Assignment: This paper is a close analysis of a scene from a film we have studied this semester. Please choose a scene from the list below to write an analysis like the ones we do during class. That is, your paper should cover:
1) Narrative: Where does the scene begin and end? How is the plot advanced? Why is this scene important in relation to the rest of the film?
2) Mise en scene: setting, props, costumes, colors, lighting
3) Editing, framing (shot composition), camera movement, significant shots
4) Major themes: how does this scene amplify or suggest themes found in the rest of the film?
5) Sound: diegetic and non-diegetic
In addition to the terms we have covered in class, you may need to use the following terms concerning distance and time length of the shot:
closeup
long shot
medium closeup
medium longshot
long take
See the online film glossary for all of the above terms http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms1.html
These films are available for this class on drm.osu.edu. The time marker is shown for each. Choose from the following scenes:
Moonstruck–Ronny and Loretta in Ronny’s apartment. 34:03. This is the scene that follows their confrontation in the basement of the bakery. It begins with an establishing shot of the outside of the bakery. The scene is interrupted by a shot of Loretta’s father and his mistress in a car, and then the scene at the apartment continues, ending with the couple’s move to the bedroom and the closeup of the opera poster.
It Happened One Night—Peter and Ellie in the hayfield. 54:18. This is the scene that follows the one of Peter carrying Ellie across the stream and is just previous to the hitch-hiking scene.
Imitation of Life: Sara Jane confronts Lora: 1:12. This scene opens with a shot of Lora crossing the upstairs hallway and ends with a shot of Annie in the kitchen. This is the scene in which Sara Jane does an imitation of a plantation slave.
Pariah—Alike on the bus on her way home from the club. 3:50. This occurs early in the film after the evening Alike and Laura have had at the club. It begins with a shot of Alike and Laura on the bus and ends with the cut to Alike walking through the door at home.
The Silence of the Lambs—Clarice gets her assignment. 4:08. This shot begins when Clarice gets off the elevator and ends with the sound bridge that begins, “And what is that?”
Thelma & Louise—Thelma and Louise are stopped by a trooper for speeding. 1:36:12. This is one of the comedy scenes, although its implications in the context of the journey are compelling.
When you study the scene you’ve chosen, take notes, paying special attention to how visual and auditory elements convey the scene’s meanings and importance.
Format of the paper:
Thesis paragraph: Your first paragraph should explain why this scene is important in light of the film’s overall themes and issues. Do NOT simply re-tell what happens in the scene. Instead, begin your paragraph with the questions above concerning narrative.
For the rest of the paper, proceed through the other elements that this assignment asks you to cover. Quote the lines of dialogue that are especially crucial, but don’t quote every line.
Note: this is NOT a shot-by-shot analysis, but you should discuss particular shots that are significant, as we do in our class discussions. What shot compositions or editing sequences are important? What lines of dialogue are important? If this is an early scene in the movie, how does it point ahead to significant issues?
Sample paper: On Carmen, under “Paper Assignments,” see the analysis of the first motel scene from It Happened One Night.
Grading standards:
An A paper will be strong in all four of these areas of criteria:
1) The so-what factor: the paper clearly shows how ideas and issues in the scene are important for understanding the film, so that instead of a play-by-play of the action, the paper shows the significance of the actions in the context of the whole film.
2) Film vocabulary: accurate use of film terms to describe the scene.
3) Key elements: identification of shots, editing technique, lines of dialogue, or uses of mise en scene that are especially important.
4) Writing and grammar: clear writing, without grammatical or spelling errors, so that she paper is easy to read.
B papers may be deficient in one of these areas. C papers are deficient in two of these areas.
Sample Solution
