Depends on material(movie choosed)
Order Description
Assignment Description: In the selection from Engaging Cinema that you read for class this week, Bill Nichols introduces the idea of a “cinematic world.” For this assignment you will write a highly detailed description of the stylistic features that define the opening scene in one of the films listed on the back of this page, taking special care to explain not only what you see happen in this particular “cinematic world,” but how the scene asks you to see and hear what happens—and doing so in clear, well-formed sentences. How does the film introduce you to the “cinematic world” it creates? How do certain features of the image and/or sound shape your experience or understanding of the characters, places, and events introduced in the scene? Think of this paper as a story you tell the reader about how the film shows you these things and asks you to understand what’s important or interesting about them.
The goal of this assignment is to help you build a foundational skill for the critical analysis of visual texts: the skill of close formal description conveyed in a grammatically sound and dynamic piece of writing. The paper will be evaluated based on the quality of these two interrelated elements—the quality of the description and the quality of the writing—so for now, the main focus should be on crafting a vivid, grammatically sound, and detail-oriented description of how the film first orients your view of its world. These skills will come into play for all future assignments, so the feedback you receive on this assignment should prove very helpful for doing well on the second assignment.
Further Details & Requirements
? The paper should be 600-750 words in length, not including references and/or notes. Use standard margins, double-spacing and a 12-point font with no unnecessary gaps.
? Although the primary focus of the paper is stylistic description, make sure to give the reader a brief explanation of what happens in the scene and how it fits into the larger events of the film. This should not take more than a few sentences at most, but you can also integrate it into your description if necessary. Either way, you should watch the entire film so that you can recognize important cues about characters and events in the opening sequence.
? A “scene” is generally defined as a set of events that take place in one setting, but there is some flexibility in this term, so we’ll talk more about how to demarcate a scene in class and be glad to discuss any questions you have about the “opening scene” of your film.
In some of the longer scenes you won’t be able to describe every individual shot or camera angle you notice, so in these cases let the events and overall significance of the scene help you decide which are the most relevant or interesting; you can also just note the repetition of specific stylistic elements (fast cuts between images, close-ups of faces, etc.) if that suits the story you want to tell about the scene.
? Some questions to keep in mind for your description: Are there cuts in the scene? How do they divide up people and events? What do we see and not see in the shot? From what point of view and angle do we see things? What’s in focus and what’s not? Does anything strike you about the music or the sound? You don’t have to answer all these questions specifically; these are just suggestions about the kinds of things you might notice. You will naturally emphasize things that seem relevant or important about the scene’s construction, and as long as you have enough details to tell a story about how we see the characters and events introduced in the scene, that’s fine.
? You should definitely try to use any relevant stylistic terms already covered in readings or familiar to you from elsewhere to describe your scene; you are also free to check the glossary of Nichols’ book or jump ahead if you want to search for a particular technical term to describe editing or sound, for instance. However, it is more important at this point to describe the elements of the scene carefully than it is to use technical terms to do so.
? If you refer to any sources, make sure to use correct citation style—either MLA or Chicago Style. If you have questions about grammar and proper citation and reference styles, consult the style manual mentioned in the syllabus or the Purdue Owl website, which offers helpful tips on these matters and can be found at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. You can also consult the resources I mention in the syllabus: The UTM Visual Studies Grammar Workshops, which will appear under “My Organizations” on your Blackboard page, has online workshops and quizzes you can complete to improve your skills.
? If you anticipate needing help from a writing specialist, book an appointment in the Academic Skills Centre as soon as possible and plan to start a draft of your paper early for the appointment. The same goes for visiting your TA or me during office hours or an appointment: start early to get help so you have time to plan accordingly and use feedback.
? If you think you’ll need help from an ELL specialist or peer-tutor, make sure to get a flyer about the new ELL support resources available in the Annie Smith Centre.
? Make sure to proofread your paper for errors in spelling and sentence construction. Excessive errors will affect your grade.
? Feel free to use metaphorical language; your writing can be stylish too. Also feel free to be creative and take risks more generally. After all, you too are constructing a cinematic world for your reader.
? Make sure you understand the university’s policy on Academic Honesty. Plagiarism will not be tolerated, so make sure you familiarize yourself with the information provided on this matter in the syllabus, and let your TA or me know about any questions you have on the subject.
Recommended Films
Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
Dark Passage (Delmer Davies, 1947)
Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)
Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
The Wind Will Carry Us (Abbas Kiarostami, 1999)
In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar Wai, 2000)
Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011)
Get Hard (Etan Cohen, 2015)