Presentation/ Paper on Movie batman Returns

Presentation Guidelines

Each participant is responsible for giving one 15-minute presentation on one of the assigned screenings. Your presentation should be informed by research . You should first watch and listen to your film closely, then watch it again and take detailed notes on at least one important scene. Your notes on a scene should address cinematography, editing, elements of mise-en-scène, and sound. Basic questions to answer: What are the central themes of your selected film? What is the objective of this scene? What are the most expressive elements in your scene?

After you screen your film, read / watch / listen to interviews with the filmmaker, and look for interesting quotes you can share. See what you can learn about the making of the film (ideally you can find quotations from the filmmakers regarding their approach to filmmaking techniques and the practical aspects of making a movie, and pay close attention when they talk about themes, ideas, and social issues). Did your movie provoke debates among critics when it was released? You can find out by doing research. See if the film or filmmaker has been covered by (1) Film Comment, (2) Sight & Sound, (3) MUBI Notebook, (4) MovieMaker, (5) The Criterion Collection, (6) The New York Times, (6) Cineaste, (7) Lessons from the Screenplay, (8) Reverse Shot, (9) CinemaScope. These are course-approved sources for your presentation and you should investigate these sources to prepare. (Here’s how: Google the name of your film & filmmaker + the title of one of the course-approved sources. See what you can gather. Then continue with other sources. After searching these sources, you can then branch out to other sources — Google the name of your film/filmmaker + The New York Times, The New Yorker, Lessons from the Screenplay, Reverse Shot, CinemaScope, Cineaste, etc.) Strong presentations will incorporate findings from at least one of our course-approved sources or assigned readings. If you check these sources and cannot find helpful information, you may contact me up to a week prior to your presentation to get more specific counsel.

Your presentation must be accompanied by slides. Select your images carefully. Put effort and creativity into the visual presentation of your research. Plan on giving a short introduction to the filmmaker. Who are they? Where are they from? Where did they go to school and what did they study? How many films have they made? What are they known for? Then put the film into context. When was it made? What else was happening in the world that year, particularly in the country where the film was produced? Put your film into context. Is your film responding to what was happening in society in any way?

Your presentation must include one short clip (3-minute max) that you analyze. You should be an expert on this clip. Break it down for us. Show us how it is put together and tell us why the clip is important in the larger context of the film. Here is where you can get technical about filmmaking info. What kind of camera are they using? Are they shooting on film or digital? On set or location? What does the location or set design communicate? Are there props or costumes we should interpret? How many actors are in each shot? How does the camera relate to the actors? Does the camera move? What is the function of the camera movement? What sounds do we hear? Are they using offscreen sound? If so why? You basically want to go down a list like this so that you can take note of all the decisions that went into producing this short moment. What is this scene trying to accomplish? What information are we given?

Your presentation should conclude with a question. Don't bring your presentation to a full stop with "The End." Rather, use your final slide as an opportunity to bounce a question so that we can transition organically into a group discussion. What are you curious about in the film? What questions does this film raise for you as you watch and listen to it? Are the themes of the film debatable? Is there a stylistic element that you want us to talk about?

How you will be graded

You will be graded on a scale of 1–100. You can earn:

Up to 30 points for RESEARCH

• Incorporate your research into your presentation. Share relevant quotations from the filmmakers regarding their filmmaking techniques and thematic concerns. Give us a sense of how critics have responded to the film (check with the course-approved sources). Create a bibliography of your sources.

Up to 30 points for CLIP ANALYSIS

• Take extensive notes on your clip before you present. Isolate the important formal elements. Is there a significant use of sound? Does a camera movement play an important role? What are the key props? How does editing contribute to the scene? Is there an expressive use of color, or costume — or which elements are most expressive? Your goal here is to show us how this moment of the film is constructed. Finally, how does your clip relate to the larger themes of the film? What is the goal of this particular scene?

Up to 25 points for PROFESSIONALISM & CREATIVITY

• Arrive to class on time, ready to go. Have your clip downloaded as a file. If you need help making the clip, send me the time code at least a few days in advance and I will make the clip for you and upload it to the Google Classroom. The clip should be uploaded to Google Classroom before class begins on the day of your presentation.

Up to 15 points for QUESTIONS / HANDOUT / ACTIVITIES

• Engage us in conversation. Ask discussion questions — not yes or no questions but rather questions that get us talking about the significant aspects of your selected film. I recommend writing out 10 questions, so that you can ask one at any point in your presentation. Your presentation must conclude with a question that takes us into the specifics of the film.

Questions to consider as you research and prepare for your presentation:

What are you curious about in the movie you selected? Make a list of some of the topics that come to mind. Circle your favorite topics and start there. Follow your impulses. Create a folder on your computer and a bookmark folder on your internet browser and begin collecting materials related to your movie: thoughts, images, clips, articles, quotations — anything connected to your topic that seems helpful.

How does your selected film respond to the historical moment of its production? What was going on in the world that might inform the dramatic conflicts?

Does this film speak to the world we are living in today? Why or why not?

What does the title of the film mean in relation to the story? Is the title of the film significant? Is it open for interpretation? If so, can you offer an interpretation and support it with evidence from the film?

How do the first few minutes of the film present us with keys to unlock the rest of the film? How do the first few minutes of the film communicate thematic concerns and a stylistic approach?

What are the two most important scenes in the film? Take very careful notes on at least one of these scenes, so that you can discuss it in class. Show us how it works, and what it means.

How does the film end? Is the ending open to interpretation?

What aspects of the film do critics debate or write about? Can you make a short list of topics?