Assessing Amateur Movies
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2001 5:36 pm
Let's start with one topic on which everyone has strong views
... the way movies are judged.
As one who is often asked to judge I see it from that side, but
hope I have plenty of sympathy and understanding for those on the
receiving end. There is always a problem of trying to get my
comments written quickly. It is especially hard if I have seen
the film once as part of a busy weekend's viewing and have to try
to recall details.
I always make my assessment on the basis of first viewing (since
that is all that most audiences will have) but prefer those
comps where I can take away a copy of the entries and watch them
several times while writing up notes for the moviemakers.
Personally I loathe filling in "points out of ten" type forms as
a way of scoring. The best movies can break many rules and
still be absolute winners! But in most cases by the time you
reach the finalists the general standard is so good that points
for camerawork, editing, sound etc mean little. I prefer a chance
to write more about one or two aspects of the movie which struck
me as special ... or open to improvement.
Over ...
... the way movies are judged.
As one who is often asked to judge I see it from that side, but
hope I have plenty of sympathy and understanding for those on the
receiving end. There is always a problem of trying to get my
comments written quickly. It is especially hard if I have seen
the film once as part of a busy weekend's viewing and have to try
to recall details.
I always make my assessment on the basis of first viewing (since
that is all that most audiences will have) but prefer those
comps where I can take away a copy of the entries and watch them
several times while writing up notes for the moviemakers.
Personally I loathe filling in "points out of ten" type forms as
a way of scoring. The best movies can break many rules and
still be absolute winners! But in most cases by the time you
reach the finalists the general standard is so good that points
for camerawork, editing, sound etc mean little. I prefer a chance
to write more about one or two aspects of the movie which struck
me as special ... or open to improvement.
Over ...