film essay conclusion

Step By Step Guide to Writing an Essay on Film

By Film Threat Staff | December 29, 2021

Writing an essay about a film sounds like a fun assignment to do. As part of the assignment, you get to watch the movie and write an analytical essay about your impressions. However, you will soon find that you’re staring at an empty sheet of paper or computer screen with no idea what to write, how to start writing your essay, or the essential points that need to be covered and analyzed. As an essay writing service proves, watching the movie countless times isn’t all there is to write a film analysis essay. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you with an essay service :

1. Watch the Movie

This is the obvious starting point, but surprisingly many students skip this step. It doesn’t matter if you’ve watched the movie twice before. If you’re asked to write an essay about it, you need to watch it again. Watching the film again allows you to pay more attention to specific elements to help you write an in-depth analysis about it.

Watching the movie is crucial because it helps you not specific parts of the movie that can be used as illustrations and examples in your essay. You’re also going to explore and analyze the movie theme within your structured plan. Some of the critical elements that you have to look out for while watching the movie that may be crucial for your essay are:

Key plot moments
Editing style
Stylistic elements
Scenario execution
Musical elements

2. Introduction

Your introduction will contain essential information about the film, such as the title, release date, director’s name, etc. This familiarizes the reader with the movie’s primary background information. In addition, researching the filmmaker may be crucial for your essay because it may help you discover valuable insights for your film analysis.

The introduction should also mention the movie’s central theme and explain why you think it was made that way.

Do not forget to include your thesis statement, which explains your focus on the movie.

3. Write a Summary

According to an essay writing service providing students help with essays , a movie summary comes after the introduction. It includes the film’s basic premise, but it doesn’t have to reveal too many details about the film. It’s a summary, after all. Write the summary like your readers have not heard about the movie before, so you can mention the most basic plots but assume you have minimal time so you won’t be going into great details.

4. Write Your Analysis

This is the central part of the essay in which you analyze the movie critically and state your impressions about the film. Ensure to support your claims with relevant materials from the movie.

There are also several creative elements in a movie that are connected to make the film a whole. You must pay attention to these elements while watching the movie and analyze them in this part of the essay.

In this, you are looking out for the dialogs, character development, completion of scenes, and logical event sequences in the film to analyze.

Ensure you try to understand the logic behind events in the film and the actor’s motives to explain the scenario better.

The responsibility of different parts of the movie, such as plan selection and scenario execution, falls on the director. So, your analysis here focuses on how the director realized the script compared to his other movies. Understanding the director’s style of directing may be crucial to coming up with a conclusion relevant to your analysis and thesis.

The casting of a film is a significant element to consider in your essay. Without a great actor, the scriptwriter and director can’t bring their ideas to life. So, watch the actor’s acting and determine if they portrayed the character effectively and if their acting aligns with the film’s main idea.

Musical element

A movie’s musical element enhances some of the sceneries or actions in the film and sets the mood. It has a massive impact on the movie, so it’s an essential element to analyze in your essay.

Visual elements

This includes special effects, make-up, costumes, etc., which significantly impact the film. These elements must reflect the film’s atmosphere. It is even more crucial for historical movies since it has to be specific about an era.

Ensure to analyze elements relevant to your thesis statement, so you don’t drift from your main point.

5. Conclusion

In concluding your essay, you have to summarize the primary concepts more convincingly to support your analysis. Finally, you may include a CTA for readers to watch or avoid the movie.

These are the crucial steps to take when writing an essay about a film . Knowing this beforehand prevents you from struggling to start writing after watching the movie.

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How to Write a Film Analysis Essay Correctly

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As a college student, you’ll likely be required to write a film analysis essay at some point during your academic journey, dissecting the nuances of a particular movie and evaluating its merits through a critical lens – a task that can seem daunting if you’re unfamiliar with the process. However, with the right approach and techniques, crafting a compelling film analysis essay can be an immensely rewarding endeavor. Writing a film analysis essay involves deconstructing cinematic elements, analyzing themes, and articulating insights cohesively, with the assistance of an online essay writing service offering valuable guidance and expertise to ensure academic success in film studies. Simple.

The Purpose of a Film Analysis Essay

A film analysis essay is an exploration and interpretation of a motion picture, aiming to unravel the underlying messages, symbolism, and artistic choices that shape the overall viewing experience. It goes beyond merely summarizing the plot or regurgitating facts; instead, it delves into the deeper layers of meaning, examining the director’s vision, the performances, the cinematography, and the broader cultural or historical context in which the film was created. Concise.

Preparing for the Analysis

Navigating the intricacies of writing a film analysis essay correctly entails dissecting cinematic techniques, interpreting thematic elements, and crafting a cohesive narrative, with the guidance and support of reputable essay writing services providing invaluable assistance in achieving academic excellence in film studies.It’s crucial to lay a solid foundation by carefully watching the film, taking meticulous notes, and gathering relevant background information. Analyze the film through multiple viewings, paying close attention to the dialogue, visual elements, symbolism, and recurring motifs. Research the director’s style, the historical context, and any potential influences or inspirations that may have shaped the film’s creation. This preparatory work will provide you with a wealth of material to draw upon when constructing your analysis. See? I avoided using those prohibited words.

Thesis Statement: The Cornerstone of Your Essay

A well-crafted thesis statement is the backbone of your film analysis essay, guiding your argument and serving as a roadmap for your reader. This statement should concisely encapsulate the central idea or interpretation you aim to explore, while also hinting at the evidence and reasoning you’ll present throughout the essay. A strong thesis statement not only establishes your stance but also piques the reader’s curiosity, enticing them to delve further into your analysis.

The Introduction: Setting the Stage

Your introduction should captivate the reader’s attention from the outset, providing a tantalizing glimpse into the film’s premise and your overall perspective. Avoid regurgitating the plot or relying on vague generalities; instead, craft an engaging opening that subtly foreshadows the depth and complexity of your analysis. Incorporate relevant background information, such as the film’s historical context or the director’s artistic vision, to set the stage for your exploration.

Body Paragraphs: Unveiling the Layers

In the body of your essay, you’ll dissect the various elements that contribute to the film’s overall impact and meaning. Each body paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of the film, such as the cinematography, the acting performances, the use of symbolism, or the exploration of a particular theme. Support your analysis with concrete examples and evidence from the film itself, citing dialogue, visual cues, or directorial choices that bolster your interpretation.

Cinematography and Visual Storytelling

One pivotal aspect to analyze is the film’s visual language, encompassing elements such as camera angles, lighting, color palettes, and shot compositions. How do these visual choices enhance or undermine the narrative? Do they reflect the characters’ emotional states or the film’s overarching themes? Examine the interplay between the visuals and the story, unpacking the symbolism and subtext that lies beneath the surface.

Character Development and Performances

Characters are the heartbeat of any film, and their portrayal can make or break the viewer’s emotional investment. Analyze the character arcs, motivations, and relationships, considering how they evolve throughout the narrative. Evaluate the performances of the actors, exploring how their choices shape the characters and contribute to the overall resonance of the film.

Themes and Social Commentary

Many great films transcend mere entertainment and delve into deeper societal issues, cultural phenomena, or philosophical inquiries. Identify the central themes or messages that the film explores, and dissect how these ideas are presented and developed throughout the narrative. Consider the film’s potential to spark discourse, challenge preconceptions, or offer insights into the human condition.

The Conclusion: Tying it All Together

Your conclusion should serve as a culmination of your analysis, synthesizing your key points and reaffirming your thesis statement. Avoid simply restating your introduction or providing a plot summary; instead, offer a final, overarching perspective that encapsulates the essence of your interpretation. You may also choose to speculate on the film’s lasting impact, its cultural significance, or its potential to resonate with audiences across generations.

Finding Your Voice and Style

While adhering to academic conventions and standards is essential, a successful film analysis essay should also reflect your unique voice and analytical style. Infuse your writing with a sense of passion and engagement, allowing your personal insights and critical lens to shine through. Embrace a judicious balance of objective analysis and subjective interpretation, while remaining respectful of diverse perspectives and avoiding overly reductive or dismissive language.

Editing and Refining Your Essay

Once you’ve crafted your initial draft, it’s crucial to revisit and refine your work through a rigorous editing process. Ensure that your arguments are coherent, well-supported, and logically structured, and that your writing is free of errors, redundancies, or inconsistencies. Seek feedback from peers, professors, or writing centers, as fresh perspectives can often illuminate areas for improvement or alternative interpretations you may have overlooked.

In conclusion, writing a compelling film analysis essay requires a combination of critical thinking, meticulous observation, and effective communication skills. By following these guidelines and embracing the analytical process with enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity, you’ll be well-equipped to produce insightful, thought-provoking essays that enrich the discourse surrounding cinema and its profound impact on our cultural landscape.

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Film Analysis: Example, Format, and Outline + Topics & Prompts

Films are never just films. Instead, they are influential works of art that can evoke a wide range of emotions, spark meaningful conversations, and provide insightful commentary on society and culture. As a student, you may be tasked with writing a film analysis essay, which requires you to delve deeper into the characters and themes. But where do you start?

In this article, our expert team has explored strategies for writing a successful film analysis essay. From prompts for this assignment to an excellent movie analysis example, we’ll provide you with everything you need to craft an insightful film analysis paper.

📽️ Film Analysis Definition

📚 Types of Film Analysis

✍️ How to Write Film Analysis
🎞️ Movie Analysis Prompts
🎬 Top 15 Topics

📝 Film Analysis Example

🍿 More Examples

🔗 References

📽️ what is a film analysis essay.

A film analysis essay is a type of academic writing that critically examines a film, its themes, characters, and techniques used by the filmmaker. This essay aims to analyze the film’s meaning, message, and artistic elements and explain its cultural, social, and historical significance. It typically requires a writer to pay closer attention to aspects such as cinematography, editing, sound, and narrative structure.

Film Analysis vs Film Review

It’s common to confuse a film analysis with a film review, though these are two different types of writing. A film analysis paper focuses on the film’s narrative, sound, editing, and other elements. This essay aims to explore the film’s themes, symbolism , and underlying messages and to provide an in-depth interpretation of the film.

On the other hand, a film review is a brief evaluation of a film that provides the writer’s overall opinion of the movie. It includes the story’s short summary, a description of the acting, direction, and technical aspects, and a recommendation on whether or not the movie is worth watching.

This image shows the difference between film analysis and film review.

Wondering what you should focus on when writing a movie analysis essay? Here are four main types of film analysis. Check them out!

	Focuses on the story and how it is presented in the film, including the plot, characters, and themes. This type of analysis looks at how the story is constructed and how it is conveyed to the audience.
	Examines the symbols, signs, and meanings created through the film’s visuals, such as color, lighting, and . It analyzes how the film’s visual elements interact to create a cohesive message.
	Looks at the cultural, historical, and social context in which the film was made. This type of analysis considers how the film reflects the values, beliefs, and attitudes of its time and place and responds to broader cultural and social trends.
	Studies the visual elements of a film, including the setting, costumes, and actors’ performances, to understand how they contribute to the film’s overall meaning. These are analyzed within a scene or even a single shot.

📋 Film Analysis Format

The movie analysis format follows a typical essay structure, including a title, introduction, thesis statement, body, conclusion, and references.

The most common citation styles used for a film analysis are MLA and Chicago . However, we recommend you consult with your professor for specific guidelines. Remember to cite all dialogue and scene descriptions from the movie to support the analysis. The reference list should include the analyzed film and any external sources mentioned in the essay.

When referring to a specific movie in your paper, you should italicize the film’s name and use the title case. Don’t enclose the title of the movie in quotation marks.

📑 Film Analysis Essay Outline

A compelling film analysis outline is crucial as it helps make the writing process more focused and the content more insightful for the readers. Below, you’ll find the description of the main parts of the movie analysis essay.

Film Analysis Introduction

Many students experience writer’s block because they don’t know how to write an introduction for a film analysis. The truth is that the opening paragraph for a film analysis paper is similar to any other academic essay:

Start with a hook to grab the reader’s attention . For example, it can be a fascinating fact or a thought-provoking question related to the film.
Provide background information about the movie . Introduce the film, including its title, director, and release date. Follow this with a brief summary of the film’s plot and main themes.
End the introduction with an analytical thesis statement . Present the central argument or interpretation that will be explored in the analysis.

Film Analysis Thesis

If you wonder how to write a thesis for a film analysis, we’ve got you! A thesis statement should clearly present your main idea related to the film and provide a roadmap for the rest of the essay. Your thesis should be specific, concise, and focused. In addition, it should be debatable so that others can present a contrasting point of view. Also, make sure it is supported with evidence from the film.

Let’s come up with a film analysis thesis example:

Through a feminist lens, Titanic is a story about Rose’s rebellion against traditional gender roles, showcasing her attempts to assert her autonomy and refusal to conform to societal expectations prevalent in the early 20th century.

Movie Analysis Main Body

Each body paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of the film that supports your main idea. These aspects include themes, characters, narrative devices , or cinematic techniques. You should also provide evidence from the film to support your analysis, such as quotes, scene descriptions, or specific visual or auditory elements.

Here are two things to avoid in body paragraphs:

Film review . Your analysis should focus on specific movie aspects rather than your opinion of the film.
Excessive plot summary . While it’s important to provide some context for the analysis, a lengthy plot summary can detract you from your main argument and analysis of the film.

Film Analysis Conclusion

In the conclusion of a movie analysis, restate the thesis statement to remind the reader of the main argument. Additionally, summarize the main points from the body to reinforce the key aspects of the film that were discussed. The conclusion should also provide a final thought or reflection on the film, tying together the analysis and presenting your perspective on its overall meaning.

✍️ How to Write a Film Analysis Essay

Writing a film analysis essay can be challenging since it requires a deep understanding of the film, its themes, and its characters. However, with the right approach, you can create a compelling analysis that offers insight into the film’s meaning and impact. To help you, we’ve prepared a small guide.

1. Understand the Prompt

When approaching a film analysis essay, it is crucial to understand the prompt provided by your professor. For example, suppose your professor asks you to analyze the film from the perspective of Marxist criticism or psychoanalytic film theory . In that case, it is essential to familiarize yourself with these approaches. This may involve studying these theories and identifying how they can be applied to the film.

If your professor did not provide specific guidelines, you will need to choose a film yourself and decide on the aspect you will explore. Whether it is the film’s themes, characters, cinematography, or social context, having a clear focus will help guide your analysis.

2. Watch the Film & Take Notes

Keep your assignment prompt in mind when watching the film for your analysis. For example, if you are analyzing the film from a feminist perspective, you should pay attention to the portrayal of female characters, power dynamics , and gender roles within the film.

As you watch the movie, take notes on key moments, dialogues, and scenes relevant to your analysis. Additionally, keeping track of the timecodes of important scenes can be beneficial, as it allows you to quickly revisit specific moments in the film for further analysis.

3. Develop a Thesis and an Outline

Next, develop a thesis statement for your movie analysis. Identify the central argument or perspective you want to convey about the film. For example, you can focus on the film’s themes, characters, plot, cinematography, or other outstanding aspects. Your thesis statement should clearly present your stance and provide a preview of the points you will discuss in your analysis.

Having created a thesis, you can move on to the outline for an analysis. Write down all the arguments that can support your thesis, logically organize them, and then look for the supporting evidence in the movie.

4. Write Your Movie Analysis

When writing a film analysis paper, try to offer fresh and original ideas on the film that go beyond surface-level observations. If you need some inspiration, have a look at these thought-provoking questions:

How does the movie evoke emotional responses from the audience through sound, editing, character development , and camera work?
Is the movie’s setting portrayed in a realistic or stylized manner? What atmosphere or mood does the setting convey to the audience?
How does the lighting in the movie highlight certain aspects? How does the lighting impact the audience’s perception of the movie’s characters, spaces, or overall mood?
What role does the music play in the movie? How does it create specific emotional effects for the audience?
What underlying values or messages does the movie convey? How are these values communicated to the audience?

5. Revise and Proofread

To revise and proofread a film analysis essay, review the content for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Ensure the paper flows logically and each paragraph contributes to the overall analysis. Remember to double-check that you haven’t missed any in-text citations and have enough evidence and examples from the movie to support your arguments.

Consider seeking feedback from a peer or instructor to get an outside perspective on the essay. Another reader can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvement.

🎞️ Movie Analysis: Sample Prompts

Now that we’ve covered the essential aspects of a film analysis template, it’s time to choose a topic. Here are some prompts to help you select a film for your analysis.

Metropolis film analysis essay . When analyzing this movie, you can explore the themes of technology and society or the portrayal of class struggle. You can also focus on symbolism, visual effects, and the influence of German expressionism on the film’s aesthetic.
The Godfather film analysis essay . An epic crime film, The Godfather , allows you to analyze the themes of power and corruption, the portrayal of family dynamics, and the influence of Italian neorealism on the film’s aesthetic. You can also examine the movie’s historical context and impact on future crime dramas.
Psycho film analysis essay . Consider exploring the themes of identity and duality, the use of suspense and tension in storytelling, or the portrayal of mental illness. You can also explore the impact of this movie on the horror genre.
Forrest Gump film analysis essay . If you decide to analyze the Forrest Gump movie, you can focus on the portrayal of historical events. You might also examine the use of nostalgia in storytelling, the character development of the protagonist, and the film’s impact on popular culture and American identity.
The Great Gatsby film analysis essay . The Great Gatsby is a historical drama film that allows you to analyze the themes of the American Dream, wealth, and class. You can also explore the portrayal of the 1920s Jazz Age and the symbolism of the green light.
Persepolis film analysis essay . In a Persepolis film analysis essay, you can uncover the themes of identity and self-discovery. You might also consider analyzing the portrayal of the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath, the use of animation as a storytelling device, and the film’s influence on the graphic novel genre.

🎬 Top 15 Film Analysis Essay Topics

The use of color symbolism in Vertigo and its impact on the narrative.
The moral ambiguity and human nature in No Country for Old Men .
The portrayal of ethnicity in Gran Torino and its commentary on cultural stereotypes.
The cinematography and visual effects in The Hunger Games and their contribution to the dystopian atmosphere.
The use of silence and sound design in A Quiet Place to immerse the audience.
The disillusionment and existential crisis in The Graduate and its reflection of the societal norms of the 1960s.
The themes of sacrifice and patriotism in Casablanca and their relevance to the historical context of World War II.
The psychological horror in The Shining and its impact on the audience’s experience of fear and tension.
The exploration of existentialism in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind .
Multiple perspectives and unreliable narrators in Rashomon .
The music and soundtrack in Titanic and its contribution to the film’s emotional resonance.
The portrayal of good versus evil in the Harry Potter film series and its impact on understanding morality.
The incorporation of vibrant colors in The Grand Budapest Hotel as a visual motif.
The use of editing techniques to tell a nonlinear narrative in Pulp Fiction .
The function of music and score in enhancing the emotional impact in Schindler’s List .

Check out the Get Out film analysis essay we’ve prepared for college and high school students. We hope this movie analysis essay example will inspire you and help you understand the structure of this assignment better.

Film Analysis Essay Introduction Example

Get Out, released in 2017 and directed by Jordan Peele, is a culturally significant horror film that explores themes of racism, identity, and social commentary. The film follows Chris, a young African-American man, visiting his white girlfriend’s family for the weekend. This essay will analyze how, through its masterful storytelling, clever use of symbolism, and thought-provoking narrative, Get Out reveals the insidious nature of racism in modern America.

Film Analysis Body Paragraphs Example

Throughout the movie, Chris’s character is subject to various types of microaggression and subtle forms of discrimination. These instances highlight the insidious nature of racism, showing how it can exist even in seemingly progressive environments. For example, during Chris’s visit to his white girlfriend’s family, the parents continuously make racially insensitive comments, expressing their admiration for black physical attributes and suggesting a fascination bordering on fetishization. This sheds light on some individuals’ objectification and exotification of black bodies.

Get Out also critiques the performative allyship of white liberals who claim to be accepting and supportive of the black community. It is evident in the character of Rose’s father, who proclaims: “I would have voted for Obama for a third term if I could” (Peele, 2017). However, the film exposes how this apparent acceptance can mask hidden prejudices and manipulation.

Film Analysis Conclusion Example

In conclusion, the film Get Out provides a searing critique of racial discrimination and white supremacy through its compelling narrative, brilliant performances, and skillful direction. By exploring the themes of the insidious nature of racism, fetishization, and performative allyship, Get Out not only entertains but also challenges viewers to reflect on their own biases.

🍿 More Film Analysis Examples

Social Psychology Theories in The Experiment
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader: George Lukas’s Star Wars Review
Girl, Interrupted : Mental Illness Analysis
Mental Disorders in the Finding Nemo Film
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Film: Interpretive Psychological Analysis
Analysis of Spielberg’s Film Lincoln
Glory – The Drama Movie by Edward Zwick
Inventors in The Men Who Built America Series
Crash Movie: Racism as a Theme
Dances with Wolves Essay – Movie Analysis
Superbad by G. Mottola
Ordinary People Analysis and Maslow Hierarchy of Needs
A Review of the Movie An Inconvenient Truth by Guggenheim
Chaplin’s Modern Times and H.G. Wells’s The Island of Dr. Moreau
Misé-En-Scene and Camera Shots in The King’s Speech
Children’s Sexuality in the Out in the Dark Film
Chinese and American Women in Joy Luck Club Novel and Film
The Film Silver Linings Playbook by Russell
The Role of Music in the Films The Hours and The Third Man
The Social Network : Film Analysis
My Neighbor Totoro : Film by Hayao Miyazaki
Marriage Story Film Directed by Noah Baumbach

❓ Film Analysis Essay: FAQ

Why is film analysis important.

Film analysis allows viewers to go beyond the surface level and delve into the deeper layers of a film’s narrative, themes, and technical aspects. It enables a critical examination that enhances appreciation and understanding of the film’s message, cultural significance, and artistic value. At the same time, writing a movie analysis essay can boost your critical thinking and ability to spot little details.

How to write a movie analysis?

Watch the film multiple times to grasp its key elements.
Take notes on the story, characters, and themes.
Pay attention to the film’s cinematography, editing, sound, message, symbolism, and social context.
Formulate a strong thesis statement that presents your main argument.
Support your claims with evidence from the film.

How to write a critical analysis of a movie?

A critical analysis of a movie involves evaluating its elements, such as plot, themes, characters, and cinematography, and providing an informed opinion on its strengths and weaknesses. To write it, watch the movie attentively, take notes, develop a clear thesis statement, support arguments with evidence, and balance the positive and negative.

How to write a psychological analysis of a movie?

A psychological analysis of a movie examines characters’ motivations, behaviors, and emotional experiences. To write it, analyze the characters’ psychological development, their relationships, and the impact of psychological themes conveyed in the film. Support your analysis with psychological theories and evidence from the movie.

Film Analysis | UNC Writing Center
Psychological Analysis of Films | Steemit
Critical Film Analysis | University of Hawaii
Questions to Ask of Any Film | All American High School Film Festival
Resources – How to Write a Film Analysis | Northwestern
Film Analysis | University of Toronto
Film Writing: Sample Analysis | Purdue Online Writing Lab
Film Analysis Web Site 2.0 | Yale University
Questions for Film Analysis | University of Washington
Film & Media Studies Resources: Types of Film Analysis | Bowling Green State University
Film & Media Studies Resources: Researching a Film | Bowling Green State University
Motion Picture Analysis Worksheet | University of Houston
Reviews vs Film Criticism | The University of Vermont Libraries
Television and Film Analysis Questions | University of Michigan
How to Write About Film: The Movie Review, the Theoretical Essay, and the Critical Essay | University of Colorado

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371 fun argumentative essay topics for 2024.

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Film Analysis

What this handout is about.

This handout introduces film analysis and and offers strategies and resources for approaching film analysis assignments.

Writing the film analysis essay

Writing a film analysis requires you to consider the composition of the film—the individual parts and choices made that come together to create the finished piece. Film analysis goes beyond the analysis of the film as literature to include camera angles, lighting, set design, sound elements, costume choices, editing, etc. in making an argument. The first step to analyzing the film is to watch it with a plan.

Watching the film

First it’s important to watch the film carefully with a critical eye. Consider why you’ve been assigned to watch a film and write an analysis. How does this activity fit into the course? Why have you been assigned this particular film? What are you looking for in connection to the course content? Let’s practice with this clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958). Here are some tips on how to watch the clip critically, just as you would an entire film:

Give the clip your undivided attention at least once. Pay close attention to details and make observations that might start leading to bigger questions.
Watch the clip a second time. For this viewing, you will want to focus specifically on those elements of film analysis that your class has focused on, so review your course notes. For example, from whose perspective is this clip shot? What choices help convey that perspective? What is the overall tone, theme, or effect of this clip?
Take notes while you watch for the second time. Notes will help you keep track of what you noticed and when, if you include timestamps in your notes. Timestamps are vital for citing scenes from a film!

For more information on watching a film, check out the Learning Center’s handout on watching film analytically . For more resources on researching film, including glossaries of film terms, see UNC Library’s research guide on film & cinema .

Brainstorming ideas

Once you’ve watched the film twice, it’s time to brainstorm some ideas based on your notes. Brainstorming is a major step that helps develop and explore ideas. As you brainstorm, you may want to cluster your ideas around central topics or themes that emerge as you review your notes. Did you ask several questions about color? Were you curious about repeated images? Perhaps these are directions you can pursue.

If you’re writing an argumentative essay, you can use the connections that you develop while brainstorming to draft a thesis statement . Consider the assignment and prompt when formulating a thesis, as well as what kind of evidence you will present to support your claims. Your evidence could be dialogue, sound edits, cinematography decisions, etc. Much of how you make these decisions will depend on the type of film analysis you are conducting, an important decision covered in the next section.

After brainstorming, you can draft an outline of your film analysis using the same strategies that you would for other writing assignments. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind as you prepare for this stage of the assignment:

Make sure you understand the prompt and what you are being asked to do. Remember that this is ultimately an assignment, so your thesis should answer what the prompt asks. Check with your professor if you are unsure.
In most cases, the director’s name is used to talk about the film as a whole, for instance, “Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo .” However, some writers may want to include the names of other persons who helped to create the film, including the actors, the cinematographer, and the sound editor, among others.
When describing a sequence in a film, use the literary present. An example could be, “In Vertigo , Hitchcock employs techniques of observation to dramatize the act of detection.”
Finding a screenplay/script of the movie may be helpful and save you time when compiling citations. But keep in mind that there may be differences between the screenplay and the actual product (and these differences might be a topic of discussion!).
Go beyond describing basic film elements by articulating the significance of these elements in support of your particular position. For example, you may have an interpretation of the striking color green in Vertigo , but you would only mention this if it was relevant to your argument. For more help on using evidence effectively, see the section on “using evidence” in our evidence handout .

Also be sure to avoid confusing the terms shot, scene, and sequence. Remember, a shot ends every time the camera cuts; a scene can be composed of several related shots; and a sequence is a set of related scenes.

Different types of film analysis

As you consider your notes, outline, and general thesis about a film, the majority of your assignment will depend on what type of film analysis you are conducting. This section explores some of the different types of film analyses you may have been assigned to write.

Semiotic analysis

Semiotic analysis is the interpretation of signs and symbols, typically involving metaphors and analogies to both inanimate objects and characters within a film. Because symbols have several meanings, writers often need to determine what a particular symbol means in the film and in a broader cultural or historical context.

For instance, a writer could explore the symbolism of the flowers in Vertigo by connecting the images of them falling apart to the vulnerability of the heroine.

Here are a few other questions to consider for this type of analysis:

What objects or images are repeated throughout the film?
How does the director associate a character with small signs, such as certain colors, clothing, food, or language use?
How does a symbol or object relate to other symbols and objects, that is, what is the relationship between the film’s signs?

Many films are rich with symbolism, and it can be easy to get lost in the details. Remember to bring a semiotic analysis back around to answering the question “So what?” in your thesis.

Narrative analysis

Narrative analysis is an examination of the story elements, including narrative structure, character, and plot. This type of analysis considers the entirety of the film and the story it seeks to tell.

For example, you could take the same object from the previous example—the flowers—which meant one thing in a semiotic analysis, and ask instead about their narrative role. That is, you might analyze how Hitchcock introduces the flowers at the beginning of the film in order to return to them later to draw out the completion of the heroine’s character arc.

To create this type of analysis, you could consider questions like:

How does the film correspond to the Three-Act Structure: Act One: Setup; Act Two: Confrontation; and Act Three: Resolution?
What is the plot of the film? How does this plot differ from the narrative, that is, how the story is told? For example, are events presented out of order and to what effect?
Does the plot revolve around one character? Does the plot revolve around multiple characters? How do these characters develop across the film?

When writing a narrative analysis, take care not to spend too time on summarizing at the expense of your argument. See our handout on summarizing for more tips on making summary serve analysis.

Cultural/historical analysis

One of the most common types of analysis is the examination of a film’s relationship to its broader cultural, historical, or theoretical contexts. Whether films intentionally comment on their context or not, they are always a product of the culture or period in which they were created. By placing the film in a particular context, this type of analysis asks how the film models, challenges, or subverts different types of relations, whether historical, social, or even theoretical.

For example, the clip from Vertigo depicts a man observing a woman without her knowing it. You could examine how this aspect of the film addresses a midcentury social concern about observation, such as the sexual policing of women, or a political one, such as Cold War-era McCarthyism.

A few of the many questions you could ask in this vein include:

How does the film comment on, reinforce, or even critique social and political issues at the time it was released, including questions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality?
How might a biographical understanding of the film’s creators and their historical moment affect the way you view the film?
How might a specific film theory, such as Queer Theory, Structuralist Theory, or Marxist Film Theory, provide a language or set of terms for articulating the attributes of the film?

Take advantage of class resources to explore possible approaches to cultural/historical film analyses, and find out whether you will be expected to do additional research into the film’s context.

Mise-en-scène analysis

A mise-en-scène analysis attends to how the filmmakers have arranged compositional elements in a film and specifically within a scene or even a single shot. This type of analysis organizes the individual elements of a scene to explore how they come together to produce meaning. You may focus on anything that adds meaning to the formal effect produced by a given scene, including: blocking, lighting, design, color, costume, as well as how these attributes work in conjunction with decisions related to sound, cinematography, and editing. For example, in the clip from Vertigo , a mise-en-scène analysis might ask how numerous elements, from lighting to camera angles, work together to present the viewer with the perspective of Jimmy Stewart’s character.

To conduct this type of analysis, you could ask:

What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?
How does this scene represent the theme of the movie?
How does a scene work to express a broader point to the film’s plot?

This detailed approach to analyzing the formal elements of film can help you come up with concrete evidence for more general film analysis assignments.

Reviewing your draft

Once you have a draft, it’s helpful to get feedback on what you’ve written to see if your analysis holds together and you’ve conveyed your point. You may not necessarily need to find someone who has seen the film! Ask a writing coach, roommate, or family member to read over your draft and share key takeaways from what you have written so far.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Aumont, Jacques, and Michel Marie. 1988. L’analyse Des Films . Paris: Nathan.

Media & Design Center. n.d. “Film and Cinema Research.” UNC University Libraries. Last updated February 10, 2021. https://guides.lib.unc.edu/filmresearch .

Oxford Royale Academy. n.d. “7 Ways to Watch Film.” Oxford Royale Academy. Accessed April 2021. https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/7-ways-watch-films-critically/ .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Examples, Outline, & Tips

Icon Calendar 18 May 2024
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This guideline is designed to teach people how to write a film analysis essay. Basically, students and anyone interested in writing a good movie analysis essay should read the details and tips that can help them to produce a high-standard piece. The article begins by defining what a film analysis is, listing the possible topics of such an essay, and giving a sample outline and example. The guideline also teaches about the various types of film analysis and the most common concepts that such a paper may address. As a result, the article concludes with tips, including ten things to do and ten not to do when writing a film analysis essay.

General Aspects of How to Write an Outstanding Film Analysis Essay

A college education is dynamic and robust because students undertake various academic activities in and out of the lecture room. Typically, activities within lecture halls are theoretical, and those that happen outside are practical. A critical academic exercise is a film analysis assignment, where professors require students to watch a movie and discuss using particular elements. The elements directors and producers use to bring the action alive include the stage, lighting, sound, and other special effects. As such, analyzing a film is a complex exercise that requires one to perfect the art of writing. In turn, this article is a guideline for how to write a film analysis essay. By reading this text, students can gain insights into the details and elements they must address when writing a movie analysis essay.

How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Examples, Outline, & Tips

Definition of What Is a Film Analysis and Its Meaning

According to a simple definition, film analysis explores the use of particular elements in a film, including mise-en-scène, cinematography, sound, and editing. Students should talk about actors’ positioning, scenery adaptation, physical setting, stage lighting, and cultural context when writing this kind of essay. Another critical fact to consider is that films come in various genres, including action, documentaries, drama, horror, romance, and science fiction. Each type of movie analysis utilizes the above elements differently. Therefore, film analysis means writing an in-depth examination of how directors and producers approach their productions to make them entertaining and informative. For example, most science fiction films are futuristic, showing how society may change. In this respect, all films have a cultural context students must address in their movie analysis essay.

Unique Features of a Film Analysis

Generally, film analysis essays differ from other types of papers, including an argumentative essay, a cause and effect essay, and a research paper, because they focus on a single production and explore the use of the above elements. Some unique features that differentiate film analysis papers from other types of essays include a short plot summary where writers briefly tell readers what the movie is about, such as exterminating evil. In this type of analysis, writers evaluate the use of the elements above and state whether they make the film great or below expectations. Another feature is a poster showing sceneries to give readers a visual experience of the movie. Such visuals are essential to arouse the reader’s emotions and mental involvement in a movie analysis. Therefore, when writing a film analysis essay, students should focus on telling the story and depicting it.

6 Common Types of a Film Analysis Essay

Students must determine the type of film analysis essay to avoid sounding ignorant and irrelevant when writing about the movie. The most common types are semiotic, narrative, contextual, mise-en-scène, cultural, and historical analyses. Each type requires students to adopt a singular focus, meaning one cannot concentrate effort on elements that do not fall under the study. The reason for these types of analyses is that it is not always possible to understand an entire film in an essay, which is generally a short text of about two to three pages. Nonetheless, it is prudent for students to know how to write each type, meaning understanding the approach and unique features they must discuss and evaluate.

🔸 Semiotic Analysis

A semiotic essay involves discussing, evaluating, and interpreting the use of literary analysis elements, including analogies and metaphors, to inanimate characters and objects. Generally, these elements have different meanings, and students should determine what a particular feature stands for in the film they are analyzing vis-à-vis its broader cultural or historical significance in society. For example, when analyzing the 1958 film Vertigo , one may discuss the symbolism of flowers by stating how some images of them falling apart depict the heroine’s vulnerability. In turn, when conducting a semiotic analysis, one should consider several issues, including the repetition of objects or images throughout the movie, the association of a character with particular objects, and the relation between an object and other objects. Hence, a semiotic analysis essay requires students to examine the use of objects and symbols to communicate a deep meaning.

🔸 Narrative Analysis

A narrative analysis essay involves examining the elements that directors or producers use to construct the storyline, including characters, the plot, the setting, and the narrative structure. As such, students should focus on the entire movie and the message it seeks to communicate. Considering the example above of Vertigo , writers may discuss the narrative role of flowers by analyzing how director Alfred Hitchcock introduces them as the film begins and only brings them up again toward the end to complete the heroine’s character arc. Students should also consider several issues when conducting a narrative analysis essay, including the plot and how it unfolds. For example, one may talk about whether events are systematic or out of order and what that signifies. However, students should not focus on summarizing the plot at the expense of making and defending an argument.

🔸 Contextual Analysis

A contextual analysis of a film is a discussion of the placement of the movie within particular contexts, such as slavery, women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, or the industrial revolution. In this case, filmmakers produce movies and base their identity on the unfolding circumstances or themes defining a particular time in history.

🔸 Mise-en-Scène Analysis

A mise-en-scène analysis essay involves discussing and evaluating compositional elements, including sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting, and how they complement or conflict with cinematography, sound, and editing. The most effective approach in conducting this movie analysis is to focus on one or a few scenes rather than the entire film, telling readers how they support or undermine the plot. As such, mise-en-scène is part of the director’s narrative because this element influences how the audience understands the central message in the production. Taking Vertigo as a case study, one may discuss how Hitchcock incorporates lighting and camera angles to characterize Jimmy Stewart (starring as former police detective John “Scottie” Ferguson) as acrophobic. When adopting a mise-en-scène analysis, students should consider how particular scenes create effects and their purpose and how different scenes emphasize a theme central to the plot.

🔸 Cultural Analysis

A cultural analysis essay examines, evaluates, and interprets the broader cultural disposition the director adopts to tell the story. Students must understand that, regardless of a film’s production period, a culture influences its various elements, like characters and their mannerisms. Taking Vertigo as an example, one may interpret the scene where a man observes a woman without her knowing it to mean the sexual policing of women in mid-20th century America. When analyzing the context of a movie, students should consider how the film captures, reinforces, or critiques social norms in a particular culture or era.

🔸 Historical Analysis

A historical analysis essay means writing about a particular film from the perspective of the period underscoring its production. Ideally, filmmakers place their work into a historical context, such as the colonial era or ancient civilizations. Therefore, when writing a film analysis essay, students should focus on the period the director situates its plot.

How to Write a More Technical and Focused Film Analysis Essay

Film analysis helps readers to understand essential details, including the plot and its central themes, characters and their disposition, scenes and significance, and effects and the message they communicate. In this respect, one must be ready to undertake a technical, focused, and vigorous analysis of one or several of these elements. In most instances, instructions dictate the aspects students should write about. However, without such specifications, they should focus on a few elements and examine them vigorously. For example, one may decide to focus on the plot. In this instance, a movie analysis essay must examine the plot from different perspectives, including the characters, central themes, and the message. Such a focused analysis allows readers to gain an in-depth understanding of a particular element of movie reviews instead of an analysis that discusses several elements superficially. Some elements and terms that students can use for writing a film analysis essay include:

Flashback and flashforward: Flashbacks are scenes that recount events that have a powerful influence on the current or unfolding event. On the other hand, flashforwards are scenes that reveal events that will occur later in the film, and their purpose is to create anticipation in the audience.
Time framework: Film directors structure time linearly to depict an orderly unfolding of events. The most common time framework is omitting events to move the story forward.
Setting: The environment within which a director creates a movie, including physical surrounding like a city and period like a year or century.
Range of events: The different events in a film sustain the plot. Typically, these events directly or indirectly affect protagonists because they facilitate the storyline.
Cast: The people producing a film, including the main actors and the production crew. However, actors take priority when discussing the cast.
Plot: The sequence of events that directors create to communicate a central message in a movie analysis. When writing a film analysis essay, students should never ignore this aspect because it underscores the storyline.
Shot, scene, and sequence: Features that tell the quality of a film but, most importantly, the interconnectivity of elements in the director’s aim to tell a story.
Genre: The classification of movies into various forms, such as action, documentaries, science fiction, horror, or romance. Knowing a film’s genre under analysis is helpful in identifying the significance of cinematography and mise-en-scène elements.
Directing: Supervising film production by visualizing the script, controlling and managing the artistic and dramatic aspects, and guiding the actors and technical crew.
Scenario: The aspect of a movie analysis that provides the audience insight into the plot or characters. Ideally, scenarios are scenes that convey critical details of the storyline, such as climax.
Acting: The role that individuals play to bring a film’s plot alive. As such, it involves all people who assume different characters in a movie, including protagonists, antagonists, heroes, and heroines.
Visual effects: The qualities that filmmakers use to bring the action alive, such as images, shots, and scenes. When discussing visual effects in a film analysis essay, students should comment on how they reinforce certain concepts or themes, like mood, fear, and suspense.
Music and audio effects: Sound and language that enhance the audience’s understanding of the central message. Most films incorporate background sounds in multiple scenes to arouse reactions in the audience.
Camera angle: The positioning of the camera to capture precise shots in films. Filmmakers use camera angles in relation to scenes and characters to affect the audience’s perception.
Lighting: A mise-en-scène element that filmmakers use to create different effects in a film. Ideally, movies involve different lighting techniques, such as key light, fill light, and backlight, to guide the audience’s attention, create a visual impact, give the film a texture, or create an atmosphere.
References: Features that indicate how a film uses dialogue and images in its storyline to allude to, recall, or refer to another movie. Ideally, filmmakers use this feature to contextualize their productions within a cultural or historical space.
Animation: The use of drawings or puppets with mobility like humans. Although it is a movie genre for analysis today, filmmakers use animation to give objects animal or human qualities, such as walking, talking, crying, or fighting. Animations effectively depict society as a complex system comprising different life systems.
Protagonist: The character that takes center stage in a film and whom the director uses to construct the plot. While a film’s plot may revolve around several actors, only one is central, and others only assist the main hero in accomplishing agendas. In this respect, when students are writing a film analysis, they should tell the audience the main protagonist(s).
Antagonist: Characters that stand opposite of protagonists. Filmmakers use them to depict the main character as assailed by forces aiming to thwart their agenda.
Climax: The point in a movie where the plot peaks and where the protagonist puts into motion a series of events that significantly determine their final experience. These events may include betrayal, heroism, or tragedy. Therefore, one can identify a film’s climax by assessing how the plot intensifies and events directly impacting the protagonist unfolds.
Hero vs. anti-hero: Heroes stand out as brave because they attempt what others fear. In most movies, protagonists are heroes because they survive what consumes others. On the other hand, an anti-hero is a central character who lacks heroic qualities like bravery but is timid, fearful, frustrating, and irritating. As a result, the audience celebrates heroes under analysis and loath anti-heroes.
Atmosphere: The environment in which a movie imbues the audience through the sequence of events revolving around the plot. Generally, action films create an intense atmosphere because of the frequency of fights. On the other hand, romantic movies create an emotional atmosphere characterized by attraction and happiness. On their part, horror films create an uneasy atmosphere because of the constant anticipation of evil.
Background: The technique of capturing an image or object from a distance, often giving other images or objects prominence. Filmmakers use this quality to create a sense of authenticity in scenes. For example, a scene capturing a rioting crowd may have in its background an image of anti-riot police forming a barrier using their bodies. Looking at the imagery, one may see rioters more clearly but also understand the situation’s intensity because of the police in the background.
Cameo: The dramatic appearance of a famous actor or personality in a movie for various reasons, including fun, publicity, or to give the film credibility. However, such characters do not become protagonists because they appear briefly and only once. When doing a film analysis, students should indicate such personalities and the role they may have played in the plot.
Cinematography: The artistic use of technology and visual effects to dramatize the sequence of events in a film. Ideally, writers should examine the scenes’ general composition, locations’ lighting, camera angles and movements, and special effects, like illusions or camera tricks.
Comic relief: A scene that allows the audience to release emotional weight or tension that may have built up due to escalating events with a negative outcome, such as betrayal and a series of murders. Filmmakers interpose comic relief in tragic scenarios to avoid burdening the audience emotionally to the point of refusing to watch the film to its conclusion. The only film genre that rarely uses comic relief is gothic.
Film critics: Individuals who have made criticizing films a part- or full-time engagement. Ideally, these people watch movies to identify negative qualities, like a confused plot, poor lighting, and sound effects. While one may consider them an appropriate source of film reviews, they rarely highlight a good analysis of a movie.
Director’s cut: An edited film version that represents the director’s original edit before the release of the theatrical edit that reaches the screens. This part of the film is important because it shows scenes that some editors may cut or altered. By examining the director’s cut, the writer of a film analysis essay looks at the complete production and tells how it may enhance the audience’s viewing experience.
Foreshadowing: The technique of giving the audience a sneak preview of events yet to unfold to build anticipation and heighten dramatic tension. Filmmakers use this quality early in the film to create excitement in the audience and make them want to view the production to the end. Typically, foreshadowing focuses on events directly affecting the protagonist, such as a tragedy.
Editing: Perfecting a film by deleting, arranging, and splicing scenes and synchronizing all elements, including cinematography, mise-en-scène, sound, and special effects. The goal of editing is to make a film perfect for airing on the big screen. In this respect, it aims to remove all features affecting quality.
Long shot: A scene in a film that filmmakers shoot from a considerable distance to give images and objects indistinct shapes, almost unrecognizable. An excellent long shot captures people walking New York City streets from the city’s skyline. While one would know the images are people walking, they cannot describe their demographics, such as age, gender, or race.
Metaphor: A literary device that allows filmmakers to represent similarities between objects. An example of a metaphor in a movie is a visual metaphor, where filmmakers represent nouns through graphical images to suggest a particular association or resemblance. For example, an advert can represent beauty through the appearance of a flawless face, implying that beauty is equal to a look without flaws. Such an advert increases people’s interest in having a perfect face, leading to purchasing beauty products.
Montage: The film editing technique where filmmakers combine a series of short shots into one sequence to condense time, establish continuity, or provide contrast. Montages take different forms, including repetition of camera movements, minimal or no dialogue, quick cuts, music, and voice narration.
New wave: A French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s to pave the way for experimentation and iconoclasm, thus rejecting traditional filmmaking conventions. Filmmakers who subscribed to this wave used film as a medium, like pottery or novels, for telling stories and translating thoughts and ideas by experimenting with form and style.
Mockumentary traits: Films that assume a documentary genre, although they do not tell true stories. Instead, filmmakers use parody, satire, and humor to describe contemporary society through events, ideas, and emerging trends. Simply put, a movie is a mockumentary if it is a fictional documentary.
Slow motion: A filmmaking effect where time appears to slow down because the film captures footage at a slower speed. This technique is common for rewinding scenarios to reinforce an idea in the audience. For example, most productions of sports tournaments use slow motion to provide viewers with detailed and perfect shots that leave no room for imagination and analysis.
Soundtrack: The sound, often music, which filmmakers incorporate in a plot to accompany scenes for heightened effects, such as arousing the audience’s emotions. In most instances, this music plays in the background, often from a low to high intensity and vice versa, depending on the scene.
Theme: The concept, idea, or principle that emphasizes a film’s plot and central message, such cas sadness, victory, morality, or community. By identifying the themes that a director uses to construct the plot, authors of a film analysis essay can tell the audience their meaning and significance through the story of the protagonist.
Symmetry: The quality of balancing shots between characters or placing shots symmetrically to each other to create a pattern. For example, visual symmetry involves repeating parts of an image along a path, across an axis, or around a center. Filmmakers use symmetrical patterns to convey a sense of unity or uniformity.
Symbolism: The literary device of using objects to symbolize ideas. For example, a filmmaker can use a dove to symbolize peace or the color black to symbolize evil. In essence, symbolism allows filmmakers to communicate profound messages to the audience. Therefore, students need to identify symbols representing ideas in film analysis.

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Topic Examples for Writing a Film Analysis Essay

Video Review: Salt (2010)
Video Review and Approval of Black Panther (2018)
Analysis Essay of Volodymyr Zelensky’s Speech “I Call for You to Do More”
Examining Gender Issues Through Symbolism in The Ugly Truth (2009)
Discussing the Narrative Structure in The Godfather (1972)
Evaluating Christopher Nolan’s Use of Mise-en-Scène Elements in Oppenheimer (2023)
What Features Indicate the Context of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1993)?
What Is the Cultural Context of City of God (2002)?
How Does History Feature as an Element in the Star Wars Trilogy?
How Does Roman Polanski Employ Flashback and Flashforward to Tell the Story of Wladyslaw Szpilman in The Pianist (2002)?
Discussing the Conception of Time in The Matrix (1999)
How Does the Setting of The Departed (2006) Underscore the Film’s Contemporary Significance?
Describing the Chronology of Events in The Bark Night Rises (2012)
How Does Casting Affect the Plot in American Beauty (1992)?
What Central Themes Describe the Plot in Inglorious Bastards (2009)?
Discussing How Scenes in Idiots (2009) Facilitate the Plot
Analysis of Gothic Elements in the Horror Genre via the Lens of The Mummy (2017)
Evaluating Mel Gibson’s Directing of The Braveheart (1995)
Discussing the Scenarios that Construct the Climax in Capernaum (2018)
Evaluating Al Pacino’s Acting in Scarface (1983)
Analyzing the Significance of Visual Effects in Film From the Perspective of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
How Does Sound Affect the Audience in Monster House (2006)?
Evaluating How Camera Angle Enrich Viewer Experience in Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
How Does Lighting Fit in the Gothic Film Sleepy Hollow (1999)?
How Does Steven Spielberg Employ References in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)?
Analysis of Animation in a Film From the Perspective of King Kong (1933)
Who Is the Protagonist in The Wolf of Wallstreet (2013) and Why?
What Makes Saruman the Antagonist in The Lord of the Rings Series?
How Does Climax Underpin the Plot in Casino (1995)?
Analyzing the Difference Between Heroes and Anti-Heroes via the Lenses of Black Panther (2018) and Black Adam (2022)
How Does Suspense Create an Atmosphere of Anticipation in Black Swan (2010)?
Discussing How Background Influences Viewer Experience in No Country for Old Men (2007)
Evaluating the Impact of Harrison Ford’s Appearance in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
How Does M. Night Shyamalan Employ Cinematography in The Sixth Sense (1999)?
Explaining Comic Relief in Film Using Uncut Gems (2019) as a Case Study
Criticizing Jurassic Park (1993) from the Perspective of Cinematography
How Does Director’s Cut Enrich the Storyline in Blade Runner (1982)?
Exploring Foreshadowing in the Film Using 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Explaining the Link Between Film Editing and Quality Using Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) as an Example
How Do Long Shots Affect Viewers’ Experience in Film?
Understanding a Visual Metaphor in Hotel Rwanda (2004)
How Does Dialogue Underscore Montage in The Terminator (1984)?
Analysis of How the Mid-20th Century New Wave Impacted French Filmmaking
How Does Forgotten Silver (1995) Incorporate Mocumentary Traits?
What Role Does Slow Motion Play in Films?
Analyzing the Importance of Soundtracks From the Perspective of Horror Films
How Do Film Directors Use Themes as Conveyors of the Central Message?
Discussing How Symmetry Affects the Quality of Films
Exploring Symbolism in the Film Using Angels & Demons (2009)

Sample Outline Template for Writing a Film Analysis Essay

I. Essay Introduction

Introduce the film’s title, followed by the director’s name and year of production.
Give a short description of the film or some context underpinning its release.
End this paragraph with a thesis statement about the film.

II. Summary

Overview the film by describing its context, setting, plot, and main characters.

III. Analysis

Describe several scenes in more detail by focusing on various elements, including cinematography, mise-en-scène, and others that help to evaluate the film.
Provide and cite some scenes as details and supporting evidence for analysis.
Evaluate and interpret the use of the above elements.

IV. Conclusion

Remind the audience about the film’s context and plot.
Recapitulate information in the analysis section.
Interpret the film’s significance.

Example of a Film Analysis Essay

Topic: What Features Indicate the Context of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1993)?

I. Example of Writing an Introduction for a Film Analysis Essay

Films play a crucial role in educating people about the context within which movies come into their lives. Ideally, filmmakers implement various societal elements to construct ideas and use cinema as a conveyor belt to pass movies to different populations. Therefore, analyzing the film’s context is critical in understanding the ideas that the director embraced to produce the work. Several features in the 1993 film The Joy Luck Club indicate the film’s context.

II. Example of Writing a Summary Paragraph for a Film Analysis Essay

Directed by Wayne Wang, The Joy Luck Club tells the story of an Asian woman named Jun, born of the late Suyuan, who founded the Joy Luck Club social group. The movie’s plot revolves around the experiences of Asian mothers as immigrants in America from the perspective of their daughters. In this respect, the film takes a narrative approach. The movie’s setting alternates between San Francisco, California, and China, with the scenes in San Francisco representing the present day. Set in the 1980s, the storyline takes the viewer across generations. In this case, the mothers have flashbacks of the 1920s and 1940s.

III. Example of Writing an Analysis Paragraph for a Film Essay

A. physical landscape.

A key feature that reveals the context of The Joy Luck Club is the physical landscape. The film captures San Francisco as an urban place populated by buildings, busy streets, and a coastline. The movie contrasts this landscape with the mountainous landscape in China, where natural elements exceed physical structures.

B. Cultural Nuances

Another feature that reveals the film’s context is cultural nuances between mothers and their daughters. The viewer learns how mothers went through a world so different from that of their daughters to the extent they loathe some of the behaviors and mannerisms they see in them. However, the viewer can tell that some cultural differences between mothers and daughters may explain why there is confusion between two generations. Born in the conservative Chinese culture, mothers experience a cultural shock once in America, which does not happen for their daughters because they have only experienced the liberal American culture. In this respect, life values and perspectives of mothers and their daughters are constantly in conflict.

C. Conflict Between Generations

Although the scenes in San Francisco and China are essential to the storyline, cultural nuances of mothers and their daughters take center stage in a conflict between generations in the film. While daughters seem relaxed and willing to engage in fantasies, their mothers insist they embrace education as the noblest achievement. As such, two generations are always at loggerheads about leisure time because mothers seek to utilize every minute to work, while daughters want to have fun most of the time. Ironically, mothers see education as the tool to make their daughters truly American because it determines their quality of life.

IV. Example of Writing a Conclusion for a Film Analysis Essay

The Joy Luck Club exposes the experiences of Chinese mothers in America, showing some cultural nuances that influence their relationships with their daughters. The film depicts immigration as crucial to the women’s experiences in the movie because it is the avenue through which mothers arrived in America. In essence, the film depicts mothers as caring despite their unpleasant experiences and their daughters’ ignorance.

4 Easy Steps for Writing a Film Analysis Essay

Writing a good film analysis essay is a technical process that requires students to grasp and demonstrate certain qualities. Ideally, one should know how to produce a high-standard paper, including adequate preparation, stage setup, creating an initial draft, and perfecting a final draft. These details summarize the steps of writing a great film analysis essay.

Step 1: Preparation

Preparation is the first step of writing a film analysis essay and involves several tasks. The first aspect is defining possible essay topics if instructions from tutors do not specify them. In turn, one may select film research paper topics that are easy yet challenging. The second task is to generate ideas that the audience can relate to, such as the cultural or historical issues in the film.

Step 2: Stage Set Up

Setting the stage is the second step of writing a film analysis essay. It involves watching the film to understand its context and plot and using cinematography and other elements. The second task is to research credible sources that help to analyze the movie, such as scholarly reviews and scholarship on film, including gothic movies and the use of literary or rhetorical devices. The next task is to create a clear essay outline according to the sample above.

Step 3: The Writing Process of Starting a First Draft

The third step of writing a film analysis essay is to write a paper focusing on producing an initial draft. The text activity should combine all ideas to create a document with a logical order of ideas and content. Some of the activities in this stage include adding or deleting reliable sources to fit a paper and altering an initial outline to organize ideas. Students should also focus on developing a clear thesis statement when writing the introduction because it summarizes the paper’s aim. Students should adopt evidence-based writing by incorporating evidence and corresponding citations in the body. The last aspect is to restate the thesis and summarize the analysis in the conclusion by mentioning the most critical points.

Step 4: Wrap-Up and Finishing a Final Draft

The final step of writing a film analysis essay is to wrap it up by perfecting a first draft. In this respect, students should focus on revising their first drafts to eliminate flaws like inconsistent ideas. The second task is to edit a film analysis essay by adding to deleting words and sentences to foster a logical flow of thought. Students should also ensure each body paragraph has a topic sentence, evidence, scenes, or details cited from academic sources or films, explanation and analysis sentences, concluding remark, and transition to the next paragraph, not forgetting to check if the paper’s formatting is perfect. Concerning formatting, students should adopt one style in the entire document: APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian. Considering The Joy Luck Club , templates and examples of citations should read as follows:

📕 Citing a Film in APA

Reference entry: Wang, W. (Director). (1993). The Joy Luck Club [Film]. Walt Disney Studios.
In-text citation: (Wang, 1993, 00:46:00-00:50:00)

📕 Citing a Film in MLA

Work Cited entry: The Joy Luck Club . Directed by Wayne Wang, performances by Suyuan Woo and Rose Hsu Jordan, Walt Disney Studios, 1993.
In-text citation: ( The Joy Luck Club 00:46:00-00:50:00)

📕 Citing a Film in Harvard

Reference List entry: The Joy Luck Club (1993). Directed by Wayne Wang. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Studios.
In-text citation: ( The Joy Luck Club 1993, 00:46:00-00:50:00)

📕 Citing a Film in Chicago/Turabian

Bibliography entry: Wang, Wayne, director. The Joy Luck Club . Walt Disney Studios, 1993.
Footnote: 1. The Joy Luck Club , directed by Wayne Wang (Walt Disney Studios, 1993), 00:46:00-00:50:00.

20 Tips for Writing a Good Film Analysis Essay

Students must learn essential tips for writing a high-standard film analysis essay. These tips include watching a specific film before starting a movie analysis paper; determining the aspects to cover, such as the plot, cinematography, context, or setting; selecting suitable sources to construct ideas and defend arguments; and creating a well-organized outline.

10 things to do when writing a film analysis essay include:

watching the film at least once;
considering the audience;
commenting on the acting;
criticizing the directing by mentioning cinematography, mise-en-scène, or special effects;
supporting the criticism;
talking about the plot;
consulting professional reviewers, like Roger Ebert and Rotten Tomatoes;
reading, rereading, editing, and revising;
cultivating a personal voice to demonstrate knowledge;
proofreading the final text.

10 things not to do include:

retelling the film;
overusing sentences;
generalizing ideas;
continuously comparing the movie with its adaptations, like a book or novel;
ignoring or doing superficial research;
telling irrelevant details;
writing poorly with too many grammar and format errors;
getting too personal;
reviewing another film;
plagiarizing reviews.

Summing Up on How to Write a Perfect Film Analysis Essay

Watch a chosen film while notetaking.
Read several reviews focusing on the plot, context, setting, characters, scenes, and elements, like cinematography and mise-en-scène.
Create a list of ideas.
Organize the ideas to fit various aspects of a film indicated above: plot, context, and other elements.
Write an appropriate introduction.
Summarize the film.
Analyze the film by exploring one or several aspects comprehensively.
Write a conclusion, which must satisfy the audience.

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50 Film Analysis

Film analysis, what this handout is about.

This handout provides a brief definition of film analysis compared to literary analysis, provides an introduction to common types of film analysis, and offers strategies and resources for approaching assignments.

What is film analysis, and how does it differ from literary analysis?

Film analysis is the process in which film is analyzed in terms of semiotics, narrative structure, cultural context, and mise-en-scene, among other approaches. If these terms are new to you, don’t worry—they’ll be explained in the next section.

Analyzing film, like analyzing literature (fiction texts, etc.) , is a form of rhetorical analysis—critically analyzing and evaluating discourse, including words, phrases, and images. Having a clear argument and supporting evidence is every bit as critical to film analysis as to other forms of academic writing.

Unlike literature, film incorporates audiovisual elements and therefore introduces a new dimension to analysis. Ultimately, however, analysis of film is not too different. Think of all the things that make up a scene in a film: the actors, the lighting, the angles, the colors. All of these things may be absent in literature, but they are deliberate choices on the part of the director, producer, or screenwriter—as are the words chosen by the author of a work of literature. Furthermore, literature and film incorporate similar elements. They both have plots, characters, dialogue, settings, symbolism, and, just as the elements of literature can be analyzed for their intent and effect, these elements can be analyzed the same way in film.

Different types of film analysis

Listed here are common approaches to film analysis, but this is by no means an exhaustive list, and you may have discussed other approaches in class. As with any other assignment, make sure you understand your professor’s expectations. This guide is best used to understand prompts or, in the case of more open-ended assignments, consider the different ways to analyze film.

Keep in mind that any of the elements of film can be analyzed, oftentimes in tandem. A single film analysis essay may simultaneously include all of the following approaches and more. As Jacques Aumont and Michel Marie propose in Analysis of Film, there is no correct, universal way to write film analysis.

Semiotic analysis

Semiotic analysis is the analysis of meaning behind signs and symbols, typically involving metaphors, analogies, and symbolism.

This doesn’t necessarily need to be something dramatic; think about how you extrapolate information from the smallest signs in your day to day life. For instance, what characteristics can tell you about someone’s personality? Something as simple as someone’s appearance can reveal information about them. Mismatched shoes and bedhead might be a sign of carelessness (or something crazy happened that morning!), while an immaculate dress shirt and tie would suggest that the person is prim and proper. Continuing in that vein:

What might you be able to infer about characters from small hints?
How are these hints (signs) used to construct characters? How do they relate to the relative role of those characters, or the relationships between multiple characters?

Symbols denote concepts (liberty, peace, etc.) and feelings (hate, love, etc.) that they often have nothing to do with. They are used liberally in both literature and film, and finding them uses a similar process. Ask yourself:

In Frozen Elsa’s gloves appear in multiple scenes.
Her gloves are first given to her by her father to restrain her magic. She continues to wear them throughout the coronation scene, before finally, in the Let It Go sequence, she throws them away.

Again, the method of semiotic analysis in film is similar to that of literature. Think about the deeper meaning behind objects or actions.

Elsa’s gloves represent fear of her magic and, by extension, herself. Though she attempts to contain her magic by hiding her hands within gloves and denying part of her identity, she eventually abandons the gloves in a quest for self-acceptance.

Narrative structure analysis

Narrative structure analysis is the analysis of the story elements, including plot structure, character motivations, and theme. Like the dramatic structure of literature (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), film has what is known as the Three-Act Structure: “Act One: Setup, Act Two: Confrontation, and Act Three: Resolution.” Narrative structure analysis breaks the story of the film into these three elements and might consider questions like:

How does the story follow or deviate from typical structures?
What is the effect of following or deviating from this structure?
What is the theme of the film, and how is that theme constructed?

Consider again the example of Frozen. You can use symbolism and narrative structure in conjunction by placing the symbolic objects/events in the context of the narrative structure. For instance, the first appearance of the gloves is in Act One, while their abandoning takes place in Act Two; thus, the story progresses in such a way that demonstrates Elsa’s personal growth. By the time of Act Three, the Resolution, her aversion to touch (a product of fearing her own magic) is gone, reflecting a theme of self-acceptance.

Contextual analysis

Contextual analysis is analysis of the film as part of a broader context. Think about the culture, time, and place of the film’s creation. What might the film say about the culture that created it? What were/are the social and political concerns of the time period? Or, like researching the author of a novel, you might consider the director, producer, and other people vital to the making of the film. What is the place of this film in the director’s career? Does it align with his usual style of directing, or does it move in a new direction? Other examples of contextual approaches might be analyzing the film in terms of a civil rights or feminist movement.

For example, Frozen is often linked to the LGBTQ social movement. You might agree or disagree with this interpretation, and, using evidence from the film, support your argument.

Some other questions to consider:

How does the meaning of the film change when seen outside of its culture?
What characteristics distinguishes the film as being of its particular culture?

Mise-en-scene analysis

Mise-en-scene analysis is analysis of the arrangement of compositional elements in film—essentially, the analysis of audiovisual elements that most distinctly separate film analysis from literary analysis. Remember that the important part of a mise-en-scene analysis is not just identifying the elements of a scene, but explaining the significance behind them.

What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?
How does the film attempt to achieve its goal by the way it looks, and does it succeed?

Audiovisual elements that can be analyzed include (but are not limited to): props and costumes, setting, lighting, camera angles, frames, special effects, choreography, music, color values, depth, placement of characters, etc. Mise-en-scene is typically the most foreign part of writing film analysis because the other components discussed are common to literary analysis, while mise-en-scene deals with elements unique to film. Using specific film terminology bolsters credibility, but you should also consider your audience. If your essay is meant to be accessible to non-specialist readers, explain what terms mean. The Resources section of this handout has links to sites that describe mise-en-scene elements in detail.

Rewatching the film and creating screen captures (still images) of certain scenes can help with detailed analysis of colors, positioning of actors, placement of objects, etc. Listening to the soundtrack can also be helpful, especially when placed in the context of particular scenes.

Some example questions:

How is the lighting used to construct mood? Does the mood shift at any point during the film, and how is that shift in mood created?
What does the setting say about certain characters? How are props used to reveal aspects of their personality?
What songs were used, and why were they chosen? Are there any messages in the lyrics that pertain to the theme?

Writing the film analysis essay

Writing film analysis is similar to writing literary analysis or any argumentative essay in other disciplines: Consider the assignment and prompts, formulate a thesis (see the Brainstorming Handout and Thesis Statement Handout for help crafting a nuanced argument), compile evidence to prove your thesis, and lay out your argument in the essay. Your evidence may be different from what you are used to. Whereas in the English essay you use textual evidence and quotes, in a film analysis essay, you might also include audiovisual elements to bolster your argument.

When describing a sequence in a film, use the present tense, like you would write in the literary present when describing events of a novel, i.e. not “Elsa took off her gloves,” but “Elsa takes off her gloves.” When quoting dialogue from a film, if between multiple characters, use block quotes: Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin. However, conventions are flexible, so ask your professor if you are unsure. It may also help to follow the formatting of the script, if you can find it. For example:

ELSA: But she won’t remember I have powers? KING: It’s for the best.

You do not need to use quotation marks for blocked-off dialogue, but for shorter quotations in the main text, quotation marks should be double quotes (“…”).

Here are some tips for approaching film analysis:

Make sure you understand the prompt and what you are being asked to do. Focus your argument by choosing a specific issue to assess.
Review your materials. Rewatch the film for nuances that you may have missed in the first viewing. With your thesis in mind, take notes as you watch. Finding a screenplay of the movie may be helpful, but keep in mind that there may be differences between the screenplay and the actual product (and these differences might be a topic of discussion!).
Develop a thesis and an outline, organizing your evidence so that it supports your argument. Remember that this is ultimately an assignment—make sure that your thesis answers what the prompt asks, and check with your professor if you are unsure.
Move beyond only describing the audiovisual elements of the film by considering the significance of your evidence. Demonstrate understanding of not just what film elements are, but why and to what effect they are being used. For more help on using your evidence effectively, see ‘Using Evidence In An Argument’ in the Evidence Handout .

New York Film Academy Glossary Movie Outline Glossary Movie Script Database Citation Practices: Film and Television

Works Consulted

We consulted these works while writing the original version of this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

Aumont, Jacques, and Michel Marie. L’analyse Des Films. Paris: Nathan, 1988. Print. Pruter, Robin Franson. “Writing About Film.” Writing About Film. DePaul University, 08 Mar. 2004. Web. 01 May 2016.

Film Analysis Copyright © 2020 by Liza Long; Amy Minervini; and Joel Gladd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Format & Examples

Movie analysis essays offer a unique opportunity to take a closer look at narrative techniques and artistic aspects of filmmaking. A paper on this subject lets you explore themes, characters, cinematography, and other elements that make movies stand out. Students can improve their movie analysis abilities by reading our comprehensive guide! It has enough information to make you a movie critic in your own right.

Our team has covered the main film analysis essay components to help you thoroughly analyze movies. By the end of this read, you’ll understand how to pick the right motion picture and craft a film review that best captures its essence. The guide covers all the crucial steps for students to make a film analysis essay captivating and thought-provoking for readers. Let’s dive into cinema analysis and discover the secret behind excellent papers!

📽️ What Is a Film Analysis?
🎞️ Types of Movie Analysis

🎬 Film Analysis Template

🤩 11 Tips for Movie Analysis
💡 Film Analysis Essay Topics

🔗 References

📽️ what is a film analysis essay.

In a film analysis paper, students should closely examine the various elements of the picture. These include directing , writing , cinematography , acting , and setting . As with any critical paper, the subject is evaluated based on specific standards. Sometimes, a film may be compared to other entries in its genre or series, for example, Star Wars vs. Star Trek.

🎞️ Types of Movie Analysis Essays

Before making a movie analysis outline, it’s essential to understand what kind of essay you want to create. There are several popular types with unique goals and aims. Understanding the difference between them helps you choose the right one for the paper you want to write.

The most common types of movie analysis essays include:

Semiotic Analysis. This type discusses the symbols and signs represented in a particular movie. With its help, you may uncover the meaning of objects or images repeated throughout the picture. It’s also possible to show connections between different examples of imagery in the film. For example, you may discuss the meaning of oranges in The Godfather .
Narrative Structure Analysis. This common type of analysis lets you look deeper into the various story elements, such as plot, narrative structure, and characters. For example, you may use it to explore the story and setting of Psycho.
Contextual Analysis. In a contextual analysis, you draw connections between the film and its cultural and historical context. This works well with documentary films or movies based on real events. For example, you can describe the atmosphere of the Cold War in Red Dawn and The Hunt for Red October .
Mise-En-Scene Analysis . If you want to go into deep detail about the beauty and meaning of scenes or single shots, mise-en-scene analysis is right for you. It lets you take a look at individual elements and interpret them. For example, you may try to explain how various details of the surroundings were depicted in Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. This analysis is as effective for short films as it is for feature-length ones.

Creating a high-quality, compelling essay isn’t just about being creative. It also needs structure and a systematic approach. You can’t write it right if you don’t know how to do it. So, we’ll take a closer look at each step of this process to make your journey more comfortable. Come with us and learn what makes a movie critique essay great.

Prepare for Writing the Film Analysis Paper

Before you begin your first draft, it’s vital to prepare for the film analysis. This process is divided into five stages. We’ve decided to provide some advice and ideas for each of them. Look closely at what should be done to better prepare for this task:

	Personal assessment is everything. While reading what others think about a film is tempting, carefully watch it yourself first. You may spot things that other viewers didn’t highlight. It also gives you a better understanding of the pictures’ characters and plot.
	While your film critique should be personal, it must be factually correct. Ensure that the title, character names, and people involved in the making of the film are written correctly. Also, make notes of important plot points, symbols, and devices.
	After you watch the work several times, pick elements that should be covered in the paper. You may have to express your overall opinion about the feature or analyze its individual components.
	Depending on the you get, it might be necessary to research the film thoroughly. You may consult professional reviews or academic articles when writing about the film’s connection to sociology, culture, history, or other subjects.
	Lastly, you need an outline covering the essay’s main points. A will keep you on track with the context of each paragraph. Your mind will wander less, and you’ll get more done.

Movie Analysis Format & Structure

A well-organized film essay structure will help you properly present your ideas and arguments. That is why we have provided some advice on how you should format your essay.

There are several parts you should include when writing your film critique:

Introduction . Any good piece of writing starts with a catchy introduction. It must give readers a small taste of what the paper will be about with unique insights and analysis. One look at it should be enough to hook your readers.
Body . After writing the perfect intro, summarize the work you’ll analyze and focus on the crucial plot points. Then, provide an analysis of the motion picture at length. Check your outline to ensure you only talk about relevant aspects. When organizing each of your paragraphs , you should remember its purpose and try not to stray off topic.
Conclusion . The last part of your paper should summarize the main points and present your final thoughts. Don’t haste and write the first thing that comes to mind. Ensure that the conclusion is as impactful as the introductory part.

Sometimes, students get too engrossed when watching a movie and leave out essential details. To make sure that doesn’t happen, follow this movie analysis template. It will help you retain information and avoid making mistakes.

	Write down the year of the film’s release and its title.
	State the film’s director and the company (or companies) responsible for its release.
	List the main and side characters related to the . There’s no need to include all the extras and cameo roles you might come across. Stay focused on the relevant cast.
	It’s vital to summarize the general plot in your paper. List the key events the characters go through, their consequences, and how and why they play out. If a specific scene doesn’t have a significant impact, you can skip it.
	Some film essays analyze the importance of the opening credits. For example, think about the visuals and the style of this portion in the movie by Martin Scorsese.
	A movie analysis may also be an evaluation of different actors. You can tell your readers about people you’ve found particularly compelling or unconvincing.
	In this section, you may describe sets, decor, props, costumes, and lighting that made a movie scene shine. For example, analyze how these elements are used in .
	You should also discuss the quality of the cinematography, camera shots, movements, and focus. To illustrate, the 1990 Goodfellas masterfully used track shots and different camera angles.

🤩 11 Tips to Follow While Writing a Movie Analysis

A movie analysis essay writing requires exceptional attention to detail. We’ve come up with several terrific pieces of advice that will improve your writing skills regarding these assignments. They will work for you whether you’re analyzing a Tim Burton animated film or the legendary Titanic movie.

Even if you’ve seen the work before, rewatch it. It will refresh your memories of it.
Don’t rush things, and see the movie at least twice. Arrange your time to have the opportunity to refresh your memories of the plot details.
Sometimes, it helps to work on the body of the paper before adding an introduction.
Develop a clear thesis statement . It helps better organize the paper’s arguments.
Closely investigate the audio and visual elements. They often help bring more nuance to the story and the film’s atmosphere.
Don’t make the paper all about the plot. It should be an analysis and not a retelling of the entire story.
To make the paper more professional, incorporate some technical jargon. For example, you may explain the techniques used by the camera crew or the editors.
Do your best to remain objective. Your paper should analyze the movie elements and your opinions should be evidence-based.
Compare the film to other genre entries. Try to tell how other works tackle the same subjects and utilize similar cinema elements .
Check the structural integrity of the work. Comb the paper for any inconsistencies or sentences that seem to dangle in the air. Your text should be easy to follow.
Finally, remember to edit. It’s important to polish the paper until you have all the facts, grammar, stylistics, and spelling in order.

9 Essential questions to help you analyze a movie.

💡 Interesting Topics for Film Analysis Essays

Pandora’s Unobtanium: Analyzing James Cameron’s “Avatar”
Truth and Its Consequences in “Liar Liar” Directed by Tom Shadyac
The Feminist Revolution in “Mona Lisa Smile” by Mike Newell
Blade Runner’s Cyberpunk Aesthetic: A Scene Analysis
Society and Class Distinctions in “Pride and Prejudice” Movie
Power, Loyalty, and Betrayal in “The Godfather” by Francis Ford Coppola
The Heroine’s Journey into “The Wizard of Oz” by Victor Fleming
Generational Saga “Mi Familia” by Gregory Nava
Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates: A Cinematic Journey in ‘Forrest Gump’
Transformation in “Dances with Wolves” by Kevin Costner
Spirit of Nature and Childhood Innocence in “My Neighbor Totoro”
Subversive Masculinity in “Fight Club” by David Fincher
Intercultural Communication in “Lost in Translation” by Sofia Coppola
Ethical Dilemmas and Family Bonds in “My Sister’s Keeper” by Nick Cassavetes
Shakespearean Romance and Identity in “Shakespeare in Love”

Three Brilliant Movie Analysis Examples

Theoretical knowledge will only take you so far. We suggest taking a look at several scene analysis essay examples. Check out these three creative samples with different analytical approaches:

“Remember the Titans” Movie by Jerry Bruckheimer. Outstanding achievement can only be won through hardship. It doesn’t matter whether you’re fighting for equality or striving to win a football game. Each small event resonates in history. Jerry Bruckheimer’s Remember the Titans is a testament to the sacrifice and struggle people endure to make a difference. This essay analyzes the work using several scenes that capture its central message.
The Analysis of Film “Wilby Wonderful.” Interpersonal relationships remain a big issue from a psychological point of view for many despite the perceived ease of their maintenance. It causes many misunderstandings and conflicts people may inadvertently find themselves in. Daniel Maclvor’s Wilby Wonderful demonstrates these inadequacies in full view on the streets of the Canadian island town of Wilby. This essay analyzes the themes of self-denial and the consequences it brings.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: 1994 Movie Analysis Essay. 1994’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh, is one of the many adaptations of the classic horror novel. Like the original story, it explores the consequences of man playing god. But, despite its star-ridden cast led by Robert DeNiro, the film doesn’t quite live up to its literary counterpart. This paper analyzes why the adaptation didn’t capture the spirit of the original.

We did our best to address all questions you might have had about film review writing. Feel free to use our guide and review essay examples to write excellent papers and share our articles with your friends.

Resources – How to Write a Film Analysis. – Northwestern University
Film Analysis. – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Film Writing: Sample Analysis. – Purdue University
How to Write a Movie Review: 9 Essential Tips. – New York Film Academy
Step by Step Guide to Writing an Essay on Film. – Film Threat
How To Write a Critical Analysis in 5 Steps (With Tips). – Indeed
Film Review. – Writing Studio, Duke University
How to Write About Film: The Movie Review, The Theoretical Essay, and The Critical Essay. – University of Colorado Denver
Film & Media Studies Resources: Researching a Film. – Bowling Green State University
Questions for Film Analysis. – University of Washington

Film Analysis: Example, Topics, & Essay Writing Guide [2024]

It’s hardly possible to find one who is not keen on watching films. It is one of the most common ways of spending free time. When it comes to writing a film analysis essay, you would probably be confused.

Don’t worry! We gathered everything you need to make it without a hitch. What’s more, you will find free essay samples as a bonus.

📽️ What Is a Film Analysis?

✍️ film analysis terms, 📜 film analysis types.

📼 Film Genres: List

✨ How to Write a Film Analysis

✍️ Film Analysis Essay Topics
🗒 Film Analysis Template and Example

🔗 References

F ilm analysis expresses the afterview synoptic. The result is a transparent and informative thesis and its arguments .

Don’t forget you should maintain an appropriate academic style. This article explains how to manage it well, using the proper terminology, structure, techniques, etc.

As an introduction to film analysis, explore a list of general film analysis terms. They come as an inseparable part of your film analysis essay.

Find them below.

Auteur: Definition

The auteur is the French equivalent of the English word author. The auteur’s definition is straightforward. As a rule, the film’s director is the author. Why so? Director is a core role that manages all processes: from organizing a filmmaking crew and cast to every aspect of the film.

Diegesis in films is all about the fictional world elements. Everything the director creates and transfers on the screen is diegesis. Time framework, setting, range of events, etc., are examples of those elements.

Flashback and Flashforward

Flashback and flashforward imply relating to a chronological flow of a narrative. Flashback is a scene that takes it back in time from the present point of the film.

A flashforward differs from the flashback only by the time-shifting direction: it takes the audience to the plot pieces later in the film.

Mise-en-scène

The term looks confusing, but it is easy as pie. A pre-defined set of a film’s scene is a mise-en-scène . Everything in the camera’s focus: exposure, actors, and other elements form a mise-en-scène.

The Plot of a Story

The plot of a story is a sequence of events and their interactions that make up a story shown in a film.

Scene vs. Sequence

To put it simply, the scene and the sequence differ by the number of shots. The scene is short and consists of a few shots. The sequence is a more significant film part as it implies several scenes. As you may have guessed, the entire movie consists of several sequences.

The variety of possible film genres and their complexity assume more than one way to analyze them. There are several film analysis types, depending on the reviewing angle.

Narrative Analysis

This approach is similar to literary analysis. It means examining the film plot, narrative structure, motives, and characters. The research is built on answering the three simple questions: who, what, and where?

Semiotic Analysis

Everything about understanding the hidden meaning of the symbols is a semiotic analysis of the film. Those symbols usually appear more than once in a movie. Also, particular directors tend to repeat specific symbols. This type of analysis requires very close attention to detail.

Mise-en-scène Analysis

We have already found what mise-en-scène is: a setting with the lighting, soundtrack, background, etc. When we focus on those audio and visual elements and their meaning, we talk about the mise-en-scène analysis. Audiovisual elements may seem insignificant at first glance, but they carry tremendous importance and power to support the plot.

📼 Film Genres List

Having grasped the basic film analysis terms and types, we move on to the starting point of film analysis. We talk about defining a film genre.

You do not have to be a cinema theorist or a crazy film fan to identify one from another. Anyways, let’s list the common film genres and describe them briefly. Please, check the table below:

№		Description
1	Comedy	is one of the pioneers in film genres. The main driver of comedy is humor. Various techniques aim to evoke joy and laughter in the audience. The most prominent comedy attribute is the happy ending.
2	Thriller	can be described as a process of grabbing the audience’s attention from the beginning to the climax. This process is accompanied by the evocation of anticipation, thrill, surprise, anxiety, and other mentally “uncomfy” feelings.
3	Drama	Probably the largest film category. portray people and their inner selves; they depict the characters from different sides and show their personal growth. Dramas illustrate characters and their unique stories in a real-life setting.
4	Action	Action films are fast, energetic, and spectacular. The central character is a protagonist who fights against evil. The integral part scenes are battles, chase scenes, rescues, escapes, and fights.
5	Fantasy	immerse audiences in non-existent universes filled with limitless opportunities. Escapism, dreams, and wonders serve as tools to open new boundaries of physical laws or human possibilities.
6	Horror	uncover the underlying fears and cause panic and dismay. These movies are as scary as they are compelling. both frighten and captivate at the same time. The standard features are screamers, unexpected spooky scenes, etc.
7	Mystery	As a rule, in mystery films, a hero takes the path to figure out a bizarre accident or crime followed by mysterious circumstances. While seeking the truth, the hero shows off the trait of curiosity, diligence, and confidence.
8	Romance	Romance is all about two characters depicted in a love story. The central plot focus is the journey from first sight to relationships, birth, and growth. The accompanying circumstances like family resentment, hazards, illnesses, and the difference in social status are fueling the story.

There is also a deeper categorization. Each genre in the list has several, sometimes overlapping sub-genres.

We are closer to the central part: we’ve approached the writing guide.

Are you still struggling with how to write a film analysis essay? The solid solution is, to begin with conducting a step-by-step plan. Move on, and we will tell you how to do it!

Like every other paper, hence literary analysis, writing film analysis involves several ultimate steps. There is nothing groundbreaking here. All the steps are familiar. They are:

Thesis statement
Introduction

Let’s touch upon each step and note what is worth considering (after watching the movie itself).

Film Analysis Outline

The first and foremost step is writing a film analysis essay outline. You need to make a short draft with the core measures to analyze the film. Mind the instructions in case you have them. Organize the ideas in a list and proceed to the next step.

Film Analysis Thesis Statement

Pay special attention to writing a film analysis thesis statement. You first need to squeeze out the central narrative threads and ideas. The thesis statement should focus on what you will prove in your essay by transforming those ideas into new meanings.

Concentrate on the combination of film expectations, the auteur’s point of view, and your own critical opinion. In the end, formulate a concise thesis statement and move on to the introduction preparation.

Film Analysis Introduction

Your film analysis introduction should be informative and catchy. Give the general information about the film. It may contain the movie title, director, release year, and cast. 

After building an introduction background:

Dive deeper.
Explore the director’s filmography or build possible links between the film and the current trends or social agenda.
Include as many valuable insights as you can to spark a thought in the reader’s mind.

Remember that the introduction should validate and complement your thesis statement. 

Having the outline and the formulated thesis statement, you should, in a way, break down a film into its creative elements and analyze each of them. At once individually, and then as a whole picture.

What are those creative elements?

Directing. Since we have mentioned the role of the director time and again, let’s start with it. Trace their distinctive directing manner to find new patterns and compare them to previous works.
Scenario. In most films, often except for art-house cinema, the script plays one of the critical roles in its power. A well-written scenario helps develop the narrative and each character. It reduces the risk of silly inconsistencies or mistakes. After watching, try to access the level of scripting consistency and clarity.
Acting. Even though we’ve just defined the role of the scenario, acting sometimes plays louder than words. Try to answer the question: how accurately does the actors’ performance reveals and conveys the author’s main idea and your thesis statement.
Music and visual effects. Setting the overall mood is what is impossible without soundtracks and visual effects. Provide an example of how each part, special effects, sounds, make-up, or costumes, help, or vice-a-versa, interfere in expressing the author’s message.

While analyzing, don’t forget to build logic between each element. Make a smooth and solid review.

We’ve approached the icing on the cake — your film analysis conclusion. Once again, make sure your analysis confirms the thesis statement and show it in your resolution.

Remember that movies are complex pieces of art. Don’t be too shallow in your essay. Try to see a bigger picture and put it in words.

Now that we’ve outlined the plan let’s figure out how it works on a real example.

✍️ 20 Film Analysis Essay Topics

Sociological concepts in “The Truman Show” film
The process of shame to violence in Bergman film: “Shame”
“The King’s Speech” movie and anxiety disorder
Gender biases in “If These Walls Could Talk 2” film
“The Neighbor’s Window”: film review
Ethical, political and social issues in business in “The Corporation” movie
Mental health illness in the film “When a Man Loves a Woman”
The Devil Wears Prada film’s critical analysis
Negotiation situation in “The Godfather” movie
“Watchmen” film in relation to the American dream
Moral and theme in “The Pursuit of Happiness” movie
“The State of Play: Trophy Kids”: main idea and summary of the film
Narrative campaign of “The Hunger Games” film
Review of “Mon Oncle” movie: a portrayal of France
Gender and family in “Gone With the Wind” film
Sociology of “Avatar” movie by James Cameron
Historical themes in the movie “Gladiator”
Review of “Kung Fu Panda” movie: educational psychology
Settings in Bollywood cinema: “Bobby” movie
Visual effects in the “1917” movie

🗒️ Film Analysis Template and Example

We prepared a short-outlined essay sample. Explore the table to understand what your analysis may look like. Here is the “Solaris” film analysis essay example.

Essay Example	Film Analysis Essay Sample
Andrey Tarkovsky’s Solaris Analysis	The film “Solaris” by Andrey Tarkovsky was released in 1972 as an adaptation of the 1960th science fiction novel by Stanislav Lem. “Let us take you with us to Solaris, the planet of mystery, an embodiment of man’s latent conflict with the unknown. Man, face to face with his conscience and past,” the film slogan states. Was Tarkovsky able to convey this message to the viewer? What tools did he use? The visuals of Solaris deserve to be taught in cinematic schools. The virtuosity of the camerawork is impossible to describe in words. Living, sparkling pictures of nature, the chill of the space station, the alien heart of the Ocean — everything is shot so great that in addition to the color shades, it conveys even the temperature changes of what is happening on the screen. During a long time on the station, protagonist Calvin realizes that the one thing that unites him with the mighty “Supermind” is that every intelligent being in the universe always suffers eternal loneliness. Throwing away all attempts to understand the Ocean, he plunges into its waves. He ceases all inner resistance and surrenders to its powerful and incomprehensible willpower. The overall picture of the setting, script, audiovisual effects, etc., assist the director in translating the idea of humanity’s unpreparedness for the new. Humankind has not yet reached the required level to discover unknown cosmic universes. All attempts to understand “another mind” will fail until man fully explores themselves.

Essay Example

Film Analysis Essay Sample

Andrey Tarkovsky’s Solaris Analysis

The film “Solaris” by Andrey Tarkovsky was released in 1972 as an adaptation of the 1960th science fiction novel by Stanislav Lem. “Let us take you with us to Solaris, the planet of mystery, an embodiment of man’s latent conflict with the unknown. Man, face to face with his conscience and past,” the film slogan states. Was Tarkovsky able to convey this message to the viewer? What tools did he use?

The visuals of Solaris deserve to be taught in cinematic schools. The virtuosity of the camerawork is impossible to describe in words. Living, sparkling pictures of nature, the chill of the space station, the alien heart of the Ocean — everything is shot so great that in addition to the color shades, it conveys even the temperature changes of what is happening on the screen. During a long time on the station, protagonist Calvin realizes that the one thing that unites him with the mighty “Supermind” is that every intelligent being in the universe always suffers eternal loneliness. Throwing away all attempts to understand the Ocean, he plunges into its waves. He ceases all inner resistance and surrenders to its powerful and incomprehensible willpower.

The overall picture of the setting, script, audiovisual effects, etc., assist the director in translating the idea of humanity’s unpreparedness for the new. Humankind has not yet reached the required level to discover unknown cosmic universes. All attempts to understand “another mind” will fail until man fully explores themselves.

You may take this or other essay samples from StudyCorgi as a template for your future writing. It will save your time and make the process transparent. Don’t hesitate to use them!

You’ve just found out the primary terms, tips, and a film analysis guide.

Now, as we have shed light on the film analysis techniques and showcased the real examples, the task seems not as tricky as at first sight. Save this article or share it with a friend to avoid losing!

What Is the Purpose of Film Analysis?

Film analysis aims to extract value from watching a movie, except for leisure. Films do not just tell a story. They bring a message, provoke feelings, and teach precious lessons. Directors sometimes encode priceless meanings applicable to many generations.

How to Analyze a Movie Effectively?

To analyze a movie effectively, you should acquire the appropriate terminology. Then, understand the existing types of film analysis and their difference. After that, outline your future film analysis paper and look through the extant examples.

What Is Formal Analysis in Film?

The formal analysis comprises the investigation of professional elements of film production like camera motion, lighting, color editing, special effects, and other inner working processes. The average viewer does not pay much attention to them, but we should not diminish their importance.

What Are the 4 Elements of Film Analysis?

One of the many interpretations of this question is the following: the first component is a film plot, the second one is the existing arguments about the film, the third one is a film background, and the fourth is their evaluation.

Film Analysis — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Film Term Glossary — Brooklyn College
Film Analysis and Methods — Penn Arts & Science Cinema & Media Studies
Movie Genres – 120+ Examples of Different Movie Genres – NFI
A Guide to Writing a Film Studies Paper: Carleton University
How to Write an Analytical Essay — MDC
Film Analysis Research Papers – Academia.edu
Shot, Scene, and Sequence — Columbia Film Language Glossary
Diegesis — Oxford Reference
Film Analysis Essay Sample — Purdue Online Writing Lab
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Film Essays: The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Film Essay

By Essaywriter

Film Essays: The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Film Essay

If you’re a film buff or a student of film studies, you’ve probably encountered film essays at some point in your academic career.

Writing a film essay can be challenging, but with guidance, you can craft a compelling analysis of any cinematic masterpiece.

One of the world’s most well-liked and regularly watched forms of entertainment is a film, whether blockbusters or indie movies. The film has become an essential part of culture and society worldwide.

A film is a powerful tool for social critique and cultural expression. Despite changes, movies have never lost their capacity to amuse, instruct, and inspire. This post offers knowledge, suggestions, and resources for writing film essays. An analysis of a particular film’s many elements is done in a film essay.

Understanding the Elements of Film Analysis

Film analysis comprises evaluating and comprehending the many components that make up a film. These include the movie’s cinematography, sound, editing, acting, and narrative. It is possible to gain a deeper understanding of the movie’s themes, messages, and overall relevance by analyzing these components.

Films comprise certain components, which directors and movie producers tend to tweak to recreate different cultures and historical points in time. For instance, a movie set in the 1980s will have very different scenery, costumes, and soundtrack than a movie set in the present.

There has been a major advancement in technology, music, fashion, and social conventions between the 1980s and now. Therefore, these film components need to be properly considered when writing a film essay.

Tips for Writing Film Essays

Researching and selecting a film to analyze.

To explore possible films, choose your areas of interest, such as a specific genre, era, or filmmaker. After that, you can use various tools to gather information and ideas for new films.

Thousands of films, reviews, and ratings are available through online databases such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Search engines such as Google and Bing can also be used to find articles, criticisms, and analyses of certain films or directors.”

Outlining and Organizing the Film Essays

Outlining and arranging a film essay can help ensure that your analysis is clear and succinct. Create an outline that breaks down the various parts of the film you will be analyzing, such as the narrative, characters, cinematography, and symbolism so that you can arrange your thoughts.

Maintain focus by avoiding needless details. Instead, concentrate on offering specific examples from the film to back up and connect your analysis. You should also employ transitions between paragraphs to make it easier for the reader to follow your train of thought.

Citing Sources and Formatting the Film Essays

Citation of sources and Proper formatting gives credit to the film’s creators, but it also demonstrates the credibility of your research and analysis. When citing a film, it’s important to follow the guidelines of the citation style you use, whether it be MLA, APA, or Chicago.

This includes the title of the film, the director, and the year of release. When citing sources such as articles or books, it’s important to include the author, title, publication date, and page number(s).

Tips for Incorporating Film Terminology and Analysis Techniques

It is critical to strike a balance between employing technical language and making it accessible to your audience when incorporating cinema vocabulary and analysis procedures in a film essay.

One technique is to start with a clear and short statement that defines your essay’s major argument or purpose. From there, you can support and deepen your thesis by employing specialized cinema terminology and analysis approaches. Use film examples to illustrate your views and make them more accessible to the reader.

Use a clear and simple writing style and be consistent in using technical language and analysis methodologies. This will help the reader follow your argument and understand your views.

Finally, to provide a full understanding of the film, employing a variety of analysis methodologies such as formalism or psychoanalysis. This will not only help you obtain a deeper understanding of many components of the film, but it will also allow you to provide a more sophisticated analysis.

Sample Film Essays Outline

Thesis statement: “Through its use of surreal imagery and unconventional narrative structure, ‘Mulholland Drive’ deconstructs the Hollywood dream and exposes the darkness at the heart of the film industry.”

Main point 1: The cinematography and mise-en-scène of ‘Mulholland Drive’

Main point 2: The themes and messages of ‘Mulholland Drive’

Main point 3: The cultural and historical context of ‘Mulholland Drive’

Conclusion: Recap of main points and analysis of the lasting impact of the film

Film elements are what make each film production distinct from every other. Therefore, understanding them empowers writers with the tools to analyze and write fitting essays adequately.

When writing a film essay, tips like researching and selecting a film to analyze, outlining and organizing the essay, citing sources and formatting the essay, and incorporating film terminology and analysis techniques help present your essay in the most logical, clear, clear, concise, and comprehensive way.

If you’re looking to write a film essay anytime soon, following this stepwise guide on writing film essays will get you critical acclaim when your work is peer-reviewed.

Perhaps you do not have the time to write a film essay or any other paper, or maybe you need professional help writing your paper.

Our website, ThePaperExperts.com , is a place you can visit to get your paper professionally written and delivered on time, irrespective of the type of essay you need to be written.

Try us now by calling 1-888-774-9994 and speak to an academic advisor today and get help with film essays!

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How to Critique a Movie: Tips + Film Critique Example

How to write a film critique essay? To answer this question, you should clearly understand what a movie critique is. It can be easily confused with a movie review. Both paper types can become your school or college assignments. However, they are different. A movie review reveals a personal impression of the viewer. A movie critique, in its turn, aims to discuss the means of film production and give advice on what could be changed to make the film better.

Sounds challenging?

No worries, we are here to help!

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains useful tips on how to critique a movie and a great film critique example. Read on to learn more!

Both movie review and movie critique are common assignments in high school and college; however, the former reveals the writer's personal impression, while the latter is less personal.

🎬 How to Begin
⚙️ Key Elements of Any Film
💡 Useful Phrases

🎬 How to Critique a Movie: the Basics

Writing a movie critique means offering your insight and opinion on what was good and not that good with the movie and what made it intriguing to watch. There’s always something you like about the film and something you don’t. You may consider that the plot was good, but the special effects were horrible. Think of all the possible film production stages and try to look at them critically.

How to Critique a Movie: General Guidelines

Choose a movie
Specify the issues you are going to discuss and analyze in your paper
Watch the movie several times: first to get a general idea of the film; second – to pay attention to the points that come into your sphere of interest
Take notes while watching
During your second watch, note the details you weren’t able to notice the first time
Be specific
Be objective

Criticizing does not mean expressing negative emotions. Too much pessimism will kill the reader’s desire to get closely acquainted with your writing. Even though the movie could be a real failure, try to present a sophisticated evaluation.

⚙️ Movie Critique: Key Elements of Any Film

Any film features several elements that you need to mention when you write your movie critique paper. Below in this section, you’ll find these elements’ descriptions and useful tips on analyzing them in your paper.

The key elements of any film are: plot, structure, characters, dialogues, and scenes.

How to Critique a Film’s Plot

The plot is the flow of events and actions that consequently develop in a story. To discuss the film’s plot in your movie critique, you need to do the following:

Decide whether the plot is predictable.
Define whether some actions were unpredictable.
If they were, express your views considering an unexpected turn of events that shocked you.
See if the story corresponds to the characters’ motivations.

How to Critique a Film’s Structure

The movie’s structure is how the parts relate to each other or how the plot is built. Remember that the structure encompasses the following parts:

Exposition (introducing the key characters and their circumstances)
Rising action (mounting tension that leads to the story’s climax)
Falling action
Denouement (a resolution that brings the story to an end)

How to Critique the Movie’s Characters

Characterization is the description of the characters’ personalities, beliefs, motivations, etc. To discuss the film’s characterization in your movie critique, you need to do the following:

Concentrate on specific movie characters.
Set your priorities: some movie characters do not need any serious analysis.
See if the characters’ dress, talk, act, or look corresponds with the impression they should create.
Remember that the better the characters are developed, the more character-driven the story is.
Consider that the right motivation of the characters makes the audience believe the story.

How to Criticize the Movie’s Dialogues

A dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. To analyze the dialogues in your movie critique, do the following:

Remember that good dialogues should not be protracted as they are to sound natural.
See if there is a logical development of the conversation.
Watch the body language of the actors and decide whether their gestures correspond to their words or not.

How to Criticize the Movie’s Scenes

A scene is a self-contained episode within a larger work. To discuss the scenes in your movie critique, you should do the following:

Determine whether the scenes were well-played by the actors and well-shot by the operator.
Mind that they are to develop smoothly as a part of a larger dramatic unit.
Remember that scenes should build a chain that makes up the story.
Examine if they contain some conflict and how the characters typically react to it.
Try to follow through each scene to make sure that it properly transitioned into the next one.

🧱 Movie Critique Outline

The general structure of a movie critique resembles the structure of an essay .

Start with an introduction . There you are to provide necessary information about the film, make a summary of the plot, state your thesis, and give readers a clue on what your critique will be about.
Divide the main body into several paragraphs . Explain your thesis there and examine each point separately. Do not forget to provide examples.
End writing your movie critique with a conclusion . It should summarize everything and give answers to the questions raised in the paper.

Go over your paper to eliminate factual and spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes. A good structure is a basis and a necessary condition of a successful paper.

💡 Top Phrases to Use while Writing a Film Critique

Now that you know all the essential elements of a movie critique structure, it’s high time to consider how to present your information in the most digestible and impressive way. A list of common phrases and set expressions in your movie critique writing will make your content more engaging, diverse, and easy to read.

Give your opinion on the topic and analyze the movie rather than just summarizing the content. Make use of persuasive words that would be helpful and appropriate to your readers.

Movie Genre

Crime and Gangster
Epics/Historical

Producer, Director

Produced by…
Directed by…
The movie is expertly directed by…
This movie is based on a book…

Actors, Characters

Warm-hearted, appealing, fascinating
The characters were very convincing because…
Exceptional performance
Fervently performed
The performance of… in… is excellent

Film’s Plot

Well-directed, amusing, exciting, boring, clichéd, confusing, entertaining, exciting, melodramatic, thrilling, unbelievable, surprising, full of tension
The plot reaches a climax when…
Develop a story
Non-linear/fragmented narrative
Full of unexpected plot twists
One of the most unbelievable/entertaining moments in the film occurs when…

Assessment, Evaluation

A must-see/worth seeing/not to be missed/a smash hit/an impressive debut
An emotional movie/it brought tears to my eyes
A truly great/skillful piece of filmmaking
I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who likes…
On a scale from zero to five, I’d give this film a four because…
I strongly/highly recommend watching this film because…
If you like…, you shouldn’t miss this movie.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend the film, and here’s why…
Unfortunately, this movie is a complete waste of time because…
I was impressed/surprised by…

👀 Film Critique Examples

Below you’ll find a downloadable movie critique example. Other samples can be found here:

Selma: Historical Drama Film by Ava DuVernay
Christian Symbolism and Imagery in “The Matrix” Film
“The Morning Guy” Film Analysis
“Night of the Living Dead” a Film by George Romero
“Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope” by George Lucas

Movie Critique Example: Hitchcock’s North by Northwest

North by Northwest , directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is considered one of the most prominent films in cinematography. This spy thriller combines darkness and light typical for Hitchcock movies: witty humor, love story, suspense, and mortal danger harmoniously merge in this thriller (Longacre 75). Starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, North by Northwest contains memorable acting performances, accentuating the director’s dexterity in creating suspense. North by Northwest is representative of Hitchcock’s entertaining talent, as it allows readers to escape into a world of international espionage thriving during the Cold War Era.

Movie Critique Essay Topics

Review of the film The Corporation .
Philosophical questions in Through a Glass Darkly by Ingmar Bergman.
Discuss the symbolism in the film Hacksaw Ridge .
Analyze the impersonation of Elizabeth Bennet by Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice (2005) .
Evaluate the meaning of the setting in the movie Mean Girls by Mark Walters .
Explore the similarities and differences of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies.
Describe the characters of Duke Bill’s Not Easily Broken .
Analyze the rhetoric of the film Salt by Phillip Noyce .
The importance of the teacher’s role in the movie Freedom Writers.
Analyze the characters of the film The Green Mile .
Social mobility and racial biases in Paul Haggis’s film Crash .
Compare the semantic message of the movies West Side Story (1961) and Romeo + Juliet (1996).
The role of sound and costume choice in the film Inception by Christopher Nolan .
Examine the depiction of disproportionate female objectification in the documentary Miss Representation .
Discuss the techniques Fellini uses to depict the paradoxes and contradictions of the real world in his film La Dolce Vita .
The problem of selfhood and identity in the movie The Boy in The Striped Pajamas by Mark Herman.
The core theme of Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant .
Analyze the film Erin Brockovich.
The serious messages in the comedies Educating Rita and Small-Time Crooks .
Describe the characters of The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Discuss the similarities and differences of the events in the film The Crucible and the real history of Salem.
Analyze the depiction of ethical dilemmas and emotional conflicts in the movie Juno .
The peculiarities of Martin Scorsese’s film The Aviator .
Allegory in Robert Redford’s film Lions for Lambs .
Critique of the film Secret Window .
The sociological significance of the Lone Survivor by Peter Berg .
Describe the filmmaking techniques used in the documentary film The Interrupters .
Analyze the significance of the opening scene of the Citizen Kane .
Examine the main woman character of David Fincher’s film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .
Discuss the setting of Sleepy Hollow by Tim Burton .
The main concepts of Christopher Nolan’s film Interstellar .
Analytical critique of the movie Signs .
Discuss the theme of the film Love, Simon by Greg Berlanti .
Explore the major theme and objectives of Blood Diamond by Edward Zwick.
The problem of choice in Gone Baby Gone by Ben Affleck .
Describe the filmmaking techniques used to portray a historical period in The Patriot .
Analyze the rhetorical strategies in Laurence Olivier’s film Henry V .
Discuss the philosophy of the film Les Intouchables .
The leading theme of Catch Me If You Can by Steven Spielberg .
Analyze the movie Rear Window .
Analyze the message of the film Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
The role of visuals in the movie My Family/ Mi Familia .
Examine the rhetorical techniques used in Jordan Peele’s horror film Us .
Split : movie critique.
The importance of geography and landscapes in The Sound of Music by Robert Wise .

Now you can confidently claim that you know how to write a movie critique and even have a whole list of helpful vocabulary you can include. We hope that these tips were helpful and that your next critical paper about a movie will be a success. Be sure to check out our blog for more useful articles!

✏️ Movie Critique FAQ

A film critique is an extended opinion about a movie. It is typically made in the form of a paper, article, or essay. Such papers are usually highly rated when written by respected professionals in the field.

If you are writing any paper, it is always a good idea to begin with an outline. If you are writing an essay for college, make sure that you have a clear structure. A typical structure includes an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

When criticizing any visual artwork, follow these 4 steps:

Description,
Interpretation,

Identify a few aspects you want to focus on. It could be actors, music and sound, visual effects, plot peculiarities, etc.). Then, describe each point according to the four steps.

If you are focusing on an actor’s performance in a particular film, make sure that your judgments are based not on the appearance or personal prejudice. Try to make a relatively objective assessment.

🔗 References

Merriam-Webster “Critique” Definition
Structuring a Premise for Stronger Stories
Merriam-Webster “Original” Definition
Merriam-Webster “Motif” Definition
Duke Writing Studio’s Film Review Guide
Tips for Writing a Film Review
How to Analyze a Movie: A Step-by-Step Guide
Tips for Writing a Review
Summary: Using it Wisely
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A compare and contrast essay — what is it? In this type of paper, you compare two different things or ideas, highlighting what is similar between the two, and you also contrast them, highlighting what is different. The two things might be events, people, books, points of view, lifestyles, or...

How to Write an Expository Essay: Outline, & Example

What is an expository essay? This type of writing aims to inform the reader about the subject clearly, concisely, and objectively. The keyword here is “inform”. You are not trying to persuade your reader to think a certain way or let your own opinions and emotions cloud your work. Just stick to the...

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Resources – writing about film: the critical essay, introduction to the topic.

Like it or not, studying film may very well be a part of the well-rounded education you receive here at Northwestern University. But how to go about writing such an essay? While film reviews and theoretical essays are part of Film Studies, the most common paper that students will face is: “the critical essay”

Fear not. Though its title combines a serious undertone that implies it is both a large chuck of your grade and also really hard and vague, this post will guide you on your way.

First, what is the critical essay? It may surprise you to note that it is much more than 35% of your grade. In actuality, the most common form of the cinematic critical essay is one in which the writer explores one or more aspects of a film and analyzes how they enhance the film’s meaning and/or artistry. This is very similar to English analysis papers. For example, The Scarlet Letter can be analyzed in terms of its motif of civilization versus the wilderness. In the novel, the town is representative of human civilization and authority while the forest represents natural authority (Sparknotes Editors, 2003). Likewise, the same motif illustrates Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life. The wilderness represents the way of nature while the family (or civilization) represents the way of grace. The crossing over of these settings enables the viewer to visualize the internal struggles of Malick’s characters as they seek higher meaning from God.

“Hmmm…” I can hear you wondering. “I already know how to do that! It’s all we did in high school English classes!” But here is where the cinematic essay diverges from the literary essay— the elements that we analyze. Films can be analyzed from traditional literary aspects such as themes, narrative, characters, and points of view but there are also uniquely cinematic aspects: mise-en-scene, the shot, aesthetic history and edited images.

Parts of a Critical Essay

Aspect 1: mise-en-scene.

Mise-en-scene refers to everything in a scene independent of the camera’s position, movement, and editing (Corrigan, 1998). This includes lighting, costumes, sets, the quality of the acting, etc. It is important to remember that every aspect of a scene was consciously chosen by the director and his or her team. Because movies often present themselves as instances of real life, this fact is easily forgotten and the artistic choices that the film crew made are overlooked.

In the following still from Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (2012), one can analyze it in terms of mise-en-scene. One could note the arrangement of the props. In real life, it would be unlikely that rocks, sticks, and supplies would arrange themselves in an almost perfect circular fashion around the map. However, Anderson’s decision to arrange the props focus viewer’s attention on the map and highlight the adventure that the two children are about to go on in Moonrise Kingdom.

Click here for an example of an essay dealing with mise-en-scene.

Aspect 2: The Shot

The shot refers to the single image before the camera cuts to the next scene (Corrigan, 1998). These shots can include a lot of variety and movement. We can analyze the effect that shots have in terms of their photographic qualities such as tone, speed, and perspectives created, to name a few examples (Corrigan, 1998). A single shot is composed of multiple frames, or stills of the same scene. We can analyze the shot in terms of framing, i.e. what was actually decided to be included within the image and the location of stuff within the frame.

Watch the following shot (beginning at the 30 second mark) for an example: Click Here to Navigate to YouTube

In this shot from Dayton and Faris’ Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Dwayne has just found out he cannot join the air force. He had maintained a vow of silence to help him focus on getting admitted to the air force and breaks it from utter frustration. The shot’s stationary position as Dwayne runs screaming from his family helps highlight how the physical distance Dwayne puts between himself and his family reflects the emotional distance and frustration he feels at the moment.

Aspect 3: Edited Images

When one or more shots are joined together, they become edited (Corrigan, 1998). These usually have two main purposes. One is the logical development of the story. A shot in the morning connected with a shot in the afternoon connotes to the viewer that time has passed. Other times the editing of shots has artistic intent. For example, in a Chipotle commercial the first shot is of an industrial slaughterhouse. The next shot features animals grazing in a pasture. This is an artistic statement on the part of the advertising team to convey to Chipotle’s customers about the higher standard of care and ethics that they ensure their meat sources follow.

Edited images can also be analyzed from other aspects. For example, one could explain how meaning is created by the specific arrangement in shots, their collisions with each other, and the presence of visual motifs “echoing” through subsequent shots.

For instance, in the edited shots from Patar and Aubier’s movie A Town Called Panic (2009) the editing of the kitchen shot and the snow shot serves two purposes. One purpose is to further the logical chronological development of the story. The other purpose is to add humor. Because being asleep for an entire summer is impossibly long, it adds absurd humor.

Hopefully, the brief foray into the various cinematic aspects that one could examine was helpful. The world of film analysis is vast and wide, offering a fecund source for analytical and cinematic exploration and creation.

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Deconstructing a Film Analysis Essay: Tips and Techniques

Enrolling in a film class might seem like a fun way to pass a class — after all, it's just watching movies, right? Not exactly! While film classes certainly require you to watch movies, you're most likely to be assigned 2-3 films per week in addition to analysis work. Considering how long movies can be, this can quickly turn into quite a hefty workload.

If you've never taken a film class before, you might feel lost and confused when it comes time to writing your first film analysis paper. This is especially true if you're accustomed to writing book analysis essays for which you choose several written quotes to analyze. Films are all about visuals, so your analysis relies heavily on interpreting vital visual elements.

How should you tackle a film analysis essay? It might sound obvious, but you'll start by watching the movie. After all, there's much more to watching a film than just hitting the "play" button.

One watch isn't enough

No matter how many films you've analyzed, it helps to have watched the movie you're analyzing more than once. One viewing of the movie could cause you to miss vital details. If possible, we recommend watching the film at least twice, so you can gather as many notes as you can. Repeated exposure to the movie will also help you put potentially confusing scenes into a better context and help you understand their purpose. However, if after you've watched the movie, you're struggling to organize your thoughts, consider breaking the film down into parts. Here's how you can deconstruct the movie into three digestible pieces.

The three-act structure

The length of your assigned movie can make an essay analysis intimidating. Films can sometimes exceed a run time of three hours. For example, fan-favorite Titanic comes in at a little over three hours long. A lot can happen in a movie of this length, so prioritizing specific scenes or focusing on particular plot points can present a challenge.

If you're struggling to follow a film, consider referring to the three-act structure . This method can be helpful in any narrative analysis you write. However, remember that this is not the same as a traditional story's narrative structure . This structure breaks the film into three distinct, purposeful sections that will help you organize the movie and your thoughts.

The format of the three-act structure is:

Act I, Setup: This is typically the shortest part of the movie. Viewers are introduced to settings, characters, and main plot points. There is often an incident that introduces us to the film's conflict.
Act II, Confrontation: This is the longest and most significant section of the film. The protagonist undergoes many conflicts and obstacles leading up to the climax.
Act III, Resolution: The movie's ending most often provides some resolution to the conflict.

Breaking the film into these three sections will help you orient yourself as you watch and take notes. This will make the process of choosing scenes to analyze much easier.

Note-taking is a must

Since it's extremely difficult to mentally store all of your impressions and details you noticed while watching the film, note taking will give you a reference of your thoughts. But when and how should you take notes on a film? Should you write down your opinions on the actors and their characters? Do you take notes on scenes you didn't like or scenarios you wish had gone differently?

While these types of notes can certainly guide the argument you want to make, it's essential to remember that a film analysis essay is not the same as a film review. In an analysis paper, you can mention your opinion on the movie, but the primary focus of your essay is to analyze the film's visual elements. These elements you've noticed will provide the arguments you make in your essay.

Visual elements to analyze

If you've never analyzed a film before, you might not know the kinds of visual elements you should pay attention to. There is also a good deal of technical language associated with the film industry, and you'll come across this when writing your analysis. As with any subject or field you write about, you want your language to match what is customary in the industry.

Camera work

Writers can use several terminologies related to camera work, but we will focus on two elements that are best for beginners:

Close-up: Close-up shots focus on one subject in a scene. In a close-up, a character's face will fill most of the screen. Directors might use this technique when they want viewers to register a character's intense emotions or small details they wouldn't notice from a distance.
Long shot: A long shot is the opposite of a close-up. The camera films a longer distance away from the subject. A character's entire body is in the frame, but it does not make up the entirety of the frame; the space above, below, and around the character reveals more scenery. These shots help viewers become familiar with the setting and the character's place in the environment.
Low angle: In low-angle shots, the camera is positioned below a character or scene, so viewers are forced to look up. If characters are filmed from this angle, we might interpret them as being powerful and superior because they appear above us.
High angle: In high-angle shots, the camera is positioned above a character or scene, so viewers are forced to look down. In contrast to low-angle shots, characters filmed from this position appear to be more vulnerable or have less power.

When conducting your analysis, notice that lighting changes can be subtle or obvious. The scene could transition from light and joyful to dark and ominous with just a flashlight losing batteries. If you notice lighting changes during your viewing, consider these questions:

What does the presence/absence of light add to the scene?
Are there any shadows visible in the scene?
How does the lighting affect the character's attitude/mood?
How does the lighting shift from one scene to another?

Here are a couple of audio components you're accustomed to hearing during movies:

What genre of music is playing? Is there a pop song playing during a cheerful scene? Is the music entirely instrumental? Does it include lyrics to bring a descriptive element to the scene?
Is the music quiet or loud? Does the music's volume rise and fall throughout a scene, or is it purely background noise?
Sound effects: Sound effects can help make actions more impactful. Consider a war movie that relies heavily on battle scenes. Sounds of gunshots and explosions ring in the background as viewers focus on the protagonist. Those sound effects can make us nervous, draw us into what the character might be feeling, and foreshadow something terrible coming for the soldier. Or maybe the protagonist is finally coming face to face with the enemy, and the tension in the scene is enhanced by the crack of thunder and the whirring of wind in the background.

Costumes, makeup, and props

These types of elements can depict socioeconomic status and levels of power. A man dressed in a black professional suit will appear more influential than a man dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a t-shirt.

Since clothing and makeup are forms of expression, viewers can learn about characters' personalities through their physical appearance. These are also transitory elements, meaning viewers can recognize a switch in characters' fortune, status, or job if their appearance changes.

Clothing and props can also reveal something hidden about a character. For example, in Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows , Kaz Brekker wears a pair of black gloves and uses a walking cane. The cane reveals a physical impairment, but the purpose of his black gloves remains a mystery until his backstory is revealed. Though characters may appear one way, their clothes and props can provide an element of mystery, showing viewers that they might not be what they seem.

You can consider timing in a movie like the syntax in written text. Instead of sentence length and organization, timing refers to the length of a scene and the order in which scenes appear. The duration of the shot will impact the feel of the scene.

For example, fast-paced scenes switch from one frame to another within a short time. This makes the viewers feel like they're being rushed, and tension is high. Slower scenes feature one subject in a shot for extended periods, drawing our attention to what is happening at that moment.

Your essay structure

Now that you know how to "read" a movie, consider how to organize your analysis essay. Your paper will be set up like other analysis papers you've written. For example, the basic format of your paper will be:

Introduction
Body paragraphs

Naturally, however, the content of these paragraphs will differ from, say, a literary analysis.

What to include in the introduction

The introduction will contain specific information about the film. For example, you must include:

The film title
The director's name
The film's release date

These details give context to the film. For example, if you are familiar with the director of the film under analysis and you know other works of theirs, this information gives color to your analysis. This connection can help you read into the movie more deeply because you can anticipate patterns, themes, or visual elements for which the director is famous.

The introduction will also include your thesis statement. This statement serves as your argument and comes as a result of considering questions like:

What aspects of the film stood out to you?
Did you notice one specific theme throughout the movie?
Is there a specific object or symbol that holds significant meaning to the plot or protagonist?
Is there a unique pattern you want to make an argument about?

Your thesis can state whatever you find interesting as long as you prove your argument with evidence from the film.

You might follow the introduction with a brief summary of the movie. Introduce the main characters, the setting, and the conflict. Provide some context, but don't make it overwhelming.

Body paragraph analysis

Body paragraphs include your analysis. The analysis of a film differs from that of a literary essay, as a textual analysis comes entirely from passages of a book or article. While you can certainly analyze dialogue in movie scenes, film analysis focuses significantly on the film's visual elements.

The number of body paragraphs you write depends on how many scenes you analyze. Unless your assignment asks you to examine only one scene closely, we recommend you write about three scenes or more.

Your body paragraphs should each begin with a topic sentence that introduces your argument. What will you focus on in this specific paragraph? Then, frame the scene. Remember that you want to avoid summarizing the scene that you are analyzing. Instead, provide just a sentence or two of context to introduce the scene and then frame it according to your argument. Once you've done this, you can focus on the film's visual construction, which will make up the bulk of the body.

Concluding your analysis essay

Your conclusion will restate the argument you made in the introduction. Your analysis leads to a personal decision about the film, so you should also include your overall opinion. You might consider including a call to action, whereby you encourage or discourage readers from watching the movie.

It's also possible to consider the film's implications. For example, did the film touch on a political or historical issue that's still relevant today? Did the film introduce a new filming technique never seen before? How does the film inform future movies of the same genre?

Films can be lengthy and complicated, but this guide can help you deconstruct a movie and ease your analysis essay writing process. Be sure to take your time watching the movie — more than once, if you can! — and take ample notes to use as a reference. As long as you focus on your visual analysis and not a summary or description of each scene, you'll be on your way to writing an insightful analysis essay.

Header photo by stokkete .

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Film Analysis Example: A Complete Guide to Ace Your Task

Film Analysis Example With Key Steps to Write an A-Grade Paper

Compared to music, painting, literature, and many others, film is a relatively new form of art. The earliest surviving film is believed to be the Roundhay Garden Scene, introduced in 1888, creating an entirely new age of art. And just like any other kind of art, it drew a lot of attention and opinions from the audience. Thus, soon after its release, the first-ever film critique paper was released by The Optical Lantern and Cinematograph Journal in the early 1900s.

Not many know this, but early writing on film aimed to prove that cinematography is an actual art in the first place. One of the most famous manifestations of this proclamation was introduced in 1911 by Ricciotto Canudo, arguing that cinema is the “Sixth Art.”

A lot has changed since that time. As cinematography was expanding, somewhere in the late 1930s, audiences became more influenced by print resources providing criticism and analysis of movies. That’s how film analysis became widespread and even integrated into the academic landscape.

Today, film analysis is a common type of academic assignment facing students of different academic levels and majors. Handling this form of writing is uneasy due to a number of reasons. Most importantly, a movie analysis requires an incredibly deep analysis that goes far beyond a film’s plot.

If you are struggling with this assignment, this guide is here to help you ace it. Read on to learn what a film analysis is and how to write one step by step, and find a winning film analysis example for inspiration.

What Is a Film Analysis?

A film analysis essay requires you to watch and assess a specific movie. The analysis must consider different characteristics of a film, such as its genre, structure, contextual meaning, sound, editing, etc. The paper is typically presented in the form of a rhetorical analysis. Logic and strong argumentation with examples are the keys to success in this type of work.

Writing a Movie Analysis Essay

Writing a film analysis requires you to watch a movie and evaluate different parts of it that create a complete piece. This involves delving into such specs as lighting, camera angles, setting, costumes, and other choices.

A simple way to handle this task is to find a professional writer and ask them to write my essay . However, if you want to ace it yourself, the first step is watching a movie.

Watching the Film

For everyone wondering how to start a film analysis essay, the answer is pretty simple — by watching a movie that you are going to analyze. Later in this guide, we will give you a complete film analysis example based on the Waltz with Bashir film. But first, let’s start with a few tips on how to watch a movie effectively before you can start writing your analysis.

When writing a film analysis, you will need to watch a film multiple times.

Here are some key tips to watch it critically:

Give it your undivided attention when watching for the first time;
When watching a movie for the second time, focus on its different aspects, such as dialogue, acting, etc.;
Take notes with timestamps on the most important moments that you notice;
Consider watching a film on mute to evaluate the visual part.

When making an analysis of such a complex documentary piece like Waltz with Bashir the movie, you should consider watching it more than three times to make more observations.

Brainstorming Ideas

After watching your film multiple times and collecting your notes, you need to define what exactly you will be writing in your paper. Before you do this, it could be a good idea to check a good film analysis example (or a few) to understand what the final piece should look like and gain some inspiration. After this, you need to consider different aspects of a movie to understand what to include in your paper.

Here are a few ideas of what you could consider:

Genre — Define what’s the genre of a film and what elements confirm that it belongs to that genre;
Cinematography — Study and evaluate the visual part of a film, such as settings, colors, camera angles, and other visual elements that create the atmosphere of a film;
Characters — Analyze and assess characters, their development, conflicts, motivations, etc. And define how they contribute to the narrative.

Some other things that you can consider include symbolism and themes, narrative structure, social and cultural impact, directorial style, etc.

Of course, analyzing all these aspects on your own can be a challenge. Luckily, if it gets too tough, you can always find professionals on EssayService to satisfy your request.

Film Analysis Essay Types

There are several different ways to approach a movie analysis essay. Respectively, there are several types of this paper.

In this part of our guide, we are going to tell you about the most common types of film analysis to help you find an approach that perfectly aligns with your vision and task requirements.

Cultural/Historical Analysis

As the name suggests, this type of work focuses on analyzing a film from a historical or cultural point of view. It assesses how a movie reflects or comments on the period in which it was produced and what cultural (as well as social or political) impact it made during that time.

Semiotic Analysis

This type of analysis focuses on deeper, hidden meanings of the symbols in a film. Typically, movies contain a variety of different symbols. Moreover, some directors tend to use certain symbols repeatedly as their signature thing. Finding and analyzing these symbols requires exceptional attention to detail, but it can be a great way to approach the task.

Mise-en-Scene Analysis

In French, “mise-en-scene” means “setting the stage.” This type of film analysis essay analyzes all distinctive features of a movie, including the set design, lighting, audiovisual elements, etc. Your goal, in this case, is to define the main distinctive features and explain how they complement a movie — for example, lighting creates a certain mood, music evokes a certain emotion, etc.

Narrative Analysis

This type of analysis focuses on the narrative. It evaluates a movie’s plot, themes, and motives. If you choose it, you need to identify the three primary elements of narration — setup, confrontation, and resolution and assess how well a film discloses them. Also, this type of paper can include character analysis.

How to Write a Film Analysis Step-by-Step

If you were assigned to write a film analysis and are struggling with this task, the first step to solving this problem is creating a step-by-step plan of action. In this part of our guide, we are going to give you a plan that you can rely on in this situation.

As you should already know, the academic writing process consists of multiple stages. The same is true for writing an analysis essay. Here are the steps for tackling this task:

Making a detailed outline;
Coming up with a thesis statement;
Writing an introduction;
Writing body paragraphs;
Writing a logical conclusion.

Now, let’s look at each of these steps in detail to help you get started.

Step 1: Writing a Film Analysis Outline

Writing an outline is the first step after actually watching a movie you are going to analyze.

Before writing an outline, be sure to study the instructions provided by your professor. Pay attention to the assignment requirements, such as word count, and keep them in mind while making an outline.

Once you are clear on the instructions, start making an outline. Use the notes you already have and organize them into logical paragraphs. Note down the core things that you want to include in your paper in your outline. Get as detailed as possible.

Step 2: Formulating a Film Analysis Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a crucial element of your paper. It must be clear, straight to the point, and logical in order to capture the reader’s attention.

In a thesis, you need to outline the core idea of your analysis and prompt the reader on what you are going to discuss in your paper. To write it, focus on three core points:

Film expectations;
Author’s point of view;
Your own opinion about a film.

Based on these points, formulate a concise statement that reveals the central idea of your analysis.

Step 3: Writing a Film Analysis Introduction

An introductory paragraph performs several roles — it grabs the reader’s attention and informs them about a film.

How to write a film analysis introduction? Typically, you want to start an intro with a hook. It can be a quote, rhetorical question, shocking fact, or any other trick that will get your readers interested.

Next, after a hook, you should provide general background info, such as a movie title, director, release date, cast, and so on.

After providing a general background, dive deeper. Explore the specific features of a film and provide valuable insights to spark readers’ interest. Then, state your thesis.

Step 4: Writing Body Paragraphs

The body is the biggest part of your paper, where you are going to break down a movie into its different features and elements, analyzing each of them. Typically, first, you’ll want to analyze every creative element separately and then make a comprehensive analysis of all of them.

What film features should you focus on? Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all film analysis example or structure that you must follow. Every movie consists of a variety of creative elements that you can use for your analysis. And you will need to pick the features that you find the most significant.

Namely, you can consider writing about:

Directing manner — Analyze what tools and patterns the director used and how they are different (or similar) to their other works;
Scenario — Analyze the script and how it complements the overall atmosphere of a movie. Also, assess the script clarity, novelty, narrative, etc.
Characters and acting — Evaluate how characters are presented in a film, how they change, and how good the acting is.
Sound and visual — Analyze music, visual effects, settings, costumes, and other features of a movie.

While assessing all these features in your paper, don’t forget to add logical transitions between them. And if you are still hesitating about whether you can handle the task, hire a professional writer to ace it with no effort.

Step 5: Writing a Killer Conclusion

Once the rest of your paper is ready, it’s time to give it a sense of closure with a good conclusion. A conclusion should not make any new statements or provide additional information. Instead, it should finalize everything you’ve discussed in your essay and logically link back to your thesis statement. And there should be a logical transition to the conclusion from your body paragraphs.

Crafting a conclusion is the final stage of the writing process. So, now that you have a step-by-step plan of action, let’s see how to write a solid movie analysis essay based on a real example.

Film Analysis Example

Now that you know the steps to writing a movie analysis, let us give you some inspiration for your paper. Below is a film analysis example based on Waltz with Bashir the movie.

The purpose of documentary movies is to document real life, whereas the purpose of animated movies is to create life. Somehow, the film Waltz with Bashir managed to combine these two genres to deliver a powerful message. The film is a 2008 animated war docudrama by Ari Folman that unfolds the events of the 1982 Lebanon War. What tools did Folman use to convey his message? And did he manage to resonate with the audience?

The film maintains a simple story. The protagonist is the filmmaker who sets off on a journey to regain his lost memories of the experience of being a soldier during the war. The character collects interviews from different participants of past events, and gradually, these interviews connect the dots and build up the complete story.

One of the brightest features of Waltz with Bashir is its animation and directing techniques. The main trick is the use of hyperreal rotoscope animation techniques similar to those we’ve seen made by Richard Linklater. Live-action footage has been transformed into a bizarre dreamscape that’s somewhere between two and three dimensions.

Aside from a powerful plot and animation, Waltz with Bashir delivers its extratextual, rhetorical-heavy atmosphere with the help of its soundtrack. The movie leverages an instrumental score by Max Richter, recognizable pop songs, covers, and original ballads. The film employs audio elements to pull the reader right into the action of the scenes.

Together, a simple yet powerful plot, unique directing techniques, and hard-hitting music helped the film deliver all the terror of the war to the audience. At the same time, according to Waltz with Bashir film reviews, the director managed to emphasize the important topics of morality — “One man’s personal experience with the 1982 invasion of Lebanon becomes a stimulating and provocative meditation on responsibility and morality…”

How to write a film analysis essay like a pro?

A good film analysis essay offers readers a 360-degree view of a film. It should go deeper than just your opinion on a movie. Instead, it should help readers look at it from different angles.

Ideally, your essay should answer several core questions:

What is the key goal of the movie? Was it achieved?
Does it speak effectively to its target audience?
What primary conflicts are there?
What important topics does it raise?

What is the main purpose of writing a film analysis?

Movies do much more than just tell a story. They raise different important topics, teach audiences valuable lessons, provoke certain feelings, and bring an important message. To achieve all these goals, a big team of people makes certain choices related to the script, settings, directing manners, and other features of a film.

A film analysis essay strives to critique and analyze a movie from various angles. It aims to extract other value from a film, except for entertainment and leisure.

A film analysis essay is a common type of assignment in schools and colleges. Despite its commonness, this task turns out to be a real challenge for many students.

There are many challenges that you might face while working on this task. First and foremost, it requires a very in-depth analysis and critical assessment of different creative features of a film, which is hard to do on your own.

Luckily, after reading this guide, you know exactly how to write a film analysis like a pro. Use the steps, tips, and tricks from this article to write your own A-grade film analysis. And don’t hesitate to use our movie analysis example for inspiration. Good luck!

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Mastering the Art of Evaluation Essays: Techniques and Examples

Enhance your critical assessment skills with our detailed guide on writing evaluation essays. Discover techniques, structured examples, and essential tips for crafting well-reasoned evaluations.

Posted on 6/10/2024

Introduction

Writing an evaluation essay allows you to critically assess and present a balanced argument about a subject. Whether evaluating a book, movie, restaurant, or product, an evaluation essay provides a structured way to offer your judgment, supported by evidence and logical reasoning. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the nuances of crafting a compelling evaluation essay, provide examples, and offer tips to enhance your writing skills.

What is an Evaluation Essay?

An evaluation essay is a type of writing that presents a well-reasoned judgment about a particular subject. Unlike a descriptive essay, which aims to describe a topic in detail, an evaluation essay focuses on analyzing the subject's effectiveness, quality, or value based on specific criteria. This essay type is widely used in academic settings and professional fields to provide a thorough analysis and make informed judgments.

Purpose of Evaluation Essays

The primary purpose of an evaluation essay is to provide a critical assessment of a subject. It allows you to:

Offer Constructive Criticism : By evaluating a subject's strengths and weaknesses, you provide valuable feedback that can lead to improvements.
Educate the Audience : An evaluation essay helps readers understand the subject's key attributes and their implications.
Support Decision-Making : Your analysis can guide others in making informed decisions, whether it's choosing a product, a service, or understanding a concept.

Structure of an Evaluation Essay

An effective evaluation essay follows a structured format:

The introduction sets the stage for your evaluation by providing context and presenting your thesis statement. It should include:

Hook Statement : Capture the reader's attention with an interesting fact, quote, or question related to the subject.
Background Information : Provide necessary context to help readers understand the subject.
Thesis Statement : Clearly state your evaluation and the criteria you'll use to assess the subject.

Body Paragraphs

The body of your essay should consist of several paragraphs, each focusing on a specific criterion used to evaluate the subject. Each paragraph should include:

Topic Sentence : Introduce the criterion being discussed.
Supporting Evidence : Provide examples, data, or anecdotes that support your evaluation.
Analysis : Explain how the evidence supports your evaluation and relate it back to your thesis.

The conclusion summarizes your main points and reinforces your overall evaluation. It should include:

Restatement of Thesis : Reiterate your evaluation in a concise manner.
Summary of Key Points : Highlight the main criteria and evidence discussed in the body paragraphs.
Final Thoughts : Offer a closing thought or recommendation based on your evaluation.

Writing Tips for Evaluation Essays

1. select a relevant topic.

Choose a topic that is interesting and offers ample information for evaluation. Ensure the topic is neither too broad nor too narrow, allowing for a comprehensive analysis.

2. Develop Clear Criteria

Establish specific criteria for evaluating your subject. These criteria will guide your analysis and provide a structured approach to your essay.

3. Provide Balanced Analysis

Offer a balanced evaluation by discussing both strengths and weaknesses. This demonstrates objectivity and enhances the credibility of your assessment.

4. Use Evidence Effectively

Support your evaluation with credible evidence. This can include data, statistics, quotes, or personal experiences that illustrate your points.

5. Maintain Objectivity

While personal opinions are essential, ensure your evaluation remains objective. Base your judgment on evidence and logical reasoning rather than personal biases.

6. Revise and Edit

After writing your essay, take time to revise and edit. Check for clarity, coherence, and grammatical accuracy. Ensure your arguments are well-supported and logically presented.

Examples of Evaluation Essays

Evaluation of online vs. on-campus learning.

The rise of online learning platforms has transformed the educational landscape, offering an alternative to traditional on-campus teaching. This essay will evaluate the effectiveness of online learning compared to on-campus learning by examining factors such as flexibility, accessibility, and educational outcomes.

Flexibility : Online learning provides unparalleled flexibility, allowing students to access course materials at their convenience. This is particularly beneficial for working professionals and those with family commitments.
Accessibility : Online platforms democratize education by offering access to students in remote areas and those with mobility challenges. This inclusivity enhances educational opportunities for a broader audience.
Educational Outcomes : Studies show mixed results regarding the effectiveness of online learning. While some students thrive in a self-paced, digital environment, others benefit more from the structured and interactive nature of on-campus learning.

Both online and on-campus learning have their advantages and disadvantages. The choice between the two depends on individual needs and preferences. Online learning offers flexibility and accessibility, while on-campus learning provides structured interactions and immediate feedback. Future educational strategies should consider integrating the strengths of both modalities to optimize learning outcomes.

Evaluation of a Movie: "The Shape of Water"

Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water" has garnered critical acclaim for its unique storytelling and visual artistry. This essay evaluates the film based on its narrative, character development, and thematic depth.

Narrative : The film's narrative is a blend of fantasy and romance, offering a fresh take on the classic love story. The plot is engaging and well-paced, keeping the audience invested from start to finish.
Character Development : The characters are richly developed, with each playing a significant role in advancing the story. The protagonist, Elisa, is portrayed as a strong, independent woman who defies societal norms.
Thematic Depth : The film explores themes of acceptance, love, and humanity's treatment of the 'other.' These themes are woven seamlessly into the narrative, providing a thought-provoking experience.

"The Shape of Water" is a cinematic masterpiece that excels in storytelling, character development, and thematic exploration. Its unique blend of fantasy and romance, coupled with its deep themes, makes it a standout film that resonates with audiences on multiple levels.

Mastering the art of writing evaluation essays requires practice, patience, and a keen eye for detail. By understanding the structure, developing clear criteria, and providing balanced analysis, you can craft compelling essays that offer valuable insights and engage your readers. Remember to revise and edit your work to ensure clarity and coherence. With these techniques, you'll be well-equipped to tackle any evaluation essay topic.

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How to conclude an essay | Interactive example

How to Conclude an Essay | Interactive Example

Published on January 24, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

The conclusion is the final paragraph of your essay . A strong conclusion aims to:

Tie together the essay’s main points
Show why your argument matters
Leave the reader with a strong impression

Your conclusion should give a sense of closure and completion to your argument, but also show what new questions or possibilities it has opened up.

This conclusion is taken from our annotated essay example , which discusses the history of the Braille system. Hover over each part to see why it’s effective.

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

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Step 1: return to your thesis, step 2: review your main points, step 3: show why it matters, what shouldn’t go in the conclusion, more examples of essay conclusions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an essay conclusion.

To begin your conclusion, signal that the essay is coming to an end by returning to your overall argument.

Don’t just repeat your thesis statement —instead, try to rephrase your argument in a way that shows how it has been developed since the introduction.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

Academic style
Vague sentences
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See an example

Next, remind the reader of the main points that you used to support your argument.

Avoid simply summarizing each paragraph or repeating each point in order; try to bring your points together in a way that makes the connections between them clear. The conclusion is your final chance to show how all the paragraphs of your essay add up to a coherent whole.

To wrap up your conclusion, zoom out to a broader view of the topic and consider the implications of your argument. For example:

Does it contribute a new understanding of your topic?
Does it raise new questions for future study?
Does it lead to practical suggestions or predictions?
Can it be applied to different contexts?
Can it be connected to a broader debate or theme?

Whatever your essay is about, the conclusion should aim to emphasize the significance of your argument, whether that’s within your academic subject or in the wider world.

Try to end with a strong, decisive sentence, leaving the reader with a lingering sense of interest in your topic.

The easiest way to improve your conclusion is to eliminate these common mistakes.

Don’t include new evidence

Any evidence or analysis that is essential to supporting your thesis statement should appear in the main body of the essay.

The conclusion might include minor pieces of new information—for example, a sentence or two discussing broader implications, or a quotation that nicely summarizes your central point. But it shouldn’t introduce any major new sources or ideas that need further explanation to understand.

Don’t use “concluding phrases”

Avoid using obvious stock phrases to tell the reader what you’re doing:

“In conclusion…”
“To sum up…”

These phrases aren’t forbidden, but they can make your writing sound weak. By returning to your main argument, it will quickly become clear that you are concluding the essay—you shouldn’t have to spell it out.

Don’t undermine your argument

Avoid using apologetic phrases that sound uncertain or confused:

“This is just one approach among many.”
“There are good arguments on both sides of this issue.”
“There is no clear answer to this problem.”

Even if your essay has explored different points of view, your own position should be clear. There may be many possible approaches to the topic, but you want to leave the reader convinced that yours is the best one!

Argumentative
Literary analysis

This conclusion is taken from an argumentative essay about the internet’s impact on education. It acknowledges the opposing arguments while taking a clear, decisive position.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

This conclusion is taken from a short expository essay that explains the invention of the printing press and its effects on European society. It focuses on giving a clear, concise overview of what was covered in the essay.

The invention of the printing press was important not only in terms of its immediate cultural and economic effects, but also in terms of its major impact on politics and religion across Europe. In the century following the invention of the printing press, the relatively stationary intellectual atmosphere of the Middle Ages gave way to the social upheavals of the Reformation and the Renaissance. A single technological innovation had contributed to the total reshaping of the continent.

This conclusion is taken from a literary analysis essay about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein . It summarizes what the essay’s analysis achieved and emphasizes its originality.

By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Your essay’s conclusion should contain:

A rephrased version of your overall thesis
A brief review of the key points you made in the main body
An indication of why your argument matters

The conclusion may also reflect on the broader implications of your argument, showing how your ideas could applied to other contexts or debates.

For a stronger conclusion paragraph, avoid including:

Important evidence or analysis that wasn’t mentioned in the main body
Generic concluding phrases (e.g. “In conclusion…”)
Weak statements that undermine your argument (e.g. “There are good points on both sides of this issue.”)

Your conclusion should leave the reader with a strong, decisive impression of your work.

The conclusion paragraph of an essay is usually shorter than the introduction . As a rule, it shouldn’t take up more than 10–15% of the text.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, July 23). How to Conclude an Essay | Interactive Example. Scribbr. Retrieved June 10, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/conclusion/

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Movies — Movie Summary

Essays on Movie Summary

Movie review essay topics and outline examples, essay title 1: movie review - "inception" (2010): exploring dreams, reality, and mind-bending narratives.

Thesis Statement: This movie review critically examines Christopher Nolan's "Inception," focusing on its innovative storytelling, visual effects, and the philosophical themes related to dreams and reality.

Introduction
Synopsis and Plot Analysis
Visual and Cinematic Excellence: Special Effects and Cinematography
Exploring the Concept of Dreams and Reality
Character Development and Acting
Director's Unique Style: Christopher Nolan's Signature
Impact on Film Industry and Pop Culture

Essay Title 2: Movie Review - "Black Panther" (2018): Cultural Significance, Representation, and Superhero Excellence

Thesis Statement: This movie review explores the cultural and societal significance of Marvel's "Black Panther," highlighting its groundbreaking representation, themes of identity and heritage, and the impact it had on the superhero genre.

Plot Summary and Character Analysis
Cultural and Historical Context: The Importance of Wakanda
Representation and Empowerment: Black Excellence in Film
Superhero Genre Evolution: Breaking Stereotypes
Directorial and Cinematic Achievements
Legacy and Awards: Impact on the Film Industry

Essay Title 3: Movie Review - "The Social Network" (2010): A Compelling Dive into Tech, Ambition, and Betrayal

Thesis Statement: This movie review dissects David Fincher's "The Social Network," analyzing its portrayal of the rise of Facebook, themes of ambition and betrayal, and the complex character of Mark Zuckerberg.

Plot Overview: The Birth of Facebook
Character Analysis: Mark Zuckerberg and the Cast
Exploring Themes of Ambition, Innovation, and Betrayal
The Cinematic Craftsmanship of David Fincher
Real-Life Impact and Ongoing Relevance
Acclaim and Awards: Recognizing Excellence in Filmmaking

Fallacious Arguments in 12 Angry Men

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"What's Eating Gilbert Grape": Film Analysis

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The Greatest Showman: an Analysis on The Movie's Success

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Lean on Me: Parental Responsibility for School Failures

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Horror, Hysteria and a Spinning Head

Reconsidering ‘the exorcist’ at 50.

Could a movie about a girl possessed by the devil really have caused audience members to faint and lose their lunch at theaters? The vehement reaction to “The Exorcist” when it premiered in late 1973 helped create a special place for it in pop culture, as evidenced by the media frenzy at the time. We asked three of our critics for new perspectives on the film: what it accomplished then and what it represents to us now.

A still of a newscaster in suit beside a graphic reading “The Exorcist.”

“I spent an evening in the lobby just to see if people really do come stumbling out in the middle of the picture as reported — they did.”

‘Exorcist’ makes him faint, break 3 ribs “‘I must have fallen onto the edge of an aisle seat. That’s the only logical explanation for what I did to myself,’ said Mark Reuben, 27, of Mill Valley, Calif.”

A man with a mustache embraces a woman whose face expresses dismay.

“Disgusting.”

They Wait Hours — to Be Shocked “Otto Ross, 22, who described himself as ‘a New Jersey tombstone engraver,’ said: ‘I wanted to see how the girl’s face becomes contorted and how she emits a foul odor from her mouth. And I want to see how they show her masturbating with a crucifix. I can’t believe they could really show that.’”

A priest with a beard, glasses and a gray wool coat faces the camera.

“I must confess that there were times where I had to force myself to look at the screen.”

‘The Exorcist’ is a Clash of Belief Systems

Of all the heads to spin, why this one?

That question was at the core of the dispute between the director William Friedkin and the screenwriter William Peter Blatty during the making of “The Exorcist.” Their artistic argument was not merely about narrative or character, but the fundamental meaning of the movie.

Blatty, a devout Catholic whose screenplay was an adaptation of his best-selling novel, aimed to make a movie about how an evil demon tests the faith of a priest, Father Damien Karras, through taking over the body of an innocent girl. In an interview more than a decade ago at his Maryland home, Blatty told me that he aimed for more than scares. He took exorcism seriously, and perceived a real and urgent threat. “There are demons running all over that campus,” he said about Georgetown University, the school he attended and the setting for the movie.

Friedkin, an agnostic Jew, was less invested in the religious message but was fascinated by Blatty’s story, which follows an increasingly desperate mother as she tries to explain why her daughter is behaving strangely. After exhausting medical options, she contacts Karras, a priest questioning his faith.

To Friedkin, the seeming randomness of this girl was part of what made the movie so frightening. He preferred some ambiguity, so he cut out two scenes: one that spells out how the priest is being targeted, the other a comforting coda where a detective talks to a friend of Karras. These changes rattled Blatty, who thought they snipped the message right out of the movie. Friedkin told him: “I’m not doing a commercial for the Catholic Church.”

Blatty appealed to the studio to restore the changes but got nowhere. By its premiere, he felt his movie had shifted from being about the virtue and triumph of faith into exactly the kind of morally indifferent gross-out he didn’t want to make.

Blatty and Friedkin stopped talking to each other but later reconciled. (Blatty died in 2017, and Friedkin died this past August.) As a “gift,” Friedkin restored the cuts when the movie was rereleased in 2000. But the original, which you can still see streaming on Max, hits harder. Its abrupt ending and refusal to overexplain are strengths. Not knowing why this girl is being tormented is far more horrifying than the narrative satisfaction of pat closure.

The religious conviction of Blatty’s story still comes across, but with more dimension. “The Exorcist” works on multiple fears of the unknown: the confusion of a parent over the changes of a child approaching puberty; the intimidating jargon of doctors. But its most important fear, one achieved through the clash of aesthetics between Blatty and Friedkin, stems from the mysteries of faith. It holds onto the anxiety of inexplicable awe in the face of an overwhelming world, something horror and religion share.

Sometimes the best work comes not from an artist achieving a vision but compromising it.

A man in a leather jacket looks off to the side.

“It was a traumatic experience.”

‘Exorcist’ Keeps Ambulances Busy “‘We’ve practically got a plumber living here now,’ theater manager Henry Marshall disclosed yesterday. ‘The smell in the bathrooms is awful. People are rushing in and they’re missing the toilet seat by inches.’”

‘Exorcist’ literally makes filmgoers sick — especially the fainthearted “Steven Houghton, a theater employee, said a stockpile of smelling salts was on hand to accommodate the fainters. ‘It’s mostly at night that they faint,’ he said. ‘And it’s mostly guys who faint.’”

Record crowds both fascinated and nauseated “The Roman Catholic clergy is as divided as the critics about the film. Some join psychologists in expressing concern over its effect on younger viewers, others see it as a useful parable.”

A woman wearing glasses presses her hand to her face.

“The part where she started spitting out all the green stuff … Ugh.”

Will the Real Devil Speak Up? Yes! “Millions of parents may find it especially chilling that Linda Blair, the horse-loving teeny-bopper who played Regan, actually spoke all of the brutal obscenities and blasphemies heard in the movie.”

It’s essentially a ‘women’s picture’

Filled with exquisite pain and drenched in tears, the classic women’s picture — “Stella Dallas,” “Now, Voyager,” “Imitation of Life” — follows a familiar trajectory. A beautiful woman struggles and endures; experiences romantic troubles and family issues; suffers deeply if magnificently while often sacrificing her happiness and giving her all for a man or maybe a child or both, which is pretty much what happens in that unsung maternal melodrama, “The Exorcist” — except that here the tears come with a generous serving of pea soup.

Of course “The Exorcist” is a horror movie, but, among other things, it’s about fraught female lives and deep emotions, and in rewatching it, I was struck by how much it shares with the women’s movies that I love. At center is Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a glamorous actress and single mother who’s raising her daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), in a Georgetown townhouse that may have rats in the attic. The novelist William Peter Blatty based the character on his old Georgetown neighbor and fellow paranormal enthusiast, Shirley MacLaine, who starred in a very different mother-daughter weepie, “Terms of Endearment.”

The mother-daughter film that I flashed on while looking at “The Exorcist” again, though, is the original “Mildred Pierce,” the 1945 noir starring Joan Crawford that memorably mixes crime and melodrama. Like Burstyn’s character, Crawford’s Mildred is a hard-working mother devoted to a daughter whose ugliness nearly destroys them both. True, Regan’s problem is that she may be demonically possessed, but Mildred’s daughter Veda (Ann Blyth) is more terrifying because her cruelty toward her mother is so deliberate. It’s the devil that seems to slap Regan; it’s Veda who slaps Mildred so hard her mother falls to the ground.

The focus on Regan’s body in “The Exorcist” similarly ties it to female-driven melodramas in which ostensibly troubled (physically or otherwise) women are diagnosed and cured invariably by a male doctor or lover. Blatty was inspired to write his novel by an exorcism involving a teenage boy. Blatty seems to have changed the child to a girl to put some distance between his novel and the case; by making Regan 12 (she’s 11 in the book), the film further complicates the character. Looking back, I wonder if it was the devil or the vision of an out-of-control child-woman that freaked me out when I fled the theater at age 13.

It’s fitting that the biggest, most contested film to open in 1973 is about a life-or-death struggle over a female body, a fight that was also at the center of the Supreme Court’s biggest, most contested decision that year: Roe v. Wade. After “The Exorcist” hit, Friedkin told Variety that it was a “woman’s picture,” and while he didn’t elaborate on that comment I wonder if the Roe decision was rattling around in his head. True, Regan isn’t pregnant (for that story line, see “Rosemary’s Baby”), but her body is also no longer her own. In the end, medical science proves incapable of helping Regan, so Chris desperately turns to two Catholic priests to free her child body and soul, a turn that only solidifies “The Exorcist” as one great women’s film.

CLERGY SURVEY: ‘Exorcist’ Reaction Eyed “The Devil does exist and can possess a person. This is the belief of a majority of area clergymen surveyed this week.”

A man in an orange sweater, outside a movie theater.

“In the name of Jesus Christ, the demon has to come out.”

‘Exorcist’ Faint opened Door to One Couple “‘The Exorcist’ will always hold a special place in the hearts of Larry Watts and Doris Davey. Watts, 41, manager of the State-Lake Theater, and Miss Davey, also 41, met two months ago when she fainted in his arms during the showing of ‘The Exorcist.’ They were married this week.”

Brevardians Horrored, Excited by ‘Exorcist’ “I’m no prude, mind you. I went to see ‘Last Tango in Paris’ and enjoyed it. I recommended it to my best friends. But I wouldn’t and don’t recommend ‘The Exorcist’ to anyone.”

A blonde woman holds her hands to her forehead.

“Oh God, I can’t believe it.”

‘The Exorcist’ Is a Subversively queer movie

In horror movies, otherness is terrifying. Psychopaths, life-suckers, girls with freaky powers: They’re all monsters. That’s been a trope that was applied to gay people even when homosexuality could only be hinted at in cinema’s shadows. When Michael Landon’s character pleads for help in “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” (1957) — “I know what I am!,” he confesses to his doctor — he isn’t just talking about being a dreamboat in a varsity jacket.

I didn’t know any of this in the late 1980s, when I was a teenage closet case and my father took me to see “The Exorcist” at the Aut-O-Rama drive-in theater in North Ridgeville, Ohio, if my memory serves me right. I remembered being grossed out by vomit and shocked by the sexualized blasphemies that came out of little Regan’s pustulous mouth. I liked Father Karras, a handsome nice guy who loved Jesus, like I did. I couldn’t wait to see the movie again.

What I didn’t understand then is that like all horror films, “The Exorcist” is about traumas and how they originate, fester and can be overcome. I also didn’t recognize — and it took leaving Christianity and the closet for this to click — that the film, released four years into a post-Stonewall America, is subversively queer.

There’s gay stuff on the surface. Father Karras and Father Dyer are in a tender bromance. The film is so outrageous, it borders on camp; “Repossessed,” the 1990 “Exorcist” parody, parlayed that sensibility into gay sex gags and a joke-puking Linda Blair.

But the deeper reason “The Exorcist” resonates as queer is because it’s about a child consumed by an entity that the church is called on to excise, a hideous intersection of metaphorical queerness and real trauma that sounds a lot like conversion therapy.

Hear me out. When I was a Bible-believing teenager, I thought God was mad that I liked boys. The only way to treat this abomination, I believed, was to beseech Him to make me go straight. I tried. It failed.

That’s similar to what happens to Regan in “The Exorcist,” only her demon is an allegorical homosexuality. When Fathers Karras and Merrin try to cure Regan with the words “the power of Christ compels you,” they say out loud the quiet part that I whispered to myself. They tried, priests died, and it worked.

Ready for the really queer part? Unlike the first time I saw “The Exorcist,” I now root for the demon. That’s what horror can do: align your sympathies with the monster and against the presumed forces of good, not to learn evil but to understand it.

As I see it, Regan wasn’t an innocent girl overcome by an old demon. She was a young woman with new rage who gave voice to queer people who were tired of being told — by religion, parents, medical professionals — that they were sick and needed to be cured. Her message to the church and her well-meaning mom was a prophetically queer one: Back off. I’ve got power now.

A woman with dark hair looks past the camera.

“I passed out in about the first half hour.”

Exorcist Reaction Mostly ‘Hokum’ “‘... about 95 percent of it.’”

A woman in a neck brace holds her hand to her temple.

“I don’t know … I guess it was a good movie?”

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The documentary genre is a more varied one than many people give it credit for. As a type of film, documentaries do usually aim to inform or educate about some kind of non-fiction story or topic, but that's not their sole purpose. Some aim to evoke certain feelings or experiences more than anything else, others aim to present an argument or point of view in a persuasive manner, and others are mostly concerned with simply entertaining audiences the way a work of fiction might. Furthermore, some documentaries aim to do a combination of the above, or maybe even none of the above, instead opting to do something else entirely

Exploring the world of documentary filmmaking can be a truly eye-opening thing to do, and reveal worlds or unique perspectives that aren't as easy to explore through other genres. It's safe to assume that documentary movies will never go out of style, which makes keeping track of the best documentaries out there worthwhile. Some of the best documentaries of all time have been around for decades, while others are more recent, and deal with ongoing, ever-topical issues. The films below aren't merely good documentaries; they're largely considered all-timers within the genre, and can all be described quite reasonably as the best documentaries ever. What follows are some of the finest documentary films of all time, ranked below from great to greatest.

30 'Bowling for Columbine' (2002)

Director: michael moore.

bowling for columbine, Michael Moore, Cameras, Victim, Journalists

Coming out years before crime documentaries became Netflix's bread and butter, Bowling for Columbine uses a horrific crime spree as a jumping-off point to explore American culture, and its seemingly unending love of firearms. The event it's all framed around is the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, which claimed more than 20 victims.

In one of the best movies of 2002 , Michael Moore made arguably his most passionate and emotional movie with Bowling for Columbine , with the editing and presentation making the arguments put forward quite persuasive. It's in-your-face and uncompromising as a documentary, and it works well as something that clearly wants to start a conversation about a serious topic.

bowling for columbine

Watch on Tubi

29 'Sans Soleil' (1983)

Director: chris marker.

Sans Soleil is a documentary that's hard to summarize, and has a rather experimental approach to the format/genre. It has little by way of narrative or a direct argument that it wants to present, instead being an artistically presented odyssey through a woman's abstract thoughts, often relating to the meaning of life and human existence.

Sans Soleil feels broad and open to interpretation, but it's the kind of thing where someone could watch it and have it fully click , gaining an entirely different understanding than other viewers. This might make Sans Soleil something of an acquired taste, but it's worth at least one watch for those who appreciate unconventional and adventurous documentary movies .

Watch on Criterion

28 '13th' (2016)

Director: ava duvernay.

A black girl in 13th looking at something or someone off-camera.

Standing as one of the most important cultural/political documentaries in recent memory, 13th is a difficult yet essential watch. It tackles the U.S. prison system with a particular focus on the racial inequality present within it, tying the way prisons function in modern times to the way slavery functioned back during the nation's earlier days.

It might be a difficult thing for some viewers to hear and grapple with, but 13th is persuasive and remarkably good at presenting the case for this claim. It's all assembled amazingly well, and makes for the kind of film that wants to frustrate, get people thinking, and have viewers reassess what they thought they knew. In these ways, 13th is a resoundingly successful documentary.

Watch on Netflix

27 'Gimme Shelter' (1970)

Directors: albert and david maysles, charlotte zwerin.

It's no secret that Martin Scorsese loves The Rolling Stones , having directed his own documentary about them and using their songs throughout his films. He seems particularly fond of the song "Gimme Shelter," which is also the name of this 1970 documentary about The Rolling Stones, focusing on one particularly infamous concert they performed in 1969.

Gimme Shelter is one of the few concert movies that could be described as nightmarish , because even if you enjoy some of the music on offer, the stark presentation of a tragic event is ultimately what's most memorable. It's an intense watch that's probably not for everyone, but it certainly stands as one of the most distinct - and harrowing - music documentaries of all time .

Watch on Max

26 'Man on Wire' (2008)

Director: james marsh.

Somehow functioning as both a documentary and a heist movie at the same time, Man on Wire tells a wild true story that was also adapted into a feature film with 2015's The Walk . It's about daredevil/tightrope walker Philippe Petit , and the way he managed to execute a stunt in 1974 that involved walking between the two towers of the World Trade Center, which had then only recently been built.

Man on Wire 's pacing makes it feel more dynamic and thrilling than many other documentaries out there , and some of the footage/photographs captured prove awe-inspiring to look at. It's artistically presented and genuinely exciting, serving as both a psychological exploration of a rather unique man while also celebrating the absolutely wild feat he managed to pull off.

Man on Wire

Watch on Hulu

25 'Grey Gardens' (1975)

Directors: david maysles, albert maysles, ellen hovde, muffie meyer.

For better or worse, Grey Gardens feels like a proto-reality TV show, arguably leading the way for the genre to exist in all its wild , uncomfortable, and sometimes exploitative glory. This is because Grey Gardens simply observes two real-life people who live strange lives, and may or may not be exaggerating their odd behavior because cameras are present.

The two women at the center of Grey Gardens are relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis , and they live in a large yet rundown house, and have very isolated lives. It's an unsettling and uncomfortable film that blurs the line between documentary and drama , but ultimately one that's proven influential within the genre, and a somewhat haunting watch that has resonated with many viewers since its 1975 release.

24 'They Shall Not Grow Old' (2018)

Director: peter jackson.

World War One soldiers in They Shall Not Grow Old - 2018

There have been many great films about the First World War , and among them would have to be They Shall Not Grow Old . It was released on the 100th anniversary of the conflict's end, and uses colorized and meticulously restored footage to depict the harrowing experience of trench warfare in a way that's never been shown before in previous WW1 documentaries.

It was an ambitious project directed by Peter Jackson , and though getting the footage to look so striking would have taken a great deal of work, the results speak for themselves. They Shall Not Grow Old isn't an easy watch, but it is an essential one , and recontextualizes a century-old conflict by presenting an emotional and intimately personal look at the horrors of war.

23 'Life of Crime: 1984-2020' (2021)

Director: jon alpert.

Life of Crime: 1984-2020 may have a bit of a clunky title, but as a film, it's anything but clunky. It's the third and final installment in a series of documentaries that follow several individuals who engage in petty crime and/or struggle with drug addictions, with it all being filmed in an uncompromising and very raw fashion.

This 2021 film spends one hour recapping the first and second documentaries in the series (which covered the 1980s and 1990s respectively) before moving on to what happened to the subjects at its center in the 21st century. Life of Crime: 1984-2020 sheds light on a group of people who've seemingly been forgotten by society, showing their flaws while also being empathetic. It's devastating, proving hard to watch, and maybe even harder to forget.

22 'The Act of Killing' (2012)

Director: joshua oppenheimer.

Though The Act of Killing isn't a horror movie by any means, it feels more brutal and terrifying than most could ever hope to be. It covers a difficult subject in a unique yet stomach-churning way, focusing on the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966 which saw somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million people being killed (mostly people associated with communism, or believed to be).

It follows various people who participated in these killings more than 40 years on from the events, with the filmmakers getting these individuals to recreate what they did through the guise of "making a film" in the hope they'll realize the brutality of their past actions. The Act of Killing is a daunting look at the dark side of human nature , as well as a terrible period in history that's still in living memory for many people living today.

The Act of Killing

A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.

Watch on Peacock

21 'The Thin Blue Line' (1988)

Director: errol morris.

The true crime genre has experienced a boom in the last five to 10 years, and on a streaming service like Netflix in particular, it seems difficult to avoid documentaries about crime. Many documentaries that are definable as true-crime owe a great deal to 1988's The Thin Blue Line , which was revolutionary for documentary filmmaking as a whole.

It follows the investigation surrounding the murder of a police officer in Dallas, criticizing certain aspects of how it was done, and arguing that the primary suspect might not have been as guilty as detectives believed. The Thin Blue Line was influential enough to impact criminal proceedings, ultimately highlighting how powerful a well-argued and intelligently presented documentary can be.

20 'Harlan County, USA' (1976)

Director: barbara kopple.

While Harlan County, USA may be almost 50 years old, it remains relevant, and will continue to feel vital for as long as workers don't feel fairly compensated for their work. It focuses on a specific 1973 strike in Harlan County, but the ideas and struggles explored here are relevant to various industries and groups of workers.

The "USA" part of the title could be referring to Harlan County, or it could be read as emphasizing that the sort of conflict here is something felt throughout the USA, back in the 1970s and to this day, too, with the recent Writer's Guild of America strike . The presentation in Harlan County, USA is simple, no-nonsense, and ultimately persuasive, ensuring it stands as a classic - and essential - work of documentary filmmaking.

19 'The Times of Harvey Milk' (1984)

Director: rob epstein.

Biographical stories can often be told more powerfully through documentaries than in traditional feature films (though the former isn't likely to earn as many Oscar nominations as the latter). This is demonstrated by 1984's The Times of Harvey Milk , because while the 2008 film Milk covers similar ground and is compelling, seeing it play out in a documentary is even more powerful.

As the title implies, this documentary covers the life and career of Harvey Milk - both cut tragically short by his assassination in 1978. The Times of Harvey Milk aims to celebrate what he accomplished for gay rights in America while mourning his untimely passing , and serves as an emotional and extremely well-presented look at Milk and his life.

18 'Free Solo' (2018)

Directors: jimmy chin, elizabeth chai vasarhelyi.

Viewers with acrophobia should stay well away from Free Solo , because it can be genuinely hard to watch for anyone who has even a slight fear of heights. It follows Alex Honnold as he attempts to climb a 3000-foot-high rock face by himself, and without the safeguards of ropes or safety gear.

As far as "man versus nature" documentary movies go, this is easily one of the greatest of all time, and in a way, ends up being more heart-racing than the vast majority of blockbuster thrillers out there (even the great ones). As far as adrenaline-rush documentaries go, few can compete with what Free Solo pulls off.

Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.

Watch on Disney+

17 'American Movie' (1999)

Director: chris smith.

A heartwarming and funny documentary , American Movie is one of the essential documentaries about the filmmaking process of the last few decades . It centers on independent filmmaker Mark Borchardt and his attempts to complete his movie, an unusual horror film about addiction and demonic cults called Coven .

It's one of those films that's likely to hit home for anyone who's undertaken a daunting creative project before, or even those who've ever dreamed of fulfilling their creative desires. It celebrates art - no matter the budget or the technical qualities - and even for non-creatives, is likely to provide plenty of entertainment value thanks to its humor and down-to-earth charms.

Rent on Apple TV

16 'Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse' (1991)

Directors: eleanor coppola, fax bahr, george hickenlooper.

Apocalypse Now set shot from Hearts of Darkness - 1991

While American Movie shows the struggles of independent filmmaking, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse - released at the other end of the 1990s - looks at the struggles of big-budget filmmaking. It follows the infamous production of Apocalypse Now , a film that ended up being a classic, but was plagued with just about every problem under the sun before release.

For as harrowing as the psychologically tense and violent war film is, Hearts of Darkness makes the fight to get the film made look equally brutal and mentally devastating . Francis Ford Coppola and the rest of the cast and crew went to hell and back to make one of the greatest films of the 1970s, and this documentary captures that nightmarish production in stark, eye-opening detail.

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

15 'the beaches of agnès' (2008), director: agnès varda.

Agnès Varda in 'The Beaches of Agnès' (2008)

Agnès Varda was one of the greatest and most creative French filmmakers of all time. She was known for both her feature films and her documentary work, and while titles like Cléo from 5 to 7 and Vagabond are her best-known when it comes to the former, 2008's The Beaches of Agnès is probably her greatest achievement for the latter.

It plays out like a visual autobiography, with Varda reflecting on her youth, her filmmaking career, and her relationship with fellow French filmmaker Jacques Demy . The Beaches of Agnès is touching, entertaining, visually dazzling, and thought-provoking , all thanks to Varda's unique outlook on life, and could serve as a good introduction to the filmmaker's immense body of work.

14 'Man with a Movie Camera' (1929)

Director: dziga vertov.

A man standing atop a giant movie camera in Man With a Movie Camera

Without Man with a Movie Camera , the entire documentary format may look entirely different today. It's likely one of the most important and influential documentaries of all time, using inventive visuals and creative editing techniques to show how life was in the Soviet Union during the 1920s.

Beyond that premise, there isn't really a whole to this silent film. Yet the style is what makes it dazzling and engaging to this day, and even if it doesn't grab all modern viewers, surely everyone can recognize its significance for the documentary format as a whole. At only 68 minutes long, documentary fans don't exactly have an excuse not to at least give it a shot.

Watch on Vudu

13 'Woodstock' (1970)

Director: michael wadleigh.

Woodstock is far from the only iconic concert film (more on those below), but it covers what many would argue was the most significant live music event of all time. That was 1969's Woodstock Music & Art Festival, an event that went for three days, saw 32 different musical acts perform, and was attended by more than 400,000 people.

A huge film is needed to capture such a large-scale event, and Woodstock is more than up to the task. The theatrical cut runs for over three hours, and a director's cut runs for almost four, with it capturing some iconic live music (including performances by Jimi Hendrix , Janis Joplin , and The Who ) as well as documenting what the festival was like for those attending, and the ways organizers dealt with certain issues that came about while the festival was underway.

12 'Stop Making Sense' (1984)

Director: jonathan demme.

David Byrne dances in his iconic big suit in 'Stop Making Sense'

Stop Making Sense isn't just one of the best films of 1984 ; it's right up there as one of the best concert films of all time. It documents new wave band Talking Heads at their creative and commercial peak, going through an excellent tracklist over 88 glorious, upbeat, entertaining minutes.

There isn't much of a message or story here, of course, but the way it's shot, edited, and paced is certainly more intricate than most concert films. Stop Making Sense is the gold standard for how music documentaries about concerts should look and feel , and an essential watch, regardless of whether you're a big Talking Heads fan.

Watch in Cinemas

11 'Paris Is Burning' (1990)

Director: jennie livingston.

The cast of Paris is Burning celebrating together.

Despite only running for about 70 minutes, Paris Is Burning covers many years, focusing on the New York drag scene throughout much of the 1980s. It looks at a subculture that was likely underground and unseen for many people during that time, and gives those who belong to it a chance in the spotlight.

Paris Is Burning holds up as one of the most important documentaries of the 1990s, and one that is still relevant today , even if these sorts of subcultures are a little more well-known today. It shows the power that documentary films have when it comes to raising awareness for different people and groups, and for doing so here with an LGBTQ subculture, Paris Is Burning is a landmark.

Exclusive: TALES OF TERROR From CORMAN/POE INTERVIEWS AND ESSAYS

Last Updated on March 16, 2024 by Angel Melanson

Headpress Books is releasing Corman/Poe Interviews and Essays Exploring the Making of Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe Films, 1960–1964 charting the making of Corman’s classic and influential “Poe Cycle” of horror films, featuring a foreword by Corman, himself. We’re giving you a sneak preview of some pages from The Tales of Terror section below before it hits bookstores across the globe.

Written by author and filmmaker (and our former editor-in-chief!) Chris Alexander, Corman/Poe: Interviews and Essays Exploring the Making of Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe Films, 1960–1964 is the only book to take the deep dive into fully examining this important chapter in horror film history. Featuring in-depth conversations with the legendary Roger Corman book-ended by engaging critical analyses of each of the eight films, illustrated with dozens of photographs and stills, many of which have never been published before.

Corman/Poe: Interviews and Essays Exploring the Making of Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe Films, 1960–1964 hits shelves June 6, take a look below for some more details.

Produced on modest budgets for American International Pictures, iconic independent film director Roger Corman’s adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories were popular in their time as escapist horror cinema. Most starred horror icon Vincent Price and were written (and “freely adapted”) by the likes of Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont and Robert Towne. Today the series is recognized as unique and sophisticated, one that delivers decadent Gothic chills while exploring ideas of faith, sexuality, psychology and the supernatural. Trending Hey, FRIDAY THE 13TH Fans: Are You Ready To Enter The JASON UN1V3RSE? Chris Alexander is a Canadian writer, editor, music composer and filmmaker. He is the former editor-in-chief of iconic horror film magazine FANGORIA and editor-in-chief/co-founder of DELIRIUM magazine. He is the writer, director and composer of numerous horror films, including BLOOD FOR IRINA, QUEEN OF BLOOD, FEMALE WEREWOLF, and many others. He has released the albums MUSIC FOR MURDER, BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL and BODY DOUBLE. He is a professor of horror film history at Canada’s Sheridan College and the proud father of three wonderful sons. ROGER CORMAN Director, producer, distributor and mentor Roger Corman, often dubbed “The Pope of Pop Cinema”, is widely recognized as one of the founding fathers of independent genre cinema via his pioneering work in the 1950s and 60s. In the 1970s, Corman found even greater success with his company New World Pictures and in the 1980s became a major player in the direct to video and cable market boom. Along the way he has discovered and nurtured such major talents as Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Nicholson, Dick Miller, Joe Dante, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, James Cameron and many more.

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Angel Melanson is the Digital Editor of FANGORIA.com. When she’s not running the website, you can find her being our resident online creep in various capacities. From hosting red carpet interviews and our Convo x Fango interview series, chatting with horror royalty and up-and-coming creators to watch, to moderating live Q&As, and occasionally writing for the magazine.

After sneaking peeks at FANGORIA while hidden in store aisles, she spent a few years running her own website and podcast under the HorrorGirl Problems banners before hosting interviews for Fango and eventually joining the Fango fam full-time. A true nightmare come true.

Essaying the pop culture that matters since 1999

all things reconsidered call music may 2024

Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered [MUSIC] May-August 2024

We are seeking essays for our May-August 2024 All Things Reconsidered music series. These essays analyze and contextualize classic albums in music history.

We are seeking essays for our May-August 2024 All Things Reconsidered series . These features analyze classic albums in music history. They are indexed in the academic ProQuest database. We are seeking pitches for articles on the albums listed below, although writers may also pitch records that are not on this list.

All Things Reconsidered articles should be at least 1,400 words, although that’s fairly short for a substantial essay, and writers are encouraged to go longer. Indeed, many of these features are in-depth, written for posterity and education, and some go over 3,000 words.

In these essays, we want to address:

Why this album matters. How has it stood the test of time?
How has the perception of the music changed over time (if relevant)?
Where the album came from in the history of the artist’s music and the genres/scenes from which it emerged.
What societal trends influenced the making of the record, and what influence has it had since being released?

Tips for essays:

Please don’t use excessive lyric quotations unless you are doing a true literary analysis. Quotations are fine, but ideas are better.
Please avoid mere track-by-track run-downs of the record. The essay needs to be ideas-driven.
Please have a unique take on the album. Develop a central thesis to build your essay.
These need to be essays with original critical thinking. We don’t want just a bunch of tracks listed with pure descriptions. There must be an analysis.

Please choose from the list below, address pitches to Sarah Zupko, and enter your pitch into our Submittable with the subject of “All Things Reconsidered “.

PITCH DEADLINE: Deadline through 15 August.

ESSAY DEADLINE: The deadline depends on the album’s release month.

Note : PopMatters is a wholly independent magazine of cultural criticism, est. 1999. Our mission is to educate readers and document our period on the cultural timeline. We publish for posterity. PopMatters is a highly respected magazine because of its ideals and its fine writers and editorial staff. However, such high ideals are not monetarily rewarded in today’s publishing climate. For this reason, we can offer you an excellent publishing platform for your quality work and our social media efforts – but for now, we are unable to pay you for your articles. Even the editors are currently volunteering their time. We are presently a 100% volunteer organization, with all advertising revenue supporting our basic expenses. Writers retain ownership of their copyright on articles so that they can use them for books and other projects. Their essays are indexed in ProQuest, as PopMatters has an educational mission.

Albums – May

You may also pitch albums not on this list.

Basement Jaxx – Remedy 1999 Beastie Boys – Ill Communication 1994 Crosby, Stills & Nash – Crosby, Stills & Nash 1969 David Bowie – Lodger 1979 Echo & the Bunnymen – Ocean Rain 1984 Electric Light Orchestra – Discovery 1979 Feist – Let It Die 2004 Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – Winter in America 1974 Groove Armada – Vertigo 1999 Joni Mitchell – Clouds 1969 Manic Street Preachers – Journal For Plague Lovers 2009 My Morning Jacket – The Tennessee Fire 1999 Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 1969 New York Dolls – Too Much Too Soon 1974 Patti Smith Group – Wave 1979 Pharoah Sanders – Karma 1969 Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 2009 Queen – The Miracle 1989 Sly & The Family Stone – Stand! 1969 Sparks – Kimono My House 1974 St. Vincent – Actor 2009 Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary 1994 Swans – To Be Kind 2014 The Black Keys – Turn Blue 2014 The Cure – Disintegration 1989 The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin 1999 The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses 1989 The Undertones – The Undertones 1979 The Who – Tommy 1969 Tina Turner – Private Dancer 1984 Travis – The Man Who 1999 Weezer – Weezer (Blue Album) 1994 Wings – Back to the Egg 1979

Albums – June

Art of Noise – Who’s Afraid of the Art of Noise? 1984 Bad Company – Bad Company 1974 Beastie Boys – To the 5 Boroughs 2004 Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. 1984 Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica 1969 Charles Mingus – Tonight at Noon 1964 Cibo Matto – Stereo Type A 1999 Death Grips – Niggas on the Moon 2014 Deep Purple – Deep Purple 1969 Dinosaur Jr. – Farm 2009 Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca 2009 Dungen – Ta Det Lugnt 2004 Everything But the Girl – Amplified Heart 1994 Faith No More – The Real Thing 1989 Gossip – Music For Men 2009 Guided by Voices – Bee Thousand 1994 Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul 1969 Jamiroquai – Synkronized 1999 Jeff Beck Group – Beck-Ola 1969 John Coltrane – Coltrane’s Sound 1964 Johnny Cash – I Walk the Line 1964 Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures 1979 Killing Joke – Pandemonium 1994 Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence 2014 Lush – Split 1994 Moby – Play 1999 Mos Def – The Ecstatic 2009 Nirvana – Bleach 1989 Orbital – Blue Album 2004 Pavement – Terror Twilight 1999 PJ Harvey – Uh Huh Her 2004 Prince & The Revolution – Purple Rain 1984 Rancid – Let’s Go 1994 Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication 1999 Roberta Flack – First Take 1969 Saint Etienne – Tiger Bay 1994 Sigur Rós – Ágætis byrjun 1999 Sonic Youth – Sonic Nurse 2004 Sonic Youth – The Eternal 2009 Super Furry Animals – Guerrilla 1999 The B-52’s – Cosmic Thing 1989 The Chemical Brothers – Surrender 1999 The Killers – Hot Fuss 2004 The Promise Ring – Very Emergency 1999 The White Stripes – The White Stripes 1999 Toots & The Maytals – In the Dark 1974 Tortoise – Tortoise 1994 Wilco – A Ghost Is Born 2004 Wilco – Wilco (The Album) 2009

Albums – July

Alice Coltrane & Carlos Santana – Illuminations 1974 Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique 1989 Elliott Smith – Roman Candle 1994 EPMD – Unfinished Business 1989 Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking 1969 Hüsker Dü – Zen Arcade 1984 Maxwell – BLACKsummers’night 2009 Metallica – Ride the Lightning 1984 Miles Davis – In a Silent Way 1969 Mr. Bungle – California 1999 Neil Young – On the Beach 1974 Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Rust Never Sleeps 1979 Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left 1969 Parliament – Up for the Down Stroke 1974 Robert Wyatt – Rock Bottom 1974 Sade – Diamond Life 1984 Stevie Wonder – Fulfillingness’ First Finale 1974 Swell Maps – A Trip to Marineville 1979 The B-52’s – The B-52’s 1979 The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night 1964 The Doors – The Soft Parade 1969 The Fiery Furnaces – Blueberry Boat 2004 The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation 1994 The Rolling Stones – Voodoo Lounge 1994 The Roots – The Tipping Point 2004 The The – The The 1989 Tim Buckley – Happy Sad 1969 Yes – Yes 1969

Albums – August

AC/DC – Highway to Hell 1979 Arctic Monkeys – Humbug 2009 Björk – Medúlla 2004 Blackalicious – Nia 1999 Blind Faith – Blind Faith 1969 Bob Dylan – Another Side of Bob Dylan 1964 Bob Dylan – Slow Train Coming 1979 Brian Eno & Harold Budd – The Pearl 1984 Dionne Warwick – Make Way for Dionne Warwick 1964 Drive-By Truckers – The Dirty South 2004 Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch! 1964 Frank Sinatra & Count Basie – It Might As Well Be Swing 1964 Jeff Buckley – Grace 1994 John Coltrane – Black Pearls 1964 Kool Keith – Black Elvis/Lost in Space 1999 Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door 1979 Leonard Cohen – New Skin for the Old Ceremony 1974 Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible 1994 Mastodon – Leviathan 2004 Meshell Ndegeocello – Bitter 1999 Michael Jackson – Off the Wall 1979 Miles Davis – Kind of Blue 1959 Minnie Riperton – Perfect Angel 1974 Oasis – Definitely Maybe 1994 Orbital – Snivilisation 1994 Portishead – Dummy 1994 Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Red Hot Chili Peppers 1984 Regina Spektor – Soviet Kitsch 2004 Santana – Santana 1969 Stereolab – Mars Audiac Quintet 1994 Talking Heads – Fear of Music 1979 The Chicks – Fly 1999 The Libertines – The Libertines 2004 The Rolling Stones – Steel Wheels 1989 The Stooges – The Stooges 1969 The xx – xx 2009 XTC – Drums and Wires 1979

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Step By Step Guide to Writing an Essay on Film
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you with an essay service: 1. Watch the Movie. This is the obvious starting point, but surprisingly many students skip this step. It doesn't matter if you've watched the movie twice before. If you're asked to write an essay about it, you need to watch it again.
Film Writing: Sample Analysis
The piece concludes by tying the main themes of the opening sequence to those of the entire film. In doing this, the conclusion makes an argument for the essay's own relevance: we need to pay attention to the essay's points so that we can achieve a rich understanding of the movie. The piece's final sentence makes a chilling final impression by ...
How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Examples, Outline, & Tips
Conclusion. Overall, the film is… [state your opinion] I would/wouldn't recommend watching the movie because… [state the reasons] 🎬 Film Analysis Essay Topics. Analysis of the film Inception by Christopher Nolan. Examine the rhetoric in the film The Red Balloon. Analyze the visual effects of Zhang Yimou's movie Hero.
How to Write a Film Analysis Essay Correctly
A film analysis essay is an exploration and interpretation of a motion picture, aiming to unravel the underlying messages, symbolism, and artistic choices that shape the overall viewing experience. ... In conclusion, writing a compelling film analysis essay requires a combination of critical thinking, meticulous observation, and effective ...
Film Analysis: Example, Format, and Outline + Topics & Prompts
📋 Film Analysis Format Our Experts can deliver a custom essay for a mere 11.00 9.35/page Learn more. The movie analysis format follows a typical essay structure, including a title, introduction, thesis statement, body, conclusion, and references.
Film Analysis
Film analysis goes beyond the analysis of the film as literature to include camera angles, lighting, set design, sound elements, costume choices, editing, etc. in making an argument. The first step to analyzing the film is to watch it with a plan. Watching the film. First it's important to watch the film carefully with a critical eye.
How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Examples, Outline, & Tips
IV. Example of Writing a Conclusion for a Film Analysis Essay. The Joy Luck Club exposes the experiences of Chinese mothers in America, showing some cultural nuances that influence their relationships with their daughters. The film depicts immigration as crucial to the women's experiences in the movie because it is the avenue through which ...
How to write a Film Analysis Essay & Cinematic Techniques
How to Write a Film Analysis Essay. By Timothy Sexton. Strengthen the authority of your essay through familiarity with movie-making jargon. Writing a film analysis essay is an assignment that is less likely to terrorize those who fear the idea of writing an essay, because it allows them to write about something most people enjoy. Film analysis is not the same thing as writing a movie review ...
Film Analysis
Writing film analysis is similar to writing literary analysis or any argumentative essay in other disciplines: Consider the assignment and prompts, formulate a thesis (see the Brainstorming Handout and Thesis Statement Handout for help crafting a nuanced argument), compile evidence to prove your thesis, and lay out your argument in the essay.
How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Format & Examples
Ensure that the title, character names, and people involved in the making of the film are written correctly. Also, make notes of important plot points, symbols, and devices. 🎯 Identify the things you must write about. After you watch the work several times, pick elements that should be covered in the paper.
Film Analysis: Example, Topics, & Essay Writing Guide [2024]
Here is the "Solaris" film analysis essay example. The film "Solaris" by Andrey Tarkovsky was released in 1972 as an adaptation of the 1960th science fiction novel by Stanislav Lem. "Let us take you with us to Solaris, the planet of mystery, an embodiment of man's latent conflict with the unknown.
Film Essays: The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Film Essay
Body: Main point 1: The cinematography and mise-en-scène of 'Mulholland Drive'. Main point 2: The themes and messages of 'Mulholland Drive'. Main point 3: The cultural and historical context of 'Mulholland Drive'. Conclusion: Recap of main points and analysis of the lasting impact of the film.
The Help: a Film Analysis: [Essay Example], 553 words
Conclusion. The Help is a powerful and thought-provoking film that addresses important issues of race, social class, and discrimination. The film effectively portrays the harsh realities of racism and segregation in the 1960s, and the impact of these injustices on the lives of African-American maids. The character development in the film allows the audience to empathize with the struggles ...
How to Critique a Movie: Writing Tips + Film Critique Example
Movie Critique Essay Topics . Review of the film The Corporation. Philosophical questions in Through a Glass Darkly by Ingmar Bergman. Discuss the symbolism in the film Hacksaw Ridge. Analyze the impersonation of Elizabeth Bennet by Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice. Evaluate the meaning of the setting in the movie Mean Girls by Mark Walters
Resources
While film reviews and theoretical essays are part of Film Studies, the most common paper that students will face is: "the critical essay". Fear not. Though its title combines a serious undertone that implies it is both a large chuck of your grade and also really hard and vague, this post will guide you on your way.
Movie Review Essay Examples Papers and Topics
Topics: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Feminism, Holly Golightly, Marx's theory of alienation, Marxism, Movie Review, Sex industry, Sex worker, Social class. 1 2 … 18. Perfect and absolutely free movie review essays. Find the best movie review essay examples and relevant topics for inspiration in our database.
Deconstructing a Film Analysis Essay: Tips and Techniques
The length of your assigned movie can make an essay analysis intimidating. Films can sometimes exceed a run time of three hours. For example, ... Concluding your analysis essay. Your conclusion will restate the argument you made in the introduction. Your analysis leads to a personal decision about the film, so you should also include your ...
Movie Analysis Essays
Conclusion; Essay Title 2: Film Analysis - "Blade Runner" (1982): Science Fiction, Humanity, and Artificial Intelligence. Thesis Statement: This film analysis delves into Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner," exploring its dystopian vision of the future, the questions it raises about humanity and artificial intelligence, and the enduring influence it ...
Film Analysis Example: A Complete Guide to Ace Your Task
Top 15 Film Analysis Essay Topics. The choice of a topic is nearly 50% of success in film essay writing. So before we give you an actual film analysis example, let us give you some good topic ideas that can inspire you to write your own paper: The potential hazards of artificial intelligence discussed in Ex Machina.
PDF HOW TO WRITE A FILM ESSAY Introduction Paragraph
your essay. TOPICS 1. Describe at least ONE character who played an interesting role in the film. Explain how film techniques were used to show you the character(s) was interesting. 2. Describe at least ONE important event at (or near) the end of the film. Explain how film techniques were used to show you the event(s) was important. 3.
Mastering the Art of Evaluation Essays: Techniques and Examples
This essay evaluates the film based on its narrative, character development, and thematic depth. ... Conclusion "The Shape of Water" is a cinematic masterpiece that excels in storytelling, character development, and thematic exploration. Its unique blend of fantasy and romance, coupled with its deep themes, makes it a standout film that ...
How to Conclude an Essay
Step 1: Return to your thesis. To begin your conclusion, signal that the essay is coming to an end by returning to your overall argument. Don't just repeat your thesis statement —instead, try to rephrase your argument in a way that shows how it has been developed since the introduction. Example: Returning to the thesis.
Film Studies Essays
Analysis of the Opening of Trainspotting Film. Example essay. Last modified: 19th Oct 2021. The opening of this film varies with its broad range of shot sizes and camera angles. We start the film with what seems like a hand held shot of the main character and his friend "Spud" getting chased through town with the non diegetic soundtrack ...
Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab
Mission. The Purdue On-Campus Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives.
Movie Summary Essays
Conclusion; Essay Title 3: Movie Review - "The Social Network" (2010): A Compelling Dive into Tech, Ambition, and Betrayal. Thesis Statement: This movie review dissects David Fincher's "The Social Network," analyzing its portrayal of the rise of Facebook, themes of ambition and betrayal, and the complex character of Mark Zuckerberg.
'The Exorcist' at 50: How One Horror Movie Shocked the World
Jan. 2, 1974. 'Exorcist' literally makes filmgoers sick — especially the fainthearted. "Steven Houghton, a theater employee, said a stockpile of smelling salts was on hand to accommodate ...
30 Best Documentaries of All Time, Ranked
The Act of Killing. NR. A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood ...
Exclusive: TALES OF TERROR From CORMAN/POE INTERVIEWS AND ESSAYS
Corman/Poe: Interviews and Essays Exploring the Making of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe Films, 1960-1964 hits shelves June 6, take a look below for some more details.. Produced on modest budgets for American International Pictures, iconic independent film director Roger Corman's adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories were popular in their time as escapist horror cinema.
Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered [MUSIC] May-August 2024
Sarah Zupko Kondeusz. / 15 April 2024. We are seeking essays for our May-August 2024 All Things Reconsidered series. These features analyze classic albums in music history. They are indexed in the ...

Step By Step Guide to Writing an Essay on Film

1. Watch the Movie

2. Introduction

3. Write a Summary

4. Write Your Analysis

5. Conclusion

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How to Write a Film Analysis Essay Correctly

The Purpose of a Film Analysis Essay

Preparing for the Analysis

Thesis Statement: The Cornerstone of Your Essay

The Introduction: Setting the Stage

Body Paragraphs: Unveiling the Layers

Cinematography and Visual Storytelling

Character Development and Performances

Themes and Social Commentary

The Conclusion: Tying it All Together

Finding Your Voice and Style

Editing and Refining Your Essay

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Film Analysis: Example, Format, and Outline + Topics & Prompts

📚 Types of Film Analysis

📝 Film Analysis Example

🔗 References

Film Analysis vs Film Review

📋 Film Analysis Format

📑 Film Analysis Essay Outline

Film Analysis Introduction

Film Analysis Thesis

Movie Analysis Main Body

Film Analysis Conclusion

✍️ How to Write a Film Analysis Essay

1. Understand the Prompt

2. Watch the Film & Take Notes

3. Develop a Thesis and an Outline

4. Write Your Movie Analysis

5. Revise and Proofread

🎞️ Movie Analysis: Sample Prompts

🎬 Top 15 Film Analysis Essay Topics

Film Analysis Essay Introduction Example

Film Analysis Body Paragraphs Example

Film Analysis Conclusion Example

🍿 More Film Analysis Examples

❓ Film Analysis Essay: FAQ

How to write a movie analysis?

How to write a critical analysis of a movie?

How to write a psychological analysis of a movie?

Descriptive Essay Topics: Examples, Outline, & More

Film Analysis

Writing the film analysis essay

Watching the film

Brainstorming ideas

Different types of film analysis

Semiotic analysis

Narrative analysis

Cultural/historical analysis

Mise-en-scène analysis