Part 1 |Set-Up | Introduction (1-3 paragraphs) Your introduction will have six small components: (story, plot, style/tone, formal elements/sequence, justification, thesis statement). In general, your introduction will provide an overview of the film and the main elements you will be analyzing in the rest of the paper. After reading the introduction, the reader should know exactly what film, cinematic elements, and specific movie moments will be discussed in your paper. Be sure you include the following in your introduction: 1. Story: Briefly describe the story being told. Be sure to include: the setting, the main characters, the amount of time covered in the film’s narrative, and the type of film (comedy, drama, fantasy, etc.). 2. Plot: Briefly describe the way the story is being told (the plot). You can follow the narrative arc covered in class or explain briefly how the film’s story is being presented (flashback, flashforward, over a weekend, a day, a lifetime, real-time, etc.). Example: The Celebration tells the story of a family celebration that takes a dark turn when family traumas are exposed over the course of a long weekend. 3. Style & Tone: Here, you will identify and describe the overall style and tone of your selected film. You will also describe the way your selected elements contribute to the overall style and storytelling mode of the film. Remember: the tone of the film refers to the overall feeling and the atmosphere of the narrative world and the style refers to the unique way that atmosphere is created. What is the visual style and tone of the overall film world? Is it a dark mysterious fantasy world? A stark realistic survivalist world? A heavily stylized playful and witty world? A lavishly-styled dramatic and tragically romantic world? 4. Formal Elements & Sequence: Next, you will identify the three formal elements you have chosen to analyze and pick a specific sequence from the film. Example: This analysis will explore how performance, editing, and cinematography operate in the An Unfortunate Fountain Misinterpretation from Atonement. 5. Justification: Provide a brief explanation for why you have chosen this film and these elements to analyze. Questions to think about are: Why are these elements and this sequence important to the film? How does it contribute to the larger film and its meanings? Example: Examining performance, editing, and cinematography in Atonement reveals how the film explores the consequences of witnessing and judgment. 6. Thesis Statement: Your larger thesis statement should be bolded at the end of your introductory paragraphs. This statement includes all the elements of your paper in one place and shows your interpretation of how the elements work together to create layers of meaning. This sentence will include: the film, selected formal elements, and your interpretation of the meanings (literal, inferred, and latent) you think they create in the film. Example: The formal elements in Atonement create a complexly layered narrative that explores the instability of individual assumptions and the power of prejudice and judgment. Part 2 | Analyze | Elements & Sequence Detail (3-4 pages) This is the main part of your paper. This is where you will bring in lots of detail and examples from the film to show that you understand how formal elements work to create meaning. You want to do deep dive into your three elements and how they can work together to create specific and symbolic meanings. You are basically taking time to explain how you came to your interpretation of the film. 1. Set Up Your Sequence: Here, you will provide the basic details about your selected sequence. This setup can be brief (no more than two paragraphs) as you will have more room to discuss details in the next section. Briefly describe the sequence you will be analyzing. Where does it take place in the film? What occurs in the sequence? How does it compare to the rest of the film? 2. Analyze your Element & Sequences: Here you will analyze the elements in your selected sequence. Remember, you are picking three elements (mise-en-scene, sound, performance, editing, cinematography) to analyze in one sequence. In this section, you are providing lots of detail about how these elements operate in the film sequence. You want to include as much detail as you can here. Try to write your analysis so that the reader can see and hear your sequence as they read about it. Also, be sure you address if the elements in the sequence are unique to the film (that is, they stand out and are different from what you see in the rest of the film) or if they are consistent with the rest of the film (that is, they blend in with and are similar to the overall film style). Find your selected formal elements on the Formal Elements page. In this section, you will use the guiding questions and prompts on that page to explore how your selected elements function together to create meaning in the sequence you selected. Part 3 | Interpret | Meaning Here you will analyze how you think the elements function in the sequence to create meaning on three levels: Literal, Inferred, and Latent. 1. Literal meaning (plot or story meaning) Here you will interpret and summarize the literal meanings in your selected sequences. This level of meaning explores the plot and story meanings. Here, you will be summarizing the basic interpretation of what you see on the screen, how it is presented, and what it means to the story and the themes presented. Highlight specific moments in your sequence analyses and discuss how they create ideas, set moods, and advance the plot. For example: In Pans Labyrinth, Ofelia undergoes her final test in the Labyrinth, which begins with a sense of danger through music, mise-en-scene, and cinematography. However, this mood intensifies as she defies the Fauns rules, wakes a horrific monster, narrowly escapes, and loses her chance to return to the Labyrinth and escape the Captain. This foreshadows the final showdown between Ofelia and the Captain. 2. Inferred meaning (symbolic or metaphorical meaning) This level of meaning explores the characters and story elements as broader metaphors or symbols. Think about what bigger ideas the elements are communicating such as innocence, corruption, humanity, disobedience, judgment, etc. What might sounds, colors, characters, props, or images mean beyond their literal meaning in the film? For example: In Pans Labyrinth, Ofelia, as a young girl, represents both innocence and defiance. She is both a victim of the control of the Captain and the Faun, while she actively disobeys and resists them. Her innocent hunger, curiosity, and desire attract her to the forbidden fruits of the pale mans bounty. The grapes she eats represent indulgence, freedom, and humanity. Her refusal to follow the rules represents the bravery of her defiance and unleashes the consequences of resisting power in the form of a terrifying monster. 3. Latent meaning (social or cultural meaning) This level of meaning explores larger social meanings and cultural values. One way to think about latent meaning is to think about why the film was made in society at the time? What might the film be commenting on in culture and society? For example: In Pans Labyrinth, Ofelia embodies the values of political resistance (humanity, vulnerability, courage) and reveals the consequences of challenging authority, the horrors of war and fascism, and the importance of collective action against injustice and totalitarian control. Part 4 |Summarize | Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs) After you have written the majority of your paper, now is a good time to go back to your introduction and make sure that it sets up everything you discussed and explored. You should expect to re-write your introduction after you have finished drafting the paper because there are often minor and major changes that happen along the way. Once the introduction is solid and sets up all the areas of your paper, you should turn to your conclusion. Your concluding paragraph(s) should summarize everything you have explored in the paper. You want to briefly give the reader an overview of how the films relate to each other, how the formal elements operate, and your conclusions about the films. You can also suggest where other film analysts could continue to explore these issues and how they help students of film studies understand film analysis more fully. A well-written conclusion is a powerful way to close out your paper. Don’t gloss over it! You can think of it as a plane landing – after you’ve taken the reader on this wonderful journey and flight, you don’t want to make a crash-landing!! Be sure to take the reader down smoothly and confidently. 🙂 Part 5 | Identify & Describe | Shot-by-Shot Breakdown Both options will require you to complete a shot-by-shot breakdown from a film you have analyzed. The shot-by-shot breakdown will ask you to capture all the shots and transitions that make up a scene. You need to include a minimum of 20 shots in your shot-by-shot breakdown. You will want to use a scene from a sequence you analyzed in your paper. Because a shot-by-shot breakdown is very comprehensive and time-consuming you will focus on a shorter scene rather than the entire sequence you wrote about. If you need a reminder of what a scene is compared to a sequence, consult the Scene vs Sequence vs Act Page. Remember, your shot-by-shot breakdown is NOT included in the 6-8 page requirement. This means your final submission will have an additional 2-3 pages of your shot-by-shot breakdown included. link to filmShow more
