Watch Beau Travail and write:
Decide on a specific element you would like to examine and discuss in your paper.
This could be a particular cinematic elements such as music, editing, cinematography or the content and themes of the film or the characterizations depicted in the film, or the structure and form of the
film. You can choose to combine two ideas. For example, you might write about the ways in which
editing expresses the theme of the ways in which sound supports characterization. You might write
about how the theme or message a filmmaker wishes to convey may create the form of the film. Ask yourself questions about a film to generate ideas for the paper.
Do focus on a particular and relatively narrow topic suitable to the length of your paper
(3 to 4 pages). Have a thesis – a one-sentence summation of what your paper is about –
clearly in mind before beginning to write. Make sure the paper has a function: argue with
a critical position, make a statement and prove it.
2. Do use specific examples from the films to illustrate your points. Be precise and accurate
in describing your example. General assertions such as the acting was awful, the
cinematography was breathtaking, or the editing was monotonous have no validity
without support by examples from the film.
3. Do try to be imaginative in relation to your material. This means your views, your intuition
and your insights are valuable.
4. Do check your paper carefully for typos, errors in grammar, etc. before turning it in.
Proofread it a day after your write it and you may spot inconsistencies in logic or any
other problems not apparent in the moment of writing. Sometimes reading the paper
aloud is a helpful way to detect errors.
