For those of you with an open mind, I suppose I could end this discourse with simply the title of this piece, “There is no creative in criticism,” and you would immediately understand all I have to say on the subject. Of course, there’s those of you out there with an argumentative mind.  To each their own… So, let me say a little bit more.
 
I don’t know about you, but I truly love vintage films. Movies from the 1940s, particularly movies that are defined by the Film Noir label, are some of my favorites. But, not just there and then, all movies created in the early years of cinematic art, I just find very interesting to watch. Just the everything about them catches my eye and my mind.
 
One of the main things that I find interesting about that era of filmmaking is that many of them are (supposedly) filmed in exotic locations across the globe. But, the facts be told, the majority of them were filmed right here in Hollywood and/or on studio lots in the outlying areas. No, they were not filmed in that far away somewhere. But, right here in the States.  
 
Did anyone criticize this fact back then? Nope. That was just the way it was. No one screamed, “That’s not Paris, that’s not Macau, that’s not India, that’s not…”
 
As time in the filmmaking game evolved, location shooting (obviously) became more and more prominent. And, that certainly isn’t a bad thing. But, you know, truly great films like say, Apocalypse Now and Platoon were not shot in Vietnam. They were filmed in the Philippines. If you look at the background actors, they were not Vietnamese, they were Filipino. How much heat did those films take for that fact? Very little, if any.
 
This is just an example of how the critical public has arisen in recent times. Then, people viewed cinema for the art. Love a film or hate a film, that was a personal choice. But, to the essence of a production there was provided a certain acceptance, a certain, “Suspension of belief,” as it is titled in the industry.  Now, this all seems to have changed.
 
I have forever had a problem with people criticizing simply because they can. In the age where we find ourselves, it seems like, as the old saying goes, “Everyone is a critic.” Once upon a time, a person had to rise through the ranks to be found worthy of being titled, “A critic.” They had to be good and experienced enough to actually find a publisher, and be published by someone who held the keys to an established publication. They had to have studied, perhaps earned a degree in journalism, and then move forward with their craft, based in a taught and developed understanding of the craft. Now, the gloves are off.
 
I think particularly as the Video Revolution came upon us, and everyone/anyone could become a Filmmaker, this also gave rise to the fact that anyone could become a Critic. But, with this/within this, something is truly lost. What is lost? There is no art in the criticism. There’s only venom.
 
As the craft of cinema has evolved, location shooting, even at the low and no-budget level has become much more prevalent. And, that’s a good thing, don’t you think? Yet, where once upon a time there was no location shooting, only the pretending to be someplace the cast and crew were not, now, actually being on location has provided a source for criticism. Even in my own Zen Films, I have heard people make disparagements remarks about the places I have shot across the globe. Shouldn’t that be a reason for appreciation, illuminating other cultures, not criticism? Instead, the doing, the creating, the being, and the caring enough to actually take the time to create cinematic art, all that is overlooked. All that is forgotten. But, isn’t that the essence of the evolution of all forms of art in general? Isn’t the doing, the doing?  For it is only in the doing, that new art and new forms of art are allowed to be created.
 
I think it’s really great that this new era has come upon us where it is so much easier to create cinematic and other forms of art. The main thing to keep in mind, however, is the fact that there are those who care enough to do, to actually create art, but then there are those who don’t do that at all, and only spend their time criticizing the art others have created.
 
What life and lifestyle do you believe is better?
 
There is no creative in criticism.