Caught this brief, but enjoyable video with The Daniels as they read some of the reviews on Letterboxd for "EEAAO" - and two things occurred to me:
1) As a filmmaker, it's worth it to read reviews after all is said and done so that you can fully understand how your audience received it.
2) As a filmmaker, I never want to write reviews for others lest they see it as a "I'm better than you" challenge.
And yet, Letterboxd has become the fun new way for all film fans to exchange thoughts on their favorite projects. What are your thoughts? Do you read your projects' reviews? Do you offer reviews on others' projects?
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I love their thick skin as they read the bad reviews. I've had bad reviews for my books before (i.e. "keep your day job"-LOL) but I'm old school. If I don't like something, you'll never see that opinion posted anywhere.
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I rarely put a lot of weight in reviews. There have films that had good reviews that I didn't like and films that had poor reviews that are some of my favorites.
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Reading reviews is tough. Generally, cruel comments I can brush off because people misconstrue the intentions of the filmmakers or don’t know how hard it is to make a coherent film, much less a good one. There’s a huge spectrum of quality among independent films, and I know I’m not at the bottom. So when people say something hyperbolic, like “worst I’ve ever seen” I know they just haven’t seen enough. I think more critics should actually try to make films so they understand the process more! The reviews that cut deep (much like in the Daniels video) are the ones that call out specific insecurities you have as a filmmaker. When you read those and say “yeah, I was worried that wouldn’t work.”
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I love this! Thank you for sharing, Karen "Kay" Ross! I loved, "It looked and felt like a Super Bowl commercial". Thats so funny!
I try not to put much stock into reviews. If I'm intrigued by the concept behind something, I'll eventually watch it regardless of the hype or lack thereof. That being said, I'm more likely to take my friends' opinions into consideration because they know what kind of content I enjoy.
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Love these two guys! Reviews are so interesting. Could be a total roller coaster when so varied like these were for their movie. I'm not great at writing reviews - so much effort is put into making one, unless you ask me for my opinion, I may not give it! And if I get them, l say thank you and move on!
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Although I must say, their movie left the door wide open for that range of reviews! haha.
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I read reviews — perhaps it’s an unhealthy habit. But I’m curious to see what both critics and audiences have to say. Sometimes, I agree with the negative feedback! Something may not have worked exactly the way I wanted, but it is the best that we were able to do. It can be helpful, but always remember, everything is objective. Not every film is for every person.
I definitely think thats the key, James Kicklighter! It's important to remember that every movie is someone's favorite movie, but not everyone will love it and thats ok.