Critical analysis of a film

Beginning&a&Critical&Analysis&of&a&Film!!First,!watch!the!movie!and!"take!it!in"!before!trying!to!get!too!specific!with!the!analysis.!!Then,!decide!on!the!theme!of!the!film.!To!determine!the!theme,!ask!yourself!some!of!the!following!questions:!!*"What"is"the"director"trying"to"say"with"this"film?"*"What"is"the""true"subject""of"the"film?"*"What"kind"of"statement"does"the"film"make?"!Once!you!have!decided!on!the!theme,!you!can!begin!looking!at!how!the!different!parts!create/enhance!the!whole!film.!Ask!yourself,!how"do"all"the"separate"elements"of"the"film"relate"to"and"contribute"to"the"theme/central"purpose/total"effect?"!"The!answer!to!that!question!will!be!your!thesis.!!Look!at!all!aspects!of!the!film!that!might!contribute!to!the!theme.!Consider,!among!others,!the!following:!!*!The!story!!*!The!structure!of!the!plot!(what!happens!when,!and!why)!*!Symbolism!!*!Characterization!*!Setting!!*!Title!*!dialogue!!*!Sound!effects!*!Music/Score!!*!Acting!*!Overall!style!!*!Cinematography!!Look!for!connections.!If!you!can!see!a!clear!relationship!between!the!different!elements,!you’re!on!the!right!track.!If!everything!seems!disjointed,!it!may!be!time!to!reassess!your!analysis!and!look!at!the!theme!again.!!Some"tips:!1.!!Select!a!movie!that!you!feel!you!can!watch!a!number!of!times!2.!!Plan!on!watching!the!movie!at!least!twice,!and!some!sections!a!number!of!times.!3.!!It!helps!to!select!a!movie!that!has!a!published!script.!4.!!Be!specific–don’t!rely!on!"that!part!where..."!5.!!You!can!assume!the!reader!has!seen!the!movie.!!A!critical!analysis!is!different!from!a!theory!paper!in!that!a!theory!paper!uses!outside!research!to!explain!the!topic.!With!a!critical!analysis,!you!are!relying!on!your!deduction!and!analysis.!Often,!outside!research!is!not!required.!At!other!times!(like!your!upcoming!paper),!you!will!find! research!to!back!up!the!points!you!have!discovered.!Mainly,!though,!your!"source"!will!be!the!movie!itself,!and!the!script.!!OTHER!KINDS!OF!CRITICAL!ANALYSIS!(which!will!be!explained!in!class):!!*&Single&Aspect&*&“Genre&Fit”&&&&PAPER&REQUIREMENTS&&Your!final!paper!of!the!quarter!will!be!a!Critical!Analysis.!!You!will!select!a!movie!and!create!an!academic,!critical!analysis!of!it.!!While!most!writers!will!create!“overall”!analyses,!you!are!also!free!to!write!a!single!aspect!or!genre`fit!analysis.!!That,!and!the!movie,!is!entirely!up!to!you.!!You!are!not!being!graded!on!the!movie!selected,!or!the!type!of!analysis``instead,!I!will!be!looking!for!your!ability!to!write!an!effective!analysis,!in!academic!tone,!following!the!“tips!for!writing”!throughout.!!Technical&requirements:&*!!5`7!pages,!typed,!MLA!format!for!layout,!etc.!*!!Needs!to!reference!specific!elements/moments/lines/choices!in!the!film.!*!!Free!of!typos/surface!issues.!*!!Fulfill!the!goals!of!an!analysis!(as!discussed!in!class)!!Important&Due&Dates:&&Thursday,&3/2:&&Come!to!class!knowing!which!movie!you!will!use,!having!watched!it!within!the!past!two!days,!and!knowing!what!kind!of!analysis!you!will!write.!Tuesday,&3/7:&&Bring!two!copies!of!a!rough!draft!to!class!for!workshop.!Thursday,&3/9:&&Final!draft!due!(uploaded!to!GauchoSpace);!in!class,!we!will!introduce!the!final!(group)!project!for!the!last!week!of!class.!!As#always,#please#email/see#me#with#any#questions#at#all…#