Who is a film critic and what do they do? The film critic reviews films and writes up his or her review for the general public, usually in newspapers or magazines or for a special audience.
What are the activities of the film critic? Investigating, studying national and international film production – analysing and evaluating certain films, authors, styles, schools, tendencies etc. – presenting opinions and judgements in the mass media and at specialised forums – following current film production – advising film and video distributors.
Where is it done and under what conditions? There is no one defined place of work. The film critic works in cinemas, film and video libraries, the offices of journalistic publications, editorial offices, radio and TV – studios, and so on.
What tools/equipment do they use? Films and videos, documents, archives, specialised publications, audio- and video- devices and equipment.
What do you need to succeed? You need to have completed higher education preferably in the field of media studies or film studies. A liking for art, normal eyesight and hearing, an interest in abstract artistic and figurative thinking, attentiveness, lateral thinking and perception, an understanding of an audience, aesthetic culture, journalistic skills, language skills and broad general knowledge can all be important for the occupation. But film critics actually come from a range of backgrounds, and are often journalists first.