How to Become a Film Buff

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Purchase a film guide.

   There are many available online or at bookstores.
   
   You can start with Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin if you wish, but if you really want to be familiar with more obscure films, try something more comprehensive.
   
   The Time-Out Film Guide is a great resource, and it's widely available.Try a 1001 movies you must see before you die.
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   Step 2: Scan the guide

   Don't look for exciting plots or melodrama, but rather see what the aesthetic appeals of the film are: visual beauty, quality of acting, screenplay, the film's overall meaning and depth, etc. , Even ones that look only mildly interesting.
   
   Sometimes they surprise you.
   
   Don´t limit yourself to one or two movie genres; you will be the best if you have seen a good number of movies with a variety of themes.
   
   Be sure to include both current films playing in theatres, as well as films released on DVDs and video tapes.
   
   Be sure to include older movies and foreign films, too; there can be some gems among both categories. ,, You can watch movies as many times as you wish if you own them.
   
   Repeated viewings allow you to see things in the film that you may have missed the first time that you watched it.
   
   Details are often lost when you are trying to take the film in for the first time.
   
   Watching for details can help you familiarize yourself with directors' trademarks, and they give the film more meaning. ,, Wikipedia is a great resource, but a very comprehensive one solely devoted to films is the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB), which has cast, crew, production staff, and technical listings; plot summaries; links to major reviews in newspapers, magazines, and online sources; and lots of trivia and memorable quotes about each film listed.
   
   IMDB now has parental advisory content in case you plan on taking your kid(s) to a movie. , Just remember that there are many films out there, and it will take you some time before you are really familiar with a wide range of directors and genres.
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   Step 3: the summaries

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   Step 4: and the commentaries.

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   Step 5: Watch more films.

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   Step 6: Get a TV hard drive recorder (Humax are good) and regularly check the TV guide.

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   Step 7: Purchase more films.

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   Step 8: If you don't want to spend too much on buying films look through charity shops

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   Step 9: they now have quite a range of DVDs and promo DVDs (given for a donation)

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    Step 10: and the money goes to a good cause.

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    Step 11: Check the Internet for some info or trivia that you may have missed.

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    Step 12: Repeat this process for quite a while.

Detailed Guide

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