FILM UN2410

I learned how to write concise and clear film reviews/papers, with a clear angle and a strong voice.

I learned how to write in a different style

we learned how to approach films from a critic's perspective and to evaluate criticism as an art.

Writing film criticism is something I'd never done before, so at first I was a little daunted by this class. It was learning a new register of writing that was more exciting than the papers I was used to churning out for cinema history or film theory, and that was kind of intimidating. But I think Professor James' emphasis on style, encouraging us to experiment and push the envelope in terms of finding our own voices, really made the class approachable. She reminded us that we all could bring something unique to it that belonged only to us, and with that I felt motivated to lean into the things I think are fun about my writing. I've heard some other film majors say they would rather take filmmaking or screenwriting as their lab, I guess because they sound more glamorous and less academic, but I think the real strength of the film criticism lab is that despite the new skill it introduces, it's also focused on honing and developing a skill all of us as film students already have--talking about movies. This class has given me new language to take my consideration of something I'm already passionate about to the next level, and I believe it could do that for any student.

How to develop our writing voice and how to evaluate both a film and an effective review of that film.

This is a very good class for someone that is really interested in this study area. It is very demanding and it's more work than some people would expect, so I would recommend it to other students who are genuinely interested in film criticism.

I learned and watched so much, professor James is great and makes me want to push myself!!

I have and will continue to recommend this course to anyone who will listen. It's something I know I will always remember from my time at Columbia and I'm so glad I took this class.

This class is much more work than you would expect, even though the filmography and topics were interesting. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2021 Course: FILMUN2410_001_2021_3-LABINWRITINGFILMCRITICISM : FILMUN2410_001_2021_3 - LAB IN WRITING FILM CRITICISM Instructor: Caryn James

I learned how to write for an audience—a skill I've rarely had a chance to practice in college writing. Being engaging, entertaining, and fresh while still being clear and informative is difficult, but Prof. James has helped me develop my writing voice.