In the last year I've moved from a casual IMDB movie fan to a relatively well informed film geek. For anyone interested in delving further into film canon, I've highlighted 5 key tips I think may help.

Before entering this year I enjoyed films but knew relatively little about them - I'd seen most of the modern films on the IMDB lists but very little more. Around January time I stumbled into /r/truefilm, discovered the Sight & Sound 2012 lists, and realised there was a whole world of film I was missing. I'd seen the odd Lynch, Coen Brothers, Kubrick, Kaufman, etc, but never really understood what I was watching as I had very little appreciation or understanding of the depth of film.

Moving into 2017 I am now reasonably well versed in the films of Tarkovsky, Tarr, Bergman, Von Trier, Herzog, Godard, Antonioni, Kar-Wai, Polanski, Ford, Fellini, Ozu, Truffaut, Weerasethakul, Wilder, Kielowski, Loach, Allen, and more. I'm not an expert by any means, but I've taken the first few steps on a journey that I didn't even know existed last year, and I thought others may be interested to find out more about.

First things first, here is my year in review and my film diary, starting in January this year.

Film canon can be quite difficult to approach without a helping hand, so now I wanted to share some of the things that worked for me, some that didn't, and what I learned from it:

1. Get a film diary

Letterboxd, ICheckMovies, IMDB - whatever you want it to be, having a record of what you've watched, who was behind it, and what you thought of it is immensely helpful. Early on it can seem quite nebulous, trying to immerse yourself in the entire history of film, but having a way to track it and interrogate your data makes things a lot easier.

I've used all 3 of the ones mentioned above and personally much prefer Letterboxd. Using that I can interrogate what genres I watch most, what decades I watch most, what directors I've seen the most of, what actors I like the most, what countries I've seen most, etc etc. It's also full of established lists from places like Sight & Sound, AFI, IMDB, the Oscars, Box Office Mojo, etc, where you can keep track of what % you've seen in a very easy way.

Doesn't matter which one you pick, but keeping track is very important.

2. Don't dive straight into the deep end

I would've HATED some of my favourite films now if I'd watched them back in January. Films like Werckmeister Harmonies, El Topo, Eraserhead, Nymphomaniac, Man With A Movie Camera, Mirror, etc - all fucking amazing films that really require immersion in other areas of film before you'll get anything from them.

While the IMDB list is mocked heavily, it does act as a very good starting point to appreciate some of the more obvious parts of films. Starting with some of the more accessible entry points will really help make sure you're not turned off straight away, and help you understand the rules before you see how people break them. When I first watched Breathless I got nothing from it because I knew nothing about cinematic conventions, so I wasn't able to appreciate how Godard broke them.

3. Go wide before you go deep

I personally found it really beneficial to go as wide as possible as early as possible, and then come back and explore the depth later on. Most directors are known for a certain thing - whether that's Ozu's static cameras, Godard's technical rule breaking, Kaufman's meta themes, Linklater's naturalistic dialogue, etc. It's an over simplification but those can be useful early on. I found that the best way to immerse myself in the widest range of what film was capable of was to cover off as many directors from as many movements as possible, rather than diving into the entire back catalogue of a single director. Rather than exploring every single film Hitchcock or Ford have done, I think you'll learn more in a quick period of time by going from Dr Caligari to Persona to La Jetee to Barry Lyndon (as an example).

Later in the year I'm now exploring depth a lot more, and discovering some of the lesser praised films of some of the best directors, and I obviously see huge merit in it... but you have to prioritise your time and I feel breadth should take priority early on.

I personally found Sight & Sound's 2012 critics' poll a great way to get their depth, as they cover off most of the major movements. I've been working through that as best as possible (still got a ton left to see - only on 30% overall).

4. Read about every film after you've seen it

Early on the only way you're going to be able to appreciate the genius of some of these films is by reading about them - and I think that's okay. It's not a failing of the films to communicate that to you, and it's not a failing of you in understanding them, it's just the harsh reality that you probably don't have the contextual understanding to realise their importance. If you don't know about the golden age of Hollywood the French new wave seems irrelevant - and how can you appreciate the genius of jump cuts in a world where every YouTuber uses them? How can you understand the importance of soviet montage, or german expressionism, italian neo-realism, dogme 95, or countless other film movements unless you knew the rules that preceded them?

Reading about films is hugely important, and while you never have to agree with anyone else's opinion on a film, understanding the context and the intent behind something can add to your appreciation of it hugely. I personally love reading debates on forums like /r/truefilm or Letterboxd, where you can read counter arguments to various points and see things from numerous sides.

5. But give yourself time to think for yourself first

However, one big thing I'd encourage is to actually think for yourself too. Context and intent are important, and they'll help you dive further into film, but nothing trumps your emotional reaction. Film is a communicative medium fundamentally, and the feeling and the message you take from something is just as important as what anyone else says about it.

If you watched Citizen Kane and didn't enjoy it, think about why you didn't enjoy it - what was the most important element of the film that turned you off? Why did Welles make that decision? Was it intentional?

Interrogating your own opinions and trying to find points to substantiate your emotional reaction will help you understand your own film preferences more than anything, and guide your exploration. Before I Google any film I've watched I try and think about my own opinion of it first, and really pull it apart and stretch the logic. This gives me a hypothesis to go explore in existing reviews and discussions, or a perspective to add to the conversation, which I think is really invaluable. The two points go hand in hand, and neither is more important than the other.

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So that's it, 5 key points of advice I'd give to anyone interested in diving further into film canon and deepening their understanding of the medium. As mentioned before, I'm no expert and don't claim any of this to be objectively true, it's all just based on my personal experience over the last 12 months.

Finally, to wrap things up and spark some further conversation, my favourite films of all time list can be found here and my favourite films of 2016 can be found here.

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Some questions for further discussion:

• What is your preferred film diary?
• What is the most challenging film you've seen, and what other films do you think you need to have seen to appreciate it?
• Where do you read about films after you've seen them?

Submitted December 28, 2016 at 04:30PM by felixjmorgan http://ift.tt/2iDiIiB