Film Analysis Worksheet” For your Film Analysis, you wil

“Film Analysis Worksheet”
“For your Film Analysis, you will need you screen your
assigned film. Likely, you will
need to screen the film more than once and pause at significant
moments in order to fully assess
the elements you analyze.
The worksheet below will need to be completed in full and
submitted on Canvas. Be sure
to write in complete sentences. Provide precise details from the
film using specific film and
music terminology to support your answers.
DO NOT do any outside research. Use only your own
assessment based on what you
have learned in the course.
Include the required selfie of you with the film on your device
and you in the photo.
“Part One: Film Details”
Film: Agora
Year Released: 2009

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
“Part Two: Cinematic Elements”
“Pay close attention to the technical cinematic elements of the
film you watch. Refer to
the Film section on Canvas to review terms. Be sure to use
specific terminology and description
from the film when addressing each section.”
“Framing, Angles, and Camera Movement: Describe a
significant element and explain its
effect.”
1. One of the most significant camera movements used in the
film was in the first half of the
film. During this section of the film, the Christians have gained
control of Alexandria and
force their way into the Library of the Serapeum, destroying its
contents. Towards the
end of the rampage, the camera begins to turn upside-down,
revealing the Christians
hoards rampaging through the Library. This camera angle
depicts religious
fundamentalism dominating intellectual inquiry, symbolizing
the world being turned on

its head. Throughout the film’s start, the focus is on Hypatia
and her teachings to her
students, the library’s importance, and how Hypatia preaches
mutual respect to all
parties. Therefore, when the religious fundamentalist takes over
the symbol of
knowledge, which was the pride and joy of Alexandria, it
signifies a dramatic flip in the
community’s collective focus, which is the opposite of what
Hypatia practiced. So, by
flipping the camera upside down, the director was highlighting
this tragic turn of focus.
2. Throughout the film, the camera zooms out from Alexandria
and focuses on Earth. This
functions as an establishing shot, which symbolizes that the
film’s themes not only
applies to Alexandria but all of Earth. The religious and
political turmoil that persists
throughout the film in Alexandria is also occurring throughout
the world. Furthermore,
Earth’s view also looks the same as it does now, suggesting that
the director was
attempting to state that the themes continue to play out in our
world today. Furthermore,

the director chooses to use the view from space during moments
of the battle, zooming
out of the struggle to frame the Earth. The sounds of the battle
can still be heard, but only
Earth is visible. It gave me a sense of insignificance that
whether someone believes or
does not believe does not really matter in the grand scheme of
things. When we look at
Earth, we realize how small we are and how little our opinions
affect the world outside of
us. I think that the director included the view of space to
demonstrate the themes carrying
throughout time and illustrate how small those themes really are
compared to the world
we live in. In one part of the film, the character Orestes states
that he was naive in
thinking that Alexandria’s people had changed from their
violent and cruel ways; then the
scene cuts to space and pans over Earth and the moon while
sounds of screaming are
heard. Again, implying that the Alexandrian people’s actions is
seen throughout Earth,

and even into today.
3. The director also used many aerial and wide-angle shots to
capture the events that were
taking place. For example, before the library invasion, there
was a battle between the
pagans and the Christians. The director chose to capture the
havoc in the streets with
wide angles that framed multiple people being hurt and
transpiring various other violent
activities. He also used aerial shots to capture the violence and
scale of the events. For
example, when the Christians were rampaging the library, the
camera frames the scene
from above, looking down. In this angle, the Christians appear
to be ants running around
the library and carting books and paper to fires placed around
the library. Using wide
angles provide a sense of intimacy with the ongoing action, as
they were taking at either
eye-level. When used at eye-level, the wide view made me feel
as if I was
emerged in the action.
“Editing Choices and Length of Takes: Describe a significant
editing choice and explain its

effect.”
1. Fading was used in the film to depict the passage of time. For
example, after the
destruction of the library and Davus being freed from his
slavery, the film fades from an
aerial shot of a street in Alexandria to black and into a shot of
Earth from space which
then includes texts that describe the events that transpired after
the Christians took the
library. Furthermore, it is also used to depict a passage of time
at the ending of the scene
in which Davus is passionately holding Hypatia’s foot while
they are trapped inside the
library.
2. Another editing technique used is dissolve. After the scene of
Davus holding Hypatia’s
foot fades to black, multiple scenes are dissolved into each
other. First depicts men
playing a game and dissolves into a low angle tracking of a man
appearing to speak to a
group of people, then to men using the public bathroom, and
finally to a mass of people

begging for food from the pagan leadership within the library
fort. This dissolve mixed
with the fade depicts that time is passing and shows multiple
scenes that are connected to
the pagans being trapped within the library walls. Namely, the
official addressing an
unnamed group and the mass of people begging for food. This
shows that the pagans
trapped in the library are growing as food is low and tensions
are high.
3. Short takes were used throughout the film to create tense and
dramatic scenes. Most of
the violent scenes were captured in short takes, where one
aspect of the altercation was
the focus of the shot, then within a few seconds another area
was the focus. For example,
when the pagans began murdering Christians that were gathered,
the camera changed
subjects rapidly. It would jump from close-up shots of dead
bodies to medium shots of
pagans stabbing Christians to wide shots of the whole area. The
use of short takes made
the whole scene feels that more chaotic and dramatic.

“Color and Lighting: Describe a significant element and explain
its effect.”
1. Low-key lighting was used in scenes that were dark and
violent, as well as in intimate
scenes. For example, in the beginning of the film Hypatia tends
to Davus’s wounds in his
slave chambers. Both characters are cast in heavy shadows with
yellow/goldish light
patches when certain aspects of the characters were focused on.
When Hypatia extends
her arm to put a salve on Davus’s wound, the camera captures
the touch in a close-up
shot and the light is highlighting Hypatia’s tender touch to
Davus’s wound. The mixture
of the warm light and harsh shadows creates an intimate
environment, which suggests
that the characters both care for each other. However, this scene
shows that Hypatia cares
for her slave and is kind-hearted but also indicates that Davus
has deeper feelings for
Hypatia.
2. Side lighting was used throughout the film, mostly in scenes
with Davus, to hint that a

character was hiding something. I mostly saw this used with
Davus, especially in the first
half of the film when he was still Hypatia’s slave. For example,
when Hypatia is tending
Davus’s wound, a couple close up shots of Davus’s face show
half of his face illuminated
in the warm light cast by the lamps in the room, which
emphasized how he was looking
at Hypatia. Immediately, I could tell that he had hidden feelings
for Hypatia.
3. The overall color tone of the first half of the film was
neutral, mainly shades of tan and
blue seen in the set and clothes of many of the characters,
except the dark black worn by
the Christian Parabalani’s and the deep red worn by the high-
ranking Christian officials. I
think the color choice in the first half of the film was to
illustrate the stark difference
among the majority of Alexandria’s citizens and the Christians.
Christians were
the outcasts and only the fundamental Christians were willing to
stand out in society,
hence, they wore rich colors that clearly separated them from
the other citizens. Even

Hypatia’s color choice during the first half, was that of colors
that blended into the world
around her.
“Part Three: Theatrical Elements”
“Pay close attention to the theatrical elements of the film as
you watch and how the
choices made affect the film. Refer to the Theatre section on
Canvas to review terms.”
“Costume Choices: Describe a significant element and explain
its effect.”
1. The clothing choice reflects a specific time period as well as
the weather in Alexandria
during the 4th century. Men and women both wear togas, with
sandals. Women wear
long togas covering their legs while men wear either knee
length or longer. Men also are
depicted wearing trousers of varying length. However, women
tend to cover their heads
with cloth-like material, while men are depicted covering and
not covering their heads.
Hypatia is the only woman depicted in the film never covering
her head, which I think

hints that she goes against the normal standards for women
during that time and acts
more like a man was expected to act. Also, all the clothing worn
was loose-fitting,
suggesting that the climate was warm, and many men can be
seen wearing sleeveless
clothing.
2. The costumes also revealed information about social status.
Lower class people wore
more worn-down looking clothing and less vibrant colors, and
their togas were very
plain (no accents or embroidery). Slaves are depicted by
necklaces around their necks, as
can be seen on Davus during the first half of the film. Members
of higher classes wore
clothing that had more color, appeared more clean or fresh, and
had embroidery. This can
be seen in the clothing worn by the high-ranking Christian
officials and Orestes when he
becomes a government official.
3. Color was used in clothing to represent the different groups
within society. For example,
Alexandria’s general public wore much the same color, either a

washed-out blue which
seemed to be associated with the Christians or a light tan to
white which appeared to be
associated with pagan followers. The use of black was to
identify either Christian or
Jewish officials, except for one of Hypatia’s students who
became a Christian
official in another province and wears tan. I believe that this
symbolizes his judgment, as
he does not incite violence and tries to peacefully transition
Alexandria pagans into
Christians. While both the Christians and the Jews partake and
incite violent acts, hence
the use of black throughout their costumes. Red is also only
worn by high class society
members and Hypatia was the only woman depicted wearing red
even though she was not
a high ranked religious leader, government official or soldier.
Red is typically associated
with power, which Hypatia did possess because she had a strong
relationship with
Orestes and other high-ranked society members because she
taught many of them.

“Props: Describe a significant element and explain its effect.”
1. An example of a set prop would be Hypatia’s sand pit located
on the balcony of her
home. This prop is important because throughout the film
Hypatia is attempting to
determine what shape Earth’s movement takes and whether the
Earth is the center of the
solar system or the Sun is. She first uses the sand pit to
disprove the idea that the Earth
follows a circle, which is the purest shape, and this sends her
into vigorous thought about
what other shape makes sense. Finally, towards the end of the
film she realized that an
ellipse was the answer after she tested the theory in the sand
pit. Hypatia was a scientist
and desired to test her theories, the sand pit provided her with
the tool to do her
experiments. Hypatia’s two scenes were around the sandpit were
filled with desire to
learn, excitement, frustration, and inquiry. She seemed to thrive
there much like she did
in the lecture room.

2. The cross is another prop that was presented in different
forms throughout the film but
carried heavy symbolism. The first introduction to the cross was
through Ammonius, a
Parabalani’s, who was preaching against a pagan. He is wearing
the cross around his neck
and preaching God’s word but then forces the pagan preacher
into a fire pit. This first
introduction to the cross in the film foreshadows the darkness
and danger other partitions
of the cross will bring.
3. Another prop that was significant to the story was the scroll.
Hypatia repeatedly refers to
multiple scrolls in the second half of the film, guiding her
through her inquiry of the
cosmos. The pagan members also worked very hard to try to
save as many scrolls before
the Christians ransacked the library. The scrolls represented
knowledge and history to
people like Hypatia but were pagan witchcraft or pagan lies by
Christian followers. The
burning of the scrolls was a dramatic and very important scene
in the film, it symbolized

the transition from intellectual inquiry to religious
fundamentalism.
“Acting Choices (choices made by the actor themself- not
storyline events): Describe a
significant element and explain its effect.”
1. Rachel Weisz, who portrays Hypatia, used high lifelikeness
when acting as Hypatia. Her
speech patterns were consistent with how I think a woman
passionate about philosophy
would sound. She would sound excited and enthusiastic when
Hypatia was teaching her
students and continued to do so when Hypatia was researching
in her home. Furthermore,
she also spoke with confidence when Hypatia was addressing
high ranking male officials,
which portrayed the image that Hypatia had of herself during
the time period.
2. Another element of Weisz portrayal of Hypatia was her
physical movements. Her
movement was of high lifelikeness as well. Weisz did not use
exaggerated movements or
overly theatrical movements to portray Hypatia. I think the
main reason for the realistic

movement was the fact that this film was based on a true story,
so the actors had to make
the characters feel real and relatable. If Weisz used exaggerated
movements that seemed
unnatural or theatrical, viewers would have to rely on
suspension of disbelief much more
to truly immerse themselves into the storyline. However,
Weisz’s physical movements
were relatable and added to the lifelikeness of Hypatia. The way
Weisz carried Hypatia
with utmost confidence, perfect posture, use of arm gestures
when Hypatia was
contemplating matters of science, and her relatable facial
expressions, added dynamic
layers to Hypatia. In the scene where Hypatia is killed, Davus
suffocates her so she can
die a painless death. During this scene, viewers are captivated
by the slow movements
Weisz depicts Hypatia having, from the raised right arm that
suggests Hypatia is
struggling to fight humanity's instinct to live with her
realization that this is the least
painful way comparable to being stoned. Throughout this scene
we can see her life’s

work play through her mind as she focuses on the shadow of the
sun creating an eclipse
on the dome above her. So much emotion was captured in
Weisz’s face that made
viewers truly connect with her.
3. Davus was another character that utilized lifelikeness that
connected the viewers to the
storyline. Max Minghella, who played Davus, portrayed him as
a young man full of lust
for his master (Hypatia) and who struggled to understand his
place in the world. Davus
was a slave during the first half of the movie and many scenes
indicated the lust he
carried for Hypatia. Many of these scenes included long glances
toward Hypatia and
asking God to keep anyone else from having Hypatia. These
actions are relatable to
anyone that has desired someone they cannot have. Furthermore,
viewers can create an
understanding for Davus’s retaliation towards his master after
he is indoctrinated into
Christianity. Davus was never treated as an equal by Hypatia,

and his actions to try to
gain her respect are repeatedly turned down by her or gone
unnoticed. So, once he learns
that God accepts and treats all as equals, he becomes angry and
lashes out at his old life.
Max portrayed this well by wearing Davus’s emotions on his
face. Max never used
theatrical methods to display Davus’s inner emotions; all his
physical movements and
speech patterns are very relatable to someone who has been
oppressed and
misunderstood.
“Set Design: Describe a significant element and explain its
effect.”
1. The composition of each set in a scene is important. During
the beginning of the film, the
sets are organized and balanced as in the first scene where
Hypatia is lecturing her
students. The students are equally divided, the space is
organized and the repetition of
structural elements (columns and stone) creates a sense of
connection and unity. Even in
the scene between the pagan preacher and the Christian
preacher, we have a sense of

balance as both sides seem to have an equal number of
supporters. The use of line in the
background created by the two statues (one has both arms
pointing out, and the others
long nose) behind the debating men point to the gathered
people. However, this scene’s
amount of space is drastically different to the first scene in
Hypatia’s lecture room. A
mass of people and structures fill the space, making the scene
feel crowded and chaotic,
which reflects the tension between the two opposing ideas.
2. Throughout the film composition of scenes is used to
communicate the scene’s mood, a
mixture of space-filled and organized elements and the lighting
create environments that
enhance the mood of the characters’ actions. For example,
during the Library’s sacking,
the library’s once organized and open spaces become filled with
scrolls being thrown on
the ground, fires, and broken artifacts. This communicates the
decline of civility that once
pervaded the city.

3. Line is used throughout the film to indicate a feeling of
power or peacefulness. In the
opening scene of the second half of the film, Hypatia is on a
boat with Orestes engaging
in an experiment, in the background the clear horizontal line
created by the horizon
creates a sense of peace that the characters have felt since the
ending of the first half of
the film. Whenever we are in a scene with powerful figures,
vertical lines are prevalent
throughout the surrounding scene’s architecture. We also see
vertical lines throughout the
environment in the buildings of Alexandria, which indicates the
power of the city.
“Part Four: Sound and Score”
“Pay close attention to the auditory elements of the film as you
watch. Refer to the Music
section on Canvas to review terms. Be sure to use specific
terminology and description when
addressing each section.”
“Dynamic Shifts: Describe a significant element and explain its
effect.”
1. The degree of loudness increased during moments of high

emotions or action during the
film. For example, in the battle that ensues between the
Christians and the pagans in the
first half of the film, when the shot changes from a close up of a
character to a wide shot
or medium shot, the music grows more loud and powerful. The
drums’ beats become
more pronounced and the duration at which we can hear each
beat is increased. The
female vocals also increase as well. The directors choose to
make the sounds of
screaming and yelling as part of the music, as it almost
harmonizes with the musical
instruments’ loudness.
2. The music grows soft in more intimate scenes, and the
instruments’ timbre include more
violins or string instruments. Vocals are used more during
dramatic scenes such as
violent altercations or traumatic endings (the death of Hypatia).
The degree of loudness
also decreases during these intimate moments when conversion
among characters are

emphasized.
3. The pitch of the music also fluctuates depending on the mood
of the scene. In violent or
highly emotional scenes, the pitch of instruments grow higher
as the insanity builds while
the vocals tend to stay lower to harmonize with the high pitch
instruments. Furthermore,
the duration of notes also increased with the growing intensity
of a scene. For example, in
the scene where Davus is suffocating Hypatia and flashbacks to
their past are shown, the
vocals become louder and in longer durations as well as the
pitch and duration of notes
held by the string instruments. The combined effect of these
three elements can make the
scene feel more powerful and more emotional. In the scene
between Davus and Hypatia,
without the music, the emotions felt by Davus, his love and
regret, would not be felt as
much. The music created a sense of longer and pain because of
the degree of loudness
and pitch used.
“Rhythm: Describe a significant element and explain its effect.”

1. The beat of the music used in the film changed depending on
the tenseness of the scene.
The beats increased as the movement and events became more
chaotic in scenes. For
example, in the scene where the pagans and Christians battle,
the drum and hum of the
vocals become more rapid, the beats become closer together to
illustrate the increased
tension felt in the scene.
2. The measures used in the music also indicated tension or
intimacy throughout the film.
More chaotic or tension-filled senses had triple or duple meters,
while more intimate
scenes had simple meters. The simple meters were less
emotionally excitable, and
induced feelings of warmth such as the scene where Hypatia
admires Davus’s creation of
the Ptolemy’s representation of Earth's movement. The mood
created was soft and
intimate. While, in scenes such as the battle between Christians
and pagans, the meters
became more complicated and emphasized different beats; this
created a mood of

intensity and tension.
3. Tempo also was influenced based on the mood that was to be
created. The tempo
increased during scenes that were chaotic and violent and
slowed during intimate and
emotional scenes. The music used when Davus suffocates
Hypatia slowed and seemed to
draw our attention to the expressions of Davus and the
memory’s he flashbacks to. In a
couple of more intimate but drastically less emotional, such as
Hypatia's admiration for
Davus’s recreation of Ptolemy’s model, the music was of
medium tempo and was light
and happier feeling than many other tracks used in the film.
“Primal Response: Describe a significant element and explain
its effect.”
1. In highly emotional scenes, such as Hypatia’s death, the
music induced feelings have
despair and pain. The woman's vocals used during this scene
had a strong effect on my
emotional state. I could not help but get teary-eyed as the
vocals became more powerful,
and each note’s duration increased. I felt the despair written all

over Hypatia’s and
Davus’s body more drastically because of the woman’s vocals’
lull and pull. I also have a
strong response to stringed instruments such as the violin, the
high-pitched melody that
the violins played during this scene made the whole experience
so much more powerful.
The female vocals appeared to be used in highly emotional
scenes compared to male
vocals begin used in aggressive or violent scenes.
2. The use of fast tempos and low-pitched male vocals during
violent scenes such as the
battle between Christians and pagans created a chaotic and
intense primal response. The
low male voices were powerful and sounded more aggressive
than the sad and emotional
sounding female vocals. I believe that the male vocals increased
the intensity of the scene
as it depicted the aggression and destruction brought on by both
religious parties. The fast
tempos increased the intensity of the scene, making my heart
rate increase as I watched

the characters’ chaotic and aggressive behaviors.
3. In scenes that were not highly emotional or violent, vocals
were not used. Such a scene
was again Hypatia's admiration for Davus’s creation, the tempo
was medium, degree of
loudness was soft, the pitch was neutral, and the notes were
consonant. This created a
mood that translated into relaxed excitement and reflected
Hypatia's peaked interest. The
primal response created within me was an even heartbeat and
increased attention given to
the model, as I peaked in interest as well. The melody felt
happy and made me want to
admire the piece as Hypatia did.
“Upload the selfie of you with the film on your chosen device
and you in the photo. *Yes, you
must be in the photo.”
“Film Analysis Worksheet”
“For your Film Analysis, you will need you screen your
assigned film. Likely, you will need to screen the film more
than once and pause at significant moments in order to fully
assess the elements you analyze.
The worksheet below will need to be completed in full and
submitted on Canvas. Be sure to write in complete sentences.

Provide precise details from the film using specific film,
theatrical, and music terminology to support your answers.
DO NOT do any outside research. Use only your own
assessment based on what you have learned in the course.
Include the required selfie of you with the film on your device
and you in the photo.“Part One: Film Details”
Film:Click or tap here to enter text.
Year Released:Click or tap here to enter text.
Director:Click or tap here to enter text.
“Part Two: Cinematic Elements”
“Pay close attention to the technical cinematic elements of the
film you watch. Refer to the Film section on Canvas to review
terms. Be sure to use specific terminology and description from
the film when addressing each section.”
“Framing, Angles, and Camera Movement: Describe a
significant element and explain its effect.”
1. Click or tap here to enter text.
“Editing Choices and Length of Takes: Describe a significant
editing choice and explain its effect.”
“Color and Lighting: Describe a significant element and explain
its effect.”
“Part Three: Theatrical Elements”
“Pay close attention to the theatrical elements of the film
as you watch and how the choices made affect the film. Refer to
the Theatre section on Canvas to review terms.”
“Costume Choices: Describe a significant element and explain

its effect.”
“Props: Describe a significant element and explain its effect.”
“Acting Choices (choices made by the actor themself- not
storyline events): Describe a significant element and explain its
effect.”
“Set Design: Describe a significant element and explain its
effect.”
“Part Four: Sound and Score”
“Pay close attention to the auditory elements of the film as you
watch. Refer to the Music section on Canvas to review terms.
Be sure to use specific terminology and description when
addressing each section.”
“Dynamic Shifts: Describe a significant element and explain its
effect.”
“Rhythm: Describe a significant element and explain its
effect.”
“Primal Response: Describe a significant element and explain

its effect.”
“Upload the selfie of you with the film on your chosen device
and you in the photo. *Yes, you must be in the photo.”

Film Analysis Worksheet” For your Film Analysis, you wil

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