Apr
10
2012
Film School How To Take
Author: Guy
Film School: How to Take Criticism and How to Give it
When I started out in film school, I wasn’t prepared for one of its most important aspects: taking criticism. Criticism can be painful, but it can also be constructive. You have to take it in stride and not let it get to you.
I made a few films before attending film school and of course I thought they were masterpieces; when you’re a teenager that’s pretty much the norm. Yet when a group of your peers in film school take the time to view your film and provide feedback, it cab sometime be overwhelming. One thing to keep in mind is that everyone has a perspective. You may not agree with it, but it’s important to hear what other people are saying.
Take Stanley Kubrick, for example. Many of his films are among the greatest ever made, yet some of his films received scathing, negative reviews when they were first released. Look at Barry Lyndon (1975), a visually stunning period piece set in the 18th century that was filmed with special lenses allowing for scenes to be filmed in candlelight. The film was a critical flop when it was released; critics claimed it was too slow and incredibly dull despite being beautiful to watch. Kubrick just shrugged at the criticism and moved on to his next film. However over the past few decades, opinion has changed and many have reassessed their opinion of Barry Lyndon as a masterpiece.
This is just one example, but sometimes criticism can really hurt, especially when you’ve spent a great deal of time (and money) making a film of your own design. Film schools have a reputation for creating an environment where students can gain knowledge and learn from one another. When I was a student in film school, I would sometime receive savage criticism from my fellow students. They couldn’t understand what my films were about, why my script was so bad and why I used certain shots as opposed to others. This definitely hurt, but then again it was my vision, and at first I thought “Well, I’m, just gonna rip their film apart when it’s their turn. Let’s see how they like it.” As I mulled this over, I remember the old adage: if you can’t say something nice, don’t say something at all.
Instead, I never made an attempt to bash another student in my class. I would ask questions about their films, without any negative connotations. I wanted to understand what they did and how I could do the same without being torn apart. It’s more important to question and understand than to rip apart. An in the end many of the students who ripped me apart would approach me ask for my help with editing their films as I had developed a reputation for being a strong film editor. So, this particular film school experience paid off, and while I was at first upset by it, I managed to get beyond it.
It’s never easy to be criticized and while it may not be the most positive aspect of being in film school, you should see it as a learning experience. It makes you stronger, gives you a thicker skin and allows you to learn in a productive fashion. That’s one of the benefits of attending film schools, for it allows you an opportunity to critique and analyze and most importantly, learn.
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