Film Critics
Writing by blake on Thursday, 24 of April , 2008 at 10:32 am
There really is nothing on the Internet or in any media like David’s great GreenCine Daily. It really is in most cinephiles top 3 scenarios - if you could only take 3 websites to an Island with you, what would they be? It has a firm pulse on the film world we all love in all its many facets, shapes and voices. Today there was an excellent mention that brought up the topic more or less of the current state of film criticism. What I find fascinating is often times we as writers change our voice depending on whom we are writing for. If we are writing for print we trim our voice to the alloted space (perhaps sometimes write longer and let our editors sort it out) and then hone in sometimes on the style the outlet is expecting. There is creativity to be had out there for sure, but there is also manufactured film writing going on where we are packaging up our voice on something. This really does vary from writer to writer how much this is all done. Some writers just have that one unmistakable voice that they constantly hone in on and it comes through regardless how short or what outlet they are writing for. These are often times the writers I am most drawn to.
There is writing for business. There is writing for art. There is writing that is personal.
To some degree we all perhaps float in between one of those three or are in many cases just doing one. The more we hit on all art and personal writing I think lends itself to writing the most compelling pieces out there, so long as they still keep some site of business (if they are writing to be paid).
The Internet and blogging allows us as writers to now stray away from the business side and just share our writings on art and who we are, our voice uncut. We aren’t often worried about commerce or making money. It bridges a new gap with people that might read us to hear how we really write without word limits or any silly guidelines. It gives us a work out gym of writing to hone in on our voice and dig deep for meaning, substance and the heart of things that sway and moves, the inner essence of what makes us feel alive and connected with the world.
So to this I say it’s always great to have a reminder that we need to throw away our boxes and things that hold us back from writing with our voice. It’s not just about being a cinephile, its also about writing with our voice and for art as well. Explore the world, meet new people and just get out.
There is nothing but ourselves to limit our writing and why limit what we love, why write about anything where you are trying to confirm.
The most important lesson in film writing is just be yourself and let the chips fall. And by this I don’t necessarily mean for you paid work, but on your blogs and other places. I’m tired of people saying that on any personal film blogs your writing should conform this or that way and follow this or that guideline. Screw that stuff. This is the space I can write without limits or rules and offer up my voice uncut. Anyone can write like all the other sheep’s out there, but honestly there are countless sites out there with people instead of writing with their voice, they write with trying to adhere to some kind of pre-determined guidelines or rules, when they should just throw everything out the window and write with their own voice.
Too many film writing sheep out there makes everything rather bland and makes reading rather dull as it is.
::: How to Write Film Criticism? Stop Reading It.
Karina Longworth
::: Curious but Vital
Hollywood Elsewhere
Category: Movie News
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