Film Analysis
The essay should be between 3-5 pages double-spaced pages; it must state and argue a thesis by conducting an analysis of the film in question; it should engage with at least one other substantial review of that film, that you identify, quote, and cite; and, it should use at least three of the technical terms that we have learned this semester. You can use parenthetical citations for this assignment, but please make sure to provide a full citation for the source that you use.
Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, and other blogs are not considered sources for the purposes of this assignment; you must identify one substantial film review or essay in a major publication.
As you plan your essay, you should keep in mind the advice of your senior colleague, a film critic at the magazine, Gen-X Digest: “It is too easy—boring even!—to dwell solely upon the film’s narrative structure. Outstanding film criticism always analyzes the film’s formal elements —that is, things like camera movement, montage, and different shot types—in order to explain how the combination of these elements produce meaning in the film and responses/emotions in the viewers.” The essay should do much more than simply state a judgment about the film; it should develop an argument, in tandem with at least one other source, that explains how the film generates meaning and produces emotions.
You are greatly excited about your first assignment, and can’t wait to dive in. But just as you are about the head out of the office, your editor reminds you: “There are no funds to copy edit your essay, so I need you to make sure that your essay is perfect when you turn it in. Make sure there are no grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or other such problems. We want to go to press with this right away on May 11th, so please read through your essay several times in order to ensure that you catch any infelicitous phrases or awkward sentence constructions. Your essay will be assessed not only for its ability to conduct an analysis of the film you select, but for grammar, style, and clarity.” “Also,” your editor hastens to add, “be sure not to commit any academic dishonesty; that will not be tolerated and will result in a failing grade.”
Your colleague at Gen-X Digest kindly reminds you: “Be sure to produce 3-5 high-quality double-spaced pages, with a normal (12pt) font size, and standard (1inch) margins. Don’t try to pull any funny stuff; this editor has seen it all. Relax. You’ll be fine, and if you should have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at: tanke@hawaii.edu"