Film Interpretation Essay
Source Materials:
1. Article: "7 Rules for Writing Short Films"
2. Short Film: The Most Beautiful Thine"
3. Short Film: "Room for One More"
4. Short Film: 'Lava"
5. Movie Review: Variety Magazine's Review of Concussion
Background:
In the previous Units, you learned how to recognize key plot points and elements of Nonfiction articles and Poetry. You also delved into the world of the Fantastical Nonfiction, and used your resources and your writing voice to create and persuade. In this Unit 4 Film Interpretation Essay, you will scaffold further upon these concepts by interpreting a movie storyline and then writing both a creative and persuasive movie review.
Instructions:
- Read through all of the instructions prior to reading and viewing the resources.
- Read/watch all of the above resources.
- Select one of the three short films to review.
- Your audience for this review are people who have not seen the film.
- Your review will have the following components:
o A clear introduction of which film you are using as well as any production details (year, director, production company, length etc.)
o A thesis that states whether or not the movie is worth seeing and why. Be persuasive in your tone. Your units have ample resources on persuasive writing and thesis creation.
o An OVERALL summary of the movie. Please do not spend too much time on plot points. What subjects does it cover? Describe the plot and setting. What issues does it raise? What do you see as the main purpose of the film?
o What are the major themes of the film?
o Evaluate the film for quality and interest. Comment on the screenplay, acting, direction. Are any literary techniques such as symbolism, character development and foreshadowing used? Are they used well? Note: Use the Raindance article for guidance.
o Would a person be interested in this film? Why or why not?
o Being a review, you are choosing to persuade others that your opinion on these interpretations is correct.
o A conclusion that ties all of your persuasion together, emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses of the film.
Requirements
• Length and format: 2-3 pages.
• The title page and reference page are also required. but they should not be factored into the 2-3 page length of the essay.
• It should also be double spaced, written in Times New Roman, in 12 point font and with 1 inch margins. Essay should conform to APA formatting and citation style.
• Use the third-person, objective voice, avoiding personal pronouns such as "I,""you," "we" etc.
• Please use the above sources and any outside sources you need to create a properly-formatted APA reference page.
• Use APA format for in-text citations and references when using outside sources and textual evidence.
• Please be cautious about plagiarism. If you are going to use outside sources, be sure to either quote or paraphrase them, and to use both internal and reference page citations.