Journalism: AKA Film School

When I became a journalist, my primary goal was to gain credibility as a writer. So I focused on what I knew – screenwriting. I analyzed form, interviewed writers, and waxed poetic on improving a script. Little did I know that being a journalist would turn out to be an incredible education - my real-world version of film school.

Like most lessons in life, it happened while I was looking in the opposite direction. I met a magazine publisher at the Toronto International Film Festival…and suddenly had a chance to pitch an established film magazine. But they didn’t want stories on writing. They wanted full-bodied stories examining the cultural impacts of film. Score!

Why score? Well. As a writer, I’m fascinated by people and everything that makes them tick. Kinda comes with the job. Here I was being handed a chance to pitch magazine articles about just that - from a film perspective. How do movies affect us? Why do we love them so? Can films be a positive voice in the world or should they be pure entertainment?

My imagination went wild. I came up with 25 article pitches overnight. And the magazine editor loved it. He handed me my first assignment. And that’s when it hit me. Oh God. I would have to interview these people!

Like most green journalists, I shook my way through those first interviews. Then I began to love them for the goldmines they were. I had a perfectly legitimate reason to pose questions to anyone in the business. Whatever I wanted to find out about film, I could ask!

Even after courses and books and conferences about film, my real “film school” came through a channel I never would have predicted: being a journalist.

Small Publications, Big Impact

Quite often, it’s the smallest publications that are the most fun for a writer. One of my favorite outlets was IndieIN.com. Alas, the website with a huge heart but not enough funds passed away in July, 2007. This blog entry is a belated eulogy to a wonderful site run by passionate women.

IndieIN.com was the brainchild of Michelle Bryant and Julie La’Bassiere. Both wanted to create a site that celebrated and promoted independent films. They truly cared about the little films that scraped together just enough cash to get made and rarely had enough left over to get noticed.

I met Michelle at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her passion for film was undeniable … enough so, that I agreed to write for their site. The reviews and interviews I wrote for IndieIN were hands-down some of my favorites.

Not only was Michelle a kind and supportive editor but she always encouraged a writer to be creative. And when you’ve written for bigger outlets with very specific guidelines, you appreciate having a bit of room for your own style.

I’d have to say, though, the best part was the interview. Occasionally, you’d stumble across an arrogant jerk. But overall, interviewing independent filmmakers was a real joy. They’re keen, appreciative, collaborative…and oh-so passionate.

One can only imagine how many hours they’ve put into creating, editing, and promoting their film – on their own dime – only to arrive at an interview with a full appreciation of the journalist’s time and effort.

Perhaps that’s why Michelle and Julie aspired to create IndieIN. They not only loved independent films, they deeply admired the people with the courage to make them.

So if you start to feel jaded about this industry, think about the tireless enthusiasm of people like Michelle and Julie… and the filmmakers they aspired to help. It always puts a smile on my face.

Actors…One at a Time, Please

One of the simplest, yet toughest, lessons I’ve learned as a journalist is never interview more than one actor at a time. Publicists will often try to set you up with several actors at once. But that’s exactly what it is – a setup – for disaster.

Allow me to explain. I was covering one of the largest film festivals on the circuit. Running from press conferences to screenings to interviews. When a publicist called to ask if I could interview several actors for a small film. I had already seen this film and loved it. Loved the story. Loved the directing. Loved the performances.

How could I say no?

Well, I should have. I’m not sure what malicious stars align when a journalist interviews three actors at once. But they obviously turn perfectly lovely people into three year olds competing for attention.

The interview began with everyone behaving. Being cordial. But when the star of the film had to share the microphone with the supporting actors, he decided to turn into the disruptive bad kid at the back of the classroom. Distracting the other actors. Making lewd gestures at the waitress. Whispering in a fellow actor’s ear.

Sad, really. All because he wasn’t getting the attention. The worst part is that when an actor behaves like a jerk, he shoots everyone in the foot. I end up with a crap interview and a very bad taste in my mouth. His fellow, up-and-coming actors get no press. And an independent film that desperately needs positive press may not get it.

In the moment, the situation was incredibly insulting. In the end, I came out with a lesson. Never – ever, ever – interview more than one actor at a time. It’s best for everyone.

Review or Not to Review

When you think about it, movie reviews are a strange thing. Kind of like stopping a stranger on the street and asking for a restaurant suggestion. And believing that person’s opinion will actually match your own. So why do we love them so much?

If you spend as much money as I do on movies, it’s not about the thirteen bucks. It’s not even about agreeing with the reviewer half the time. And I would hope it’s not about the perverse pleasure of watching someone else’s creation get lambasted.

So why do we care what a total stranger says about a movie? Any movie? My guess is we love to share opinions. With friends. With strangers. With fellow bloggers.

As a reviewer, I don’t read other reviews until after I’ve seen the movie. But once my take is done and submitted, I’m on the web faster than anybody else. There is nothing better in my world than checking out what other folks are saying. Reading the full range of opinions - especially the ones that are on the other side of the fence. Yes. I’m officially addicted to information.

But I think we all are. Even more so if you’re in the biz. We are a business that lives and dies on opinion. Especially when they’re our own.

Drama - Everywhere You Look

I’ve noticed an interesting trend among movie reviews. Not unlike the trend in the Oscars. Dramas get all the glory. It is damn hard for a genre pic to get glowing reviews. Could it be that reviewers are worried they’ll be labeled movie dilettantes?

Romantic comedies, action, thrillers, and horror. While they may be considered box office gold in the biz, they’re definitely sneered at by reviewers. Not all reviewers, certainly. But I would argue most. And why? Are reviewers embarrassed by the very industry they’re in? Are these films considered the (gasp) common person’s entertainment?

So I would like to propose an idea. When readers review a script – we all know that a script report is really a very long movie review – they base their comments on whether or not the script delivers for the genre. Why not do the same in reviews?

When I wrote reports and was faced with a horror script (admittedly, not my favorite), I always based the report on whether the script delivered for horror fans. Why would we evaluate a horror film with the criteria for a drama? Or a comedy?

Each film is meant to thrill its dedicated audience. The folks who love and understand the genre. And if the flick is smart and flirts with the rules? Bonus points!

Nobody is more disappointed than the true movie fan when a film does not deliver. When we read a review, we want to know the person who wrote it understands what we expect from that genre. After all, if a review isn’t for the audience…who is it for?