Table of Contents
Writing Film or Movie Analysis Papers
Being a student, at some point in your school or college, you may be required to submit a film review paper or movie analysis essay as your assignment. The task at first may seem like a piece of cake for all the movie buffs out there but when you actually sit down to write it, you are lost. You do not know how to go about creating a film review.
This is when you realize that being a Hollywood devotee has done you no good and now you will have to learn from scratch—how to institute a film review. No, I am not asking you to waste money on taking classes from expert movie critics—as evident from the topic, the purpose of this article is to teach you the basic art of review writing in minutes.
Guide Steps for Writing Your Film Review Paper
Contextual Analysis of the Film
Collect information on the movie plot, characterization, director, theme and locations used. Gather information about the story writing, production techniques and background information on the main theme.
Watch the Movie Twice
Before you start off with the review crafting process, you need to watch the assigned movie once or twice. While doing so, you need to make the best use of your sense of observation. Note down all minor and major details roughly on a piece of paper so that if your memory deludes you while gathering thoughts on writing, you can always refer to these keynotes (brilliant idea!).
Analyze the Movie Plot and Main Characters
Next off, spend a few hours analyzing the whole movie from beginning to the end. Sop deeply into the plot of the movie. Do not let your coloured opinions prevail here. Analysis should be done from the perspective of its category (comedy, action, romantic, historical), direction, acting, dialogues, script and quality.
Draft an Outline for Your Film Essay
Now that the pre-writing stage is realized, the real job begins—writing the film review paper. Start by giving a brief introduction of the movie. Apply the basic writing rule here; begin your write up with a catchy phrase or line. I personally recommend that you fire up with a dialogue or phrase taken from the movie which encloses its theme—this is likely to grab attention of your readers.
Get Help from Add-ons and Previous Reviews
You can make your review interesting by making use of analogies and metaphors, comparing plot of the movie to any other movie of similar category, giving dramatic explanations of best scenes or by throwing light on dimensions that add uniqueness to the movie.
Here’s a trap—mostly students read reviews written by critics on the same movie just to get an overall idea of how review writing is done; what they fail to realize is that without conscious volition, they adopt their ideas which are reflected in their paper. Consequently, the review produced is not up to the mark and affect grades.
