Considering that this is the final writing assignment, you will want to review all previous class materials, including all chapters read and discussion board responses. You are encouraged to incorporate writing from your Week 2 and Week 3 assignments only after you have reflected on your instructor’s feedback and revised the relevant parts of the essays accordingly. Refer back to the outline template in the Week 4 Learning Activity. However, you must also consider the broader requirements and context of this assignment when integrating previous work; you cannot simply cut and paste material in but may use it as a building block to make a new comprehensive whole.
Throughout this course, you have written essays and participated in discussion forums in an effort to analyze various elements of film, using different theoretical lenses. This Final Film Analysis is your opportunity to combine those elements into a comprehensive analysis of one movie.
Your paper should be organized around a thesis statement that clarifies what you will attempt to accomplish in your paper, and how you will proceed. Review the Final Film Critique sample, which provides an example of a well-developed analysis as well as insight on composition.
In your paper,
Identify your selected film, including writer, director, year of release, and genre.
Briefly summarize the film in which you apply your knowledge of the difference between the film’s story and its plot.
Describe one of the broad theories you have learned about in class (auteur theory, genre theory, formalist theory) and analyze your selected film through that lens.
Evaluate the use of three specific techniques and design elements employed in the film as they contribute to the overarching narrative and theme of the film. This can include elements of mise-en-scène (e.g., lighting, sound, composition of frame, costuming, etc.) and editing (e.g., cuts and transitions, shots used, angles, etc.).