I think it's really, really important for a critic to be active in the field they're criticizing. At a bare minimum, a professional critic needs to have built legitimacy creating something at least tangential to their subject.
Like for instance, if Vladimir Nabokov wrote a film review I could take it seriously, even though he never made films, because, besides repeatedly proving his genius beyond a shadow of a doubt in his own work, there's enough in common between writing novels, (plus he did also write some critical theory,) and filmmaking to appreciate what is involved in taking something from an idea to realization, maintaining a vision and persevering through all the nitty gritty of hammering it through to completion, knowing what it means to make decisions on the full range of scales, and all the rest. Without that experience a person can't know how to critique and, at least in my view, can not be legitimate. This is possibly a contentious opinion, but certainly a strong and biased one, being a filmmaker and artist myself. I need a critic to have a deep respect for the medium, craft, and life of filmmaking that only comes from immersion. On the other hand some kid who went to film school and has never made anything I am very ready to dismiss. However, someone who has done neither should certainly not be a pro critic at all.
Without knowing where you're from and this possibly being insensitive, I think if you love film and want to build a life around it, you should do whatever you possibly can to make your own film, even if it's on no budget, with stolen gear a la Herzog, industry support or not, or get involved in some way or another. And definitely barring film school, research films, their history, the people who worked on them, critical theory on your own as much as possible, and absolutely see EVERYTHING you possibly can.
But really film don’t coach you to expand your film tastes, I’m sure they won’t change it but maybe help you seeing more styles of films tell you where to start and open our minds ?
If a person wants to expand their awareness they will, with or without school. In some cases school, (and this depends on which school we're talking about as well,) can expose a person to something that changes the course of their trajectory. It can happen. But surprisingly often film students go in with lame taste, get fed all the good stuff, it makes no impression, and they continue right on their bumbling way. It sounds like you have the desire to grow, and that means everything. Really harness that and take it upon yourself to learn as much as you can. At the end of the day that drive and aspiration is what you have or you don't.
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Sarmoviefan26 (1368)
4 years ago
Thanks so much fir the suggestion and it does make sense, to be able to criticize something it’s good to have some practice.
After all we learn About everything with practice, every learning experience requires practice to really get it so it makes sense a of what you said.
And wooow its interesting to know that very few film students really learn About films in film school now while I do care for films like The Imitation game, Rush, A beautiful mind I also love films the the whole Infinity Saga and my best friends wedding.
I thought film schools maybe thought their students some balance in their taste which I think is something really important.
I thought film teachers helped students to make students understand that a Marvel film can be artistic but also teaches fans of blockbusters the patience to watch an Oscar film.
Obviously no teacher could force you in enjoying some genres, I really can’t watch horror but it really is too much for me I really don’t have the stomach for horror movies. But I they help you to see more than what you like and have variety.
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