By Allegra Papera
Staff Writer
Mira Costa sophomore Noah Whittiker breaks into the film community, utilizing YouTube as a platform to turn his longtime dream of becoming a film critic into a reality.
Since the summer of 2015, Noah Whittiker has used Youtube as a platform to express his opinions under the name “Don Brooks”. He chose the name because he wanted change. He expresses his opinions regarding film and television, and also including rants inspired by his thoughts and experiences on YouTube.
“I use the channel to talk about what’s on my mind, what should be voiced to the public,” Whittiker said. “Whenever I am about to give my view on a certain issue, I always keep in mind that ‘This is my opinion, and my opinion only.’”
Whittiker said his involvement in the online film community is his way of introducing himself to the self-expression and vocality involved in his desired career paths, working with publications and channels like Variety, The Wrap or Access Hollywood. Whittiker finds their current writers inspiring, such as Justin Chang.
“The film critics I look up to are not afraid speak their minds, which is why I hold them in such high esteem,” Whittiker said. “They’ve hated films the masses love, and they’ve loved films the masses hate.”
Whittiker’s interest in film criticism was initially sparked when his grandmother introduced to film at the age of five, but it was not until the age of fifteen that he began using YouTube to take his passion to the next level.
“Everytime I watch the movie [Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron], it makes me feel in some form or fashion,” Whittiker said. “It made me realize that there had to more out there, and it made me wonder what else is out there in the world of cinema”
Whittiker follows his own strict set of rules to ensure he fairly and genuinely judges the film and television he reviews. The rules include avoiding trailers, advertisements and other reviews of the work, and making sure to write reviews within two days after viewing.
“I want to make sure that I’m being as honest as possible,” Whittiker said. “I think that’s the beauty of film criticism- being able to express how you feel about a movie without having to live up to a certain standard; I want to make sure I’m hitting the review from a variety of unbiased angles.”
Whittiker hopes to inspire viewers with his opinion-piece videos such as “Students Should Choose Their Own Classes,” that include his rants and raves addressing small ideas inspired by his experiences or passing thoughts and turning them something bigger by discussing them.
“Talking about things that are going on in my life and what I think of small things going on in the world can start a discussion and it could become something that more people care about,” Whittiker said.
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