Everything you need to know to be a film critic

Be ready to adapt and innovate, in order to reach out to the audience,’’ advised veteran film critic, Rajeev Masand, during a seminar at St Pauls Institute of Communication Education. With a media career spanning more than two decades, he opines that the entertainment industry is not only full of fluff, interviews and gossip, but also other aspects like business, which are often sidelined.

ScopeThere is a lot of scope for film critics, with India housing the biggest entertainment industry in the world. With increasing web usage, the possibilities are endless. Now, film critiquing is not limited to newspapers and TV, but has expanded to blogs, YouTube and websites that serve the purpose quite well, if not better.

Skills

If you’re considering working in print, then a firm command over English is necessary. But, if you’re thinking about broadcast—TV, YouTube and other video sites—then developing good visual-presentation skills is crucial. You may want to have an edge over other film critics; however, never compromise accuracy for lack of time, as developing your credibility and maintaining it, is of utmost importance. Along with your credibility, cultivating a sense of humour and employing innovative techniques to put your point across will work wonders when it comes to getting people to notice and remember you.

Gimmicks vs CredibilityWhilst using humour and gimmickry may make your presentation memorable, you must remember never to lose focus. At the end of the day, people want to know whether they should watch a movie or not and they will depend on your judgement and discretion, so balance the fun out with a certain level of seriousness. 

Critiquing vs CriticismCritiquing is an objective take on a movie, which can be developed through a film appreciation course in renowned institutes like Film and Television Institue of India (FTII), Pune. You don’t need to know how a film is made, but you need to know what is wrong with it and film-appreciation courses help you learn that. The only way to learn how to critique is by watching the classics to draw comparisons between newer films and older ones. Nowadays, there are very few original movies; most are remakes and sequels. In order to compare and understand the newer versions, knowledge about the originals is essential. 

BenefitsWhat’s better than getting paid to watch movies? Setting aside the fun factor, movies educate you about the culture and many other aspects of the world.And, it’s a film critic’s job to direct the audience, in turn, to educate themselves. 

DrawbacksWhilst viewers have the liberty to choose which movies they want to watch, a film critic does not have that luxury. Not every film is great and sometimes, you’d rather not watch it; but you have to, as it’s your job.

Remember!

News as a whole is being democratised, so it is imperative to be social-media savvy. With Twitter, Facebook, Periscope and many other instantaneous communication platforms, people are in need of information on-the-go and will not wait to read a review in a newspaper once a week.