take a Break then its probably best to avoid.
My own personal technique is to watch every film that Cosmo Landesman (Sunday Times) is disappointed by. I’m guaranteed to enjoy it everytime.
June 19, 2008 at 9:36 am
Delos
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Delos.