How To Become A Film Nerd (In 30 Days)

By Rachel Emily Eaton

I tried to become a film nerd in 30 days, by watching some of the greatest films of all time, here’s how it went!

 Just like Andie Anderson from the romcom ‘How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days’ I am the ‘How To’ girl, except I am challenging myself to become a film nerd (in 30 days). You see, I’m off to University to study filmmaking but I have one big problem; I don’t know much about film. If you were to ask me about ‘The Godfather’ or ‘Pretty Woman’ I would have no idea what you are talking about. To correct this, I set out to watch some of the ‘greatest’ and most popular movies of all time in a month: a crash-course in cinematic nerdery.  

As a member of Gen-Z I grew up with movies, going to the cinema, watching them on TV and from a giant collection of DVDs. I’ve always loved movies but found myself gravitating more towards TV shows, rather than films. I had a strict way of watching movies; a movie night with snacks and no distractions (okay the ‘no distractions’ rule was a recent addition). Therefore I didn’t really watch a lot of classics that people watch, so I didn’t get the references. The only reason I knew “say hello to my little friend” was because I saw it on Gogglebox, I’ve never actually watched Scarface.

However, I have dreamt of making films and TV shows since I can remember: I wanted to improve my knowledge of film so I can make my own. My aim was to watch as many great films as I could, try to understand them, by learning the history and theory that goes behind making a film, discuss films with the people around me, collect physical media (because every film nerd has an impressive store of films); and finally share my passion for movies online.Therefore, in the future I can create great movies! 

Here’s what happened: 

Week 1 started off with the head-spinning ballet horror ‘Black Swan’. When I forced myself to watch it, after putting it off for a while, I was gripped. It was a great way to start my 30 day challenge where I would force myself to watch movies I never found the right time to watch. I totalled 9 films during the first week, my favourite of all being Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck’s 1953 rom com ‘Roman Holiday’. I also watched hits like ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘City Lights’ and ‘Inception’, as well as a rewatch of ‘Crazy, Stupid Love' under the recommendation of John Currie from the Beeston Film Festival. This week established my passion for black and white films, a trend which will run throughout the 30 days.

Week 2: started off with a Rosebud; it was ‘Citizen Kane’ that I watched on Monday, followed by ‘The Godfather’, ‘Casablanca’ and ‘Psycho’  all in one week. I watched some of the most highly-rated films ever, and got through an almost 3 hour movie with my short Gen Z attention span. I also watched the cult classic ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and the modern classic ‘Lady Bird’. My favourites of the week would be ‘Casablanca’ in keeping with the theme of black and white movies and ‘Lady Bird’ which I found myself relating to and finding acceptance in, a talent of Greta Gerwig, who’s later film ‘Barbie’ features in my Letterboxd top 4.

It was in the second week that I learnt how to analyse films. I watched Patrick (H) Willems’ masterclass on how to analyse films, and here are some of the things I took away from it: 

• There are five key elements to analyse; Cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene, performance and sound.

• Describe what you see and ask why?

• Everything you see is a choice by the artist

• Every film has a core idea

• Not all movies have just one theme, many have a range 

• Look at the film from a macro-level: what were the main conflicts, how were they resolved and how have things changed

• Then you can look at the micro, and break down scenes going into technical detail 

"By the 15th day my total was up to 15 films. I was on track!" 

Then I hit a wall and skipped two days at the end of week 2, so I had to smack myself back into a rhythm, starting off WEEK 3  with ‘12 Angry Men’. This film made me one angry woman: the sheer injustice at the set up is so well shown, and the way it provoked this effect guaranteed a spot into my Top 4. I equalled my personal best of 9 films in a week, watching titles such as ‘Breakfast at Tiffany's’, ‘Apocalypse Now’ and ‘Memento’. I have also started refining my analysis skills and generating my own theories of the films I’ve watched: when watching ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ I was convinced that the black monolith that falls to earth,  investigated by the apes at the dawn of time, is representative of the 10 commandments and I have reasons; the 10 rules for the bathroom, the meaning of religion vs science and…well, I just think it is! I realise I’m starting to analyse more films in greater detail, and started to see that I can at least watch a film above surface level. 

A big part of being a film fan is going to the cinema; it is a whole experience in itself. At the dawn of film, the latest title could only be enjoyed at a movie theatre and after that may have been burned, leading to many movies being lost. That would mean that you couldn’t have a favourite comfort movie that you hit play on after a bad day. Cinema lovers then didn’t even have TVs. Nowadays, movies are watched on phones, laptops, TVs (occasionally the old DVD player that I unearthed out of storage) more often than they are watched at the cinema. But when we do choose the cinema, there are giant screens, IMAX, Dolby Surround sound. Cinema remains the best way to watch a film. 

During the 30 days of becoming a film nerd, I made sure that I went to the movies. This is a crucial part of film nerdery. Fortunately, during the process there have been some big releases for 2025, including ‘Sinners’, which is highly-rated and forecast for award success. I was dying to watch it, so I bought my ticket and was blown away.  The sound, the atmosphere, the performance - but most of all the message - was so compelling and important during this conflicting, divisive time. It gave me goosebumps: that is only something that can be induced by watching a great movie in a cinema. 

WEEK 4: my objective was to complete my goal of watching 30 films, and try to put what I have learnt from this process into practice. I got off to a great start by watching IMDb’s top rated film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. Unlike a lot of highly-rated long crime movies, I really enjoyed this one. It has a beautiful message, far from the power and masculinity of ‘The Godfather’, ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is about hope and overcoming adversity.

I’d say that  ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is the best film ever made, it not only features incredible performances and a great use of visual storytelling, but has such emotional punch, and any film that can make me bawl like a baby is a good film to me. 

As the challenge came to an end I also watched a range of other films, some that I really enjoyed and others that I just didn’t click with. I loved ‘Interstellar’, ‘The Shining’ and ‘Fight Club’, however I didn’t really have a soft spot for ‘Reservoir Dogs’ or ‘Taxi Driver’:  I do acknowledge the artistry that went into them, but I found them hard watches and not in a good engaging way. Rather, they made me want to turn off immediately. There was nothing that attached me to these stories, no connection. 

A big part of being a fan is rating and reviewing films. Many film fans have Letterboxd accounts, the social network to log and rate films, and most importantly pick your top 4. 

But how are we actually supposed to rate movies? It could just be that you rate every film based on how you would describe it once you’ve watched it, if you loved it you give it 5 stars, if you thought it was crap you may put 2 stars. For me, I put most films at 5 stars, maybe that's because of the high calibre of films I’ve been watching or my inability to rate critically. If you want to be more professional with your rating you could break down different details of the film and score them individually. For example, you could score cinematography a 4 star, but the acting was a 3 star, and in the end you add all of the values together and divide it to create your rating. 

Or you can use The Cinema Scale where you analyse 10 elements each with 2 categories each worth 0.5 points, then you create a score out of 10. To review a film, you can give your first thoughts, an in-depth analysis, or a professional critical review, whatever works for you. I sometimes just leave my favourite quote from the film to sum up my thoughts. 

What I learnt from the process was that you are not wrong for liking the films that you do. It’s subjective, after all. I didn’t like Taxi Driver and I enjoyed The Godfather.

To analyse a film you need to say what you see and ask why the artist made that choice. It's okay to not watch a film every day:  you don’t have to do that to be a film nerd. Also, old movies are great! I love old movies especially from the ‘Golden Era’ of the 40s and 50s. They are some of the best ever made, with great stories and actors, so don’t be afraid to try movies from way before you were born.

I’ve also created a list of tips to become more film literate: 

1. Watch lots of films ( and a range of different ones)

2. Watch films more than once, first watch them to experience them, second time to analyse and understand in further depth

3. Avoid distractions, put down your phone and immerse yourself

4. Go to the cinema. It’s's the best way to watch a film

5. Collect physical media. own your favourite films forever and watch when you want

6. Share your passions with others, whether online or in-person

7. Listen to watch other people say, but take it with a pinch of salt, be aware of how the critics feel about your favourite films but don't change your opinions to align with the views of others.

So am I a film nerd? Do I have a great passion and knowledge? I definitely have the passion, but my knowledge is still in the shallows. I know a lot more that I did before, and I can at least say I’ve watched some of the great films, but I don’t feel fully confident to discuss technical aspects of film yet. I do have the desire to keep learning about the history and technical side of film. I have come a long way though and massively widened my horizons. 

I can now say, with some confidence, I am a film nerd.