Short Guide to Writing About Film

For courses in Film Criticism, Film History, Writing for Film, or Film Appreciation. A succinct guide to thinking critically and writing precisely about film Both an introduction to film study and a practical writing guide, this brief text introduces students to major film theories as well as film terminology, enabling them to write more thoughtfully and critically. With numerous student and professional examples, this engaging and practical guide progresses from taking notes and writing first drafts to creating polished essays and comprehensive research projects. Moving from movie reviews to theoretical and critical essays, the text demonstrates how an analysis of a film can become more subtle and rigorous as part of a compositional process.Preface 1. Writing about the Movies Why Write about the Movies? Your Audience and the Aims of Film Criticism The Screening Report The Movie Review The Theoretical Essay The Critical Essay Opinion and Evaluation Exercises 2. Beginning to Think, Preparing to Watch, and Starting to Write Subject Matter and Meaning Silent Dialogue: Talking Back to the Movies Taking Notes Visual Memory and Reflection Exercises 3. Film Terms and Topics for Film Analysis and Writing Themes Film and the Other Arts Narrative Characters Point of View Comparative Essays Mise-en-Scene and Realism Realism Elements of Mise-en-Scene Composition and the Image The Shot The Edited Image Sound Sample Essay Exercises 4. Six Approaches to Writing about Film Film History National Cinemas Genres Auteurs Kinds of Formalism Ideology Sample Essays Exercises 5. Style and Structure in Writing The Right Words Concrete Language Denotation and Connotation Tone Repetitions and Cliches Effective Sentences Economy Varied Sentence Structures Coherent Paragraphs Introductory Paragraphs Concluding Paragraphs Revisions and Proofreading Checklist for Writing an Effective Essay Exercises 6. Researching the Movies How to Begin Research The Materials of Research Primary Sources Video, DVDs, and Digital Downloads Scripts Secondary Sources: Books, Indexes, Journals, and Electronic Sources Film Research on the Internet Taking Notes on Secondary Sources Writing the Paper Sample Essays Exercises 7. Manuscript Form Manuscript Copy Last-Minute Corrections Quotations Acknowledging Sources Common Knowledge Documenting Sources Notes for Documentation Works Cited Notes Supplying Additional Commentary Common Conventions of Usage Names Titles Foreign Words and Quotation Marks Sexist Language Spelling Last Words Appendix: Symbols Commonly Used In Marking Papers Glossary of Film Terms Works Cited Credits Index