WHY 'WRITE ABOUT MOVIES' -- IN
BEGINNING TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE CRITICAL SENSE OF FILM
–> Analysis becomes subtler and more
rigorous. Writing demands organizing, sustaining,
developing, and supporting ideas related to interpretation and
evaluation.
–> Tend to take movies for granted since so
widespread and commonplace in everyday experience, and most often, at
least in dominant Hollywood form, presented as escapist entertainment,
as pleasure that does not require much difficult thought to understand
or appreciate (in fact often deliberately discouraged by way films
produced, and marketed). Still not as commonly perceived as
‘art’ as a number of other forms of cultural production, at least not
in mainstream mass commercial form.
–> Knowing how film works, how film put together,
knowing technical and theoretical intricacies and complexities of film
provides the same increased pleasure for film audiences as comes with
knowing all of this about a particular sport of which one is a
knowledgeable–an informed–fan.
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–> Informed audiences take time to think and
read/research beforehand, to reflect carefully and to read/research
further, write, and talk afterward. Always seeking to
understand, not simply to experience.
–> Describe: superficial account of what, when,
where. Explain: in-depth, beyond surface, focuses on how and
why–what shapes film to be as is, and what impacts film exerts beyond
the duration of its projection. In short: what is its
larger meaning, value, significance.
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–> Writing is a more refined, careful, and
deliberate form of talking. Writing can help us discover
what we think about a film, as well as how to make useful sense of it
when we start off not having much of a clue, and how to relate it to
the larger world, and to the cultures and subcultures we participate
in, and of which the film is both a product and in which it acts as a
force of it own. Writing allows exploring, working through, and
teasing out complexities and intricacies--in depth. Writing
allows both zeroing in for intensive examination and extending outward
for extensive examination of relation between film and other cultural
products, forces, fields of experience and activity.
–> Writing about film, in sum: can help you
yourself understand it better, can enable you to convince others to
think or feel as you do about a film, can enable you to explain or
introduce something about a film and its meaning/value/significance,
can enable you to compare and contrast films and relate them to each
other as part of larger groupings, and can allow you to make
connections between films and wider or other aspects of culture.
*
–> Movie Review: broad audience, aim to introduce
and to recommend or not recommend, assume unfamiliar with, focus on
describing, especially the plot, while also providing some brief yet
relevant contextual background, in particular connections with similar
films or films by same director or starring same actor, especially to
help support and sustain reviewer’s recommendation/dis-recommendation
that is or is not worth seeing.
–> Theoretical Essay: supposes a reader knows
quite a bit already about the film as well as about film history, film
technique, film aesthetics, film criticism, etc. Aim is to
explain larger and more complex structures of the cinema and how we
understand them. Usually moves beyond narrow focus on single film
or very limited number of films. Often concerned with
distinctive, essential features of particular kinds or dimensions of
film making broadly conceived.
–> Critical Essay: in between theoretical essay
and review. Presumes audience familiarity with the film: at least
have seen it, or otherwise know quite a bit about it. Goal here
to help this audience--intelligent, interested audience, already
familiar with the film--make better sense of it: of its meaning, value,
and significance. Show this audience what to think about the
film, what to take away from experience of it, and what to recognize
and appreciate in and about it that not superficially obvious.
Aim is to aid, to deepen, and to enrich understanding. Often
relate own ideas to other serious scholarly ideas on film making or on
the same or related films.
*
–> Key, always: who is your audience. Always
at college level presume an audience of intelligent, interested
readers, neither absolute novices nor experts–in short people like
yourself: fellow college film students.
–> Combine personal opinion, indication of taste,
statement of judgment and evaluation, with explanation and
justification of these at all times–indicating why interpret and
evaluate as do, what are reasons, what evidence have for own take,
especially from the film. Make a case, argue for it, and aim to
compel, convince, persuade others not already sharing same take on the
film. Be critical with a purpose: never just describe as
good or bad, as like or dislike, but always explain how so and why so.
BEGINNING TO THINK, PREPARING TO WRITE, AND
STARTING TO WRITE
–> Critical approach to film: bring full attention
to bear while attending to screening. Not allow self to be
distracted, to focus on other activities. That’s one good reason
to take notes: to keep focused. That’s also why I do not approve
of turning away from attention to the film, by resting or sleeping, or
by text-messaging or talking with a neighbor. Films you do not
immediately like or understand require even greater diligence and
concentration.
–> Prepare beforehand: do some preliminary
research; do all assigned readings in a course; think ahead of time of
questions you might very well want to ask of yourself as watching and
listening.
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–> Be open-minded: don’t equate mainstream
Hollywood production values or commercially slick gloss with simply
what is good in film making. Many types of film making
deliberately reject Hollywood conventions, formulas, styles, and
looks/sounds broadly conceived. Critical suspicion means thinking
about how film positions you to see, to hear, to think, to feel, to
react, respond–what the film is attempting to communicate to and exert
with and upon its target audience. Pay attention to what
kind of cinema film is developed out of/is part of, and for what
audience and with what aim. Analyze film’s target audience and
target aim. Think about how and why film departs from more
mainstream familiar film making when does so–and always consider
virtues of so doing.
–> Films always represent ways of seeing, hearing,
thinking, and feeling, and not just particular images, sounds,
thoughts, and feeling; focus on how do they encourage us to see, hear,
think, and feel, why, and with what consequences. Inquire
into what ends/whose interests supported/opposed, how so, and why
so? Different ‘frames’ are always, moreover, the product of
different historical and cultural determinants; it is important
therefore to pay careful attention to and reflect critically and
sensitively upon this when making sense of a film in a serious and
thoughtful fashion.
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–> Questioning and annotating: n.b. in particular
unfamiliar and perplexing elements as well as repeated
ones. Looks for patterns of repetition and how these are
contrasted with singular moments. Some key question areas: title
meaning/significance, why start as does, when made, why opening credits
presented against background they are and for duration they are, why
film concludes as does, how similar or different from others which bear
at least superficial connection/relation with it, patterns in camera
movement or other distinct film techniques, what scenes or sequences
appear to be key and why so.
–> Writing: interpretation requires telling
evidence.
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–> Taking notes: only key details, and only most
important elements. Use shorthand. N.b. key phrases
or words, or key images/sounds/objects etc.
–> Thinking/talking/free writing very shortly
thereafter, using study guide questions, doing research all helpful
ways to strengthen memory and stimulate reflection. Learning to
analyze and appreciate film critically requires discipline and work.