TWO STEPS TOWARDS A SUCCESSFUL FILM REVIEW EVALUATION ENTERTAINMENT

STEP 1: EVALUATION ↓THE TERMINAL What’s the object under investigation? ↓THE TERMINAL What’s the purpose of the object? ↓ convey a message—theme What are the agencies that help the object meet its goal? ↓ Film Elements How do you know whether the agencies doing a good job? ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THEM!!!

EVALUATION We will now begin the writing process with the assistance of the notes we took while viewing the films. Keep in mind that this is an evaluation of an object, and think about the parameters we use to judge different objects. Object: Film What is the job of the object? How do you tell when the film is doing a good job? Index of quality: In which ways does the evaluation of film-an art form differs from that of other objects?

Describing the Film: PLOT SUMMARY There is a plot summary in almost every film review. Plot summaries that appear in film reviews is not a retelling of a story, but an analysis of the film as a whole. Your aim should be to give the reader a sense of what the story is about, adding details that are relevant to your points. Compare the re-enacted movies on http://www.angryalien.com/ with a plot summary that would appear in a film review. What are the commonalities and differences between the two?

Open a word document in your folder, write down Let’s begin our process by stating our feeling of towards the film. Is it good/bad? What makes you feel so? The ideology behind? The story elements? Or the film elements? Or is it the combination of two or all of them that makes it awesome or unbearable. Open a word document in your folder, write down your main statement; the places that makes you confused; a certain element or part of the film that truly surprised/shocked/inspired/offended you, and made you think. Get up and move to the seat on your right side…you will: a. read about the opinions of others b. give evidence to support or argue against the statement. c. help others out-IN 5 MINS

Film Elements Story Elements Characters Plot Theme/Ideology Actors Cinematography Editing Production design Soundtrack Special effects

THE PLAYERS PRODUCER DIRECTOR WRITER(S)—Characters & Plot ACTORS CINEMATOGRAPHER EDITOR

ACTORS Actors get credit for portraying the basic role and dialogue with imagination. Actors deliver lines, screenwriters write them, so be careful in a review to separate the acting and the writing. Believability: 1)facial expression, 2)vocal techniques, 3)gesture, 4)movement. Film Elements

THE WAY A MOVIE IS FILMED CINEMATOGRAPHY ★ In order to judge to cinematography, you do not have to know a great deal about the technical aspects—you can evaluate the results, and you can judge whether shots are purposeful and help create a mood and explore characters’ actions and reactions. Camera movement—whether it’s smooth, jerky, or dizzying—creates its own emotional impact, often paralleling characters’ states of mind. Film Elements THE WAY A MOVIE IS FILMED Shots Camera angle Lighting

CAMERA ANGLES &LIGHTING RELEVANT FILM TERMS: ANGLE(HIGH/LOW) CRANE SHOT LONG SHOT SCENE

EDITING Editing is the art of juxtaposing camera shots into a coherent final product. Editing creates the SEQUENCES of images and the TRANSITIONS from one scene to the next that tell and advance the story. Editors may splice shots together to create jumpy mood or to show what is happening simultaneously in two places. alternatively, they may use a lengthy shot to create naturalistic feel as the camera follows a character through a day’s events. Film Elements

PRODUCTION DESIGN Sets Costumes Locations Props Also called MISE-EN-SCENE

SOUNDTRACK Soundtrack is the musical score of the film—NOT the popular songs that often accompany film sequences such as love scenes. The soundtrack is to enhance the mood of the film and aurally place the viewer within the world of the story. Film Elements

SPECIAL EFFECTS Animation Digital design elements Stunts All effects, whether they are high-tech or low-tech, should be meaningful within the world of the film. Film Elements

Film review websites http://www.allmovie.com/work/326489 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pursuit_of_happyness/ http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/2006/pursuithappy.shtml Be careful with Wiki—a great source but also a great spoiler

HOMEWORK A close-reading report of two reviews of your favorite movie that gives opposite opinions. You may find them on-line or from other resources. You should address the composition of the articles. Mark out the terms that belong to the genre of film review. Look up the terms and write down the definitions at the end of your report.

Questions that will help you better evaluate film elements http://vimeo.com/8582845

PLOT Is the story told chronologically? Does the plot rearrange events in an unusual temporal order? Is there a reason for the particular plot structure? What in the story is left out in the actual plot construction? Are there reasons for including some material and omitting other material? Does the way in which the story is told become a prominent feature of the film and thus a central factor in the analysis of it? how do you recognize the narrative structure: is there a voice-over in which a character’s voice describes events, thereby making it clear that he or she is organizing the plot? Are there technical elements that give dramatic indications about the way the story is structured? BACK

CHARACTERS Begin by asking yourself whether those characters seem or meant to seem realistic. What makes them realistic Are they defined by their clothes, conversation, or something else? If they do not appear to be realistic, why not, and why are they meant to seem strange or fantastic? Do the characters fit the setting of the story? Do the characters change? And in what ways? What values do the characters seem to represent, that is, what do they say about such matters as independence, sexuality, and political belief? BACK

POINT OF VIEW: Cinematography Notice how and when the camera creates the point of view of an individual character. Notice whether the story is told mostly from an objective point of view or from the subjective perspective of one single person. does it limit or prejudice your vision in anyway? What can you tell about the characters through the eyes you see? Are they aggressive? Suspicious? Clever? In love? BACK

PRODUCTION DESIGN SETTING (location) Do the objects and the props in the setting, whether natural or artificial, have a special significance that relates to the characters or the story? Does the arrangement of objects, props, and characters within that setting have some significance? (for example, are they crowded together? Do inanimate objects seem to have life?) LIGHTING Whether or not you notice the lighting immediately, be prepared to look for patterns of light and shadows. are there important graphic patterns created to highlight a scene or a series of scenes in a movie? BACK