Joining the Film Faculty

for one day and kapok ah.

One fine Sunday afternoon | Sitting 'diligently' in the National Library 

Drowning | in stacks of books about | ... film?

I've been hearing horror stories about the faculty from a friend whose housemate and friends are film students in my school and I can imagine how hard their lives are. Heavy films and critiques. Essays in excellent English. Challenging obstacles in finding actors and crew and locations and funds and else. Complicated equipments and techniques. All the directing all the editing. 

Nah, my major now is strongly related with films : visualizations, interpretations, characters, styles, stories, and many ways to tell stories. Thanks God they're all the fun parts. Hahahah.

But like it or not, particularly for this essay titled 'film critique', digging beyond the visuals and plots is unavoidable. It's time to explore a new world - the film books section.

After taking books with reasonable and convincing titles from the racks - from the new world - I began reading. It's fun! For the first 2 hours.

Then..

Uhm..

Okay.. enough enough stand up stretching time.

I'm quite certain that the real film students read heavier books. That's tough. And they survive.

Passion for films are vital, ability to love that world not only when being a spectator. Loving films are easy, everyone does love going to cinema, who don't? - but when we have to leave the comfy couch and work behind the scene can we still love it?

About critiquing a film and critiquing itself, we're getting so used to it after 2,5 years in art school, and 20 something years of life, we are critiqued and we learn to critique, the ability is a must for both observers and creators, and we must be able to be both. Now read this post found in Joko Anwar's blog.

"if you can love a movie and other people can’t, it’s their lost. If I don’t like a movie, it’s my lost, too."

  Joko Anwar, again.        

Hmmh....See the point. So..

Critique hurts, critique builds.

It depends on the intention,

and the reactions.

It depends on the language,

and the level of emotions involved.

Need something punchier? (in wider context) 

About the intention : 

Matthew 7:3-5     

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Hebrews 3:13

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness"

      

Matthew 7:1    

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged."               

About the reaction : 

"..but wisdom is found in those who take advice." Proverbs 13:10b 

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, 
 but he who hates correction is stupid. " Proverbs 12:1

* * * 

I was flipping through a book of international database of film directors and spotted a familiar name....

Heyyy.. Slamet Rahardjo!