"The Reel Deal: Writing about Movies" is designed for people who want to learn various techniques for writing movie reviews as well as for interviewing actors, directors, screenwriters and other film personnel. Six lessons from film critic Betty Jo Tucker’s online course for the LSS School of Writing are included in this E-Book version as follows: Developing a Reviewing Philosophy Deciding What Matters about a Film Organizing and Writing the Review Dealing with Negative Feedback Conducting Celebrity Interviews Finding Outlets for Your Articles In addition, those who purchase this E-Book from Long Story Short, Inc. will receive a free softcover copy of the instructor’s book, CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT.      Excerpt "In the arts, the critic is the only independent source of information. The rest is advertising." - Pauline Kael "It stinks!"- Jay Sherman Reviewing movies, of course, is much more difficult than tossing off a cryptic comment like the one from cartoon character Jay Sherman above. And it’s more complicated than Roger Ebert’s “Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down” appraisal. Nevertheless, because of the powerful role movies play in popular culture, good critics are needed to provide honest, independent opinions about the quality of films being released today -- just as the late Pauline Kael pointed out in her famous quotation. Maybe being a film critic isn’t the best job in the world, but it’s one of the most satisfying if you have a passion for movies and writing. This course is designed for students who want to learn various techniques for writing movie reviews as well as for interviewing actors, directors, screenwriters and other film-related personnel. Perhaps you’d like to be the next Roger Ebert or Pauline Kael -- a respected critic with influence throughout the world. Or maybe you’re simply interested in writing better reviews for your own Website or Blog. In either case, this course is a good place to start.

Professional Reviews
Writing That Moves
Dear Film Lover,

Whoever you are – a student, a teacher, or just a film addict who wants to move forward and explore the enigmatic world of cinema at a new, professional level, Betty Jo Tucker’s course, THE REEL DEAL: WRITING ABOUT MOVIES, is the right place for you to be. Think about it: you’re given six marvelous sessions that are meant to orient you step by step in the expanding cosmos of cinema by providing you with the most valuable technique, knowledge and advice one can only dream of. Metaphorically speaking, each session is your step forward toward a creation of your own world in which you, its spirit, soul, and creator, are going to thrive and develop in the direction your intellect and taste suggest.

This course is definitely going to enrich you both professionally and humanly. It will teach you a lot of secrets of craftsmanship; to use them successfully you, however, should develop your voice and reveal your unique ‘fingerprint.’ Betty Jo Tucker’s course is designed for boosting and stimulating your creativity, though not without your dedication and a deep, passionate involvement.

What I admire above all about this course is an intelligent way of balancing the objective techniques of writing and the subjective ways of the critic’s self-expression and analysis. Being a proponent of subjectivity as an integral part of the evaluative process, I highly appreciate Betty Jo Tucker’s hidden message that techniques are still techniques; they can’t substitute for critic’s original vision. I immediately associated Jeffrey Chen’s saying, “Everything is a matter of subjectivity and relativity” that Betty Jo recites with an article by Aron Katsenelinboigen, a late professor emeritus in Wharton School, “License for Subjectivity.” Using the game of chess as a model, he talks about subjectivity in evaluation and shows how his concept guided and supported many serious business people.

In art, the ‘license for subjectivity’ becomes a no less important thing. From the first to the last session, Betty Jo generously shares her experience and the experiences of other critics not only to familiarize her students with the existing names and methodologies but also to let them know that the diversity of approaches, opinions, and evaluations is natural for the creative process. Her other hidden message, therefore, is: Don’t be afraid to follow your own artistic intuition and express your own critical views, using your methodology and values. Your unique voice matters.

Along with the sessions on writing you will also be given a valuable session on ethics that will assist you tremendously in handling a possible negative feedback of some of your readers. Betty Jo’s excerpts from her own exchange of letters with such readers are at a great help; they show once again that graceful ways of handling awkward situations are possible and, moreover, necessary for the critic to preserve his latitude of thought, treating diverse reactions with respect.

This course is definitely going to enrich you both professionally and humanly. It will teach you a lot of secrets of craftsmanship; to use them successfully you, however, should develop your voice and reveal your unique ‘fingerprint.’ Betty Jo Tucker’s course is designed for boosting and stimulating your creativity, though not without your dedication and a deep, passionate involvement.

Vera Zubarev, University of Pennsylvania

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