PR group mPRm has hooked up with OTX, a firm that specializes in online research, to offer unemployed film critics a hundred bucks to take part in focus groups for indie movies, according to Sharon Waxman at TheWrap. While focus groups are no big news, offering cash to well-known and respected film critics who have fallen victim to the economy for their input on whether or not a "niche or arthouse" film will be an Oscar contender is certainly a new angle.

Waxman reports that publicist Mark Pogachefsky "came up with the concept a year ago, when many critics he knew were being laid off." He told Waxman, "I thought, 'How can we take advantage of all that expertise and create a business around it?"

Just a few of the questions that those who partake in the focus groups will answer are

*Would you definitely recommend to your readers?

*Does this movie have awards potential?

*Is this movie appropriate for festivals, mainstream movie houses or indie houses?

*Who are your favorite characters?



However, the real question is whether film critics (who will remain anonymous) are going for it. While such a service would offer very valuable input from respected critics who understand the market far better than regular focus groups, and it could help independent movies find their way to market, some writers are understandably quite offended by the idea of getting paid for their feedback. It's a common occurrence for publicists to casually ask writers who have attended screenings their take on what they've seen, but I personally don't think that's the same as a focus group, and obviously no money changes hands.

Times are tough, and everyone I know, no matter their field of work, is looking for a backup plan or a way to make a few extra dollars, whether that's making goodies to sell on Etsy, working in bookstores, bartending, graphic design, consulting, and so on. I am not getting on a high horse and asking why any self-respecting film critic (who is not currently affiliated with a publication, online or in print) would take part in a focus group, not at all.

So I throw the question over to you, readers. What do you think of this new business scheme? Is it a worthwhile venture? If you found out a critic you respected was taking part in it, would you think less of them? Or is it just a good way to make extra dough doing something critics do anyway over a few beers after a screening and help out an equally struggling industry at the same time?