Becoming recognized as a legitimate film critic is not an easy feat to accomplish since there are so many vying for the same recognition. Becoming an online film critic is easier than a newspaper or magazine film critic as the latter might require a University degree in journalism of some kind just to get your foot in the door. Becoming a online film critic requires patience and time to develop your craft and the number of the film reviews you have written. Once you have written film reviews for awhile and published them online, you may be ready for the Online Film Critics Society. Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is “a professional association of Net-based film reviewers.”
As was mentioned in our Rotten Tomatoes, Your Movie Reviews, Recognition, and Website Traffic post, you have to be part of a recognized film critics society to be accepted into Rotten Tomatoes as a film critic as well as other film review aggregators. The following is the admittance criteria for OFCS:
Membership applications are accepted every year between March 1 and July 31. Applications are judged by Talent Scouts, a committee of volunteer OFCS members coordinated and overseen by the Governing Committee. All OFCS members, including those on the Governing Committee, may serve as Talent Scouts, but all Talent Scouts’ votes count equally. To be admitted, an applicant must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the Talent Scouts.
The Talent Scouts will use the following criteria:
1. Applicant must show at least two years of experience in the field, with indications of ongoing work.
2. Applicant must show at least 100 published film reviews. Reviews of current theatrical releases, older films, DVD and Blu-ray releases, and TV shows qualify. Reviews must be at least 400 words in length.
3. Applicant must have, or write for, a website of professional quality.
4. Applicant must offer meaningful contributions to the field of film criticism.
The following are NOT eligible for OFCS membership:
* Writers whose primary media affiliation is a print publication, or radio or television.
* Writers whose online work was originally contracted for print publication and is only being republished online; or broadcast journalists whose radio or television broadcasts are only being republished online.
No one may apply for OFCS membership on behalf of someone else. Potential OFCS members must apply directly, of their own accord.
The Online Film Critics Society website can be found here. Visiting may be a good idea. You can check out the quality of film reviews necessary to gain admittance into the OFCS and make the necessary adjustments – if need be – to your movie review writing. You can also see first-hand one of the ancillary benefits of OFCS membership: increased movie website traffic.
