Top Tips for Film Critics

00:00.24
Chris Olson
Hello and welcome to this special one off episode of the ukfilm review podcast today I am talking directly to those of you who want to be a film critic now. How do you be a film critic. You just be one. That's the way it is um, there's no reason not to be a film critic if you want to be 1 and this can start very humbly and simply by writing a review or or speaking a review depending on which kind of medium you want to go for um, don't get too tied up. In the labor of am I a film critic because do I meet these criteria x y ed um, we are all lovers of film and if you're listening to this. You are a film critic There's probably no no doubt about it. Um, what I would say is when it comes to. Journey that I've been on so I'm the editor of Uk film review and I've been a film critic now for 14 years The main objective really is to always be honing your craft um I look up to some of the top. Of critics in the world and I see that they're always trying to hone their craft. They're always trying to improve and why want this episode to do is to give you a few um signposts really I call them shortcuts really? but.

01:31.94
Chris Olson
Mainly tips just to give you an idea of what's going to be the best way to always be developing yourself and also are the fundamentals of what you're doing so that you always have that to rely on because often when you're looking up. A piece you know film a piece of art that you've you've watched your review may vary because of that film. Maybe the film is made in a certain way that makes you want to review it in a certain way whereas. Actually your job is to be consistent as well. That you review one film is should be the way that you review really all films. Um, so without much further ado and it's going to get into my kind of first basic top tips for film critics. Firstly, if you're writing a review. Don't just summarize the plot. It seems very very basic but often I see reviews and even from critics that do have a lot of experience that they're maybe so overwhelmed by a film's plot that they just want to retell it. They just want to go in and tell everyone what happened and go through all the different story plots. The fact is that's not your job. As a film critic that the the viewer doesn't want that the viewer what I or the reader wants to go and experience the film for themselves your review if you're doing a structured review. The plot should only be really one paragraph of that review and fairly succinct and getting.

03:04.65
Chris Olson
Good at writing um plot synopsis is in 1 paragraph that is where I see the best film critics people that are able to just really rattle it down to basic a tagline and still make you feel that it's a film that you want to see. Um. Because actually when you start reviewing other aspects of the film then the plot can sometimes be explored there. But what you don't want to do is just spoil the film for everyone and that's my my second tip spoilers I wouldn't bother with them. Some people will they'll write a review and I will spoiler alert. And what you'll do is you'll turn off at least half the people that were going to read your review and when it comes to becoming a film critic numbers matter. You want to get as many people reading your reviews and enjoying your reviews as possible so giving them a reason to to leave is not good. So I wouldn't put um spoilers into reviews unless. Absolutely necessary. Sometimes what can work if you do really want to go into lots of detail about that stuff is you do a you know double review I've I've seen this before but they do a review of the film and then they do a a spoilerific kind of review as well. But you're then yeah working in tandem then that can work quite well because. Your readers will review your first review. They'll go watch the film and then they'll read your other review and probably engage with it quite well so yeah, try and avoid spoilers where possible especially in written reviews. Um my next top tip is again fundamentals spelling. Um.

04:35.76
Chris Olson
And I know that that seems like okay I'm going to skip past this point please don't skip past this point because we all do it. We all misspell things and when it comes to film reviews the most common one I see is the misspelling of actors names or crew names and that shouldn't happen. Those you should be getting from official sources either in the film in the credits or on their official pages like Imdb or if they have a website. Um, and even then sometimes those can be wrong. So yeah, it it never um, fails to impress me when I see someone. Takes that attention to detail and really says you know Joe I've I've really researched that and I've made sure that I've got all of those details correct because if you don't if you misspell, especially a yeah famous a is named readers are going to then start questioning. Okay, well if they can't get that right? What else can't they get right? You know should I trust this reviewer so really really pay attention to detail. Look at your grammar. Um, if you are you know, not sure. There's so many tools now to use. Yeah, obviously most document builders online have a spell checking built if you don't I'd recommend something like grammarly grammarly is an extension that you can put into. Google Chrome and that is really really valuable I use it all the time. Um, and yeah, especially I know what can happen I used to do this a lot so I used to go up to screenings in London be on my way home on the train and I'm sort of maybe putting together a first draft on my phone.

06:10.93
Chris Olson
And you're quite yeah, used to doing like text speak and text spellings then those end up somehow in the review because you've used that text somewhere else when you've then put together the review. So the next kind of tip would be to do several. Drafts and revisions of that review don't just write your review and post it even if it is just your blog or on a social media post again. It matters if you don't put the the correct spellings if you're making typos then people are going to be turned off. They're going to think well, you're not an authority on this. You know if you can't even spell that right. Um, also one thing I see a lot of is lower case eyes. So like I've done as I've done this which is I'll go into this point in a minute a bit more but just generally make sure it's a capital letter where it should be a ga letter make sure the name of the film has capital letters where it should have them. Um, that is crucial. So a appearing professional you you want to appear a professional as a film critic. Um, so just also on the point of eye now when you're reviewing a film and I used to when my first reviews I've still got them on a blog and I go back to them sometime and just think oh my god what was I doing um you want to appear. Ah. As I said an authority you don't want to write it as if you're just a friend down the pub which is like oh yeah I thought this I thought that and there's a very easy way to change this which is so where you say I thought this you can say viewers may think this.

07:41.17
Chris Olson
So what that does is immediately. Third parties is it and it puts it in the the idea of ah of an audience and that's where your role is you're thinking this is what audiences might think and this is what viewers might find and rather than saying I avoid at all saying I thought the score was really good. Yeah. It just makes it sound really amateur very childish. Yeah elevate it up to saying viewers will think this yeah and and feel confident to say that because you thought that you that's that was your thought but then the chances are that a lot of audiences will find that. Um, and don't be afraid to do that. Yeah, make sure you've come across as confident and authoritative. Um some other top tips in terms of writing film reviews would be ah, look at other films to reference that shows that you have and like a broad extensive knowledge. Rather than just talking about the one film you talk about the other films that the filmmaker has made before this because often that's a really good journey to explore anyway. And if people are reading your review. The chances are that they have an interest in the film and the filmmaker. So yeah, you talking about their other films is going to connect. But those readers um, you can obviously talk about the films that the actors have made as well or the cast or the crew. Everyone really? um or if it's got a thematic connection to another film. You know if it's something talking about the apocalypse. Then yeah, there's loads of films about the apocalypse. Um, so just Google that and yeah, you can.

09:11.95
Chris Olson
Find ones that you've seen or if you haven't and do some more watching. Um, and yeah, go into detail about that and also if you can about your technological development not too much. You know? don't go into like how they do all the ai and how they do all the Cgi and all that stuff. Maybe more about yeah okay, well, there's this acting technique that they're using or or something that's going to yeah, be at least relatable to the audience and why they might care. That's really really important. Um, it's very important to be unique as well with your reviews. Um, you want to when i. Ah, tend to review a film I'll write my review I'll try not to read other reviews before I write it because I find that can skew what I'm writing because I'll kind of go. Oh they thought this and maybe that's really what I should have thought write your review kind of from your perspective your have your voice. But before you publish it I would recommend going and reading some other reviews because what can happen is sometimes another critic has been able to communicate something that you did feel but they've just mentioned it in a way that you go. Oh yeah, yeah, that was how and then you go off on your own tangent then you go off and and talk about that aspect in your way. But I would recommend reading other reviews or watching other reviews of those films. Um, another thing I would also really like to point out I'm yeah I'm very adamant about this is be be kind and be respectful.

10:38.90
Chris Olson
These reviews I see pop up, especially from newer film critictix that just absolutely slate a film and they slate a person and they just really tear everything Apart. It? No one really cares about that and you know it it often undermines yourself and just makes you look silly. But also it is really cruel. Yeah, even a film you absolutely loathed. You absolutely hated. It find a way to explore that in a way that is constructive and that is useful for people to Read. Um and don't just attack people I think it's just pointless. Um and especially. Never talk about someone's looks I don't see why anyone needs to talk about someone's looks. There's There's no place for that at all. Um I think it's important as well to write reviews from a place of you loving film and people will fill that passion because if someone's reading reviews. They probably also love films. Unlikely that they're going to be into film reviews unless they really do so just going to town. Yeah, annihilating the the latest blockbuster film is Fine. You know I'm sure there be people there that will do it as well and there will be people that read that. But if you want longevity as a film critic. You need to love film and you need to find a way to. Even enjoy reviewing films that you didn't like because you're exploring why you didn't like them and it can be that they were badly made. It's absolutely fine, but find a way to review that and right in a way that puts you as the authority as to why? it's a bad film. Not oh it just was rubbish no waste of money. Arise It's not not helpful.

12:13.50
Chris Olson
Um, I think that's a lot of top tips obviously to be going with um ah so outside of that you know once you're you're happy with your reviews and things like that in terms of exploring your career as a film critic I'll give you some sort of ways in which you you can look at that. So if you're ever. Um, applying to write for a publisher such as yeah Uk home review or anyone else. Yeah,, there's other other publications out there. But I don't like to talk about them. Um, you can always do well by exploring their reviews read their reviews find their. Tone. Um, they call it the house style you know, look at that. What is their house style like why have they set up their yeah perspective. What's that about it can be sometimes harder to to work that out. But just by reading enough of their reviews. You'll find a way that okay well this is how they structure their reviews. This is the tone This is do they swear? do they not swear. Do they you? How much do they go into the plot. How much do they spend talking about the themes. How do they lay them out. That is really important if you want to be a film critic. You need to learn that, especially if you are pitching pieces to publications if they see them in a style.. That's not their own. They're just immediately move On. Um I'd Also recommend going to events So Whether that's screenings or film festivals. The networking side of film is huge. Um.

13:42.82
Chris Olson
It's something that is so paramount to the success of film and that yeah also goes towards film critics as well. So yeah, find your tribes find people that you yeah you can connect with and then obviously be introduced to other people and also show that you're willing to. Um, go the extra mile for films that you're reviewing but also for publications that you want to be part of share their post comment on their posts. You listen to their you listen to my podcast like you're doing right now but obviously not just us your other other publications that you're interested in because all that can do. First of it just broadens your experience anyway. Secondly it just shows you that you're you're passionate. You're interested. It's not just about a self-serving thing. Okay oh I want to be paid to do this. It's more okay Joe ashha I just loved this I love doing this? Um so many of the critics that started at Uk from review. They just did it because they loved it and they helped grow it and helped make it. Become successful and we're still doing that we're still relying on the Goodwill of everyone and making sure that we grow together. Um, so if you can be that person be positive proactive. Um, yeah, that makes a huge huge difference. Um, and yeah, hopefully this has been useful. So there's my top tips for film critics and yeah, there's a section on our website currently when I'm airing this yeah where you can apply to be a film cro for our site. We do get a lot of applications. Don't take it personally if we don't get back to you. There's a lot of people out there that want to be film critics.

15:16.58
Chris Olson
Ah, but if you can bear in mind the the tips I've given especially the latter ones then you puts you in a good place. Um, and yeah, good luck. It's a fabulous journey and yeah, do it for the love of film.