I think we've veered away from the whole "Story is King" topic.
Honestly, publicly shred it. People can have their hopes and dreams, but to me its important to base them in reality. If people never said anything because it wasn't nice, then it would be a waste giving awards and praising films. Everyone would be in a comatose from believing their film was good and would inevitably never improve. When critiquing a film, the point is not to rip it apart, but rather help the filmmaker. Tell them where they went wrong, why it was wrong, and what could be done for improvement. Otherwise, they are living with the fantasy that everything they are doing is great.
Giving an award and praising films is not what we're talking about. We're talking about films that would never win anything except, perhaps, adulations from friends and family members who wouldn't know a good film if it bit them in the butt. I don't know if I just had my finger on the right button or what, but I was pretty darned accurate predicting the outcome of
On the Lot. But I'm sure there are those who would look at my thoughts and my opinions and laugh.
To give a good, constructive review requires that a work be ripped open and autopsied. But there's also the artistic aspects of the craft where only the filmmaker can decide whether or not it is representative of his or her vision. As such, opinion comes into play, not just simple mechanics. My opinion may be very different from someone else's. You can slap plastic boobies on a canvas, paint them purple and call it "art". People will come to see it out of morbid curiosity. One might even buy it. And who am I to judge he who created it and he who consumed it gleefully?
I guess it is more important to narrow this down when critiquing. You should be critiquing someone who sees a future in what they are doing. Why? Because if they want to reach their highest potential they should be aware of what they excel in and what they don't. This way you are increasing their chances of actually making it in the field.
And how do you determine who's who without asking? Now that I know where you stand and where your aspirations lie, I will happily offer my thoughts. When in a room full of new faces, you don't immediately walk up and start telling dirty jokes to someone you've never met. You first need to get a feel for the room and the individual. Most regulars here know that I
want harsh criticism.
Need it. Because I, too, am serious about pursuing a career somewhere in this industry. My aspirations are leaning toward writing. It's where I have the most experience and where I've spent most of my time studying.
Then the question arises, Who should I sugar coat my criticism for. Obviously not for the person who wants to make it in the film industry. It's better to fall down one step in the beginning than the whole flight of stairs when you've really invested yourself. You can say criticism for youtube shorts, such as a guy getting hit in the balls with a bat, America's home video type shorts, is unnecessary. They are obviously making this video for fun without caring about visual structure and character arch. Their audience doesn't care either. But if you're making films for a smarter audience, especially when filmmakers are watching, you should already be prepared for real criticism.
Women and children. The rest can take it like a man (well, so can some women, I suppose).
It's not easy to climb stairs when you have a gorilla sitting on your shoulders. Better to gently pull them up the stairs than to knock them back down. Better yet, walk down to their level and escort them to the top one step at a time. Be a mentor.
In another post I wrote of how I thought one should go about making it in the film industry.
Learn the basics - Buy a book off of amazon with some good reviews, read it.
Practice - Practice Practice Practice, make films as much as possible, with the intent of making them as professional as possible.
Confidence/Openness - Have confidence in your abilities but don't confuse that with arrogance. Take as much as you can from other people. Their input matters. Even if you don't agree with it, chances are someone else does.
You forgot one very important requirement to getting where you want to be in any career. Find a mentor. I wouldn't be where I am today in my day job without them. School can only teach you so much. You really need to walk with those who've been in the thick of it and can speak from experience.
With young ones, many can't tell the difference between confidence and arrogance. I used to be one of them. I confidently flogged a script in my early twenties that I thought was a masterpiece and later in life pulled it out of the closet only to finally realize how bad it really was. It took more than knowledge of the craft; it took maturity and a multitude of life's experiences. And I'm still learning (both about life and about visual storytelling). I learn something new every day. Sometimes I don't realize how far I've come until I see some very basic, beginner mistakes (which I occasionally still make, but at least I can recognize them now after scrutiny). And then I read a script from a master and realize how far I have yet to go.
With all that being said, rip it apart.
To the best of my ability and within the limits of my experience and personal insight, sure.
