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The Film Maven
Can Film Critics Survive the Influencer Boom?

Can Film Critics Survive the Influencer Boom?

Blurry boundaries and lack of access makes one wonder what can be done

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Kristen Lopez
Sep 11, 2024
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The Film Maven
The Film Maven
Can Film Critics Survive the Influencer Boom?
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I’m back with another installment in the “Film Critics Are Going Through It” series. Previously, we talked about how critics are struggling to maintain access in the rise of influencer culture and how Hollywood appears totally fine with it. This week, I’d like to be more solution oriented….if there is a solution to find, of course. I went on social to ask the question “What can critics do to deal with the current rise of influencers,” and there were various schools of thought. Let’s look at some answers and deconstruct if they show some path towards film critics surviving this brave new influencer world.

Transitioning Into Film Analysis

I heard this a lot when I broached the subject online, that film critics will need to start moving away from saying whether a movie is good or not (and why) into more analytical, essay-style writing about film theory and the like. This is certainly understandable. The influencers that are covering film events are focusing their content on whether a movie is good or not — mostly good, let’s be real — with little explanation as to why that is. Film criticism is so reliant on context and learned knowledge that many influencers just don’t have: ranging from a deep knowledge of film history to cinematic techniques. The majority of influencers today top out at 30, with much of their knowledge tending to tap out around the ‘80s. (Yes, I know there are exceptions to this.

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