How Does a Movie Critic Spend a Workday?

Selecting a Film and Screening

A movie critic needs to see films fast. He always attends the premier of a film because he needs to get his critique out before the majority of the public goes to the film. He does this because a lot of movie goers turn to critics to gauge whether or not they wish to see the film.

Each week, generally on the weekends, films are released for the first time to the public. Before that date, films usually hold private screenings for movie critics or movie critics attend film festival premiers.

The movie critic must decide which film he wishes to see first. The popular picks are the films generating a lot of buzz, media attention or promotions. On any given week, a critic can see 10 to 15 films.

Screening

A film rides very high (or low) on the opinions of the critics. If a critic bashes a film, the film is likely to see a drop in box office revenue. On the contrary, if the critic praises it, the film will go on to see nice box office numbers and likely award nominations.

A screening is a chance for a critic to watch films before they hit the public. The critic will take a notepad and pen along with him to the screening. Throughout the movie, the critic will take notes on the film. A critic has several different factors that he must take into account, with all of them happening once on screen, scene after scene. For example, a critic must critique the acting, production quality, direction and story all at once.

The critic must be able to decide whether the story is well written and makes sense, while studying different actors and their ability to transform into the character, while watching the scene's background for interesting props and sets, while analyzing how the director shot the film and if he conveyed the story appropriately. Once the screening is over, the critic takes the notes back to his office.

Writing the Film Critique

A film critic writes for some type of media, whether it be newspaper, magazine, radio, television or online. A critic writes up a review, giving a synopsis of the story, the characters, the actors, and finally his opinion on the film. Some critics include catchy phrases that sum up the movie, like "Two thumbs up." When the review is approved by the editor, the article is published, and read by a portion of the public who either read the critic's review weekly or happened to skim the review because they are anxious in a particular film. The critic holds sway over a film and can definitely influence the success of the movie based on his words.