Week 8

Regrets, regrets, regrets

Pulling a bit of a disappearing act in this week’s tutorials, I have no excuse but to admit that I am solemnly regretful for not having gone; a sentiment that isn’t helped when reading what my peers had to say about the vast wisdom and knowledge they gained from guest film critic, Alex Heller-Nicholas.

From what I’ve gathered, it appears that I’ve denied myself the opportunity to learn more about the importance of compassion in critical writing, as well as the tendency of some critics to put their ego before the actual material that they’re reviewing. This hit particularly close to home as I’ve found that I am, on most occasions, guilty of exactly this.

As someone who often prioritises how I’m perceived as a writer—as opposed to genuinely trying to see the value in the content I’m reviewing—I realise now just how valuable this week’s reality check, or more accurately, this week’s ego-check would’ve been for my development as not just a critic but as a writer in everyday life … and perhaps a few people could’ve avoided my verbal wrath.  

Yet in spite of my inability to show up to this week’s tutorials, I’ve nonetheless been hit with the realisation that above criticising a piece (albeit the intrinsic role of the critic), we must consider the amount of time and effort that went into creating the subject material.