So You Wanna Get Into Film Criticism?
How I got into this gig and why you maybe shouldn't consider it right now
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I'm often asked how I got into film criticism. What did I do specifically to get to where I am? And while I don't like getting personal on here, the results of last year's reader survey actually wanted more details about me, my life and career. That, coupled with the continuing demise of film criticism and the journalism industry, had me saying now might finally be the time to lay it all out for anyone crazy enough to want to do this work.
To start with some basics: I do not have a degree in Journalism or Film. Not all the greats do. A.O. Scott got a degree in literature (same as me) while Pauline Kael studied a variety of different things, none of them film or journalism, before dropping out of college entirely in 1940. My parents were very concerned about me getting a degree that was "useful." (If I had my way I'd have been a history major....) So I actually have a Masters in English, while I took a variety of classes related to film.
That being said, this leads to one of the biggest things I need burgeoning film critics to get out of their head:
