Career as a Film Critic

Movies… Love them or hate them, but you can’t ignore them. Each year the entertainment industry is raking in big moolah with new box office releases but of course, all movies don’t make the mark. The job of a Film Critic is to judge the latest releases based on certain criteria and give their unbiased opinion.

For being a critic it is essential for the candidate to be a movie buff and more than that, have the zeal to tell the world what he or she thinks about the movie. It is indeed required for them to have a neutral outlook so that there is an unbiased judgment. They judge the movie on the basis of characterisation, plot, sub-plot, narration, dialogue etc. It’s an exciting profession, influential to making the flip flops of the industry. Film critics not only review the work done but also help the movie goers to make the choice between watching or not watching a film.

Programmes offered

• Students willing to pursue a career in this sector can pursue:
• Post graduation in Journalism
• Post graduation in Mass Communication
• M.A. English (Hons)

Eligibility criteria/ Necessary aptitude

For being a film critic you need to fulfill the following criteria:

• Must have a thorough understanding of the domain, along with
• objective and impersonal reasoning skills
• Must have excellent writing, reporting and editing skills
• Must be thick skinned to absorb criticism from the producers also
• Must have ability to analyze the Box office trends/ comment on
• developments and trends of the film industry.
• Must attend film festivals

Job Opportunities

Movies will always rule the hearts of the people and since the ticket cost is ever-increasing an expert opinion on the quality of a new release is always welcome. Now it is not only confined to
publications, as there are online film critics, tv critics, video critics. Many a times even the organizers of Film awards ask them to judge the films.

Remuneration

If a candidate joins some media house, then after some initial experience one can easily bag Rs 20,000 to 25,000 per month. With experience and depending on the organisation’s size, the remuneration increases and an established critic may earn anything between Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 1,50,000 per month.

 

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