Chapter 12: WRITING A FILM ESSAY - Observations, Arguments, Research, and Analysis

critical objectivity

writing with a detached response that offers judgments based on facts and evidence with which others would, or could, agree

film review

a short essay that describes the plot of a movie, provides useful background information (about the actors and the director, for example), and pronounces a clear evaluation of the film to guide its readers

analytical essay

an essay that focuses on a particular feature or theme of a film, provides an interpretation of that material, and then gives a careful analysis to prove or demonstrate that interpretation

character analysis

a formal topic that focuses its argument on a single character or on the interactions between two or more characters

narrative analysis

a formal topic that concentrates on the story and its construction

stylistic analysis

a formal topic focuses on form (such as shot composition, editing, and the use of sound)

comparative analysis

a contextual topic that evaluates features or elements of two or more different films or perhaps a film and its literary source

cultural analysis

a contextual topic that interprets the relationship of a film to its place in history, society, or culture

evidence

concrete details that convince readers of the validity of a writer’s interpretation

thesis statement

a short statement (often a single sentence) that succinctly describes and anticipates each state of an essay’s argument

topic sentence

a sentence (usually the first in a paragraph) that announces the central idea to which all other sentences within the paragraph are related

primary research sources

sources that have a direct relationship with the original film (including original sources in formats such as 16mm films, videotapes, DVDs, and film scripts; documents from the time of the film’s production; and new research data)

secondary research sources

sources that contain ideas or information from outside sources such as film critics or scholars (including books, critical articles, websites, supplementary DVD materials, and newspaper reviews)

works cited

full documentation for every source cited in an essay that is included in the section positioned on a separate page immediately after the last page of the essay text

works consulted

sources that have been viewed but not cited in the text or notes of the essay are included in this optional section, which follows on a separate page after the Works Cited list