To Watch Or Not? Your Process In Deciding Whether An Unfamiliar Film Is Worth A Look...

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• Dee | March 6, 2013 10:48 PMReply

  In the UK we had Tartan, Optimum. Some small, very specific labels. We Still Have BFI and a few folk dedicated to distributing quality world cinema. So I'd aim for those Art House labels (Not first, if I'm in the mood)
  
  Then i'll read the synopsis, if the premise seems intriguing then i'll buy. I don't want to be bored in any language. There is a difference between an interesting idea and an interesting story and the former is not enough to grab my attention. If the DVD has extras, (subtitled, if necessary) then that also makes a more attractive purchase.
  
  The thing that turns me off more than anything is poor design, no excuse for it and anyone thinking gaudy design is challenging the establishment is fooling themselves. Good design doesn't have to break the bank at a but some poorly executed Photoshop puke will keep a film on the shelf untouched.

• Tamara | March 6, 2013 8:57 PMReply

  First off, I take a stroll through the Foreign section when I'm wanting for something more than a regular (for me) film would offer. Secondly, the poster, rather the cover art for the film. I check the layout, composition. I look also to see if it's got any "buzz" from festivals and such ('coz I'm a sometimes movie snob): for instance, those wreaths from Sundance or Cannes or whatever and then quotes from "critics". If it's got some of that, it influences my decision. Next, the title and synopsis. Finally, last but not least, the credits: written by, produced by, directed by, for fill-in-the-blank films. If any figures or persons are familiar to me, I'll give it a go. If it's got CRITERION COLLECTION across the top, then that's definitely a gimme, for foreign, domestic, etc. Truth be told, I'm a troll when it comes to film (or music, but I don't listen to much anymore). When I was a kid, I'd read record albums cover to cover and study the art. I knew who produced what and when which isn't something that is required for listening, but I'd study the "biblio" of a work as I listened. Same for film. I sit and watch the credits, especially to see the songs for the soundtrack in the end and in the case of a MARVEL STUDIOS feature, to see a sneak peek for the next. But back to my trolling. When I took a film class and saw a still from 8 1/2, I SCOURED Blockbuster (back then in store and online), Hastings (in store), the mom-and-pop shop down the block, and Netflix (in its infancy) for ALL TITLES FELLINI. When I was exposed to Sade later in my young life, I ultimately in a short span bought ALL OF HER ALBUMS. So when I'm interested in something I troll it. I troll the heck out of Criterion films to the point where I want to own them all. I want all of Cronenbergs, all of Jarmusch's, Fellini's, Antonioni's, Tarkovsky's, etc. And will have them someday when my bank account stops dieting and gets fat again. I say all that to say that it starts with a look and a read to gain my attention. A simple look, flip VHS/DVD over, and a simple read of synopsis and credits. The end. :-)

• Tamara | March 7, 2013 3:34 PM

  thank you @ URBANAUTEUR i will add some of their works to my Netflix queue :)

• urbanauteur | March 7, 2013 1:17 PM

  @TAMARA, if you like Cronenberg,Jarmusch,Fellini, Antonioni & Tarkovsky..?..then you would LOVED these auteurs ... MIKIO NARUSE - KENJI MIZOGUCHI - MIKHAIL KALTOKOV - SARUNAS BARTAS - LYNNE RAMSEY - ZEINABU IRENE DAVIS..:-)

• urbanauteur | March 6, 2013 7:07 PMReply

  I start with WORLD CINEMA!!!....like TAIWANESE movie trailers/ Armenian[and/or Russian hillbilly music]documentaries/ Slovenian indie shorts and Almost Anything left of center, whereas the cinema gravity pulls one down, way down in South America (most undeniably ARGENTINA/BRAZIL)...sub-Saharan African cinema[Guinea-Bissau]..etc...

• CareyCarey | March 6, 2013 4:33 PMReply

  "what is it about this film that first got your attention, when you stopped to investigate it - especially if you don't know any of the faces on the cover or poster, nor the director?[...] starring actors you don't know, and directed by a filmmaker foreign to you"
  
  Under those guidelines, if my lady was answering the question it's a done deal. All she has to see is black faces on the cover. I am serious. I remember asking her why she owned a particular movie (a crappy movie at that), she said "it had black folks on the cover so I had to have it".
  
  Two days ago she bought one of those 4 movies on one dvd deals. Yep, black faces... Black Belt Jones, Black Samson, Hot Potatoe and Three The Hard Way. Yep, some of Sergio's favorite titles and actors.
  
  But me, I seldom if ever purchase a movie that I haven't -- to some degree -- researched. But if I just have to watch a movie that I didn't know anything about, I'd probably start with the genre. I suppose the title has to catch my eye and then I read the "blurps" or recommendations on the cover. There are some critics or agencies that I immediately run from. On the other hand, there are those who I respect, so they get my attention.
  
  So there it is... title, synopsis, genre and shout-outs/recommendations on the cover, they all tell me nay or yay. But, without the aforementioned guidelines, my normal course of action would be Actors>Director>Synopsis>Critics>Friends. I pay little attention to the cover art.

• CareyCarey | March 6, 2013 5:10 PM

  I forgot to mention awards. If a movie has won an award that I admire, it will get my utmost attention. Awards at major film festivals falls in that category, and of course, the Oscars.
  
  But an award for The Best Makeup and Hairstyling would not turn my head. Come to think if it, Best Music (although it's very important) and Best Production Design would not make money jump out of my pocket. I'm an Iowa boy, I need meat with my corn dressing.

• VC | March 6, 2013 1:22 PMReply

  Thanks for this topic, it's very important to film makers to know this. I'm a cinefile so I try to see everything but it took me a long time to see that most movie watchers are not like that. I think you need to expand the topic to include how people like to see movies now, 'theater, on demand, DVD, download, streaming, etc'. and what determines which venue.

• M&D | March 6, 2013 1:19 PMReply

  Year the movie was made, description and who is in it, Claude Van Damme or Chuck Norris is a no no.

• matthew dallas | March 6, 2013 12:45 PMReply

  the pretty colors on the poster. no, i kid. i read the description first. that's usually a reasonably good indicator if the movie is a type of film i might like. then i find out what films the director has made. it's not always the perfect formula but i rarely press play on a film and not make it all the way through.

• Avant Chicago | March 6, 2013 12:39 PMReply

  Festival awards listed always get me to take a second look. A cover that speaks to me could also have some influence. But to be honest I see a film I may like (online/ondemand, haven't physically rented a movie in 4 years) I research it at least a little. Wikepedia, Imdb, etc.

• Justin W | March 6, 2013 12:38 PMReply

  First, I go off name recognition, whether it's a director or an actor I'm a fan of or f it's a film title that is held in high regards. Great thing about Netflix is the recommendations that they give you when you watch a film. I'm a huge fan of Asian cinema (especially South Korean films) and there are a lot of good films I wouldn't have discovered if it weren't for the recommendations. So yeah, I go name or talent I recognized then go by recommendations.