Transcript Film Analysis & Criticism

An Introduction to Writing about Film
Why write about film?
We all already practice film criticism verbally whenever we see a movie that
interests us: we ask friends what they thought of the film and tell them what
we think. Film buffs/geeks do this more often and more intensely.
Film criticism is a more involved and more careful version of that: it’s an
ongoing conversation about film among film scholars (all of whom are film
fans!).
Academic film scholars are pretty much film buffs/geeks who are trained in
cinema and writing, so we write and publish what we think about film.
These film conversations are not isolated and
unrelated to the world
 Writing about film functions in the following ways:
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 Gain introspective understanding of our own reactions to
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film and to the world
It’s Communicative: creates film community
Persuasive functions of convincing others of our opinions
Educating others about movies, filmmakers, movements,
ideas
Comparing films helps us understand cultures better—
both ours and others’ cultures; it helps us make
connections across cultures
How to write about film
Film History: very popular style; sets film in historical context
National Cinemas: in-depth analysis of a country’s cultural, social and
political backgrounds through film
 Genre Criticism: film types, variations, subversions of traditions
 Auteur Criticism: study a director’s oeuvre
 Formalist Criticism: structures & stylistic patterns, techniques,
specific to film itself; detailed analyses, focused close readings
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 Usually refers to some level of historical and/or ideological context too
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Ideological Criticism: ways film conveys meanings about social values
 Not necessarily propaganda, more subtle, often “against the grain”
 Not intentions of filmmakers because that’s tricky and often irrelevant
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Others: Spectator Studies, Psychoanalytic Criticism, Theory…
We’ll study many of these approaches to film criticism in our class, but
we’ll focus on formalist and ideological criticism.
How to write about film
Knowing your audience is key.
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Movie review: broad audience unfamiliar with the film
 Casual writing style: your recommendation, lots of plot summary
Theoretical essay: narrow audience often very familiar with the film
and/or film language, history, etc.—knows the whole conversation
among film scholars
 Formal writing style: more advanced language, word choice, jargon
 No plot summary, just reminders to cue reader as necessary, plot is
not the point
These are NOT the writing styles you’ll be writing for your journals, your
shot x shot analysis, and your final paper.
Critical essay: an academic audience that’s familiar with the film, but readers haven’t
considered the film as thoroughly as you have (that’s your job in your critical essay)
 Still no plot summary, just reminders as necessary
 In-depth consideration of complexities of the film with terms
 Goal = to add understanding (not convince to like the film, not a review)
 Audience: think of fellow students, as Corrigan suggests in SGWF (they saw the
film, but didn’t consider it as closely as you are for your critical essay)
▪ Don’t include obvious material, trivia, likes/dislikes (E.g., “Hitchcock is master of
suspense” = BAD)
▪ DO include your analysis, critical interpretation > personal response (though
your response can be a good start)
 Analytical Essay: biographical, historical, or essays that closely analyze techniques
and details of films; usually close readings
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You’ll be writing a combination of Critical and Analytical essays for your journals, your
shot x shot analysis, and your final paper.
Opinion and Evaluation
Note Taking
Limit use of “I” to balance personal expression with analytical
observation
 Eliminate passive voice/objective speak (despite Corrigan’s poor
choice of the word “objective”)
 Always support your observations/arguments with examples
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 SGWF Don’t skip essay examples—they’re usually great!
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Root around in films first: what do you respond to? Analyze what
makes them tick, how they shape our response—how they use
film form, technique, and ideology to make meaning
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Great François Truffaut quote:
 “Instead of indulging passions in criticism, one
must at least try to be critical with some
purpose.… What is interesting is not pronouncing
a film good or bad, but explaining why.”
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Use a penlight to help you see in the dark
Create your own personal shorthand, sketches—whatever is quick and
thorough enough to remind you about key points later as you write
Note significant motifs in narrative, mise-en-scene, camerawork,
editing, sound, and ideology
 Look for metaphors, themes, symbolism, etc.
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Establish the pattern for each technique, then note any significant
deviations/exceptions
 E.g., the range of narration in Rear Window remains restricted to Jeff the
entire film, except when the camera shows him sleeping while Thorwald and
the woman in black leave. During this singular moment of unrestricted
narration, Hitchcock expands the range of narration in order to increase the
viewer’s doubts about Jeff and to heighten suspense.
 E.g., the camerawork in The Piano is highly mobile; frequent craning and
panning express the characters’ restlessness under their tight social
constraints. Significantly, however, the camerawork becomes stationary
during the love scenes with Ada (Holly Hunter) and Baines (Harvey Keitel). The
camera’s stasis here conveys a kind of still oasis amid the flurry of emotion
and propriety elsewhere in the film, and it conveys their calm acceptance of
and respectful love for each other.
Looking forward to a great semester full of your brilliant ideas and
thoughtful writing about some really amazing films this semester!