1.) How did you measure the success of the work you did while you were an intern/working on a project? What did you learn from this?
My externship really made me take a hard look at my diction, sentence structures, and, objectivity towards films. I learned that conveying ideas about movies does not constitute a serious review. I learned when writing a review it’s important to have an active voice not just explain the whole film. 2.) How did you make a meaningful contribution to your workplace/world/self? Friends and family have asked my opinion about movies, now I have the insight into what it takes to become an actual film critic and not just a conversational critic. Learning about the distinction between talking about movies and seriously critiquing them have been pivotal to me. In a lot of ways this externship has taught me to write for my reader’s attention through of not being repetitive and the excitement of present tense. 3.) How was your work meaningful to your education? My externship taught me to write in a new analytical len through writing reviews. A movie review should not be a regurgitation of a film rather a companion piece that shows the merits of a film. I have maintained a constant regiment of writing throughout the course of my externship, strengthening my craft. Because of this, I’ve been made aware of my writing tendencies when crafting a review. My experience at PAC Arts has showed me a new spectrum of writing beyond high school analytical essays. 4.) How was your work significant or meaningful to the world beyond school and your specific internship site? I have movie reviews I can publish to newspapers and websites, allowing more publicity to be drawn to my writing. Watching these film I’ve been introduced to the complex narratives of Asian cinema, dealing with of issues of cultural appropriation and societal misconceptions. A style of cinema that I was not familiar with, allowing me to widen my film pallet. 5.) What did you learn about your own work ethic from your externship? I learned that my sitting stamina has improved since my junior internship. I feel like I'm more equipped to handle desk job. I was completely comfortable working independently and knew when asked for help when I needed it. Talking on phone no longer fazes me and I was proactive in scheduling what days I would in and out of the office. When I asked Glenn about his experience as an undergrad he said that the college widen his thinking and film pallet. Allowing him to be more open to career opportunities, such as film criticism, teaching, and, working for nonprofits.
Working at my Externship has shown me the true grind of writing formal movie reviews. But it was grind worth doing, having me write reviews allowed me to take a hard look at writing in order to find my voice as a critic. A writer should always be evolving in their craft not just in changing genres but in the styles in which they write. I'm proud to say my analytical writing has evolved during my Externship. I have evolved professionally during my Externship through communicating with my boss and talking on the phone. Two skills that are art forms within themselves. At the core of my Externship has always been driven my passions of writing and movies. Both of these passions will always be ingrained inside me, regardless of my profession. But that being said my Externship has forced to write everyday strengthening my craft and critical thinking. All skills to strengthen for a young flourishing writer. Yesterday, I asked Glenn if could call the venues rather than looking up their information online. I realized that my strength is being a people person instead of aimlessly trying to decipher website layouts. This was after I sat in on one of PAC Arts’ meetings, where Glenn told the best thing I can do in a professional environment is to have a communication with my coworkers. So did just that and now I have a bunch of phone calls to make. Another instance of self advocacy, on my part, was when I was taking notes on a film called Chan is Missing. Originally, I had to review this film but I felt like I couldn't critique because I didn't fully understand it, so I voiced this to Glenn. He let me write program notes for this film instead of struggling to craft a review. Through the course of my externship I realize that sometimes it's better to communicate with your boss and to advocate for a compromise rather than aimlessly banging your head against the wall. I advocated for this selfie
In place of pictures here are some of my reviews and a program note. The two reviews are still being critiqued and edited. Enjoy!
I'm really glad I have Glenn as a boss. He's an all-around great guy. He would rather have me write quality movie reviews than just churn out a bunch of them to meet my internship quota. He really wants me to process the movies I'm watching and get a hang of writing reviews. I have enjoyed my internship, but I'm not gonna lie I am really intimidated by deadlines. This intimidation factor only grows when becoming a professional film critic. But thankfully, Glenn is a really flexible boss and is always willing to give me feedback on my writing. My goal for myself going forward is learning how to cope with deadlines while crafting a quality review.
When I receive my first critiques on my Better Luck Tomorrow review, Glenn immediately asked me, “do you just critique the screenplay.” As we read through my review, It dawned on me that I was relying heavily on describing the plot and breaking down narrative tools and plot points. Partly why I think this is a tendency of mine, is because of writing high school analytical essays. The due process of this being pulling out quotes (in this case scenes) to explain the significance of key moments. This style is fine within itself but film criticism is a totally different type of analytical writing. One, where the description of the movie’s plot is kept to a minimum. When a film critic composes their review the audience is reading for the critic’s interpretations of the film. Another, reason why I describe the plot so heavily is because I love analyzing narrative structures. It's one of the techniques I employ to stimulate my own creative writing. This habit has helped me, but my internship requires me to analyze movies through a different lens. I need to approach writing reviews as a critique of the execution of a film rather than just talking about a movie’s plot with my friends. There is definitely a difference. But never the less, I'm excited that writing film reviews has already been taking my writing in a different direction.
Glenn and Brian were extremely welcoming towards me. My first assignment was to watch and review Better Luck Tomorrow. A watershed film for Asian cinema to quote Brain. Then, afterwards Glenn and I went over the goals and expectations for my internship. Which largely consists of watching/reviewing movies and researching venue sizes for future film festivals. All tasks that are in my wheelhouse. Glenn said that I would have to adjust to the lack of structure and ample amounts of open work time… if he only knew what my school is like. I'm so thankful that I feel welcomed on my first day!
I'm interning as a film critic for the Pacific Arts Movement. My mentor is Glenn Heath. Glenn is the managing director of the Pacific Arts Movement. At my internship I will be writing film reviews, program notes and handling film festival operations. I've always been a film buff and a lover of film criticism but I've never had the opportunity to be a film critic full-time. This prospect is both exciting and nerve-racking. Knowing that I will be working with full-time critics is nerve-racking because they've have more general film knowledge than I do. Furthermore, I don't want to come off as a film novice to my coworkers. I'll just have to remind myself that I'm here to learn and refine my skills as a film critic. Which is really why I wanted this internship in the first place. Tomorrow, Glenn is going to show me two films that best represent Pac Arts' mission. Then, I will meet the Artistic Director, Brian Hu, and discuss some ongoing writing projects that will go into my writing portfolio moving forward. I'm excited to become immersed in my Externship!
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