For many, being paid to watch and critique movies and other media is a dream come true, and this is true for the three film critics featured here today. Each one of them is at a different stage of the process, from fledgling beginner, to Masters student, to finally working within the industry. 

     First off is William Ayure, a former Firebird athlete now a Freshman at Miami-Dade College. But when he’s not studying his brains out or grinding at the gym, Ayure follows his greatest passion: movies. Ayure’s journey started all the way back on September 8, 2018, with a little horror film called The Nun, to which he gave a D+. Since then, every single review has more or less followed this initial structure: 4 images, one with the film’s poster, one of the positives, one of the negatives, and a final score, with a full-fledged multi-paragraph review in the description for those who want a more in-depth analysis. 

     And the detail in every single review is truly impressive. One can tell by reading any of his 70+ posts that he is a true film lover, and extremely knowledgeable about the filmmaking process and the amount of work it takes to put a film out. And, after months of reviewing film-after-film-after-film, Ayure’s dedication was rewarded with an invitation to watch Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse with various critics in an early screening. That’s right, Mr. Ayure saw Spider-Verse a full week before any of the rest of us. His success so far serves as an inspiration, not just to would-be film critics, but to anyone afraid to take the first step towards living out their dream.

     Another individual following their dream is Mr. George Ibarra, Doral Academy’s new Literature & The Arts/English teacher. Anyone who has attended one of his classes will know that his knowledge of film and storytelling in general is matched only by the passion with which he teaches it. However, teaching was not always Mr. Ibarra’s goal, but a reflection on his family’s past told him it was the right choice.

     But what to teach? Ibarra eventually “settled” on an English Major with a Minor in Sociology as well as extensive participation in Exile Studies and, of course, Film Studies. It was his Film studies professor that recommended him to the FIU Film Studies Program, a type of student-run blog/news organization not too dissimilar from what we have here at Doral Academy. From that very moment, Ibarra became “The Review Guy”. The blog’s output spiked from occasional reviews of popular mainstream movies, to churning out two to three reviews every other week under the pen of one insanely passionate newbie, covering everything from superhero films such as Spider-Man and Avengers to gripping dramas like The Foreigner, Phantom Thread, and Suspiria (both 1977 & 2018). The things he learned both at the Film Studies Program and through writing for the blog gave Ibarra a deeper understanding of film as an art form: the production, what goes into actor selection, cinematography, set design, costumes, editing, special effects, all of which he has incorporated into his classes. Any of us who attend FIU in the future will be following the path Ibarra set just a few short years ago.

     Finally, we have a perspective from the other side, from someone that has already made it into the Film industry. Luckily, we got back in contact with a very special Doral Academy alumni: Michelle Contreras. She graduated before Firebird Digital even existed, and has thrived as a film critic for Kids First!, as well as having her reviews featured on prestigious sites like IMDb (International Movie Database) and The Huffington Post. A self-proclaimed “Film Fanatic”, she too emphasizes the importance of considering more than simply what is on the screen when reviewing a film. As a filmmaker and photographer herself, Contreras knows to acknowledge the efforts of the behind-the-scenes crew doing the composition, camera-work, color correction, editing, etc.

     In addition to this, she stresses that one of the most important parts of working in the industry is being able to keep up with the near constant outflow of news. She gives the example of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Rise of Skywalker: a few months ago, discussion about Emperor Palpatine being in the movie would have been widely viewed. Today, so much other news has come out that this is no longer a hot topic. 

To close out, here are some things everyone had to say: 

Ayure: “I know what I want to do, but it’s getting to the top that’s the hard part. I know people look up to me because I didn’t just say I wanted to be a film critic, I went and made an Instagram account and started reviewing movies. The thing is, you’ve gotta work constantly to keep generating content, to show you’re dedicated to the job, or else nobody’s gonna notice. So once you make the decision to follow what you want to do, just stick to it, week after week, and good things will come to you.”

Ibarra: “Don’t be afraid to experiment, don’t be afraid to find the basics, don’t be afraid to be wrong. As long as you make a good point, someone will agree. [Film Criticism] is not a battle, but an intellectually stimulating conversation.”

Contreras: “Just be the best version of yourself you can be. As cliche as it sounds, the only person holding you back from your goals is yourself, there is absolutely nothing else that should be holding you back. Just learn how to be confident about your work, be passionate about what you do, and everything else will follow.”

You will notice that, despite all three of these people being at different places, their advice is fairly similar: find your passion, and work tirelessly to make it your career. We hope that hearing these three critic’s stories will give some readers the push they need to get started on their path. Good luck!

For more of William Ayure’s film critiques, follow him on Instagram @WillyCritiques.

For those interested in Mr. George Ibarra’s reviews, check them out by going to film.fiu.edu and searching “George Ibarra.”

For Michelle Contreras, follow her Instagram @michicontreras, and check out her reviews at itsthefilmfeed.tumblr.com.

Feature photo credit: Sabrina Martinez