Critical Watch Parties

Index date: 2022-11-01

Last modified: 2023-07-23

Inspired by bell hooks’ Reel to Real, critical watch parties are when people get together to watch media and comment on it critically. Facilitators may wish to display the timecode in the corner of the screen and provide notepads so that participants can write down their thoughts and reference particular scenes in the media. The watching may be preceded by the reading of a critical essay beforehand in order to prime participants ahead of viewing. After the media is completed, the facilitator should invite reflections and thoughts from the participants and can move the video back to noted timecodes in order to contextualise participant observations. It may be pragmatic to record the discussion or have someone taking notes so the discussion can be captured.