Often only negative feedback prevails because people easily notice what isn't working, while the elements of the piece that do succeed don't call attention to themselves. This is probably why we start with positive comments rather than negative in 185, because it is much easier to remember the things that rub the audience the wrong way. When receiving feedback in an unstructured setting it's extremely important to remember this so that the negative comments don't leave you feeling defeated. Unless the individual is skilled at giving feedback (pointing out the good but unafraid of addressing the bad), you'll probably only hear about the problems, and that's okay. Find what elements are causing these problems, think of a way to fix them and move on.
I have learned that some of the most painful, scathing criticisms can be the most beneficial. Positive feedback can be beneficial in helping you recognize your strengths, but recognizing the problems and fixing them will lead to a better piece of work. Most recently, this applies to my fiction rehearsal cut for 185. My best friend, who I love and respect dearly, absolutely hated it. This hurt, but her specific comments helped me pinpoint the precise moments that ruined the piece and also helped me understand several abstract comments I received from everyone in 185. This experience also let me trust her opinion more, because now I know that she is being completely honest when she claims to like my work.
All in all, I think it's also important to remember that you will never please everyone nor should you try. You have to objectively decide if your audience's complaints are valid and if addressing them will improve your project. Not everyone has the same aesthetic and they may just never enjoy your work no matter how much you improve it and that's okay. This is why so many genres, movies, and books exist because (to reference Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life) we'll never find it all through one piece of work.
Great post! I loved your Dan in Real Life reference, as I just watched that movie a couple days ago and truly enjoyed it. I'd be interested to see some of your work, just to compare my opinion versus the opinions of some of your peers who haven't loved what you've come up with. And I agree, criticism is hard, but If we can implement those criticisms into improvements, then good truly comes out of it. Keep up what your doing
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said, especially how negative feedback prevails. A lot of the times in 185, I don't write anything down for "good" because, as you pointed out, they don't call attention to themselves. Last year I worked on a project and one of the guys always said that "pat on the backs are always assumed." Just because somebody doesn't specifically mention something good, doesn't mean that s/he didn't like.
ReplyDeletehey, look! carrots!........<>><><
"I have learned that some of the most painful, scathing criticisms can be the most beneficial. "
ReplyDeleteMelodramatic? Hrm. Maybe not.
Anyways. As far as feedback goes I totally agree with everything you said in this post. Positive feedback is just as good as negative feedback in my opinion. Having other people recognize your strengths allows you to see where your weaknesses are and how to solve them through your strengths. It's like... Critiception or something confusing like that. Anyways, feedback strengthens our already strong points and also makes us more confident in our weak points. Hey, and maybe at some point we may be able to please anyone and everyone if we get enough feedback, who knows? Anything is possible.
Hey, look! Ryan has carrots!
I'm with Ryan Cotton, as always. I feel like I have a lot more "constructive criticism" to offer, than positive feedback. I think what's been said is true: it's assumed that you did lots of things well, unless they are criticized. Somethings might be outstanding, which will easily call attention to themselves. Somethings need fixing, which will also call attention to themselves. The rest will just slip by, so assume that it's going well to. Try to stay positive! Ryan has carrots apparently.
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