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For this assignment, you will write a 6-7 page analysis of a single film, demonstrating your mastery of the critical skills and terminology you are learning in this course. Your analysis should extend the skills used for analyzing our class films in your journals, but now you'll combine all of our learned techniques to analyze one film.
The paper is due at the beginning of class a few weeks from now; before then you will participate in our in-class writing workshops to help shape your paper thesis and revisions. Unless you earn an A or an A+ on your paper, your final paper revisions--incorporating my comments and those of your workshop partner(s)--are due a couple of weeks later (see schedule for dates). A breakdown of grading for these individual assignments may be found on the Assignments page.
For examples of how to write film analyses, examine the sample analyses in your textbooks: Film Art and A Short Guide to Writing About Film. See my Comments Guide for a key to understanding my comments on your papers and for suggestions on how to write your very best work.
Plagiarism Warning: Use no other guides than these, your film, and your own ingenuity to write this paper. Your borrowing from other critics will not fulfill the goal of this assignment, which is to demonstrate your fluency with our film terms and concepts. Do not consult works of criticism (books, magazines, reviews, etc.), Internet resources, term paper files, or DVD commentaries regarding your film. Even if you correctly cite them, you will be under suspicion of plagiarism.
Also, note that this is NOT a group assignment; you must work ALONE while studying and writing your thesis, outline, and paper. No collaboration outside of the writing workshops is permitted; if you do collaborate outside of the assigned workshops and perhaps just watching the film together, you risk plagiarism, failure on the assignment, and/or failure of the course. (So don’t do that.)
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Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010, US; 108 min.) available on overnight DVD reserve in the library and DVD on Netflix+
Workshop Partners: |
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Eve's Bayou (Kasi Lemmons, 1997, US; 109 min.) available on overnight DVD reserve in the library and DVD on Netflix+ Workshop Partners: Kevin and Erin |
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Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008, Sweden; 114 min.) available via Instant Play and DVD on Netflix Workshop Partners: Melissa, Mason, Nicole, |
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Oldboy (Chan-wook Park, 2003, Korea; 120 min.) available on overnight DVD reserve in the library and via Instant Play and DVD on Netflix Workshop Partners: |
I recommend that you watch more than one of these films--not only because they're all great films, but also to give you the most options when you choose your paper topic. For your study, you will find a copy of each film on overnight reserve in the Library under our course number (CMS 4310/Bonner) or streaming online through Netflix , though you may wish to rent and/or purchase the DVD on your own as well. You should not need to watch the film you analyze more than 4 or 5 times. You should begin watching the DVD this week; if you would like to arrange a big-screen screening to more intensively study the film(s), let me know as soon as possible.
1) Form and Meaning
a) Take notes on major
parallels and motifs. What outstanding motifs and parallels emerge
for the film's plot, settings, characters, etc.? What parallel traits do the characters
share? How are they contrasted? How does the film encourage us to feel about and understand them?
b) Having noted these, you should come to your interpretation of the film's
subject, paying attention to its
explicit, implicit, and symptomatic meanings. Your entire paper will
revolve around your implicit meaning/thesis, so really spend some time thinking through
what you think the film is trying to say--the film's message. Then formulate
your ideas about this message into a clear thesis: your interpretation of the
film condensed into one sentence that argues a definite opinion about the film.
Note that to say the film is "about" something is not enough for your thesis;
that's the starting point. Then you must take that noun that you think the film
is "about" and argue a point or opinion about it. All of your examples from the
film in the rest of the paper will then work to illustrate and prove your
thesis. For help formulating a solid thesis, see
What is a thesis?
and Dartmouth College's
Developing Your Thesis; and for general advice for academic writing, see the
Dartmouth College
Writing Guidelines.
c) Here’s a tip for honing your thesis statement into a clear, concisely stated implicit meaning for the film: think in terms of fortune cookie language for this sentence. So, for example, you wouldn’t find something like “Love is important” in a fortune cookie; it’s too vague and bland. But you might find something like “Only through love can we find happiness.” While a bit clichéd, this statement clearly makes its point and thus become easy to illustrate with examples from your film.
2) Narrative and Narration
a) Characterize the overall range and depth of
narration as the film progresses, noting whether the film's narration employs generally restricted or omniscient
range, objective or subjective depth. Be sure to say why these choices are
significant for your implicit meaning. Also, be sure to note when exceptions to the prevailing modes of narration occur and why they're significant.
b) For your benefit only, segment the film into sections. What are the major unified blocks of action in each film? (Fade-outs and fade-ins will typically punctuate each block of action, though films sometimes use other transitional edits such as cuts, wipes, or dissolves here.) What events transpire in each block, and what new information do we obtain about each character? What kinds of manipulations do you find in the relations between
plot and story?
Note: The information from this segmentation is to help you only; it should not figure prominently in your written analysis. As always, be careful to avoid plot summary in your paper.
3) Film Techniques
Choose at least three film techniques from mise-en-scène, camerawork, editing, and
sound that best exemplify your paper's thesis.
a) Assume that the film you analyze is aesthetically unified and coherent. That is, assume that all the individual elements in the film are there for a reason & that they logically contribute both to the structures and to the implicit meaning you find in the film.
b) Note in detail how the filmmakers' technical choices express & support your implicit meaning.
Every example should clearly illustrate your implicit meaning; if it doesn't,
then cut it.
This is a more formal paper than your film-response journal entries. You should clearly organize and write your paper within your
6-7 page limit, following these guidelines:
1) Introduction. State a thesis that offers your interpretation of the film's implicit meaning
and **briefly** assert how the film's formal and stylistic components contribute to and shape that meaning. Be very clear about your argument/thesis and how you will support it. Your paper's
title should reflect your theme; feel free to be clever or witty with your title.
2) The Body of the Paper. Discuss the film's meaning, character
parallels/motifs, narration, and techniques
categorically in order to best convey your interpretations. That is, discuss parallels among the protagonists & motifs in terms of your implicit meaning, then analyze details of narration,
then analyze the details of mise-en-scène, camerawork, editing, and/or sound to back up your points. For each
of these technical categories:
a) explain the general patterns/motifs over the entire film
b) describe 2-3 scenes or shots that serve as important
examples of that technique
c) describe any significant deviations from the technique's general pattern
**Always be sure that your examples clearly support your implicit meaning/thesis
in each section.
Cautions and requirements for this section of your paper:
a) Avoid trying to discuss the film chronologically. An achronological,
categorical, thematic organization will allow you to be more concise and to resist the temptation to simply provide a plot summary. Again,
NO PLOT SUMMARY is necessary for this assignment. Get right to your analysis and your interpretation of the film, referring to plot elements only to illustrate and/or situate your examples within the film.
b) Your primary task in this assignment is to demonstrate your sensitivity to visual and aural techniques as they relate to the film's overall form and meaning.
You must demonstrate your mastery of the material by thoroughly employing the
terms we've learned.
c) Do not catalogue all of the techniques and features you noted as you watched the film.
Discuss ONLY those techniques that are outstanding and contribute significantly to the meaning of the film. For example, if you find that the lighting in the film has no particular logic or pattern which makes it support your interpretation, do not discuss it in your paper.
d) Edit all sections of your paper to relatively equal lengths. Don't spend 3 pages on motifs & parallels, leaving room for only one paragraph each on the techniques. Shoot for
balance among the sections of your paper.
3) Conclusion. Use your final paragraph(s)
to bring to a close your analysis of the film's outstanding stylistic systems.
However, do not simply repeat your introduction. Rather, restate your thesis in
a conclusive (as opposed to introductory) manner and discuss its broader
implications--including the
symptomatic meaning(s) you find to be significant--while
**briefly** summarizing the evidence you have marshaled in support of your arguments.
For this concluding symptomatic meaning, go bigger than the implicit meaning.
The symptomatic meaning should address the ideologies and
social values that the film conveys to us. This is much deeper than the
implicit level of “Only through love can we find happiness”; instead, the
symptomatic level might address, for example, how the film valorizes
heterosexual love to the exclusion of homosexuality, which is a **symptom** of
hetero-normative ideologies. Think in terms of race, class, gender, sexuality,
nationality, postcolonialism, etc. in relation to your film; what is the film
subconsciously teaching us about one, two, or more of these? Or think about why
the film was made when it was; what social issues does the film respond to, even
if it’s not explicitly or implicitly addressed by the film? For example, is it a
war film that surreptitiously supports a more recent or
current war? What does the film betray about its social context?
In short, your paper will follow this outline within the 6-7 page limit:
A) Introduction (implicit meaning)
B) Parallels & Motifs
C) Narration (range & depth)
D) Film technique 1 (one of M/C/E/S)
E) Film technique 2 (one of M/C/E/S)
F) Film technique 3 (one of M/C/E/S)
G) Conclusion (symptomatic meaning)
* Get to work on this assignment as soon as you can. Watching a film 4-5 times at the last minute will
not yield as productive a film analysis nor, consequently, as high a grade.
* Draft an outline of your paper within the week that you first watch the film. It should include your interpretation of the film's implicit meaning(s), the outstanding techniques you plan to emphasize, and the specific examples you will use to advance your argument. Don't worry about precision now; you can amend as you go.
* You are responsible for knowing and correctly phrasing the cast and crew names. For example: "Lisa (Grace Kelly) and Jeff (James Stewart) investigate..." These include the characters' names, the actors who play them, and the major creative talents involved in the film. This information is available in the credits of the film, at
www.imdb.com (use ONLY for cast & crew names
and NO other research about the film), in my online comments
guide, and in your textbooks: FA and SGWF.
* Submit this assignment on paper only, but
email the final version of your paper as a Word
attachment as well (not a substitute for turning in your paper copy). Be sure to
number all pages, and to follow the course policies for format (12-point font, 1" margin, double-spaced, stapled,
extra credit for double-sided papers, etc.). Do not artificially shrink your paper length via font size, margins, etc.;
you will lose points for page overages if you do.
* Write in active voice. Avoid passive voice and awkward constructions such as "we see," "we get," "this is done to show,"
"this motif is seen throughout the entire film," etc. by
using
those terms! You must demonstrate your comprehension of and fluency with our terminology. For suggestions and correct phrasing, be sure to re-read both guides to writing about film
and the
online comments guide.
* I strongly encourage you to take a rough draft of your paper to The Center
for Academic Assistance in the Library or The Writer's Studio in A&S, particularly if your journal entries frequently earned comments of "PV," "AWK," or other grammatical and organizational errors. The
CAA/Writer's Studio will help you write a more coherent, clear, and concise essay--really.
* A first draft or a detailed outline + the thesis paragraph of your paper is
due in a couple of weeks (see the schedule for date). If you would like to discuss your draft in person after you
have read through my returned comments, please feel free to make an appointment
with me for office hours.
*Abbreviations: it's a good idea to use terms abbreviations like CU, POV, etc. throughout; even on the first mention these are okay. They will save you space and they're professionally recognized, standard abbreviations. But there shouldn't be much abbreviation beyond that. (Don't say "mise" for mise-en-scene, for example.) After first mention of names (character or director/personnel), you should truncate the name a bit from there, but be sure to be consistent about your abbreviation. For example, Charles Foster Kane should be truncated to Kane, but don't call him Kane in one place, then Charles in another later. Keep it consistent. The last name is usually appropriate, so use Welles, not Orson. But in some cases the first name would be more correct (Charlie, for example, if it is important to refer to Kane when he is a child). Don't use the characters' initials to abbreviate in a formal paper, though. Shorter film titles like Citizen Kane should be spelled out in full; use your best judgment here. But you can abbreviate longer films titles after the first mention. You could just say Mood, for example, but only after your first full mention spelling out In the Mood for Love. Keep this consistent throughout the paper too.
*Definitions of Terms: defining ideology (or anything else) would take up space that you need for your analysis of the film. No terms should be defined in your paper; you should just use them fluently and confidently in the course of your analysis.
*Quotations: Beginning with an epigraph quote from the film works only if it illustrates your implicit meaning/thesis. If you can quote briefly to argue your implicit meaning, that’s fine. Be careful not to quote too much or at length throughout the paper, though. Use quotes sparingly but effectively as evidence from the film to support your implicit meaning; this paper is too short for heavy quotation.
*Subheadings: there should be no sub-headings in your paper. While they can be useful in much longer papers, this paper is too short for them. Shift from one section to the next via smoothly written transitions, not subheadings.
