Writing
Film Worksheet
Art Education 1600
Art and Music since 1945
For this assignment, you are to see a film this semester and fill out your worksheet. Use the skills you learned for the Art Worksheet, but now you have to analyze the combination of sound and moving images.
Step 1 Select a Film
Selecting a film to watch is more than picking a movie with favorite actors or a genre you like (science fiction, superheroes, detective mysteries, romance). The film you pick should have enough interesting content to write about. It helps to inform yourself with two kinds of film reviews. First, professional critics have seen many movies and write from a well-informed point of view, but theirs is just one point of view. Beyond the perspective of Professional critic, there are the reviews from moviegoers, like yourselves, who post their responses on blogs and theater websites. Viewer reviews can be just as valid as professional reviews, so long as they explain why they feel the way they do about a film. Both kinds of reviews can help you narrow your choice of a film, and in the end, pick a film you feel like writing about.
11 pts: State the title of the film you chose and a write brief synopsis of the film in your words (90 to 100 words):
Citations and References
If you decide you use ideas from the film reviews or any source, write the name of the source here AND Cite the source(s) where you use them:
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REMEMBER
- You must view the film for this worksheet this semester. As film theaters may have closed or are operating in limited capacity, because of COVID restrictions, you may opt to see a film online. Any fairly recent film will do, or you may opt to see a classic film made in 1945 or later.
- Connect your review of the film with the cultural and social ideas we address in class. How do you think audiences relate the narrative on screen with other narratives in the press or entertainment media? Superheroes, for example, save the day when complicated agencies of government and military fail.
- Look over the Film Worksheet before you watch the film, so you know what to look for.
Step 2 Organize your data
This step is about your experience of viewing the film and how the director kept you engaged.
Step2.1: The audience and the space, and you
Your experience as a movie viewer is as important as the film itself.
State where you saw the film.
Analyze and describe the environmental conditions and how your circumstances affected your perception of the film.
25 pts: Type your response below in at least 200 words:
Step 2.2 The director and you
An important part of film critique is how the director holds the audience’s attention
In the classic film Pulp Fiction, the director manipulates the pace of the film, switching between 1) scenes where two characters have a long conversation and the camera is still and 2) lots of action fast camera work. When the film slows down you become aware of how long even one minute can seem, but when the pace picks up, time is compressed and you don’t notice the minutes passing.
All the effects and drama of the film play with your attention span (and your imagination) to help you forget where you are. Every piece of equipment from the huge screen, to the sound system supports the director’s attempts to take you into their world. This is one of the reasons we require you to attend a theater.
So, how do you think the director pulled you into the world of the film you viewed? Were there surprises that kept your attention? Were effects overstated? Were they tiresome or ridiculous?
25 pts: Type your response below in at least 200 words:
Step 2.3 Analyze the film technically
To help you pick out aspects of the film that you can analyze, read the following list and include the vocabulary and examples from the film in your responses. Pick at least two aspects from each category (i.e., Literary, Dramatic, and Cinematic). Scroll down to write your response.
Pick two Narrative aspects
* Narrative (the story, story line, what the storyline is based on; binary oppositions; disruption of an equilibrium and how a new equilibrium sets in).
* Characters (heroes, villains, helpers, main characters, supporting characters, and how characters function and contribute to our understanding of the story).
* Setting (physical environment in which filming occurs, indoor or outdoor setting, its significance).
* Plot
Pick two Production Design aspects
* Acting (the performance of actors, whether it is convincing or not).
* Costumes (formal clothes, informal clothes, their color, and their contribution to the film).
* Make-up (style, color, whether it is exaggerated or plain, the effect it creates, colors).
Pick two Cinematic aspects
* Camera angles, movements, and positions (low camera angle, high camera angle, close-up, extreme close-up, tilted camera, and how these affect our understanding).
* Sound and vision (sound effects, soundtrack music, visual effects).
* Lighting (illumination in a scene. Soft light harsh light and shadow, colors manipulated? ).
Respond below:
- Narrative Aspects – Type your response here in at least 100 words (5 pts)
The plot of A Date for Dinner adheres to the structure of a traditional romantic comedy.
Bob and Carol, the two characters, are in a loving, committed relationship, yet their goals and ambitions keep them apart. Leonard, a third party, is attempting to come between them. The narrative follows them as they struggle to overcome challenging circumstances and find a solution. The story also features a subplot about Bob and Carol seeking to break into the acting and advertising industries (Old TV Time, 2015). There are some binary oppositions in the story as well. Bob and Carol’s personalities are the antithesis of Leonard’s. Leonard is the careless one, whereas Bob is the responsible one. Leonard is the realist, while Carol is the dreamer. These conflicts heighten the tension in the narrative and advance the plot.
- Production Design Aspects – Type your response here in at least 100 words (5 pts)
A Date for Dinner’s production design is standard for a romantic comedy. The vibrant
and vivid clothing that Bob and Carol, the two main characters, wear reflect who they are as people. Carol is dressed in a dress and heels, while Bob is in a suit and tie. The other characters’ outfits contrast with the two central partnerships by being less extravagant and more muted. A romantic comedy’s conventional character makeup is also used here. Both Bob and Carol have been created in a way that draws attention to their best characteristics and increases their appeal. On the other hand, Leonard has makeup that makes him appear less appealing and more criminal (Old TV Time, 2015). A Date for Dinner’s set design is characteristic of romantic comedies. The settings are all colorful and well-lit, which makes them feel upbeat. The contrasts between the characters are also highlighted by how the settings are made. Compared to Leonard’s setups, Bob and Carol’s are cheerier and cozier.
- Cinematic Aspects – Type your response here in at least 100 words (5 pts)
A Date for Dinner’s cinematography is characteristic of romantic comedies. The low-
angle camera perspectives highlight the personalities and their interactions. Also, the camera regularly switches between close-ups and broad vistas to convey the characters’ proximity and separation from one another. A Date for Dinner’s sound design is similarly typical of a romantic comedy. The lighthearted and peppy soundtrack creates an energetic environment (Old TV Time, 2015). The sound effects are also employed to highlight the characters’ feelings, as when suspense is built with the sound of a ticking clock. A romantic comedy’s fighting style is also in A Date for Dinner. yasticoncretedo asticoncretedo asticoncrete. Also, the pastel and muted colors evoke nostalgia.
Step 3. Analyze the film
In this step, you will interpret the film and tell the significance of it, along with how you would describe its audience.
Choose THREE of these questions to answer, which best fit your analysis so far.
24 pts: Enter responses after each question, below, each response in at least 200 words. Include examples from step 2.3.
- Who is telling the story? Why is it being told? Does it appear to have a purpose? In Jurassic Park, for example, we see the film through the eyes of children as they watch adults face consequences and lose control of prehistoric animals. Other films may have a narrator, whose words tie sections of the film together.
(media agencies, authorial voice, influences from marketing, economics, ideology)
- Who is likely to view this film, why? Does it have an audience following and what are they like? (i.e., Trekies that follow Star Trek)
- What genre? What genre does this film fit into, and what makes you say that? A ‘genre’ refers to clearly understood type of film, such as a ‘western,’ a ‘romantic comedy,’ a ‘horror,’ or a ‘science fiction’ film (note that some films overlap and combine genres–for example, Alien can be said to be both a science fiction and a horror film). What aspects of the film tell you that it fits into a genre or genres (the narrative, the character types, the production design, the visual language)?
The romantic comedy A Date for Dinner is a classic. It has a happy ending, a love
triangle between the two main characters and a third person, a conflict between their aims and goals, and all the other elements of a romantic comedy. Bob and Carol’s relationship is the subject of the story’s opening, and the two return together in conclusion. The movie also has a traditional romantic comedy plot.
- How is it made? What film technologies are used? is the film a one-time story or part of a sequence of films?
- How does it convey meaning? Film language is broader than the convention of written literature. Look for codes and conventions, content “between the lines.” Are there symbols we see throughout, but are never put into words? Body language? Other visuals or sounds other than words?
The theme of A Date for Dinner is tenacity and grit. Bob and Carol’s characters encounter
many challenges in their quest to realize their aspirations, but they never give up. They can make it work and accomplish their objectives (Old TV Time, 2015). Bob and Carol never give up on each other, which is another example of the movie’s commitment and devotion theme.
- How does it represent its subject – especially with reference to a time period? Do you recognize stereotypes, familiar or strange representations of the past? Does it ridicule or glorify a stereotype? Are characters exaggerated? Diminished?
