How to Become an Expert on Any Movie or Book

There are people who read a book or watch a movie for pure entertainment value. Then there are people who look for the art form and historical references in books and movies. These people can discuss all aspects of writing and film beyond the entertainment value. If you desire to become an expert on any movie or book, you must study.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Become a Book Expert

1. Pick a genre or book that you like. Read the book a few times, making notes in the margins on words you don't understand, references you don't understand and any other information you want to look up. Research the information and rewrite your notes.
2. Investigate the author. Find out about her life, her influences and any other writings she has under a pen name. Make sure you read her entire canon of works so you can compare them to the book you're becoming an expert on.
3. Read books that influenced the author's writing style or stories. Research the time period the author writes in, so you can explain certain things in the book to other people.
4. Watch any film adaptations of the book so you can compare and contrast the book and movie. Supplement these by reading critical essays on the book or current book reviews.
5. Discuss the book with a group of avid readers to get different points of view. Join an email group for the book or author so you stay immersed in the book.

Become a Movie Expert

6. Watch the movie a few times. Each time you watch it, pay attention to different aspects of the movie. Watch it for entertainment value, as an art form and to dissect the actors' performances.
7. Research the director and producer of the movie. Watch other movies directed and produced by the same people. Look for similarities that you can compare to the movie you're an expert on.
8. Review the history of the actors in the movie. Find out if there are reasons they chose to play those characters and why they portrayed the characters a certain way.
9. Read any books written on or about the movie. If the movie was first a book, make sure you read it so you can compare and contrast the two works.
10. Take online trivia games about the movie. If you miss any answers, go back and watch that part of the movie again.