Cherry 2 Writing Assignment II Guidelines for the Film Review Purpose: To evaluate and argue for or against the film, Snowden Length: At least three (3) keyboarded pages, plus a work cited page with at least four entries (Total: 4 pages) Value: 200 Points Assignment: Write a three page film review, that is, six-to-seven well developed paragraphs, in which you research and synthesize at least three film reviews you find in the library or on the Internet of the screened film, Snowden. The film review must include the following five (5) components in the following sequence: · An introduction, which includes background and contextual information, such as the name of the film studio, origin of the screenplay, release date, director, actors, actresses, and any awards received · A claim statement that presents your argument. Underline in your paper. · A plot summary of approximately one-to-two paragraphs · An analysis of three elements of the film, such as characters, acting, theme, setting, pace, music/sound, cinematography, and director. Develop each of these in a separate paragraph or paragraphs. You must have at least three (3) documented instances of evidence to support your position. See Chapter 47, “Using MLA Documentation and Format,” on pages 634-82, in The Little, Brown Handbook, or see our class on E-campus/Blackboard and the “MLA Documentation” item. · A co.

1. Cherry 2
Writing Assignment II
Guidelines for the Film Review
Purpose: To evaluate and argue for or against the film,
Snowden
Length: At least three (3) keyboarded pages, plus a work cited
page with at least four
entries (Total: 4 pages)
Value: 200 Points
Assignment: Write a three page film review, that is, six-to-
seven well developed paragraphs, in which you research and
synthesize at least three film reviews you find in the library or
on the Internet of the screened film, Snowden.
The film review must include the following five (5) components
in the following sequence:
· An introduction, which includes background and contextual
information, such as the name of the film studio, origin of the
screenplay, release
date, director, actors, actresses, and any awards received
· A claim statement that presents your argument. Underline in
your paper.
· A plot summary of approximately one-to-two paragraphs
· An analysis of three elements of the film, such as characters,
acting, theme, setting, pace, music/sound, cinematography, and
director. Develop each of these in a separate paragraph or
paragraphs. You must have at least three (3) documented
instances of evidence to support your position. See Chapter 47,
“Using MLA Documentation and Format,” on pages 634-82, in
The Little,

2. Brown Handbook, or see our class on E-campus/Blackboard
and the “MLA
Documentation” item.
· A conclusion that answers the bottom-line question evidenced
in the claim statement: Does Snowden provide a worthwhile
viewing experience? Does the story have moral, social,
psychological, or some other kind of value beyond
entertainment? How? Is the entertainment value enough for
you to recommend
the film?
Requirements:
· MLA Format. See pages 680-81 in The Little, Brown
Handbook.
· A film review three (3) pages in length, containing six-to-
seven paragraphs.
· The use of at least three (3) in-text (parenthetical) documented
secondary sources
and the primary source, which is the film. See
Chapter 47, “Using MLA
in-text citations,” on pages 634-43, in The
Little, Brown, Handbook.
· A “Works Cited” page containing the primary source, that is,
the film, and at least
three (3) secondary sources used in the film review. See
“Writing the MLA list of
works cited,” on pages 644-79, of the Little, Brown
Handbook.
Outline for Writing a Film Review
I. Introduction
A. Introduce your review (try to engage readers) and give
title and date of film.

3. B. State your thesis of your review.
C. Consider using a thesis that indicates the organization
of your support.
Example: Birdman appeals to viewers through the
depth of characters, excellent
acting, and powerful theme.
II. Summary
A. Present an objective summary of the film in one
paragraph. “Objective” means
do not include your own opinions. You will share
these in the analysis section
of the paper.
B. Write the summary using present verb tense.
III. Analysis of Three Film Elements
A. Analyze one film element at a time. Sequence the elements
according to their
order of importance, as you see them.
B. Use evidence from the film to show what you mean.
Use the present verb tense
in your analysis.
C. Within your analysis, refer to your sources: (1) the
film—the primary source, and (2)
the professional film reviews—the secondary sources.

4. Quote at times from these
sources. Use a signal phrase when you first use a
source. Summarize from the sources.
Do not rely on direct quotes too often. Use the present
verb tense in your analysis.
“Ebert writes,” not “Ebert wrote.”
D. Use clear topic sentences for each of your body
paragraphs.
Example: The acting stands out in Birdman, especially
Michael Keaton’s
generating much of the pathos appeal.
IV. Conclusion
A. What is your overall judgment of the film? Why does
the film succeed or not?
Why does it matter or not? Does the story have moral,
social, psychological, or
some other kind of value beyond entertainment? How?
Is the entertainment value
enough for you to recommend the film. Avoid
summarizing in your analysis.
B. Use a hook to return to your introduction in some way;
repeat an idea or image.
C. Try to end with an especially well-worded or thoughtful
sentence.
V. Works Cited

5. *****************************************************
***********************
Evaluation: Your grade will be determined by how well you do
the following:
1. Wrote an introduction that brings the reader quickly into the
film
2. Stated your view of the film in a clear claim statement
(underlined)
3. Provided background or contextual information
4. Wrote a brief summary of the story containing only essential
information that does not reveal or give away surprises, twists,
or the ending
5. Evaluated three (3) elements of the film
6. Provided evidence to support your view of the film
7. Wrote in a professional and lively voice, without using
clichés
8. Wrote for a specific audience
9. Concluded strongly with a clear bottom-line evaluation of the
film
10. Attributed sources correctly, according to MLA
format
11. Edited the paper carefully for errors
Movie Review Sources
Databases:

6. Academic Search Complete
Provides full text articles from 5,300 magazines, journals, and
newspapers.
Use Advanced Search, with ‘movie title’ and ‘Motion
Picture Reviews.’
General OneFile
Indexes articles in 2,089 full-text magazines, journals,
and newspapers.
Use Advanced Search, with ‘movie title’ and ‘Movie
Reviews.’
Humanities Full Text
Contains full-text articles and images from 200+ scholarly
journals and numerous art
magazines. Select HI and RG full-text from options.
Type Movie (Motion Picture),
select ‘Subject’ descriptor.
New York Times Newspaper
Provides full-text coverage of this newspaper, 1980+.
From the Advanced search
Screen, type ‘motion picture -- title,’ select ‘Subject’
descriptor.
Websites:
All Movie Guide: <http://www.allmovie.com>
Film Critic: <http://www.filmcritic.com>
Independent Critics: <http://independentcritics.com>

7. Internet Movie Database: <http://wwwimdb.com>
Metacritic.com: <http://www.metacritic.com/>
Movie Review Query Engine: <http://mrqe.com>
New York Times Film Reviews:
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/filmarchive>
Rotten Tomatoes: <http://www.rottentomatoes.com./>
*****************************************************
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Guidelines for Writing a Film Review
· Good reviews briefly sketch an outline of the plot and inform
(perhaps remind)
readers about the characters.
· More importantly, good reviews look at both weakness and
strengths. Consider
whether to address weakness or strengths first. If you love a
film, but see some weakness in, it is usually best to present the
weakness first and then concentrate on the strengths.
Presenting weaknesses first will suggest to your readers that
you are fair-minded. If you dislike a film but see some
strengths in it, present the strengths first and then concentrate
on the weaknesses. You can also offer criticisms and then
rebuttals within paragraphs.
· Ideally, try to find some insight into the movie that most
readers may not have considered before. A good review should
help readers discover new and deeper understandings.
Elements of Film

8. characters: In serious films, the characters are realistic,
complex human
beings with strengths and
weaknesses. Real characters are an
important part of the plot.
The audience must care about the
characters and what happens
to them. When characters are too
predictable or stereotypical,
critics say they are flat, cardboard
characters. Are the
characters believable? How?
acting: The more realistic an actor’s actions and reactions, the
better the
acting. If audiences think an
actor is trying too hard to act, they
will not value his or her
performance. Is the acting natural,
believable, credible? Is the
acting particularly interesting or
distinctive in some way? How?

9. setting: The time and place of the story is the setting --
anything that
creates the illusion of time
and place: clothing, costuming,
makeup, buildings, automobiles, countryside, backgrounds.
How does the setting
reinforce the plot, the characters, the
theme?
pace: Few viewers enjoy a movie that takes too long to
unfold its story.
Does the film’s pace work well or drag? Why?
music/sound: Sound, or the absence of it,
helps create tone, mood, atmosphere.
Sound reinforces special
visual effects too -- the music in Jaws
warns you when the shark is coming. You believe what you see
in part because of what you
hear. How does the music, sound, or

10. silence contribute to the film?
cinematography: Cinematography refers to camera work. If
youthink of a movie
as a series of still photographs, each “shot” set u[ perfectly to
illustrate the setting, the plot
development at that moment in the
film, and so on, it may be
easier to understand what the
photographers and the
technical crew contribute to the film.
Movies are rarely filmed
straight through from beginning to end;
therefore, matching lighting and camera angles
becomes
important. Special effects, too, involve camera work. Many

11. films such as Avatar and 2012 are created with computer
graphics.
How does the cinematography
contribute to the film?
director: The director is usually in charge
of everything you see and hear on
the screen. Camera shots, for
example, are usually set up by the
the director. The actors
cannot see what they are doing, but the
director can. Has the director done a skillful joy?
How?