Blog- Writing About Film

In response to the blog post assignment "Writing about Film"

The five main forms of film writing highlighted in this piece are formal analysis, film history, ideological references, cultural cinema, and discussion of auteur. Formal analysis entails the decomposition of the film to emphasize the necessity of individual aspects to the main composition. Understanding the “story” behind a film is analyzed through film history. These analyzations can be based upon the history behind a film, if a historical fiction, or be about the production history of the film. Ideology papers can be created as well in order to highlight an opinion. These manipulative films provide interesting insight on the facility of influence through cinema. Next is cultural studies, who reflect the nations in which they are produced. Hollywood films match certain genres of the filmmaking. Interesting points are to be made when identifying and evaluating the differences in filmmaking, and how easily they make us reflect of cultural distinction. Finally, auteur discussion focuses on the vision and opinions of one person; the director. This allows for distinctions to be made at levels deeper that culture, being individual differences and mindsets about filmmaking.

Annotating a shot sequence relates to the possibility of assembling the equivalent of notes when writing a film analysis. These notes are the annotations of a shot sequence. By focusing solely on the composition of shots, it is possible to identify a director’s editing scheme and efficiently evaluate it. Patterns may emerge, allowing these shots to be used as a method of support to the opinions suggested in one’s paper. Camera manipulation may also be “singled out” for evaluation and critique, to match the director’s decisions for certain shot lengths, and to identify profound context behind a film.

Writing about film must not solely encompass the five strategies listed above. Details about the director’s preference for certain genres and themes may provide interesting insight on the film or the director him/herself. Often by simply focusing on the creators of the film and their intent at genre will be sufficient to create an interesting point of interest or insight on the film being critiqued.

The original document can be found here:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/humanities/film.shtml