1-Hour Writer

How to Analyze a Film

Borrowed heavily from Russell Johnson, Department of Theatre, Wright State University.

1. Assume that your reader is intelligent and has seen the film you are writing about.

2. Write in present tense. The film is a living work of art. Do not discuss the film, the plot, the characters, etc., in the past tense.

3. Avoid the slice-of-life approach. This presumes that the film is not a work of art, but is real life, and then discusses the characters as if they really existed. Often, this approach leads to one of the most common errors for people starting to write about film: because you presume the film is “real life,” you start criticizing components of the film as not being realistic. These kinds of comments are not relevant, generally, because films are works of art which don’t always function realistically.

4. Never merely summarize the plot. This is often the worst thing you can do. Beware of going on for several paragraphs or pages summarizing the plot, occasionally disguising the summary by throwing in a comment like “thus revealing an insight.” Remember that analysis is very different from plot synopsis, and if all you are doing is retelling the story, you are accomplishing virtually nothing.

5. Never ignore the images. Remember, don’t write your paper as if you were working from a plot summary or the novel on which the film may be based. The best kind of film analysis strikes a good balance between the literary components of the film and the visual components of the film -- showing how all the elements, in a unified way, function.

6. Avoid writing your own personal response or prejudice. In other words, don’t give a personal “movie review” or your opinion of the quality of the film. Remember to analyze the themes and images. When you analyze something, you are trying to explain how it works, what it means, and how and why it’s constructed the way it is. Do not use a newspaper or magazine review as your model for writing. The evaluative approach is not acceptable for an analytical paper. As such, you should be very wary of using words like “great,” “thrilling,” “interesting,” “boring,” etc.

7. Avoid the “Introduction/Conclusion” problem. This is when you take almost one whole page to tell me what your are going to do, write two pages, and then take one more page of conclusion to tell me what you did. In general, avoid these statements of purpose. For the most part, in a short analytical paper, all you need to do is do it. Get into and out of the argument and analysis as simply and directly as possible. You should, of course, use examples to support your ideas.

8. Avoid putting all the ideas you didn’t know what do with into one long, complicated paragraph.

9. Avoid the corollary to Rule #8: putting one idea in each paragraph, with each paragraph being only one or two sentences long and no real development of the idea.

10. Avoid sweeping generalizations, such as “A good movie must always …” There are always exceptions.

11. Avoid the “Everything but the Kitchen Sink” approach. This is when you mention every possible theme and image you can think of, but you develop none of them thoroughly. Remember to develop your argument and fine tune it. Always back up your ideas and contentions with specific examples for support.

Ways to Approach the Film Analysis

1. You can try to “unlock” the film, by providing its “key” – what is the film really about? How is the film organized visually? What are its themes? What was the director trying to say?

2. You can find a cultural theme or themes in the film and compare/contrast these cultural concepts to the concepts you are familiar with in the United States. Show how these themes are developed throughout the film.

3. You can take one specific subject and show the relevance of that subject to the film and the director’s sensibility (i.e., the use of color, camera movement, relationship to contemporary politics, treatment of women, and so forth).

GIVE ONLY A BRIEF (1 PARAGRAPH) SUMMARY OF THE READINGS AND FILMS .Then, analyze and react. Tell me how the readings and films are affecting your thinking. What ideas do these readings spark? How do these readings and films fit into the overall theme of the course? What comparisons can you make between the readings/films and your own experiences? What comparisons can you make between the readings and the films we view? What are some of the cultural values addressed in the readings and films?