How CINEMA does its work
finding the Good News in blockbusters
Not a censorship body, CINEMA aims to bring about a film literate citizenry who can judge for themselves which movies promote Christian values, the true, the good, the beautiful. CINEMA reviews, classifies, and rates films to foster a discerning appreciation of film and to guide the viewing public in the critical choice and patronage of films.
The review for publication is written in English for English-language films and Filipino for local productions. Before writing the review, the reviewer will have seen the film, analyzed and discussed it with assessors and other reviewers using the accomplished assessment forms, may have downloaded information from the internet, seen the ads, press releases, movie commentaries and theater posters. The review consists of the following:
The credits: general information about the cast and crew of the movie reviewed.
The ratings: These give an assessment of the technical excellence and moral content of the film. Films are given scores, “1” being the lowest and “5” the highest. Aside from being graded, films are also rated for their audience-appropriateness.
In July 2018, CINEMA added a V16 rating, for films that may be viewed by those aged 16 years old and above.
The review normally has three paragraphs:
Paragraph A: A brief synopsis of the film
Paragraph B: Deals on the film’s technical and artistic aspects
Paragraph C: Analyzes the ethical and moral values projected in the movie.
Paragraph A: The synopsis, whether in English or Filipino, is written in the present tense. The synopsis contains the introduction of the movie story, the names of the important characters (with the corresponding actors names in the parenthesis) and the main events leading to the point of interest or crisis. Spoilers are avoided although leading questions may be asked.
Paragraph B: This presents the technical and artistic merits and demerits of the film as perceived by CINEMA using the data on the assessment forms, the reviewer’s input, and other possible sources of information.
Paragraph C: This calls attention to the way life or the human condition is presented in the film. Is it a truthful, falsified, distorted? It notes the ethical and moral values (may be universal/ human cultural/ Filipino) contained in the movie. It analyzes how the film depicts good and evil, right and wrong, and critiques the presentation in the light of the Gospel values and the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. This paragraph helps the viewers discern the true value of the film.
Assessments and Reviews: Four persons usually watch a particular movie: two Assessors, the Reviewer, and the Editor (who is a senior Reviewer). The comments in the Assessment Form (accomplished by Assessors) and the write-up (done by the writer ) are submitted to the Editor whose task is to synthesize the material on hand and refine the written review to its final form. In cases where judgments collide and/or there are marked incompatibilities in the ratings or perceptions of the Assessors and Reviewers, the Editor acts as a de facto arbiter. The Editor is also CINEMA’s online publisher/manager.
