FILM CRITIQUE

OBJECTIVES:
1. To view a pre-determined film and analyze it’s language, style, and content.
2. Watch the film to appreciate and review the director’s intent on telling the story.
3. To analyze the film’s aesthetics, and determine the effectiveness of the director
and actors in communicating the narrative of the story.
DIRECTIONS:
1. From the list provided on the class Website in the ‘Assignments” folder, select one of the titles
to watch and analyze.
Follow the directions below:
2. From the beginning of the movie, write down your observations using the following guidelines
to properly complete this assignment:
From the opening or closing credits, list the following titled positions and their names:
a. major actors
b. executive producer (s)
c. line producer (if listed)
d. director of photography (DP) (Note: Some of these titles may vary or not be shown)
e. produced by: (Name)
f. screenwriter (s)
g. director
3. Make handwritten notes for the following to help assemble and answer these questions
in the typed portion in Section 4. (These handwritten notes need not be submitted)
a. the opening or establishing shot, and how it sets up the beginning
b. what the director used with cameras to convey the narrative as the story begins, that is, are
the shots close-ups, wide angles, high or low with respect to the actor’s position, etc?
c. how did the director of photography light each scene to reflect the mood of the dialogue
and scene location to facilitate the story?
d. listen carefully to the sound, and how it fits the scene at that moment, and is the dialogue
clear and clean? Is it hard to understand?
e. Is the music appropriate, and sets the mood for the scene? Too loud to hear dialogue?
f. Did the movie “grab” you in the first ten minutes?
g. How does the story flow (the narrative)? Logical progression, or does it have “flashbacks”
or use “fade-outs” to show passage of time?
h. What is the storyline, and how does it progress?
i. As you write your notes, use the above items to help you lay out your typed final analysis
and conclusions.
j. Note any other observations of the film that you found interested and possibly different or
unusual from the above notes.
TYPED PORTION: (Section 4)

Use your notes to finalize the material as a typed presentation with the following requirements:
4. Analyze the data (This section is to be typed and turned in Word or an .rtf file via Turnitin)
From the opening or closing credits, list the following titled positions and their names:
a. major actors
b. executive producer (s)
c. line producer (if listed)
d. director of photography (DP)
e. produced by: (Name)
f. screenwriter (s)
director
g. Film content (This portion and following sections need to be typed in paragraph form)
• types and names of characters
• location of show (city or state)
• how many producers listed in opening credits?
• how did the beginning of the story line grab you?
• what was your opinion of the lighting?
• were you able to hear all the dialog properly?
• did you like the camera shots and how they conveyed emotion?
• did the story give you satisfaction as a viewer?
h. Draw conclusions about the film. (Your opinion)
• what audience is the film trying to attract? (example: women 18-34)
• what did you like or dislike about the film?
• include any other comments you would like to make about the film.
i. Turn in assignment in on the due date according to the class schedule.
• follow directions above for the handwritten portion and typed portion.
• use one of the following fonts in double-spaced 12 point type:
Arial, times new roman, or courier.
• answer questions in sentence and paragraph form, NOT in an outline style.
• length should be a minimum of three (3) pages or more.

(continued on next page)
. REASONS WHY A SUMMARY WILL GET A GOOD GRADE:
• Sections 4 typed with no errors in grammar, spelling, or sentence structure
• A good opening introductory sentence or paragraph to establish written work material
• Neat, professional appearance without noticeable errors or erasures
• Including all the elements listed in Sections 3 & 4
• Using the proper format sheet
• Use of proper font, font size, and double spaced
• Length of typed portion a minimum of three pages
REASONS WHY A SUMMARY WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED, OR WOULD HAVE POINTS
DEDUCTED FROM THE TOTAL:
• Sections 4 not typewritten
• The summary is poorly written with spelling and grammatical errors.
• No opening sentence or paragraph to establish written work material
• Half credit maximum given for work presented within one week of due date
• Work turned in over one week past due date will not be given credit
(SEE NEXT PAGE FOR TYPED FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS)
Name
Campus ID (last
4 numbers)
Class
Date

(Type film name here)
From the opening or closing credits, list the following titled positions and their names:
– major actors
– executive producers
– line producer (if listed)
– Director of Photography (DP)
– produced by: (sometimes listed)
– screenwriter (s)
– director
Begin your analyzed information here typing in either Ariel, Times New Roman, or Courier
font in size 12. Based on the information required, this typed portion will probably be between
three to five pages. Begin your summary with an introductory sentence or paragraph introducing the
reader to the material you will be discussing in your paper.
FTV 150
Film Critique List
From the following list, pick one (1) title to view for the assignment. You may have to rent or look for
the film on television. Many of these titles are regularly shown on American Movie Classics (AMC),
and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in addition to other cable channels.
Drama Sci Fi
All the President’s Men – Pakula (1975) Aliens – Cameron (1986) (Sequel)
Bonnie and Clyde – Penn (1967) Deep Rising – Sommers (1998)
Bamboozled – Lee (2000) Invaders From Mars – Menzies (1953)
Boys in the Band – Friedkin (1970) Invasion of Body Snatchers – Siegel (1956)
Blue Velvet – Lynch (1986) Dick Tracy – Beatty (1990)
Das Boot – Petersen (1981) Them – Douglas (1954)
Dr. Strangelove – Kubrick (1964)
Duel – Spielberg (1971) Westerns
Foreign Correspondent – Hitchcock (1940)
Lone Star – Sayles (1996) Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid – Hill (1969)
Manchurian Candidate – Frankenheimer (1962) El Dorado – Hawks (1966)
North by Northwest – Hitchcock (1959) Rio Bravo – Hawks (1959)
Parallax View – Pukala (1974) The Searchers – Ford (1956)
Picnic – Logan (1955) Tombstone – Cosmatos (1993)
Rear Window – Hitchcock (1954) Wild Bunch – Peckenpah (1969)
Rocketeer – Johnston (1991)
The D.I. – Webb (1957) War
Watermelon Man – Peebles (1970)
Back to Bataan – Dmytryk (1945)
Run Silent, Run Deep – Wise (1958)
Film Noir Sands of Iwo Jima – Dwan (1949)
A Touch of Evil – Welles (1958) Full Metal Jacket – Kubrick (1987)
Double Indemnity – Wilder (1944)
Lady in the Lake – Montgomery (1947) Musicals
Murder My Sweet – Dmytryk (1944)
Fiddler on the Roof – Jewison (1971)
West Side Story `- Robbins/Wise (1961)
Comedy Oklahoma – Zinneman (1955)
Singing in the Rain – Donen/Kelly (1952)
A Shot in the Dark – Edwards (1964)
Hollywood Ending – Allen (2002) Horror
His Girl Friday – Hawks (1940)
Ruckus – Kleven (1982) Creature from Black Lagoon – Arnold (1956)
Some Like It Hot – Wilder (1959) The Thin Man – Van Dyke (1934)
Waking Ned Devine – Jones (1998) The Mummy – Freund (1932)
Phantom of the Opera – Julian (1925)
The Shining – Kubrick (1980)
Frankenstein – Whale (1931)
When you write a paper, you have to use your own words or else give credit to the people whose words
you’re using. If you don’t, that’s plagiarizing. That goes for pictures, too.