Five Stars! How to Become a Film Critic, the World's Greatest Job

By Christopher Null

Book Overview

*** SECOND EDITION FEATURING NEW MATERIAL, NEW MOVIES, AND NEW REVIEWS PUBLISHED MARCH 2013 ***So you want to be a film critic and review movies for a living? Veteran film critic Christopher Null teaches you, step by step, how to break into the business with the lessons he's learned from more than a decade in the industry. Five Stars will teach you all you need to know - Understand movie history and the mechanics of filmmaking - without the film snob jargon - Learn how to write a review, step by step- Get into every movie for free and never pay to go to the movies again - Get free DVDs - before anyone else - Break into professional writing in newspapers, magazines, and online- Learn how to approach editors - from the experts themselves- Build an audience for your work- Interview celebrities and hang out with the stars Five Stars is the only book on the market that shows you exactly how to become a professional movie reviewer, step by step It's an absolute must-read for any aspiring film critic 264 pages - packed with essential information

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972098119
• ISBN13: 9780972098113
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Sustainable Stories
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Very Informitive

Five Stars! gets five stars from me. Tells you how to break down a movie ,write a synopsis ,and how to break into the business.

The definitive book on movies and being a film critic

Other reviewers have gone into great detail about what's in this book so I won't repeat their efforts. Simply put, this book is written by a critic, Christopher Null, which knows movies and can put that knowledge on paper in an informative and still entertaining way. Each point he makes in this book includes at least one movie as an example and it's obvious by the movie titles he lists that he has watched thousands of them. This is a must buy for anyone that wants to be a film critic (or already believe they are one) and a highly recommended purchase for those of you, like me, that simply love watching movies.

Five Stars makes it easy

If you're one of the millions who dream of turning your love of cinema into a lifelong vocation, you need to read Five Stars. This is the only book on the market today that tells you, step by step, exactly how to break into this business. Without weighing you down with a bunch of worthless theory that means nothing in the real world, Five Stars quickly gets down to the nitty gritty. In this book, Christopher Null, one of the most widely published and respected movie critics on the internet, walks you through every phase of your personal development on the path to a successful career. The tips in Five Stars clearly show you how to: -Educate yourself about the larger world of cinema -Become a smarter and more active movie goer -Communicate your thoughts coherently -Write lively, entertaining movie reviews -Find outlets to publish your work Even with the best guidance in the world, becoming a successful film critic isn't easy. But Five Stars will arm you with the knowledge you need to roll up your sleeves and put your talent to work. Whether you're a young upstart with a passion for movies or an established critic with years of experience, this book is a must-have for your personal library.

The First Manual For Aspiring Film Critics

There aren't many books pertaining to movie reviewing, and in fact, according to Christopher Null, the author of Five Stars: How To Become A Film Critic, The World's Greatest Job, this is the first manual for aspiring film critics ever to be published. Null is the founder of the web site, filmcritic.com that today is one of the largest and most successful movie websites on the Internet. As the author points out, the primary focus of Five Stars: How To Become A Film Critic, The World's Greatest Job, is teaching newcomers how to break into Internet criticism and grow a career from there. I must admit that I had reservations if it was possible to condense film reviewing techniques with all of its complexities into a 255 page informative manual. But Null's manual goes a long way toward assuaging my doubts. Written in a lively and organized manner, the book divides itself into fifteen easy to read chapters providing an overview of the film industry, and dealing with such topics as the market for film criticism, film history and understanding film making, reviewing concepts and techniques, grading, starting your career, building a movie review site, securing complimentary movie passes, film critic etiquette, handling your own criticism (this is quite amusing), and interviewing. There is even an appendix suggesting 300 must-see films for aspiring critics. While the focus may be for the aspiring film reviewer, the manual nevertheless serves as an excellent primer for even those among us who have no inclinations of becoming reviewers. This is particularly in evidence when we consider the book's remarkable breadth and its success in articulating the basic ingredients necessary to appreciate movies. As an example, an entire section of the book devotes itself to different genre of film and what to look for when watching movies. We are provided with tips as to how to evaluate slapstick comedy, satire, sequels and remakes, documentaries, foreign films, classics, children's movies, oddball movies, In addition, Null provides us with a framework of questions to ask ourselves when viewing movies: did the movie achieve its goal, is the story interesting, how are the performances, how's the direction, what about the support crew, was here a worthwhile point, is it too long, and how well does it all come together. Although, as Null points out, these should not be looked at as if it's a checklist, or a grading test, they are nonetheless important elements to take into consideration when evaluating any film. Anyone who wants to know about film reviewing and what to look for when watching any genre of film would do well to read this book. Who knows, you may even be able to show off some of the information you gleaned from the book at cocktail parties, when participating in conversations concerning the latest movies. Norm Goldman Editor Bookpleasures.com

What other rating could you give it?

"Five Stars" deserves five stars. I read an early edition from Sutro Press, and "Five Stars" is truly a marvelous guide to making your dreams a reality, without any film school snobbery to weigh it down. The book surveys all the stuff you need to know to write credibly about movies, coaches you through the writing process, and even provides excellent tips on how to get your words published. The author is a web entrepreneur, a seasoned magazine editor, and even a novelist, so he really knows what he's writing about, and that really comes through in the book. Whether you want to pursue film review as a career or even as an occasional hobby, or you just want to go see a lot of new movies and DVDs for free, this book is a fabulous way to start.