Whether film criticism can survive the possible impending death of print media is a question for another panel. But if the long-term growth in audiences at Full Frame over the past dozen years is any indication, perhaps consumer demand will eventually place documentary film on an equal footing with narrative film in the word counts of reviews published, if not in dollars recouped at the box office (or Netflix, or Hulu, or what have you). But all agreed on the best advice for the earnest young blogger seated in the front row, who asked about a career in film criticism: “Don’t quit your day job.”
That earnest young blogger was none other than yours truly. And for the record, I was seated in the second row next to Sons of Cuba director Andrew Lang. I had sneaked away to see the panel discussion, and I had enjoyed every minute. As an aspiring critic, I had never really met professionals in the business. To listen to them discuss the state of the industry was both inspiring and disheartening, for the reasons mentioned in Maximov's article.
When it was time for the Q & A, I asked the panel, but specifically Eugene Hernandez, the CEO of Indiewire, "You say that we should use the internet as a medium to make a name for ourselves, but how do we use that to start a career? And also, as a follow-up question to Eugene, are you hiring?"
My question was, of course, met with laughter from the panel and the audience. Eugene replied, "Yes and no." A hopeful answer. They went on to discuss what Maximov appropriately summarized, that it's difficult to use this as a money-making venture. Thom Powers remarked that even though it isn't a way to make money as a career, people should be reviewing it for the love of film. I wanted to ask him, "Can't we have both?" I was looking up at three people who did exactly the opposite of what Thom was saying: They were making a career out of their opinions of film.
Eugene and I had our paths cross a few times at the festival. We would discuss the films at the festival and the future of film criticism. He eventually asked for the URL to my blog and, with fear in my heart, I provided it to him. My writings usually only are read by some anonymous persons on the internet, and to be handing it out to the Editor-in-Chief and CEO of a major film website was a big step for me. Eugene was a great person to talk to, and I really enjoyed the conversations we had. I certainly hope our paths cross in the future. And, yes, I do hope that one day I can "quit my day job" to make money doing what I love. Isn't that everyone's dream?
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