One Humble Opinion

Writing film reviews is a funny thing. When it comes right down to it, they’re just an opinion. One that’s no better or worse than anyone else’s. But hopefully, as someone who has watched more movies than God, your opinion has a little perspective.

Reviews are a fundamental part of everything a film journalist writes. Whether you’re profiling an actor or comparing classic films to today’s offerings, there’s always a little bit of a review involved.

Straight-up film reviews probably get more attention than anything else written about the film industry (aside from tabloids). From my “I only watch action flicks” to my indie-lovin’ “I won’t see anything with a budget over five million” friends, they all check the reviews. Even before they know the film’s plot, they’re surfing Rotten Tomatoes for the rating.

So I figure reviews are well-worth a few blogs. Why we revere them, how I write them, and whether they really have any value. (Let’s hope so or I’ll have blogged myself out of a job. Gulp.)

Ideally, I like to think of reviews as a conversation starter. If you really want to see a movie, why should I be the one to dissuade you? The review might give you a head’s up that the plot ain’t everything you thought it would be. Or maybe you’ll come out of the movie thinking I watched it on crack.

Either way, we’ve started a conversation. And if you love reading film reviews, I’m guessing that – like me – one of your favorite activities in life is talking about movies. Chalk one up for the reviews!

Interviewing Celebrities

One of the strangest experiences you can have as a journalist is interviewing a celebrity. Sure, once you’ve been doing this a while, it becomes normal. But that first time? Truly the most surreal experience of your life.

Consider it for a moment. Think of the actor or director you admire most. Then imagine sitting at a table…watching as that very person walks in your direction, takes the seat across from you, and politely waits for you to initiate.

In that instant, you have to make a decision. You’ll never be able to complete an intelligent interview unless you can forget everything you’ve ever seen, heard, or read about this person. Unless you can remember, first and foremost, that s/he is only human.

Sounds easy. Until you realize, in the fraction of a second, that you actually thought you knew this person. Yup. Even we who work in the film industry, we who live and breathe movies every day, fall into the fame trap.

All those movie roles, all those DVD extras, all those intimate interviews. You’ve been watching this person for years. You grew up with him. His face is as familiar as your own family. Only one problem. He’s never met you before. And he’s looking at you with polite and only thinly-veiled suspicion. Damn. Illusion gone.

So. You’re now faced with your idol. What are the tricks?

First: Breathe.

Second: Remember this is just another human being. Stars fight with their families. They have days filled with doubt. Just don’t picture them naked. That trick fails miserably.
Third: Focus on the work. It’s amazing how quickly you’ll forget the fame-factor once you’ve hit your stride and you’re in a full-on discussion of the film.

It’s in that moment that the truly miraculous happens. You find yourself completely relating to someone who, thirty short minutes ago, you thought of as a movie star. You forget the illusion called fame. And you become peers. Just as you deserve to be.

Pitch Your Heart Out

Like any other part of the film biz, you don’t get people calling up to hand you magazine gigs until you’ve been doing it a while. Until then you have to pitch. A lot.

Think about the number of film mags you see on the stands. Every little sidebar, every unique angle on an interview, every film comparison. All brainstormed and pitched.

Not only that, you have to be original. You’re not competing with dozens of ideas. You’re competing with thousands. Try to impress an editor that’s been working in the biz for years. Who gets pitched by email, phone, and in person all day.

Truth be told, this is my favorite part of the job.

Anyone can pitch a straight-up interview. Or even write a movie review. But try coming up with an angle on George Lucas that hasn’t been told a million times. Try finding a creative way to tie together the work of Norman Jewison and Catherine Hardwicke.

That’s when you discover the real joy of writing non-fiction. You’re pushed for ideas every day. Come up with a fresh enough idea and amazing things happen.

You interview the very people who inspired you to get into this biz. You inspire yourself and others to see film in a new light. Some days you even get to speculate how movies could change the world.

And each time, you re-discover your own passion for storytelling. Now that’s a dream job.

Long Live the Film Geeks

Strangely enough, writing about movies is a tough sell. Gossip is easy. People love to dish about movie stars like they’re the popular kids from high school. I suppose publishers know that. Hence, the plethora of trash magazines.

But I’m here to tell ya, I’ve met just as many - if not more - folks who LOVE to dissect movies. I mean get out the scalpel and take apart the innards dissection. These are folks with regular day jobs who dedicate insane amounts of cooler talk and internet surfing to researching movie facts.

There is a HUGE audience who wants to know all about the process, the philosophy, and the craft of filmmaking. This is who I write for. The movie geeks. The people who, if they love a film, will tell all their coworkers and Facebook friends to see it. I consider myself one of their kind. So I write for them with as much honor as publishers allow.

With that in mind, I’m here to share the Dos and Don’ts of doing an interview:

1.) DO think about the interview before you arrive. Prepare. Ask yourself what you’d like the world to know about your project and the people involved. It shows. Trust me.

2.) DON’T answer well-crafted questions with single word answers. They make for crappy quotations. And convey that the audience is not worth your time. Very bad form.

3.) DO give the interviewer your dedicated attention. Maybe you hate journalists. Maybe you resent the time. But don’t disrespect the audience. They pay our salaries.

4.) DON’T condescend to the person interviewing you. They can’t possibly know the film like you do. You lived it. No matter how you feel about their questions, remember they hold a virtual megaphone in their hands. What they tell the world is up to you.

5.) DO coach your actors. Directors have an easier time with interviews – they convey information all the time. If an actor is inexperienced with journalists, talk to them. Discuss the film. The more articulate they are, the more coverage your film will get.

As you would expect, there are many more. I’ll share them in the months to come. After all, if we can’t pass along gems from the trenches, how will we make this a better place to work?