Your research essay should be an analysis of ONE film that incorporates the major aesthetic devices discussed in class: Shots, Mis-en-Scene, Sound, Symbolism, Color, Movement, Editing, Contrast, Lighting, and Framing.
Let us examine the process of deconstructing an entire film’s aesthetic highlights.
Analyze the final film selection through research in which you integrate information on the film as well as information on each individual aesthetic devices within it.
Final Exam Written Essay:
Compose an essay that thoroughly explains and analyzes your chosen topic, in this example, a film upon which you haven’t written. Begin with the history of your film, situate it historically within its time and examine the social construct surrounding it. For example, if your film was Chaplin’s The Great Dictator you would focus on the historical and social implications of World War II and the Nazi Regime as a background to the film’s themes.
As you examine the films aesthetics, remember that your reader is familiar with the film, so you do NOT RECAP the PLOT, scene for scene, but rather discuss the film as though your reader is acquainted with it and the characters so that you can freely make references to it.