How do you Voice Criticism Differently if it's Directly at the Creator?

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I generally try to keep my criticism somewhat constructive and levelheaded, no matter who I speak to. I usually focus on what certain aspects of the movie/game/whatever felt like to me and why I, personally, found them good or bad. If it's a topic I have a certain amount of "professional" knowledge of, I may also try and give more factual criticism that's not grounded in mere "opinion". I'll rarely go into full-on ragemode and just fling insults around

That being said, of course it sounds very different when I'm talking to my friends about a game we all played, compared to what it'd sound like if I gave criticism to, say, Richard Garriott himself. But really, isn't that always the case, no matter the topic of the conversation?
I mean, one's tone and choice of words always depends on this complex social ranking of how well one knows the other person, what kind of status or "power" they have compared to oneself, what reaction one might expect from them...