1. FM1 Assessment: Analysis of a Film Extract
Aims & Context guide lines
For this assignment you are required to create a film sequence or a complete short film that
demonstrates how the micro-features of film construct meaning and provoke response in a film extract.
This creative project will consist of three elements:
Aims & context
Film Sequence or short film in one of three forms
Reflective analysis
(50 marks in total)
Aims and Context should contain the following:
A clearly defined title for your project
Genre of your film and how this is reflected in your sequence/film
Narrative Structure – What devices will you use?
Target Audience – How will your film target them specifically?
How will you micro-elements in your film to generate meaning?
Identify the Micro-Elements
What do we mean by Micro-elements? Micro-elements are aspects of cinema that can be directly
manipulated by a filmmaker to ensure an audience is exposed to an intended meaning; there should be
nothing in a shot or sequence that is there accidently, as all these elements should have been within the
filmmakers’ control. Micro-elements to be considered:
Mise-en-Scene
Cinematography
Editing
Performance
The aims and context should not contain a synopsis of your sequence (brief summary of the
plot/narrative) but instead, should focus on your chosen micro-concepts and detail how you, as a
filmmaker, will apply each concept to your sequence in order to convey a specific meaning to your
target audience. If you are creating a film extract rather than a complete short film, you should offer
some sense of where the chosen sequence sits in the films timeline.
When working in groups it is required that each student identifies a micro-concept(s) that they will be
responsible for throughout the project. For example, one student will be in charge of direction, another
in charge of editing. It should be noted that each group member is required to create an individual set of
aims and context that relate to their own micro-concepts and intentions in relation to the final
sequence.