Analytical Essay
Length: 5-6 page (1,500-1,800 words)
Format: Word document. No PDFs please.
What film do I select?
Any of the documentaries we have watched in class from Week 1 to Week 8. This assignment requires you to focus on one film.
What class sources can I use?
You need to use two sources from class. Different chapters of the same book count as separate sources for the purpose of this assignment.
What outside sources can I use?
You want to use two sources not included in our readings that help you make your arguments. There are a variety of sources you can draw from: scholarly writing about the film, historical sources about the topic covered by the film, interviews with the filmmaker, reviews of the film. You can find these sources by using the MSU Library website. A number of Databases, like JSTOR, will have articles that will help you make your arguments. There are also books that can give you information about topics related to the film. You don’t have to read the book in full. For interviews with the filmmaker and reviews, the best place to look is Google, since those are not usually published on academic spaces but rather in the press.
Can I use more than four sources?
You can. However, I’m looking for close analysis of the film so I caution you against getting too caught up in research.
What citation style do I use?
You’ll use MLA. If you need a refresher on the rules, visit the Purdue OWL’s MLA Formatting and Style Guide.
Do I need to use in-text citations (and what are in-text citations)?
Yes, you need use them. You can use direct quotes and you can paraphrase. For the sake of this assignment, add the different chapters to your Works Cited page as separate readings.
What kind of analysis do I need to do?
There are two approaches you can take to this assignment:
Argument Analysis: If you choose this approach, you’ll need to select a documentary that is trying to persuade you about something. Whether it is to believe that Nazi Germany is a great place to live or that racism is devastating to a society. You’ll look at how the documentary is trying to get you to agree with that claim. How are interviews and narration used to convince you? What images are we seeing and how do the cinematography and editing make them more effective in getting the films’ point across?
Your research for the argument analysis can help you make general claims about documentary filmmaking and apply them to this piece (such as that extreme closeups of faces are often used to create an emotional response in the audience), it can help you give us a deeper sense of the issue the film is addressing (Nazi Germany had substantial problems that the film hides in its portrayal the country), or it can give us information about the filmmakers’ intentions (you could quote the director explaining why they wanted people to be more open toward women’s sexuality by making their film and how they think the film accomplished that).
Craft Analysis: For this option you’re going to focus on the ways in which the filmmaker uses the technique of documentary to get a point across. Once you have a film, determine something the film is trying to accomplish, such as using personal history to explore what being a woman feels like in a sexist society or providing a complex portrayal of an experience, such as attending high school. Then you’ll look at how the film uses documentary craft (cinematography, sound, soundtrack, and/or editing) in order to get that point across. How does the camera move in order to get us to understand the experience of navigating life as teenager? How does the editing evoke energy and excitement in Russian life in the 1920s?
Your research for the craft analysis option can help you make general claims about a particular documentary filmmaking technique (such as the ways in which a shot from below can make a person look important or imposing), it can help you give us a deeper sense of the issue the film is addressing (What was the life of citizens in fact like in Russia in the 1920s?), it can look at particular technologies (What were the innovations and limitations of the camera used for a particular film and how did the choice of camera affect what we see?) or it can give us information about the filmmakers’ view of the filmmaking process (you could quote the composer discussing how s/he created music that helps us better understand the experience of an English woman living in France, for example).
How much of the film should I reveal? What about spoilers?
You should assume that your audience has seen the film and that you can discuss any topic you need to in order to make your points. Since your audience has watched the film already, don’t worry about spoilers.
What do I need to do for the analytical essay proposal?
In a Word Document, answer these questions:
How much is the analytical essay worth?
40 points
How do I submit the analytical essay?
Send the final version as an attachment to [email protected]. The essay should be a Microsoft Word file. The subject of your email should be Analytical Essay. The name of the document should be Analytical Essay followed by your last name, i.e. Analytical Essay Varda.
How will the analytical essay be evaluated?
Due Dates
10/16 by class time: Proposal
10/30 by class time: Draft
11/8 by 11:59pm: Final version
What if I still have questions?
Come to office hours, email me, talk to me before or after class.
Format: Word document. No PDFs please.
What film do I select?
Any of the documentaries we have watched in class from Week 1 to Week 8. This assignment requires you to focus on one film.
What class sources can I use?
You need to use two sources from class. Different chapters of the same book count as separate sources for the purpose of this assignment.
What outside sources can I use?
You want to use two sources not included in our readings that help you make your arguments. There are a variety of sources you can draw from: scholarly writing about the film, historical sources about the topic covered by the film, interviews with the filmmaker, reviews of the film. You can find these sources by using the MSU Library website. A number of Databases, like JSTOR, will have articles that will help you make your arguments. There are also books that can give you information about topics related to the film. You don’t have to read the book in full. For interviews with the filmmaker and reviews, the best place to look is Google, since those are not usually published on academic spaces but rather in the press.
Can I use more than four sources?
You can. However, I’m looking for close analysis of the film so I caution you against getting too caught up in research.
What citation style do I use?
You’ll use MLA. If you need a refresher on the rules, visit the Purdue OWL’s MLA Formatting and Style Guide.
Do I need to use in-text citations (and what are in-text citations)?
Yes, you need use them. You can use direct quotes and you can paraphrase. For the sake of this assignment, add the different chapters to your Works Cited page as separate readings.
What kind of analysis do I need to do?
There are two approaches you can take to this assignment:
Argument Analysis: If you choose this approach, you’ll need to select a documentary that is trying to persuade you about something. Whether it is to believe that Nazi Germany is a great place to live or that racism is devastating to a society. You’ll look at how the documentary is trying to get you to agree with that claim. How are interviews and narration used to convince you? What images are we seeing and how do the cinematography and editing make them more effective in getting the films’ point across?
Your research for the argument analysis can help you make general claims about documentary filmmaking and apply them to this piece (such as that extreme closeups of faces are often used to create an emotional response in the audience), it can help you give us a deeper sense of the issue the film is addressing (Nazi Germany had substantial problems that the film hides in its portrayal the country), or it can give us information about the filmmakers’ intentions (you could quote the director explaining why they wanted people to be more open toward women’s sexuality by making their film and how they think the film accomplished that).
Craft Analysis: For this option you’re going to focus on the ways in which the filmmaker uses the technique of documentary to get a point across. Once you have a film, determine something the film is trying to accomplish, such as using personal history to explore what being a woman feels like in a sexist society or providing a complex portrayal of an experience, such as attending high school. Then you’ll look at how the film uses documentary craft (cinematography, sound, soundtrack, and/or editing) in order to get that point across. How does the camera move in order to get us to understand the experience of navigating life as teenager? How does the editing evoke energy and excitement in Russian life in the 1920s?
Your research for the craft analysis option can help you make general claims about a particular documentary filmmaking technique (such as the ways in which a shot from below can make a person look important or imposing), it can help you give us a deeper sense of the issue the film is addressing (What was the life of citizens in fact like in Russia in the 1920s?), it can look at particular technologies (What were the innovations and limitations of the camera used for a particular film and how did the choice of camera affect what we see?) or it can give us information about the filmmakers’ view of the filmmaking process (you could quote the composer discussing how s/he created music that helps us better understand the experience of an English woman living in France, for example).
How much of the film should I reveal? What about spoilers?
You should assume that your audience has seen the film and that you can discuss any topic you need to in order to make your points. Since your audience has watched the film already, don’t worry about spoilers.
What do I need to do for the analytical essay proposal?
In a Word Document, answer these questions:
- Which film do you want to write about?
- Which approach do you want to use?
- If you’re doing an argument analysis, what is the key point the film is trying to convince you of?
- If you’re doing a craft analysis, what is the film trying to accomplish and which aspects of craft are you going to focus on?
How much is the analytical essay worth?
40 points
How do I submit the analytical essay?
Send the final version as an attachment to [email protected]. The essay should be a Microsoft Word file. The subject of your email should be Analytical Essay. The name of the document should be Analytical Essay followed by your last name, i.e. Analytical Essay Varda.
How will the analytical essay be evaluated?
- I will look for a clear sense of purpose, meaning that I can tell what the essay is trying to do from the start and it does it throughout.
- I will also look for depth of analysis. Please make 2-4 points in detail instead of making a lot of points superficially.
- You need to use specific examples from the film.
- Don't spend a lot of time summarizing. Your audience has already seen the film.
- You need to cite four sources and to use MLA properly.
- Please proofread your piece to make sure your meaning is clear.
- I will reply to your email with the grade and feedback in track changes on the document. Make sure to open the document in Word so you can read my comments.
Due Dates
10/16 by class time: Proposal
10/30 by class time: Draft
11/8 by 11:59pm: Final version
What if I still have questions?
Come to office hours, email me, talk to me before or after class.