Writing About Film

Response to Dartmouth Writing Program: Writing About Film

1) What are the 5 kinds of film writing described in the article and what are the key details of each?

    There are five kinds of film writing discussed in the article: Formal Analysis, Film History, Ideological Paper, Cultural Studies/ National Cinema, and Discussion of the Auteur. Formal Analysis is breaking the film down into its component parts and discussing how those parts contribute to the movie as a whole. Film History is the production, distribution and release histories of a film, and reflecting the film back into the larger whole of film history and its reflection or influence on our cultural history. Ideological Paper is analyzing how a film promotes or even manipulates our feelings about a certain set of values. Cultural Studies/ National Cinema works to find out if the production aspects of a foreign film reflect something about the national character, or if they reflect trends in the national cinema. Discussion of the Auteur works to understand a film as the product of a single person and his vision. 

2) What does “Annotating a Film Sequence” involve and what are it’s benefits?

    Annotating a scene involves labeling each shot in a sequence, such as labeling an establishing shot into a dolly shot as so. Labeling each of these shots helps to keep track of the complex sequence of shots. When reviewing annotations, a pattern of camera movement and editing decisions may become apparent,which better helps for understanding why a film affects the audience in a certain way and how the director crafted the film.

3) What does the author imply when she says to “Think Beyond the Frame?”

    When the author writes, "Think Beyond the Frame", it is to get the reader to open themselves to the under the surface analysis of film. On the surface analysis usually consists of "this scene was cool", "it was a scary movie", etc [...]. However, in "thinking beyond the frame" the analyst searches to understand why the scene was cool, such as an interesting establishing shot that captivates viewers. "Thinking Beyond the Frame" is to understand why the director put together these components of film to create a whole. It is also to consider the historical context, the time period it was produced in, cultural phenomenons apparent in the film, and what other critics say about the film.