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ScoringGuide

Summary

Overall Quality

The Summary score stands alone as the overall judgment about a movie. While related to the other scoring categories, it isn’t a function of them. Summary scores range from zero lit beams for awful to five purple beams for perfection.

Acting

Performance Quality

We love movies largely because of movie stars. The Acting score captures how brightly these larger-than-life performers shine. Acting scores range from zero lit beams at the worst to five purple beams at the zenith.

The main Acting score can be set directly and then left alone, in which case its components – described below – will be driven to the same value. Or the components can be specifically set, adjusting the main Acting score automatically. This direct drive mechanism is straightforward once you get your hands on it in ViewGuide's movie pages.

Male Stars

The score awarded the male stars – recognizing the performance quality of the lead actor(s) – is worth one third (1/3) of the main Acting score. Reviewers must judge whether an actor is in a lead (i.e., starring) or supporting (i.e., co-starring) role. Clear delineation can be elusive so reviewers are encouraged to be consistent in their criteria.

Female Stars

The score awarded the female stars – recognizing the performance quality of the lead actress(es) – is worth one third (1/3) of the main Acting score. Reviewers must judge whether an actress is in a lead (i.e., starring) or supporting (i.e., co-starring) role. Clear delineation can be elusive so reviewers are encouraged to be consistent in their criteria.

Male CoStars

The score awarded the male co-stars – recognizing the performance quality of the supporting actor(s) – is worth one sixth (1/6) of the main Acting score, half as much as the Starring scores. Reviewers must judge whether an actor is in a lead (i.e., starring) or supporting (i.e., co-starring) role. Clear delineation can be elusive so reviewers are encouraged to be consistent in their criteria.

Female CoStars

The score awarded the female co-stars – recognizing the performance quality of the supporting actresses – is worth one sixth (1/6) of the main Acting score, half as much as the Starring scores. Reviewers must judge whether an actress is in a lead (i.e., starring) or supporting (i.e., co-starring) role. Clear delineation can be elusive so reviewers are encouraged to be consistent in their criteria.

Film

Production Quality

Movie magic can sweep you up and carry you away, or leave you bored, irritated, and checking your watch. The Film score – recognizing production quality – measures how well movie magic is generated and utilized. Film scoring ranges from zero lit beams at the worst to five purple beams at the zenith.

In other words, the score awarded a Film recognizes the quality of the movie absent the acting.

The main Film score can be set directly and then left alone, in which case its components – described below – will be driven to the same value. Or the components can be specifically set, adjusting the main Film score automatically. This direct drive mechanism is straightforward once you get your hands on it in ViewGuide’s movie pages.

Direction

While the Director is king of the movie set, the Direction score is meant to judge more than just the performance of the man with the megaphone. Rather it recognizes how well the various production elements coalesce into more than the sum of their parts. Editing, staging, continuity, costuming, production design and much more go into this.

The Direction score – because of its importance – is worth one third (1/3) of the main Film score.

Play

Movies must tell a story. The play carries much of this burden, since even action movies depend on great lines to punctuate and advance their stories. Whether funny, sad, gripping or ironic, the screenwriter’s handiwork is the part of the movie everybody repeats to their friends the day after and years later.

The Play score – because of its importance – is worth one third (1/3) of the main Film score.

Music

Music sets the emotional tone for a movie, and must carry a musical. The score awarded to the Music recognizes the quality of the aural element of the movie experience.

Though moving, Music is worth one sixth (1/6) of the main Film score, half as much as Direction or Play.

Visuals

The big screen experience demands images that transcend everyday vistas. Whether full of stunt-laden special effects or animation, or simply captured by stunning cinematography, visuals are what we perceive when we 'see a movie.'

Though transcendent, the Visuals score is worth one sixth (1/6) of the main Film score, half as much as Direction or Play.

Edge

Sex, Violence, & Rudeness

Edginess is in, yet often too 'out there' for many viewers. For instance, children shouldn’t be exposed to entertainment in its cruder varieties, while many adults don’t care for such titillation. On the other hand, once above the age of consent, edginess is entertainment for many people. Whatever your taste and tolerance, the Edge score captures the hard to describe quality, which in its most extreme form has been famously characterized as "I know it when I see it."

The Edge score can be set directly and then left alone, in which case its components – described below – will be driven to the same value. Or the components can be specifically set, adjusting the Edge score automatically. This direct drive mechanism is straightforward once you get your hands on it in ViewGuide’s movie pages.

Sex

Sex elevates from one based on the quantity and intensity of sexual allusions and encounters – both described and shown: 1.0 to 1.5 marks the movie as sexually Innocent, 1.6 to 2.5 Titillating, 2.6 to 3.5 Erotic, 3.6 to 4.5 Lewd, and 4.6 to 5.0 Explicit. The Sex score is worth one third (1/3) of the Edge score.

Violence

Violence elevates from one based on the quantity and intensity of violent acts and the presence of gore: 1.0 to 1.5 marks the movie as Gentle, 1.6 to 2.5 Fierce, 2.6 to 3.5 Brutal, 3.6 to 4.5 Savage, and 4.6 to 5.0 Monstrous. The Violence score is worth one third (1/3) of the Edge score.

Rudeness

Rudeness includes coarse and profane language, along with harsh or hurtful sentiments expressed by word or gesture. The Rudeness score elevates from one in an additive fashion based on the volume of rude language and behavior: 1.0 to 1.5 marks the movie as Polite, 1.6 to 2.5 Salty, 2.6 to 3.5 Profane, 3.6 to 4.5 Nasty, and 4.6 to 5.0 Vile. The Rudeness score is worth one third (1/3) of the Edge score.

Reality

Natural, Fantasy or in between

Entertained viewers willingly accept depictions of altered reality: Suspension of Disbelief as it is commonly known. The Reality score – a mathematical factor – quantifies the altered reality entertained viewers must accept. Reality factors (rFactors) measure how many times greater than normal a movie’s reality is, where 1.0 is nature in its purest form, 1.5 is one and a half times natural reality, 2x is twice nature, and on up to an arbitrary limit of 5x nature, designating pure fantasy. Therefore, only an rFactor(tm) of 1.0 is ‘reality,’ as in naturally true: rFactors greater than 1.0 designate altered reality, where 1.1 to 2.0 corresponds to a Glib take on reality, 2.1 to 3.0 as Surreal, 3.1 to 4.0 as Supernatural, and 4.1 to 5.0 as Fantasy.

Reality is the most idiosyncratic ViewGuide scoring category. Reviewers are advised to discover and then refine their own model of altered reality by reviewing at least a dozen movies within each favored genre. As guidance, consider that while the three component rFactors overlap, each has its own focus: BioReality on organic processes, PhysioReality on basic forces, and CircoReality on happenstance.

The summary rFactor can be set directly and then left alone, in which case the component rFactors – described below – will be driven to the same value. Or the components can be specifically set, adjusting the summary automatically. This direct drive mechanism is straightforward once you get your hands on it in ViewGuide’s movie pages.

Circumstantial Reality

A Circumstantial Reality factor (CircoReality) of 1.0 is consistent with the logistical and systemic constraints of the natural world. For instance, in the real world two people can’t live-it-up traveling cross-country with only a few hundred dollars, a bear and a chicken, as they do in Borat. As with each rFactor, Circumstantial Reality is judged on a scale of 1x to 5x, and contributes one third (1/3) of the main Reality score.

Biological Reality

A Biological Reality factor (BioReality) of 1.0 is consistent with the trauma tolerance and healing power of natural organisms, especially people. For instance, screen action heroes can throw back straight shots, take a savage beating, bounce off windshields, then be fine and dandy the next day: in the real world, not so much. As with each rFactor, Biological Reality is judged on a scale of 1x to 5x, and contributes one third (1/3) of the main Reality score.

Physical Reality

A Physical Reality factor (PhysioReality) of 1.0 is consistent with scientifically proven notions of chemistry and physics. For instance, in the real world people can’t fly without a plane (as does Superman), can’t magnetically bend the Golden Gate Bridge across to Alcatraz (as in X-Men), and most certainly can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound (the man from Krypton again). As with each rFactor, Physical Reality is judged on a scale of 1x to 5x, and contributes one third (1/3) of the main Reality score.

Trust Weighted Scoring™

Trust Weighted Scores are community consolidated scores that assign greater weight to the opinions of trusted reviewers. For instance, a reviewer with ten Trust Points (i.e., trusted by ten members) gets ten times the influence of a reviewer trusted by only one other member, and twice that of a reviewer trusted by five members. Most reassuringly, scores given by reviewers who aren’t trusted by anyone don’t count at all in Trust Weighted Scoring.

Trust Points are measured both for reviewers and movies. The Trust Points supporting a movie's Trust Weighted Scores are the total Trust Points of the members who have reviewed that movie. So if a movie has reviews from a member trusted by 20 members, and from a member trusted by ten members, and from a member with zero trust points, the movie's Trust Weighted Scores would have 30 Trust Points behind them. The reviewer with 20 Trust Points would have twice the influence of the reviewer with ten Trust Points, while the reviewer with zero Trust Points would have no influence at all.

ViewGuide's Trust Weighted Scoring design and mechanisms are proprietary intellectual property of WikPik, Inc., as described on the Terms page.

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