I invited an independent filmmaker to come speak on my radio show on WTBU this week, where I interviewed him about the process of filmmaking. We eventually got to this question: “what are your favorite films?” It’s a rather boring and generic question because people tend to simply list out what their favorite films are and then move on. There is usually very little discussion past that — but not this time. The filmmaker said he could think of a few of his favorite films, but he had thought of a lot more films he had hated. This was intriguing because nobody ever really talks about the films they hate. But they should.
For one thing, discussing your least favorite films is a good way to discover what you like and dislike about certain movies. For instance, I hate “The Bourne Supremacy.” I don’t think the film is poorly made — I just dislike the camerawork and the overall story. I’m a sound person, so I was a little surprised that I picked up on the poor cinematography. I don’t usually notice it, but seeing this film made me really think about camerawork. The story felt very clichéd, and I try not to include clichéd plots in my films.
This can obviously be applied to people who are not filmmakers as well. If you see a film you don’t like, try to break it down. From there, you can make sure to avoid movies that include those elements you disliked. Aside from that, if you can learn to analyze why you dislike films — which overall is a very easy thing to do — then you can extrapolate that and determine the reasons you disliked a book, for example.
This also just leads to fun conversation. Listing off your least favorite films and having nice little debates with your friends is great, especially if one of the movies you listed is one of their favorites. A few of my friends disagree with me on my choice of movie, arguing that “The Bourne Supremacy” is an okay film — not really great, but not really bad, and definitely not worthy of being my least favorite. Having these little differences is a nice aspect of these talks. And much like how one can figure out what they dislike in certain films, this back and forth with friends gives you better insight into how your friends feel about films and their purpose (while also getting to talk about yourself, which is a plus for most people). This is beneficial in that you can better communicate with them about the films you are watching, and it helps you to know which films to recommend to your friends.
Most importantly, talking about movies you hate helps everyone come to a sort of consensus about which films are bad and why they don’t work, which in turn helps filmmakers create projects that go above and beyond these faults the audience sees. After all, making films is the art of storytelling, and by discussing the films you hate you become a better storyteller. Within your social group, you can greatly improve the stories you tell within whatever art form you choose by discussing the pieces of art you dislike.
For these reasons, I strongly urge everyone to talk about the things you hate, despite how ridiculous it sounds. There are great benefits and almost no drawbacks to this. Go out and talk about it right now if you want. I have found that it is rather therapeutic.
