Writing a film analysis essay should be fun, right? You have a chance to watch a movie and then to write your impressions. Seems easy-peasy!
But, after watching a movie, you find yourself in front of a blank sheet of paper, without knowing where to start, how to organise your essay and what are the essential points you need to cover and analyse.
Knowing how to organise your film analysis essay is half the battle. Therefore, just follow this structure and you’ll be able to start writing without a hitch right away.
1.Introduction
The introductory part of a film analysis essay contains some fundamental information about the movie, like the film title, release date, and director’s name. In other words, the reader should get familiar with some background information about the film. It would be good to research the filmmaker because it can reveal significant insights related to the movie which you can use in your analysis.
Also, you should point out the central theme or ideas in the movie, explaining the reason why it was made. Don’t hesitate to say what do you think; it’s quite desirable to express your point of view.
The last thing your introduction should include is your thesis statement and basically, explain what will be your focus.
2.Summary
After presenting the main facts about the film, it’s time to go deeper into analysis and summarise it.
The trick to making it more powerful is always to assume that your professor hasn’t seen the movie. In that way, you won’t leave out some important information. The best way to make sure you’ve covered everything in your summary is to answer great five Ws – who, what, when, where, why, and how, as well.
Likewise, you can discuss anything related to your opinion, structure or style. Just remember that you need to support anything you say with examples or quotes from the film itself. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a viable comment.
3.Analysis
This is the core of your essay that involves your critical analysis of the film and impressions about it but supported by claims from the movie or any other relevant material.
Also, films are complex artwork that include many creative elements which are all connected and have their reason of existence. That’s why you should pay attention closely to these elements and analyze them too.
- Scenario
A good script has a logical sequence of events, completion of scenes, characters development, and dialogs. So, these are the elements you should analyze when it comes to the scenario.
After watching the film, try to reproduce the plot mentally and see if you understood the logic of events and the motives of the actors. If it’s difficult to explain or find reasons for some scene, then it isn’t such a great scenario.
- Directing
The director is responsible for every aspect of the movie process, such as scenario execution, selection of the plans, and even tasks for actors.
In this part of the analysis, you can focus on the fact how the director realized the script or compare this film to his other films. It will help you understand better his way of directing and come up to some conclusions relevant to your thesis and analysis.
- Acting
Casting is another significant element to take into consideration in your film analysis essay. Actors bring the script and director’s idea into reality.
Therefore, after watching the movie, think if the actors are realistic and if they portray the role of their character effectively? More importantly, consider how their acting corresponds to the main idea of the film and your thesis statement.
- Musical elements
This represents an important element of every movie. It sets the mood and enhances some actions or sceneries of the film.
That’s why you should try to evaluate how music reflects the mood of the film or the impact it has on what is happening on the screen. Is it supportive or distracting?
- Visual elements
Visual elements, like special effects, costumes, and make-up, also have a considerable role in the overall movie impact. They need to reflect the atmosphere of the film. It is especially important for historical movies because visual elements need to evoke a specific era.
Therefore, pay attention to costumes and special effects and analyse their impact on the film.
However, make sure you analyse only the elements that are related to your thesis statement, that can support it or help you make your point. Otherwise, you risk drifting away from the main argument.
4.Conclusion
In the end, re-state your thesis and offer a summary of the previously mentioned concepts in a new and more decisive way, making a case for your analysis.
Besides, you can recommend to your reader to watch this film or to avoid it completely.
Final words
Writing essays about films should be exciting and easy activity. Just follow these guidelines on how to structure it, details you need to pay attention to, and what should be the essence of your essay, so you’ll definitely look forward to writing your next film analysis essay and enjoy in the whole process.
Did You Know?
- Raindance Film Festival is considered one of thetop fifteen film festivals in the world?
- Raindance Film School London offersHND, BA and MA in Filmmaking and Screenwriting?
- Members of Raindance support indie film, and enjoy a range of benefits
- Let Raindance guide you on your filmmaking pathway. call +44 (0) 207 930 3412 or emailfilmschool@raindance.ac.uk
