movinglmages07 Assignment 6

Film Analysis

This assignment requires you to write an essay on one of the films shown in class and on the screening list.

This essay must be 5-7 pages inclusive, double-spaced and no more than 3500 words and no less that 2500.

Due Date: Week 10 in lecture

Try to describe the film in general to start and then choose a segment that was particularly intriguing and do a shot-by-shot analysis describing each shot in that segment as accurately as you can.

The overall essay include:

• a close reading or critique of the film - (please refer to your recommended text : A Short Guide to Writing About Film by Timothy Corrigan, or borrow it from the library).
  
  See more on close reading at Steps for Close Reading or how to write about film and What is an academic paper?, make sure you have references and cite sources of research.
  
  
• the general message/how the film addresses political or social issues;
  
  
• theme/ narrative techniques/plot development/documentary quality;
  
  
• camera techniques (angles; shots; filters; lenses);
  
  
• editing techniques & special effects;
  
  
• mise-en-scene/setting/costumes;
  
  
• color & lighting style/ mood created;
  
  
• the soundtrack, music and sound effects, including the dialogue, must be described.

Do not attempt to describe everything. Just try to simply and accurately describe those elements of film form that seem to be of cinematic significance.

For the shot-by-shot analysis, please describe:

1. the scale and type of shot (e.g. LS, CU, 3/4-shot, insert, OTS, etc.); 
   
2. the angle of the shot or any new angles or perspectives on a repeated shot, including canted frames;
   
3. the presence or absence of camera movement, noting types and direction of movement (travelling, pan, tilt, etc.)

[HELPFUL HINT: When judging camera angles, think of where the camera is placed with respect to the visual centre of the shot. Is it to the left or right? Above (high) or below (low)?]

There are a host of other things you might look for; for example, the use of deep space, contrast or comparison between foreground and background action, significant uses of mise-en-scene and lighting, direction of eye-lines, marking of point of view, a cut occurring on a significant line.

Use the following methods of analysis below, as well as the film analysis worksheet to help you dissect the film.

For more assistance on this see guidelines for analysis of film sequences and the more general Yale Film Studies site.

Descriptive analysis:

Write down everything you can remember about the film from beginning to end in the order you think they occurred. Let areas "thicken" or remain slim--what you remember will be a guide to the film, but also an indicator of what aspects of the film were "memorable" for you, what was important to you about the film, and what's important to you may give you ideas about what to write about. Include any points of style or content as they occur. Description is already a kind of analysis.

Stylistic analysis (most important for this course):         

• Shot: (Motion;Distance;Angle;Depth of Field; Depth of Composition, e.g., foreground, middleground, background;
  
  
• Edit: (Cut/Fade/Dissolve/Wipe/Continuity editing/Cross-cutting and Intercutting/Montage of Attractions/Intellectual Montage//Shot/Reverse-Shot//...);
  
  
• Mise-en-scene: (Location/Studio/Art direction/Acting/Casting/Blocking/Make-up/Costume...);
  
  
• Sound: (Diegetic/Non-diegetic; Synchronous/Non-synchronous; sound "shooting," e.g., motion; distance; angle; depth of field, depth of composition; sound editing, e.g., cut, fade, dissolve, wipe, continuity editing...)

Content analysis:

• Images: (Recurring items, pictures, events, sounds, phrases, people, whatever...);
  
  
• Themes: (Subjects or topics; things the film is about);
  
  
• Issues: (Questions the film poses, and may or may not answer; conflicts between ideas or positions; dialectical oppositions).
  

Value analysis:

List the main reasons the film makes or judges the characters as positive or negative in order to determine the values or ethics of the film. What judgments are being made within the film?

Some other starting questions to ask yourself when writing your critique.

1. What is the theme of the film? Do the plot, acting, and other elements in the film successfully impart the theme to the viewer?
   
   
2. Does the film make use of symbols or symbolism? What purpose do the symbols serve? Are they used effectively? How does the symbolism in the film contribute to or enhance the film’s overall theme?
   
   
3. Is the cinematography effective? Does the film make certain use of color, texture, lighting, etc. to enhance the theme, mood, setting?
   
   
4. Is the sound track effective? Is the music appropriate and functional, or is it inappropriate and obtrusive?
   
   
5. Are camera angles used effectively? Are they ever used for a particular effect?
   
   
6. Is the setting/locale appropriate and effective?
   
   
7. Are there special effects (and/or special effects makeup) in the film? If so, are they essential to the plot? Are they handled skillfully? Do they serve a necessary function, or does the film sacrifice plot or characterization for the effects themselves?
   
   
8. Is the film adapted from fiction or drama, or is it based on an original idea and screen play? If it is an adaptation, does it follow the original and neglect the cinematic opportunities of the story? Or does it sacrifice the original work for unnecessary cinematic devices? If the story is original, how fresh or innovative is it?
   
   
9. Are the characters believable? Are the actors appropriately cast?

Character analysis :         

For each significant character, list positive characteristics + reasons vs. negative characteristics + reasons

Character	Positive characteristics	Negative characteristics

Other tips

• Acquire cinematic concepts. Prepare for your critique by reviewing your readings for the week. Then, as you watch the film for the week, take note (mentally and literally) of what concepts from the readings are apparent in, or illustrated by, the film you have watched.
  
  
• Use concrete details. In all of your critiques, be sure to discuss specific moments, sounds, or lighting, or effects from the film, in order to support the conclusions you make about composition, style, or character, for instance.
  
  
• Make your comments, in all your work, more on the penetrating and probing side, rather than the superficial. Avoid saying the obvious and leaving it at that. Good pieces of art bear deep and thoughtful consideration: your ultimate goal is not just to connect the text to the film, but to do so in a meaningful way. That is, you haven't really made a point unless you use the ideas from the readings to critique the film -- make a judgment, draw a conclusion.
  
  
• Apply cinematic concepts. In your critique, make use of whatever concepts from the readings that are relevant to the film you are discussing. Use specific concepts from the readings -explain and illustrate why and how.
  
  
• Apply critical thinking. Remember: although you certainly are encouraged to express yourself freely, for a good grade you must do so within the context or structure of the concepts from the course. Be critical in your thinking - don’t just respond emotionally to the film. Complete your points. Make inferences. Draw conclusions. Make judgments. Don't just apply labels. Try to be thoughtful and incisive with your comments.
  
  
• Write responsibly. Make your comments clear, express yourself in standard English, and avoid profane or other offensive usage.