Monday, February 9, 2004
Member since:
January 2003
January 2003
Just took a look at a few reviews with the new format. The setup is pretty nice with all of the info relevant to each DVD at the top of the review (Disc Details, Easter Eggs, etc.). However, I notice that now each review is being given an overall grade based on film value, extras, audio and video. I now these have been being rated all along (very helpful by the way), but only now are discs getting this overall rating.
I guess my question comes in as this: is this simply an average of all of the grades, and is the new word descriptor tied into the overall numeric rating?
For example: I looked at the Indy box set, which got a very positive review. The overall grade was an "8," a pretty respectable grade, but above it in big letters is the descriptor: "Mediocre."
I certainly understand giving not only a number grade but a descriptive grade as well; however this set simply doesn't strike me as "mediocre." I'm assuming this is a default rating tied into the number rating, but an 8 out of 10 just doesn't seem mediocre to me. If John's feelings on this set are that it truly is mediocre, I completely understand, but does anyone else think that someone might get a mixed signal from reviews sporting an 8 out of 10 yet only receiving a "mediocre" to describe its overall value?
I'm really not defending my ideas of this set in particular; I'm speaking to the descriptors connected to discs' overall numerical ratings. I totally respect you guys and think you do a bang up job of reviewing discs. You are my first stop when looking into DVDs, so I am with you on however you want to label these ratings. I just didn't know if this was necessarily working the way you had it designed.
Sean
P.S.: great idea of putting the pictures next to the reviewer's name. It's great to be able to attach a face to the name.
I guess my question comes in as this: is this simply an average of all of the grades, and is the new word descriptor tied into the overall numeric rating?
For example: I looked at the Indy box set, which got a very positive review. The overall grade was an "8," a pretty respectable grade, but above it in big letters is the descriptor: "Mediocre."
I certainly understand giving not only a number grade but a descriptive grade as well; however this set simply doesn't strike me as "mediocre." I'm assuming this is a default rating tied into the number rating, but an 8 out of 10 just doesn't seem mediocre to me. If John's feelings on this set are that it truly is mediocre, I completely understand, but does anyone else think that someone might get a mixed signal from reviews sporting an 8 out of 10 yet only receiving a "mediocre" to describe its overall value?
I'm really not defending my ideas of this set in particular; I'm speaking to the descriptors connected to discs' overall numerical ratings. I totally respect you guys and think you do a bang up job of reviewing discs. You are my first stop when looking into DVDs, so I am with you on however you want to label these ratings. I just didn't know if this was necessarily working the way you had it designed.
Sean
P.S.: great idea of putting the pictures next to the reviewer's name. It's great to be able to attach a face to the name.
Monday, February 9, 2004
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
The cumulative rating is controversial at the moment. It is an average of the four numerical ratings, which I don't think works very well. Also, the "mediocre" business is, I assume, a temporary glitch. No, I didn't think "Indy" was mediocre; I gave the films very high scores for Film Value and they should be considered "outstanding" or "superlative" (or "excellent" at the very least). We're still in transition. We'll get it all worked out.
John
John
Monday, February 9, 2004
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
skspence, i noticed that you would like to get a degree in film somehow. why not move to where universities do offer such degrees?
like you, i majored in english in college. i'm now at chapman in so. cal. for an m.a. in film studies. it's a good life. ;)
like you, i majored in english in college. i'm now at chapman in so. cal. for an m.a. in film studies. it's a good life. ;)
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Member since:
January 2003
January 2003
John,
I knew you liked the Indy box set, so that's exactly why I used that as an example. I figured there was a glitch in giving a mediocre to a disc rated an 8!
Eddie,
Well, my initial 3 reasons for staying an Okie are my wife and 2 kiddoes. 10 years ago the plan was to head out to Calee-for-ni-yay and hit the movie industry, but life got involved.
We actually have a couple of pretty good film programs here in Oklahoma City as well as Norman (OU territory if you follow college football), but I kind of feel there is something else I'm supposed to be doing right now. If I was still single, I would more than likely be in or finishing a program already.
However, I love words (do my long posts show that?), so writing for film is a pretty happy medium for me. I am writing a screenplay which I hope to get made independently, but between work, kids (a 2 yr old and a 6 mo old), and a beautiful wife, I really don't have the time right now to spend going to school as much as it would take to get a film degree. It's impossible to even do some theater right now (I miss acting), but who knows, maybe next year we'll be looking at the DVD for my movie (please be gentle!)!
Sean
I knew you liked the Indy box set, so that's exactly why I used that as an example. I figured there was a glitch in giving a mediocre to a disc rated an 8!
Eddie,
Well, my initial 3 reasons for staying an Okie are my wife and 2 kiddoes. 10 years ago the plan was to head out to Calee-for-ni-yay and hit the movie industry, but life got involved.
We actually have a couple of pretty good film programs here in Oklahoma City as well as Norman (OU territory if you follow college football), but I kind of feel there is something else I'm supposed to be doing right now. If I was still single, I would more than likely be in or finishing a program already.
However, I love words (do my long posts show that?), so writing for film is a pretty happy medium for me. I am writing a screenplay which I hope to get made independently, but between work, kids (a 2 yr old and a 6 mo old), and a beautiful wife, I really don't have the time right now to spend going to school as much as it would take to get a film degree. It's impossible to even do some theater right now (I miss acting), but who knows, maybe next year we'll be looking at the DVD for my movie (please be gentle!)!
Sean
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
Sean,
I rated the three "Indy" films at 8, 9, and 10 for Film Value, actually, with an overall Film Value rating of 9. And the Editor has reconsidered the whole cumulative rating thing. We're just experiementing to see what what works best for readers.
Good luck with the screenplay. I hope I'll have a chance to review it some day, or at least watch it.
John
I rated the three "Indy" films at 8, 9, and 10 for Film Value, actually, with an overall Film Value rating of 9. And the Editor has reconsidered the whole cumulative rating thing. We're just experiementing to see what what works best for readers.
Good luck with the screenplay. I hope I'll have a chance to review it some day, or at least watch it.
John
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
Yes, as Eddie points out, it's hard to believe that some people actually go to school to learn something nonessential to their livelihood, to gain knowledge for the sake of knowledge, to better the mind rather than simply work toward a job and money. I took film in college quite beyond my major and minor in English and Speech; they were film courses that were electives I thought would be fun and enlightening at the time, with no thought to years later teaching film and reviewing films.
Apart from teaching and critiquing, however, I should think that anyone going into the film industry, filmmaking, or film acting might want to pursue simultaneously a degree in film history or film theory. Then, there are the film biographers, film historians, film archivists, and such for whom a film degree might be useful. Heck, just working in a video store helped Tarantino. Knowledge is where you find it.
John
Apart from teaching and critiquing, however, I should think that anyone going into the film industry, filmmaking, or film acting might want to pursue simultaneously a degree in film history or film theory. Then, there are the film biographers, film historians, film archivists, and such for whom a film degree might be useful. Heck, just working in a video store helped Tarantino. Knowledge is where you find it.
John
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
tell that to every college student who's doing something not related to his/her major (i.e. at least 60% of all college grads). :)
[Post edited by posters5 on Feb 24, 2004]
[Post edited by posters5 on Feb 24, 2004]
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Member since:
September 2003
September 2003
Ah. It just seems sort of an expensive degree to be persuing for pleasure, (well, knowledge). Hey, quick reply...took less than 2 mins.
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
A degree in film, like most degrees, is usually pursued for knowledge. The majority of people in the world are doing jobs that have nothing to do with their college/university degrees, lol.
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Member since:
September 2003
September 2003
This one is for Eddie and John.
What does one do with a degree in film? Aside, from teaching film and being a critic, is there a decent way to earn leaving? Just curious.
Sasha
What does one do with a degree in film? Aside, from teaching film and being a critic, is there a decent way to earn leaving? Just curious.
Sasha
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Member since:
January 2003
January 2003
Picking up an old thread:
Like John, I feel it is essential to understand as much about all parts of something as possible in order to better yourself in that field.
Personally, I am delighted that I have so much experience in acting now that I am writing. It has helped me to make motivation clear and dialogue natural. Now, my degree is in English, but the first 2 years I was in college, I was a theater (acting) major, so the two work remarkably well together.
As a writer who was an actor, I can better understand actors and their need for motivation and good dialogue. As an actor who is a writer, I can better understand writers and (hopefully) their intent.
Sean
Like John, I feel it is essential to understand as much about all parts of something as possible in order to better yourself in that field.
Personally, I am delighted that I have so much experience in acting now that I am writing. It has helped me to make motivation clear and dialogue natural. Now, my degree is in English, but the first 2 years I was in college, I was a theater (acting) major, so the two work remarkably well together.
As a writer who was an actor, I can better understand actors and their need for motivation and good dialogue. As an actor who is a writer, I can better understand writers and (hopefully) their intent.
Sean
