How To Watch a Movie

1. How To Watch a Movie 10 Tips on how to Critique Films

2. Aim at saying something more than “It was great.” • Separate all the elements of the film and discuss them in greater detail “Lord of the Rings was a cinematic masterpiece. It’s blend of fantasy and epic adventure combined to tell a sweeping story that makes it a modern day masterpiece” OR Lord of the Rings was Cool!

3. Consider Each Film Craft Separately • Look at the film from several different perspectives such as… • Directing • Writing • Acting • Cinematography • Production Design • Costume Design • Hair and Makeup • Special Effects • Sound and Music • Editing • Rarely does a film bomb on all of these levels • A great film is when all of these elements come together and they are all well done

4. Don’t Assume the ScreenplayIs Just Dialogue • The Director Did Not Think Up the Action • The Actors Did Not Create their Characters • The Screenwriter Does More Than Write the Dialogue • The Screenplay… • Creates the Dialogue • Supplies the Action of the Film • Develops the Narrative Structure • Creates the Characters • Watch How A Movie is Structured - How the Characters and Plot are established (25 and 85 minutes into a 2-hour movie) • Notice How Small Actions Make You Like or Dislike A Character

5. Focus On The Director • Although Many People Make Up A Film, The Director Is In Charge of the Creative Decisions • Think of the Film In Context with the Director’s Entire Body of Works (for example, Tarentino, Scorsese, Spielberg, Kubrick, etc.)

6. Think About What The Movie Means • Even If A Film is Complete Fluff (Terminator 3) You Can Still Analyze It’s Theme and Use of Symbols • What Does T3 say about Fate and Destiny • Why is the villain Female • How does an apocalyptic film in 2003 represent current world sentiments • How Does It Define the Theme “Man Vs. Machine” • Don’t Worry if it was the Director’s Intention or Not - This Is Your Opinion

7. Consider How The Movie Fits Into It’s Genre • Think of the Movies That Came Before It • Think of the Movies That Came After It • Was the Film Original or Clichéd • It Redefine or Elaborate on Old Clichés • Was It So Original That It Created A New Genre • For Example… The Matrix

8. Think About How The Movie Uses Film Grammar • A “Shot” Is A Single Continuous Take, Before the Camera Cuts To Something Else • To Analyze A Shot, Think Of Movement In the Frame, How Light and Dark Are Balanced, How the Camera Is Positioned Relative To the Characters (Above, Below, Close up) • A Series of Shots Makes A Scene - How Do the Shots Build Into the Scene • How Do the Scenes Make Up the Action of the Entire Film • For Example… Titantic

9. Don’t Assume The Only Good Movies Are Ones With “Important” Topics • A Good Film Does Not Have To Be Judged On Its Subject Matter • Films About Important Social-Political Matters Or Famous People Are Not Always Brilliant • Films Made Entirely For Entertainment Are Not Always Bad • For Example… Wizard of Oz Vs. The Hours

10. Watch A LOT of Movies • Sample Movies From All Genres • Don’t Go Straight For the New Release Section • Start With Actors, Directors, and Genres That You Like • Study the Lists of Classic Films • Check Your Local Library • Go to Art Houses (Byrd or Westhampton) • Caution: Just because it has subtitles or it’s an Independent, or it has amazing word of mouth, does not make it good! (Napoleon Dynamite – by the way, I want my 2 hours back!)

11. Stay Through The Credits • You Get To See All The Different Kinds of Movie Professions • You Get To Hear the Score All The Way Through • You Get A Moment To Let The Movie Sink In Before You Re-Enter The Real World