SXSWORLD

Film Critics Confront Changing Landscapes and Ethical Issues by Mark Olsen that," said Rocchi, a con- tributor to MSN Movies. "It's one thing to partici- pate in a conversation, and it's another thing to try to move the needle on which questions are being asked." Rocchi's panel will examine the daily challenges of the profession. "One of the interesting things to me about the panel is talking to people about the fluidity of it," he said. "How often do you change jobs? What in your job has changed in the past year or two? Is it some- thing as subtle as a change in content management or web design or something as big as a newspaper going away?" For William B. Goss, the inspiration for his "The Blogger Centipede: How Content Is Eroding Credibility" panel was personal. A critic for the website Cinematical and the Orlando Weekly alter- native paper, Goss has realized on more than one occasion that his reviews not only have been aggregated or quoted by other websites, but sometimes outright plagiarized. from unique contemporary film journalism perspectives. For James Rocchi, who conceived "From The Sausage Factory: Inside The Film Press," the genesis was a panel he participated in during SXSW 2010 on, what else, film criticism. "I felt really inspired by T hree panels at the 2011 SXSW Film Conference will examine pressing issues and questions in film criticism, and while there is some overlap in the issues raised by each, all come James Rocchi Conceiving the panel along with friend Moises Chiullan (who will moderate), Goss wanted to broaden the idea to not just include content theft, but also the ways in which the speed of online film journalism often leads to a repetition of information. "When it comes to news instead of opinion," said Goss, "so many press releases are reworded or recycled, and so many exclusives or rumors are run. What's the use of running all this stuff just to be early if you're not right?" 36 SXSW ORLD / F EBRUAR Y 2011 William B. Goss " ... there's a big gulf between writing about movies and actually examining them versus just promoting them ... some people don't see that gulf." times," explains Carlson. "For me, there's a big gulf between writing about movies and actu- ally examining them versus just promoting them. And some people don't see that gulf." Carlson's sentiments on the ethics of blog- ging were echoed by Rocchi: "I like the idea that the internet has made communi- cation easier. I'm not sure how I feel about what it's done to professionalism." takes to make up that balancing act." Goss sees his panel as having a two-fold appeal. "As readers," he said of the possible takeaway from the panel, "I hope they are a bit more aware of how impersonal a lot of news can be. If you see it on your favorite site, you may not realize that five other sites are getting the same source-code press release." "If some 'civilians' show up, I think it would be great for them to get a look inside the minds of the bearded dorks who write this stuff," said Carlson. n As for what he hopes people might walk away from his panel with, Rocchi said, "A real understanding of what it's like to be between three separate forces: the artform, manage- ment and the audience. I want to show people the kind of constant micro-movements it Check sxsw.com/film for panel and screening schedules. Not A Publicist: Criticism vs. Advertising" as a response to what he sees as the blurring of the lines between pure criticism and boost- erism. Though a writer can only review a film once, it may be necessary to write about a given film numerous times. At what point does enthusiasm for a pet favorite transform into blatant marketing? "I think there's a lot of unintentional blurring of the line some- Pilgrim Versus the World within the online community seems to force writers into intense and not always constructive opinions."The response has become faster and the spectrum has become much more narrow," noted Goss. "The bigger the movie, the bigger the hyperbole that comes with it. You can't just like something; you have to love it." Daniel Carlson, critic for Pajiba, had the inspiration for "You are The thundering response to films such as Tron: Legacy and Scott PETER HALL

• Cover