Presentation by: Mrs. N.

Francis Thursday, November 7, 2012 6B

The theme of a film can sometimes be discovered by asking "what was the central point the director was trying to make with this film?" What was the central goal of the film? Boggs and Petrie (2004) list several possible goals of a movie, including providing pure entertainment, providing a character sketch of a fascinating personality, or increasing the viewer's awareness of a particular social problem.

There also may be additional supporting, or minor, themes found in the movie. If these are not substantive enough to be considered a full theme, they may be called motifs. A motif is an idea or symbol which is repeated throughout the movie but does not constitute a full theme of the movie.

Analyzing the story is often much easier than analyzing the theme of a film. A story is presented in film through the plot (simple, complex, timeless, believable), the characters (appearance, dialogue, interplay between characters, actions, names), and symbolic elements.

Usually the plot is one of the easiest things about a movie to describe. Rather than just rehashing a storyline, however, a critic will investigate specific elements of the plot and whether they work to make the movie better. Examples of such plot devices include the way time is handled in the movie (linear, nonlinear) or how the important scenes of climax and denouement (ending) are revealed. (In your review, include references to Aristotles Unities how does the movie support or depart from Unities).

Another interesting aspect of plot is its sense of believability: does the plot tell a universal truth (the world as it is), an internal truth about human nature, or a fantastic version of truth "as it never will be? No matter whether the story is a biography, or a heart-warming romantic comedy, or the latest film adaptation of a children's fantasy novel, the movie must be believable or at least allow the viewer to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy the movie.

The way characters are presented in a movie is essential to the analysis of the story. A viewer learns about characters primarily through the appearance and dialogue of the character, and through character interactions in the movie. Clothing, hair, mannerisms, accent, and speech patterns can be immediate cues to the audience for how a character is to be interpreted.

Main characters can also be categorized into protagonists and antagonists. Complex characterizations of "sympathetic bad guys" or "good guys who do bad things" are interesting and can make for more interesting viewing. Characters are often described in other dimensions, such as round (complex) or flat, mythic (underdogs, messiahs), or in terms of their relationships to other characters ("the female love interest).

Other types of characters include the stock

character and stereotype.

Stock characters are those with very simple roles that do not require character development (taxi driver, bartender, the fool, the drunken knight).

(Likewise, stereotypical characters can be relied upon to behave in an easily understood way, though they may have more dialogue than a stock character.) Use the term stock character for your review. Stereotypical characters move the plot along, without the writers having to spend a lot of time on character development. Critics are often unimpressed when a main character emerges as a stereotype.

A film can use symbolism to reinforce its theme or to add depth to the story. Symbols can be repeated for emphasis or can be metaphoric, in such a way that their value in the story exceeds the value normally represented by that object (e.g. Olivias veil) An object can also be given specific value by a character in order to increase its worth to the viewer. Critical acceptance of symbolism in film will often depend on whether the symbol is new and original or whether it is a clich. Consider the ring that Olivia sends to Viola. Is this a cliche of asymbol?

Whether some film elements have symbolic meaning can also be over analyzed by viewers, so care should be taken not to misconstrue everything into a symbol with deeper meaning.

The genre of a film can be very important in a critical analysis of a film. If a movie is a "gangster movie" or a "western", that genre classification brings with it an immediate recognition of certain accepted truths about the movie. The genre film can be a success either by following these conventions or by breaking them.

As with symbols and metaphors, a genre film that relies heavily on cliches and does not offer anything new will be unsatisfying to the critic.

Technical elements are used by the film director to enhance communication and make the film experience more entertaining. Each effect in the film represents a choice that the director made. As a film reviewer you could comment on how these effects contribute to the improvement of the film. Are they entertaining? Do they improve the film?

There are several types of technical elements that you can consider. Camera use is a basic technical aspect. Long shot, medium shot, close-up, extreme closeup, low-angle shot and high-angle shot are examples of the choices that are made during filming. Each of these can communicate a different message and invite a different response from the viewer.

Editing is an important technical aspect to consider in your film review. Just as each sentence and paragraph adds together to tell a story, each scene builds to form the story or narrative in the film. Editing represents the choices that the director makes in arranging the order of the scenes to tell the story.

Example: An editor might choose short, quick edits with close-ups of two people talking. The effect will be to create a sense of urgency about what is being discussed or draw attention to each characters participation.

Lighting is important to every scene, but not every scene requires lighting that will be obvious to the viewer. You could comment on lighting that you feel especially contributes to the overall effect of the film. Example: In a deserted cabin in the woods or in a haunted castle, the lighting may be dark and shadowy to create the effect of mystery.

Special effects are used to improve the film experience. The use of these effects varies from film to film. In some films this can have a major or critical influence on the film as a whole. (e.g. in magic, fantasy, science fiction).

Sound will be most noticeable to a young film reviewer in the form of specialized effects and music. You may choose to comment on the success of sound effects by indicating how they add to particular scenes or stimulate or reinforce an emotional response.

In films that use music, it will be important to comment on how this affected your response to the film as a whole. Be guided by your emotional reaction and be confident to express these feelings when evaluating the contribution of sound to the film experience.

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included a title for my film review. summarized the plot without giving away the
included a strong lead/introduction. discussed significant characters and actors. discussed important technical elements. evaluated the sound and/or movie soundtrack. stated and evaluated the theme. included a strong conclusion summarizing my edited my review for spelling and grammatical included submission details with my review.

Boggs, J. and D.W. Petrie. (2004). The Art of Watching Films, 6th Ed. McGrawHill: Boston. Conklin, M. (2004). How to Critique a Movie: A short guide for amateur film critics, from http://www.whitcraftlearningsolutions.com/ Resources/How-To-Critique-A-Movie.pdf

http://tiff.net/templates/learning/docs/ How_to_Write_a_Film_Review.pdf