How I Rate Films
If you’re wondering how I do my analysis of whether or not a film is good, this is it:
First and foremost, I watch an entire film through, with no distractions. As I watch I look for the main factors that contribute to the quality of a film:
- Story line, Plot, and Character Development,
- Themes, Ideas Posed, and Meaning
- Cinematography
- Acting
- Scenery/Set Design and Costume
- Special Effects, if any
- Music, and use of
- Editing
- Tone and Rhythm
- Directing, which I define as the interpretation of 1 & 2 using 3-8 to clarify and explain.
All of these things have different levels of worth and value to the film. Higher the level, the better it is. So naturally, films with a well-rounded number factors with higher levels are usually the better ones.
After it ends I make an overall conclusion based on the state of mind I have as credits roll. In a nut shell, I judge a film based on the range of emotion I’m brought through, and the height in which I feel those emotions. I put the most trust in my first impressions after a film ends, because that is when it’s full impact is most genuinely felt. If the credits roll and I immediately stand up thinking, “Well, that was pretty cool,” then chances are I’ll rate it differently than a film where I find myself sitting for a few moments pondering what I just experienced, thinking, “That was fantasmorgasmic.”
Then to analyze and form my opinion on the film, I take my first impression along with my judgments of the height of levels of the factors, and try to come up with an honest and credible evaluation based on what I know and what I interpret.
So to sum it up, I take my first impressions of the film and use it to judge the story & plot, character development, what the meaning and themes are, how the meaning and themes are emphasized and conveyed (direction), and how these are enhanced through acting performances, production design, soundtrack, editing, and tone & rhythm to critique and rate my experience.
I love the power and magic of film. I seriously can’t wait to make them.
