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    Film Analysis

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    Rajamaniti
    The document provides instructions for a film analysis essay assignment. Students must write a 3-4 page essay discussing how specific cinematic techniques in 3-4 films from class support the overall message or theme of each film. Additional tips are provided on proper formatting, grammar, concise writing style, and developing an original thesis about patterns observed across multiple films. An essay rubric is also included.

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    Film Analysis

    Uploaded by

    Rajamaniti
    137 views3 pages
    The document provides instructions for a film analysis essay assignment. Students must write a 3-4 page essay discussing how specific cinematic techniques in 3-4 films from class support the overall message or theme of each film. Additional tips are provided on proper formatting, grammar, concise writing style, and developing an original thesis about patterns observed across multiple films. An essay rubric is also included.

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    Film Analysis 1

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    The document provides instructions for a film analysis essay assignment. Students must write a 3-4 page essay discussing how specific cinematic techniques in 3-4 films from class support the overall message or theme of each film. Additional tips are provided on proper formatting, grammar, concise writing style, and developing an original thesis about patterns observed across multiple films. An essay rubric is also included.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    137 views3 pages

    Film Analysis

    Uploaded by

    Rajamaniti
    The document provides instructions for a film analysis essay assignment. Students must write a 3-4 page essay discussing how specific cinematic techniques in 3-4 films from class support the overall message or theme of each film. Additional tips are provided on proper formatting, grammar, concise writing style, and developing an original thesis about patterns observed across multiple films. An essay rubric is also included.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    FilmAnalysisEssayAssignment

    Write an essay of about 600-800 words (about 3 pages) on the following topic.
    Refer to at 3 or 4 of the 8 movies weve watched thus far in class, using as many
    specific details as possible concerning the various elements of film that weve
    discussed cinematography, mise-en-scene, movement, editing, sound,
    acting. Naturally, youll want to observe all the rules of good writing that is, of
    grammar, organization, logic, &c.
    Topic: How do the specific cinematic techniques or elements of a film support
    the message or point it is making? As much as possible, choose the films and
    point out techniques in such a way as to make some general point about the
    way(s) in which a film exposes its themes.

    TipsforWritinganEssayonFilm

    ThefollowingtipsforwritingyourMidterm/Finalareinascendingorderofimportance,
    beginningwithbasicmechanicalissuesandendingwithverybroadpointsconcerningcontent.

    Mechanics
    Foranyformalessay,youshouldfollowtheformattingguidelinesoftheprofessionstyleinthe
    fieldinthiscaseMLAstyle.Thatmeansyoushouldhave
    aheading(yourname,thecourse,&c.),
    aheader(yourlastname&thepagenumber,whichyoucanaddusingfunctions
    undertheInserttabinyourwordprocessingprogram),and
    anoriginal,relevanttitle.
    (UnderCourseDocumentsinBlackboard,IhaveincludedadocumenttitledEssayFormat
    [yellowlettering]thatshowswhatadocumentshouldlooklikeinMLAstyle.)

    Useitalicsforthetitleofanyfeaturelengthfilm.

    Grammar
    Indiscussinganyworkofart,includingafilm,youshouldusethepresenttense,notthepast.

    AsanupperlevelEnglishcourse,thisoneassumesthatyouhaveageneralgriponbasic
    organizationalconcepts(paragraphing,essaystructure,&c.),grammaticalconcepts(sentence
    1

    structure,agreement,modifierplacement,parallelism,&c.),andpunctuation.Youcancheck
    mydocumenttitledWritingProblems(cyangreenlettering),whichliststhemajorsentence
    errorsandrefersyoutothelocationsintheLittleBrownHandbookwhereyoucanfind
    informationonthoseerrors.

    Style
    Inallofyourwriting,youshouldstrivetowriteconcisely.(UnderCourseDocuments,Ihave
    includedadocumenttitledConciseness[azurebluetitle]thatdiscusseswaystoavoid
    wordinessingeneral.)Asforspecificwordinessproblemsassociatedwithwritingabout
    film/literature,hereareafewtips:
    Avoidreferencestoyourselforyourthoughts/opinionsjuststatethemdirectly.
    Avoidreferencestoyourwriting(Imgoingtodiscuss)oryouressay(Thisessayis
    about).
    Avoidreferencestoyourreader;avoidthe2ndpersonpronoun(you,your)altogether.
    Minimizereferencestotheartistsinvolvedinthecreationofspecifictechniques.Its
    finetonamesomeoneonce(e.g.,thedirector,thecinematographer,orthescriptwriter)
    ifyouhappentoknowwhothatpersonis.Butdontconstantlysaythingslike,Inthis
    scenethedirectoruseslightingtoshow.
    Avoidreferencestotheintentionsofthefilmoritsmakers,likeThemovieistryingto
    makethepointthat.Again,juststatethosepointsdirectly,e.g.,Thehighcontrast
    lightingsupportsthethemeofthedarksideofhumannature.
    Avoidreferencestothefilmsaudience,e.g.,Theviewernoticesthat.
    Inalltheabovecases,juststateyourpointsdirectlye.g.,Thehighcontrastlightingin
    thisscenesymbolizesorTheexpressioniststyleunderscorestheliberalmessage
    that

    Content
    Dontjustmakebroadgeneralizationsabouthowgreat,howineffective,howconfusing,&c.the
    techniquesareinthefilmsthatyoureusingasexamples.Instead,discussindetail(whileof
    coursewritingconcisely)howthetechniquedeliversitseffect.

    Finallyandprobablymostimportantly:Youshouldhaveacentralidea,athesis,forthewhole
    essayanargumentthatisoriginal,complex,relevant,specific,anddebatable.Thus,instead
    ofjustsortofparrotingmyquestionandsayingsomethingobviouslike,Thefilmsweve
    watchedinthisclassuseavarietyofcinematictechniquestocreatemeaning,youshouldtry
    tonarrowthefocustosomethingspecificperhapssomepatternthatyounoticedfromweek

    toweek,orsomeaspectoffilmthatyoufoundyourselfparticularlyinterestedinaswewent
    along.

    Ifyoufindyourselfhavingdifficultyinidentifyingsuchanaspect,Ihaveincluded2itemsunder
    CourseDocumentsthatmightbeofsomeusetoyou.OneofthemistitledLevelsofLiterary
    Interpretation[purpletitle]andlistsanumberofdifferentsubjectsthataworkmight
    address,orcriticalperspectivesthroughwhichwemightviewthatworke.g.,varioussocial
    issuesorsymbolicframeworksorcultural/historicalcontextsorartisticinfluencesrelatedtothe
    work.Oryourthesiscouldbesomestrictlyaestheticpoint.

    FortheFinalespecially,youshouldbestrivingtousethevariouscriticalapproachesweve
    touchedonduringthesemester,andspecificallythosediscussedinChapters10(Ideology)&11
    (Critique).TheotherusefulitemIveincludedunderCourseDocumentsistitledIssuesin
    Ideology,whichisjustabriefsummaryoftheleftcenterrightmodelthatGiannetti
    discussesinChap.10.

    EssayRubric

    Content:
    Topic
    Thesis
    Body
    Logic
    Research
    Form:
    Organization

    Style
    Grammar,
    Punctuation,
    mechanics
    Manuscriptform
    (orspoken
    delivery)

    Excellent(A)

    Highlyrelevant&
    original.
    Exceptionally
    complex.
    Lotsofdetail;ex
    tensivedevelopment
    Airtightreasoning.
    Vasteffortonfinding
    sources.

    Seamlessflowof
    information
    Vital,original,
    energeticprose.
    Essentiallyfreeof
    errors.
    FollowingServer
    documents;con
    fidentlydelivered.

    Good(B)

    Veryrelevantw/
    personaltouches.
    Verycomplex.
    Gooddetail,examples,
    coverage.
    Soundreasoning;few
    lapses.
    Goodsources;
    interestingvariety.

    Goodstructure;major
    componentsinplace.
    Good,soundEnglish
    expression.
    Freeofmajor
    sentenceerrors,but
    someminorones.
    Mostguidelines,
    followed;good
    presence.

    Fair(C)

    Marginallyimportant
    ororiginal.
    Somecomplexity,but
    fairlystraightfwd.
    Somedetailandeffort
    ondevelopm.
    Okay,butwaveringona
    fewpoints.
    Somesources;lacking
    invariety.

    Basicstructureinplace,
    butblandpresentation.

    Poor(D)

    Somewhatinsignificant;
    derivative
    Notverycomplex.

    Failing(F)

    Notrelevantor
    original.
    Verysimplistic.
    Tooshort;no
    concretedetail.
    Illogical;offtrack.

    Asmatteringof
    sentenceinfractions.

    Speakingmainlyin
    generalizations.
    Patternoffaultylogic&
    emotionalappeals.
    Littleeffortonsources;
    sloppybibliography.

    Componentsoutofplace
    ortransitionshardto
    follow.
    Awkward,inconsistent
    language.
    Significantmajor
    sentenceerrors.

    Somelapsesinform;
    goodhumor.

    Disregardsfomatrules;
    lacklusterperformance.

    Somewhatbland.

    Virtuallynocitations.

    Seriouslylackingin
    structure.
    Noenergy.
    Varietyoferrors.

    Noknowledgeof
    requiredformats;
    poorattitude.

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