Film Critic is a professional who has the knack and ability to evaluate the subject from a critical point of view. The purpose of the evaluation is not to demean the subject (film here) they are evaluating but to analyze all the pros and cons of the subject and notify the shortcoming if any. A critic in general play a constructive role by pointing out the shortcomings in an unbiased manner so that these could be taken care of and not repeated.
After getting the status of an industry the Personals involved in the entertainment industry have started behaving like the hardcore professional of any other industry. Like in the past, people are not entering this industry just for the sake of job satisfaction or just to fulfill their desire to create pieces of art. They are coming as a pure entrepreneur with an aim to invest and create wealth like in any other business. Thus they want their product to be competitive and commercially successful in any case. For this, they are ready to take the services of any professional who could help them make their product free from any possible anomaly and make it viable for commercial saleability.
Here comes the role of a professional Film Critic. He is a professional who is considered knowledgeable enough in his field to give a critical view of film production. With a huge amount at stake in the production of films and a number of jobs depending upon it, the producers do not want to take chances in any part of filmmaking.
To do his work in an effective manner the film critic should be well read, and have adequate knowledge and experience in his respective field. Persons having good knowledge about a particular art can authoritatively write about the subject. He has to interview filmmakers and actors, covers local developments in the film business, and attend film festivals from time to time. Reading significant histories and biographies, understanding the critical theory of film, and becoming familiar with the history of film arts are keys to success as a critic.
Film Critic Eligibility
Educational Qualification
Though no specific Educational qualification is required to be a Film Critic yet some sort of qualification in the related field will definitely help one to get the best out of him. Thus Post graduation in Mass Communication or diploma holders from Film and Television Institutes can enter the industry as a Film Critic. But it is not a compulsion.
Age Limits
No age bar is there to be a Film Critic.
Film Critic Required Skills
- The foremost required skill to become a professional film critic is a great passion and knowledge of films and their various aspects.
- Ability to spend a long stretch of time seeing the movies and form an unbiased opinion that too within the time limits.
- They should have the skills to put aside one’s moods or distractions in the theatre and see the movie to know its pros and cons.
- Good communication skills along with a degree of patience and great endurance are needed to express his/her views or opinion in a clear and lucid manner so that they could not be misunderstood by both the producers of the movie and its prospective audience.
How to become a Film Critic?
To become a Film Critic one has to follow the given steps:
Step 1
After getting a requisite qualification and acquiring basic knowledge of various aspects of filmmaking in informal ways one may go for various certificate and diploma courses offered by film institutes throughout the country in the field of film production. However, some reputed institutes with limited seats may take an aptitude test before granting admission to their institutions.
Duration of Various Courses
- The certificate course is of one year.
- Diploma and Post Graduate level courses are of two years.
Step 2
After completion of his training in the relevant field, one can join some big magazine house, or production units, or can work independently for various kinds of print and electronic media.
Film Critic Career Job Description
- Film Critic's job is to give critical reviews about various aspects of the film during and after production and help producers to make necessary changes in coming and next productions.
- They are also responsible to build the public image of the flip-flops of the film.
- They are responsible to give genuine remarks about the worthiness of the film. Thus it becomes the responsibility of the critics to give free and fair critical reviews of the various aspects of the film without any prejudices.
Film Critic Career Prospects and Job Opportunities
- With the ever-increasing production of films, the demand for Film critics is on the rise as they have to match the increase in the number of films produced.
- They are employed by the mass media house whether it is print or electronic. They are also hired by various film fair award-giving organizations as jury members etc.
- Film Critics can also find work with various Social Media Websites and also create their own Blogs and Websites. So we can say that in the internet age, there is no dearth of Career Prospects for Film Critics.
Film Critic Salary
As far as Salary and other remuneration are concerned a film critic, if joined some mass media can get as good as Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 to start with and after some experience and his/her expertise in the related field can get as high as Rs. 1,00,000 to Rs. 1,50,000 depending upon the importance of his work in the industry.
