Essay #3: Film Analysis and Argumentative Writing
12/2 Draft Due 12/8 Final Essay Due
Assignment: Write an analysis of specific scenes in a film or films (at least one scene, no more than three) applying the concepts and terms of one chapter from Understanding Film Theory. The chosen scene(s) must be viewable by the professor via the internet or DVD you provide. You can relate the scene you choose to the rest of the film, but the analysis must focus on the specific scene(s).
If you choose more than one film, there should be a clear connection between the scenes to explain their relationship and why they were chosen together (all are by the same director, or they were produced in the same time period, etc.). If you choose to write on multiple scenes, you should clearly compare and contrast them to each other; avoid structuring the essay as three separate mini essays randomly attached together to form one larger essay.
Your analysis should answer the following question: How does this scene adhere to or subvert stereotypes of gender, race, or sexuality? Introduce, define, and apply at least three key concepts from Understanding Film Theory to develop and support your thesis.
Length & Format: 5 to 7 pages plus a bibliography; Times New Roman 12 point font, 1" margins, double-spaced; last name and page number on each page
Assignment Objectives
choosing a central idea and selecting the texts that will be relevant to the development of that idea
summarizing (briefly) selected texts (including the film) and recognizing their structures, main arguments, and forms and uses of evidence
forming a debatable central claim and sustaining and developing that claim throughout the paper
selecting the aspects of each text, including evidence, that are most relevant to the central claim
tracing and...