FILM: For Instructors: Sample Assignment Ideas

Sample Assignment Ideas

Edward T. Jones of York College of Pennsylvania requires the students in his Introduction to Film course to write an analysis essay that examines one film in depth:

A Project on Individual Films

The purpose of this exercise is to give you the opportunity to write a substantial analysis of a film of your own choosing and present highlights orally, together with some examples, to the class.

You should read fairly widely in the contemporary movie reviews to determine how the film was originally received upon its release and then follow up on what its reputation has been in the years since. If you are using a classic film, examine the historical and critical record as much as you can. What place has this particular film assumed in the careers of its participants -- director, screenwriter, actors, designers, cinematographer, and the like? If this film is considered an important cultural artifact, explain on what basis.

What are some notable techniques used in this film? How do they relate to content? Does the film focus primarily on plot, character, ideas, style, or texture? Is the editing smooth, natural, and unobtrusive, or is it tricky and self-conscious? How much does the film communicate through creative juxtapositions (ironic transitions, montage, compelling use of mise en scene, etc.)? What effect does the position and movement of the camera have on our view of the action and characters? Is the camera more subjective or more objective in telling the story? In what sequences were you aware that the director was employing visual techniques to comment on or to interpret the action, forcing you to see in a special way? Is the director's vision primarily realist or expressionistic? How are the special capabilities of film (the visual frame, the sound track, and the musical score) employed? If the film uses symbolism, explore its use and success. What is the film's "level of ambition?" How successfully has it achieved that level? Is the film possibly better than its apparent level of ambition might at first suggest? How worthwhile or significant is the statement made by the film and how powerfully is it stated? Through what means?

I appreciate your effort to provide a cultural context for your particular film. If it is principally a genre picture, how has it modified the received conventions of that genre? How does the film reflect the values, attitudes, or preoccupations of its particular time? Here critics and film scholars can be useful. If you can, suggest what might be concealed behind what is revealed in your film. Don't overlook what the film is about in looking for techniques of presentation. Certainly attention deserves to be paid to subject matter, narrative force, character development, setting, and themes.

Your completed essay should include internal citations and a list of works cited in MLA format. You may also want to include informational notes at the end of your essay if you find additional comments helpful. Your oral presentation should be as lively and relevant as you can make it.

Keep in mind the advice of Andre Bazin, a noted French film interpreter: ". . . as good a way as any towards understanding what a film is trying to say to us is to know how it is saying it."