Do you love films and want to write film reviews? Today’s technology makes it possible for any film lover to earn respect and fan following by writing stunning film reviews.
All that you need to do is to watch a film carefully, take notes of what strikes you as emotive and powerful and convert your notes into a powerful film review blog.
The more you write the more insightful your reviews will become, and more people will start reading them.
There was a time when you had to go to the cinema hall to watch a film. Today, you can watch it in the comfort of your home Most important, you can run and re-run the film as many times as you want to form your opinion. Once you have done that you are ready to write awesome film reviews.
When writing the film review keep the following nine points in mind:
#1. Overview: You need to tell your readers who are the lead actors and actresses and who is the Film Director? You also need to state the genre of the film. Is it a war film, a comedy, a melodrama or a musical? Is it an art film? Is it an animated film? In India, the viewership certificate is also important. Your film review should therefore indicate if the film is a family film or an adult film.
#2. Storyline and action: You need to give the readers a slight sniff of the story. But you should never make the mistake of telling the full story. The readers will not forgive you for being a killjoy. The worst reviewers are those who describe the ending. They do a great injustice when they do so. The readers will never read your film reviews again.
# Acting: This is a critical part of all film reviews. The readers want to know how the stars have performed. Is the acting substandard? Are the performances average? Is the acting awesome? You should try and contrast the acting of the key stars with their acting in the past films. This gives your film reviews depth, and you start earning the respect of your followers.
#4. Direction: The director dictates the pace of the film and either uplifts it or destroys it with his directorial skills. It is for you to examine the technical attributes of the film closely, and share your opinion with the readers. Among other things, you must critique film sets, camera angles, lighting, sound, costumes, etc. You should also compare these with the past films made by the same director to give the readers an idea of his evolution as a film-maker.
#5. Editing: Nothing can be more annoying than poor editing. You must study the flow of the film closely and then decide if the editing is smooth or jerky. Do the different shots dovetail into each other? Is there a feeling of continuity or the story lurches from scene to scene? How good are the transitions? Your film review must state this clearly.
# 6. Cinematography: The visual appeal of a film depends greatly on the way the moving images have been captured. You must spend some time analyzing how the cinematographer creates the mood through close ups, long shots, interesting camera angles etc. This is what the reader wants to know. He would love your film review if you can provide such technical insights.
#7. Music and sound effects: Another technical element that needs to be examined closely is the film’s soundtrack. What is the quality of the audio? How is the musical score? Does the soundtrack jell with the scenes or is it jarring? In India, the musical scores are even more important. It is unthinkable to have a Hindi film without songs. So, you must provide useful commentary on the musical score.
# 8. Special effects: This is the age of the gizmos and technology. Your film review must comment on special effects. Is it jaw dropping? Or is it mundane, run-of-the-mill stuff. Your review must discuss the special effects used in the film. What you must remember is that technical analysis will go a long way in influencing the reader and building interest in your review. This is why the best film reviewers are those who are familiar with the craft of film-making. They have either dabbled in films themselves or have undertaken a course in film reviewing.
#9. Rating and guidance: Finally, don’t forget to rate the film. You must share with the audience your overall impression of the film. You can rate it as Good, Bad or Poor or you can rate it on a scale of five. Either way, your film review must give a clear picture to you reader. Be sure that you are honest. The readers can be absolutely unforgiving if they watch a film based on your review and realise that you were completely off the point.
Editor’s note: This post was first published in February 2014 and has been updated to make it more current.
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