The document summarizes the 1998 film American History X directed by Tony Kaye, starring Edward Norton. It received an 8.6 rating on IMDb and 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film tells the story of Derek Vineyard, the leader of a white supremacist gang in California, and his brother Danny. It shows Derek's incarceration and transformation, and how Danny is influenced to change his views after learning about Derek's change. The document analyzes elements of the film like editing techniques and how it portrays the story without confusing the viewer.

1. • 1998
• Directed by Tony Kaye
• Starring Edward Norton
• 8.6 overall rating on imdb.com
• 83% on Rotten Tomatoes
By: Tom Garitano

2.  The Film is about a group of White Supremacy in
southern California
 Film follows the life of Derrick Vineyard the leader of
the group
 His brother Danny is instructed by his principal Mr.
Sweeney to write a paper surrounding Derek’s
incarceration before and what he has learned from him
 We learn many details throughout the film

3.  Our text covers a lot of the shots that happens
throughout the movie
 Parallel editing happens a lot
 There are 2 story lines going on. The present and the
past
 The present is in color and the past is in black and
white
 This is also seen in the movie Memento

4.  Cutting on action is used when Derek is in jail
 Shows the changes he is going through and
how he really is learning
 Also represents what the characters are
thinking throughout each shot

5.  We learn what Derek’s state of mind in the beginning
and the end
 How he completely changes his racist attitude
 Danny (Derek’s brother) also changes his mindset
when he learns his brother was able to change and
leave the horrible past behind and move on to a new
life

6.  American History X does a great job with not
confusing the viewers in what time the film is in
 Sometimes it takes a viewer 2 times to watch a
movie to understand it, The director did such a
great job with film form it only took me one time
to get it

7.  Highly recommend the film
 Great example to show a film class about
lighting, editing, film form, and many other film
terms
 Besides film ideas the plot is also a great
storyline about a man who under goes massive
changes and learns what is right from wrong

8.  CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) (√) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (√) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (√) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (√) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (√) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (√) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (√ ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (√) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name____________________________________ Date________________________
Editing Checklist
Thomas Garitano 12/18/2012
1. (√) An introductory paragraph clearly introduces the subject. The topic statement is evident within the paragraph. The position taken is clear. If the position is unclear, put a question mark in
the margin.
2. (√) The next two paragraphs have a single or main claim. Note each claim in the margin in a 3-4 word phrase. If you can’t identify the claim, put a question mark in the margin. If two or
more claims exist, and tend to diverge from a coherent thought, put a question mark in the margin.
3. (√) The same thing holds for the next two paragraphs on the opposite side of the issue.
4. (√) The four paragraphs above all focus on the issue at hand; they do not wander off into irrelevant territory. If any paragraph wanders, put a question mark in the margin
5. (√) The sixth paragraph weighs the conflicting claims from the four paragraphs above and arrives at a conclusion. Why some evidence is more convincing than other evidence is explained.
The ensuing conclusion is clearly stated. Circle it. If you can’t find the conclusion, put a question mark in the margin.
6. (√) The final paragraph returns to what was stated in the first paragraph and, in light of the evidence presented and weighed above, convincingly rephrases the position statement. If the
conclusion expected by the assignment is to be finessed, justifying statements for the variance must appear here and flow-from the explanation in the sixth paragraph of your paper.
7. (√) Is each claim in paragraphs 2-5 supported by evidence? Are there any naked claims supported only by variations of "I believe...”? If so, put a big X in the margin beside that paragraph.
8. (√) Is each claim backed up by a reference? If a claim stands naked of supporting evidence or argument, put a big X in the margin.
9. (√) Does the paper do more than simply but gloriously restate the question? Examine the case study and cross out all ideas that appear in both the case study and in your paper. What
remains-uncrossed out is your analysis. It should constitute the majority of your paper. If it doesn't, you haven’t done an analysis.
10. ( ) A sentence lacks either a subject or a verb; a sentence does not begin with a capital letter or end with a period (citations in parentheses go ahead of periods, not behind them).
I l. ( ) A sentence begins with a relative pronoun such as Which, Who, That, Where, and When.
12. ( ) A pronoun lacks a clear antecedent; that is, a word such as it, he, she, or they does not have an obvious link to a noun (especially noticeable if a sentence begins with it, he, she, or
they).
13. ( ) A pronoun or verb fails to agree with its antecedent in number; that is, a single person or agency is referred to as they, or a plural subject is given a singular verb (such as, "members of
the school board....gives their vote...").
14. ( ) A sentence runs-on or uses a comma to splice independent ideas together; that is, complex ideas are not split into two sentences but are linked, often by a comma, into an overly long,

9.  Barsam, Richard Meran., Dave Monahan, and
Karen M. Gocsik. Looking at Movies: An
Introduction to Film. New York: W.W. Norton
&, 2010. Print.