Format: 1-2 pages, double-spaced.
Submission Method: Once you have written and revised your film review, save it as either .doc or .pdf, then submit.
Point Value: Up to 25 points. You will only be able to view your grade by returning to your submission. Canvas doesn’t handle extra credit well, so this assignment will appear has having 0 value in under Grades. Rest assured that I *will* apply any points earned to your final grade in my spreadsheet outside of Canvas.
Assignment:
This is an OPTIONAL writing assignment. If you choose to complete it, you can earn up to 25pts. Using the guidelines below (adapted from Garbis and Adams), write a review of any film that you did not watch for this class. The movie can be foreign, old, or new, a classic, or a B moviethe film choice is up to you. Be sure to revise for grammar, correctness, and overall presentation. I recommend reading reviews by Manohla Dargis and/or A.O. Scott (both write for the NY Times).
Film Review Guidelines
Paragraph 1: Offer your overall impression of the film while mentioning the movie’s title, director, and key actors.
Paragraph 2: Briefly summarize the plot of the film.
Paragraphs 3 & 4: Assess the film’s success in achieving its goal. This is where you should incorporate technical qualities such as those we’ve learned this semester: narrative, mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound, and genre. There’s usually a stand-out technique or two that are integral to the delivery of the film’s themes/topics. Write about the use of techniques in that regard; do not “name drop” techniques for the purpose of showing me what you know. It’s more important that you integrate your knowledge into your review in a logical way. Read a few film reviews to see how the pros do it.
Paragraph 5: Ending paragraph–your last opportunity to guide the reader. Offer a clincher that tells the reader to view the film or not. It is your job to make an assessment of the film when youre a critic embrace it!
Revise revise revise! Even though this is extra credit, you must turn in a polished piece of intelligent writing in order to earn full credit.
The above has been adapted from Guidelines by M. Garbis and C. Adams, Baltimore, 2001
