Comments on: What Has Happened to the World of Movie Reporting? http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/what_has_happened_to_the_world_of_movie_reporting The best and latest movie news, reviews, features and editorials - updated daily Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:06:08 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Laremy http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/what_has_happened_to_the_world_of_movie_reporting#comment-1914 Laremy Mon, 12 May 2008 22:56:25 +0000 http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news/?p=9463#comment-1914 Exactly! Organizations that no longer exist are REALLY unimpressive. Exactly! Organizations that no longer exist are REALLY unimpressive.

]]> By: bradbrevet http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/what_has_happened_to_the_world_of_movie_reporting#comment-1913 bradbrevet Mon, 12 May 2008 21:49:00 +0000 http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news/?p=9463#comment-1913 Only problem with Cinemarati of course is that it no longer exists. Only problem with Cinemarati of course is that it no longer exists.

]]> By: Laremy http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/what_has_happened_to_the_world_of_movie_reporting#comment-1912 Laremy Mon, 12 May 2008 21:36:36 +0000 http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news/?p=9463#comment-1912 I don't think the OFCS really stands for much anymore. They've got over 100 members, some of whom barely publish reviews. I won't attack specific people as I know quite a few members but the organization as a whole has some odd URLs that it has accredited. Seems to be more of a "who you know" as opposed to actual barometer of solid work. Cinemarati is a little better but only because they have less people. I don't think the OFCS really stands for much anymore. They've got over 100 members, some of whom barely publish reviews. I won't attack specific people as I know quite a few members but the organization as a whole has some odd URLs that it has accredited. Seems to be more of a "who you know" as opposed to actual barometer of solid work.

Cinemarati is a little better but only because they have less people.

]]> By: Thinking Skull http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/what_has_happened_to_the_world_of_movie_reporting#comment-1910 Thinking Skull Mon, 12 May 2008 16:08:35 +0000 http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news/?p=9463#comment-1910 <blockquote><b>Laremy said:</b> I fear the day is coming when you either have to love (!!!!) a movie or think it is terrible. Those will be your only choices. Nuance is a wonderful thing but it is not the internet's strong suit.</blockquote> The "rotten tomatoes" tendency to lump films into "it rawks" or "it sux" is a constant danger to any legitimate review or commentary on the Net, but I think there's still plenty of articulate online critics who try to review a film without simply giving the plot away and voting "yay or nay." One option is to look for reviewers that are part of an organization that sets standards, such as the Online Film Critics Society ([url]http://ofcs.org[/url]). They require 50 reviews per year at 400+ words or else face suspension; no easy feat if your opinion is merely "it's good" or "it's bad."

Laremy said: I fear the day is coming when you either have to love (!!!!) a movie or think it is terrible. Those will be your only choices. Nuance is a wonderful thing but it is not the internet's strong suit.

The "rotten tomatoes" tendency to lump films into "it rawks" or "it sux" is a constant danger to any legitimate review or commentary on the Net, but I think there's still plenty of articulate online critics who try to review a film without simply giving the plot away and voting "yay or nay."

One option is to look for reviewers that are part of an organization that sets standards, such as the Online Film Critics Society ([url]http://ofcs.org[/url]). They require 50 reviews per year at 400+ words or else face suspension; no easy feat if your opinion is merely "it's good" or "it's bad."

]]> By: Laremy http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/what_has_happened_to_the_world_of_movie_reporting#comment-1907 Laremy Mon, 12 May 2008 15:06:36 +0000 http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news/?p=9463#comment-1907 I've always been a person frustrated by "film critics" because I consider myself far more populist in nature. There were about ten critics in the world who had an opinion that "mattered" which created stagnancy in my opinion (because those jobs were never going to open up). The one thing the blogs have done is create a better meritocracy. Now the writing people want to read becomes popular; as opposed to the rubber stamp of the NY Times. All of a sudden you can make it from anywhere if you can develop a loyal cadre of readers. It all adds up to more choice for the reader which is inherently positive. That said, I too enjoy the lofty perch of the NY Times writing staff. Without certain movie critics the conversation definitely gets dulled down and people take less risks. I fear the day is coming when you either have to love (!!!!) a movie or think it is terrible. Those will be your only choices. Nuance is a wonderful thing but it is not the internet's strong suit. I've always been a person frustrated by "film critics" because I consider myself far more populist in nature. There were about ten critics in the world who had an opinion that "mattered" which created stagnancy in my opinion (because those jobs were never going to open up).

The one thing the blogs have done is create a better meritocracy. Now the writing people want to read becomes popular; as opposed to the rubber stamp of the NY Times. All of a sudden you can make it from anywhere if you can develop a loyal cadre of readers. It all adds up to more choice for the reader which is inherently positive.

That said, I too enjoy the lofty perch of the NY Times writing staff. Without certain movie critics the conversation definitely gets dulled down and people take less risks. I fear the day is coming when you either have to love (!!!!) a movie or think it is terrible. Those will be your only choices. Nuance is a wonderful thing but it is not the internet's strong suit.

]]> By: Thinking Skull http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/what_has_happened_to_the_world_of_movie_reporting#comment-1906 Thinking Skull Mon, 12 May 2008 12:45:06 +0000 http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news/?p=9463#comment-1906 Newspapers are dying, and it's happening everywhere. Paid local film critics are being shown the door because there's plenty of other opinions out there. Except for local reporting and advertising, all the news is old by the time it's in print. Also, Net-savvy people are trusting these outlets less because they're too often paid what to report. Whether it's true or not, real news or not, web sites and blogs report news first, and several media outlets are shifting focus either partially or completely to the web (look at what happened to one the best movie mags around, Premiere.) I've been running a movie site/blog for over ten years, but I wasn't trying to accomplish anything more than becoming web savvy myself and share my opinions because my friends and family already came to me for movie info. I'd call it more of a blog because it IS opinionated, and even content drawn from elsewhere is still peppered with my thoughts on the media or news, good or bad. But the bottom line is, the only thing that can make anyone an authority on anything is the opinion of others, and as long as dedicated fans and online communities continue to show a passion for film (or any subject, really), traditional outlets are going to have to provide something that bloggers can't provide and do so at a reasonable cost to remain competitive. Or, perhaps, it's time these outlets DID shut down and concede to new media if they aren't willing to do what it takes to keep up with information technology. Newspapers are dying, and it's happening everywhere. Paid local film critics are being shown the door because there's plenty of other opinions out there. Except for local reporting and advertising, all the news is old by the time it's in print. Also, Net-savvy people are trusting these outlets less because they're too often paid what to report. Whether it's true or not, real news or not, web sites and blogs report news first, and several media outlets are shifting focus either partially or completely to the web (look at what happened to one the best movie mags around, Premiere.)

I've been running a movie site/blog for over ten years, but I wasn't trying to accomplish anything more than becoming web savvy myself and share my opinions because my friends and family already came to me for movie info. I'd call it more of a blog because it IS opinionated, and even content drawn from elsewhere is still peppered with my thoughts on the media or news, good or bad.

But the bottom line is, the only thing that can make anyone an authority on anything is the opinion of others, and as long as dedicated fans and online communities continue to show a passion for film (or any subject, really), traditional outlets are going to have to provide something that bloggers can't provide and do so at a reasonable cost to remain competitive. Or, perhaps, it's time these outlets DID shut down and concede to new media if they aren't willing to do what it takes to keep up with information technology.

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