Continuing Your Online Movie Critic Role

Weblog Assignment for the week of March 18-24
Chose a movie you like—or better yet one of your favorite. Make sure your target audience has not seen it. Blog a review for the film. Make the case of why your audience should see it while following the established protocol for crafting a review. Some of the films you can consider, but you’re not limited to include:

• 8 ½ (1963)
• American History X (1998)
• The Bicycle Thief (1948)
• Casino Royale (2006)
• Children of Men (2006)
• Dark City (1998)
• Dreams (1990)
• Happy Gilmore (1996)
• The Host (2006)
• Nashville (1975)
• The Passion of the Christ (2004)
• Pi (1998)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• The Rapture (1991)
• Saw (2004)
• The Shawshank Remdemption (1994)
• The Third Man (1939)

Again, one of the new goals of this review is to convince your target audience the film you’re recommending is worth seeing.









Finally-- We have discussed how movies are changing (or at least going to the movies). Now consider how the web is changing the role of the movie and the movie critic. How can the viewer become empowered-- beyond text? Consider what some folks are doing with audio & video.

Reviewing "Crash"

Here's the Mass Comm blog assignment for the Week of March 11-17, 2007.

You’re now an online movie critic. Your assignment this week is to blog a movie review (500-700 words) for Crash. Here’s a list of things to consider when writing a movie review:

• Who’s your audience and write for them.
  
• Where could you post this review in addition to your blog?
  
• Take notes during a screening of the movie—
• Note what you like or hate—what works and doesn’t work.

• Do some research (and cite sources when appropriate) about the film or filmmakers.
• What you know can enhance your credibility when criticizing or praising.
• Quote characters when appropriate.
• Tell me if the movie is worth my time?
• Why or why not?
  
• THIS IS YOUR OPINION. It's okay to have an opinion.
  
• Be genuine and giving with it, but counter obvious objections.
  
• If you take a particular hard line with filmmakers, actors, etc., what would you say to them?
• Summarize the plot, themes (messages), setting and major characters.
  
• For Crash the major theme is cleary RACISM.
  
• But don’t give everything away—unless the movie’s so bad you want to spoil it—and if you’re writing a spoiler alert the reader in advance so they can quit reading.
• Identify and discuss key elements of the movie that are outstanding or miserable and touch on the why and how.
  
• These elements can be in the form of acting performances, casting, special effects, writing, directing, etc. Just take on the elements that are significant—you don’t have a lot of space to write.
• Rate the movie at the conclusion of the review—try to be original with your grade.
• If you can’t come up with something that’s not corny go with a letter grade or a one to ten scale.

Other things to include:

• Add links to trailers, clips, etc.
• Embed a clip if you like the film.
• Write a catchy headline. The review should deliver on the headline.
• Reference, quote or integrate concepts from Walter Lippman.
• I've included a link here to Roger Ebert's review in case you want to see what the big boys do when they write a review. Don't mimic-- make it your review-- plan, organize and make the case around your take on the movie and make a recommendation and stand behind it.
  

Newspapers Now Winning Television Awards

The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) has posted its list of “Best Television Photojournalism 2007” awards and this year they include categories for one-man bands (NPPA calls it solo video journalists- the SVJ) and video produced by the web. This is another signal of convergence and new media as the “Television” awards were once the domain of camera and editing teams from television.

Now newspapers are winning in the “Web” category with video stories on the web—as is the case for The Washington Post with an award for “48 Hour Web Editing.” More evidence old media’s world is changing. This would also signal an opportunity to rename the awards. Perhaps it's time to change "television" in the award title to "video."

The NPPA 2007 Best TV Photojournalism Awards posted on the Poynter Institute’s web site also includes student awards. One category recognizes work done in a seven day deadline period called "weekly assignment." Perhaps we should look at this as an assignment in our classes engaging video production? You can check out all the winners online. Poynter even include the judge’s comments. I am annoyed by the “Neighborhood America” spot that runs before you can see the stories. That’s one way to underwrite the cost of posting the winners and reaching chief photographers and news directors.