Writing About Film

Article - Writing about Film

A Trip To the Moon (1902) was well known for its use of
innovative animation and special effects 

In this article, Karen Gocsik discusses the important distinctions of analyzing a film from reviewing a film. She talks about the difficulties that doesn't let the audience "see" the film from a technical aspect; rather, audiences are presented with a perfect version of a product that clouds their true view of the film. Because the normal audiences can't "see" the film very well, it is difficult to write a critical film analysis. As mentioned in the article, there are five types of writings. One of the five mentioned is formal analysis. In the formal analysis, the viewers break down the film into small parts and analyze them. In the is analysis, the viewers talks about how those specific sections contribute to the film as a whole. They try to understand the purpose of those parts and determine how successful they were at fulfilling their purpose to the film.

Toy Story was the first feature-length computer-animated film

In addition to the formal analysis, there is an another style of analyzing film known as film history. In this, films are treated as part of our culture's ongoing history where they can contribute to historical events. Films can be seen as reflecting on the time period they were made and go on to influence viewers into believing the ideals of the film; therefore, they can play major role in influencing events. This can also focus on the production histories which often involve production problems' effects on the final product. Additional, it mentions the location or generations of audiences the film was distributed for, and how it contributed to making history or reflected the historical culture it was set in.


The third type of writing is known as the ideological papers. This style analyzes the film to look for underlying themes and messages. These can be the values the filmmakers most likely hold dear to themselves. The messages don't always have to be promoting political beliefs; they can also be trying to promote social and economic beliefs. Such messages can be seen hidden in modern media. Many times the viewer is unaware of the fact that he/she has been manipulated by the filmmakers to feel a certain way about a specific topic he/she may never have thought about before. Discovering these messages can add a whole new level to watching films.

In Cartoon Network's Adventure Time, Finn, a human boy who was found in the wild and adopted by a dog family, is passionate about being a hero. He spends his time rescuing princesses and battling evil monsters and wizards. As far as we know, Finn is the only human in the Land of Ooo." (herocomplex.latimes.com) This is one of many examples of the story being taken place in a post apocalyptic future where Earth has been destroyed after a nuclear war. Click here for more examples 

Another type of writing is cultural studies/national cinemas. In this, films reflect the nation that made them. Films can be analyzed in a way that sets them apart from all the other cultures and nations in the world. It shows the contribution to cinema by the nation that created the film. The stories told might even only apply to that specific region of the world.

Old Bollywood movies and even many, MANY South Indian Films choreographed fight scenes in a way that they might seems comical to us. However, this is an example of cultural differences. Although this is hilarious to us, this is what was (and sadly still is in some films) a standard  for choreographic fight scenes. 

Finally, the fifth kind of writing described in the article is discussion of the auteur. This is based on the auteur theory because in this, the auteur, most often the director, is criticized or praised for the failures or successes of the film. However, the error in this is the creating of a film is a collaborative process. Although the director maybe the most important person on the set, he/she is nothing without the rest of the effort put forth by the cast and crew. Films cannot be treated like books where one author dictates everything in the story. Most often, auteur criticism is used to reflect back on the themes of the previous films by the same director.

Christopher Nolan (director) on the set of The Dark Knight 

Annotating a film sequence involves labeling the technical term of each shot in a sequence using a system of abbreviations. These terms include short terms such as establishing shot and dolly shot to short notes on what the viewer sees such as medium close-up fades into a montage. The benefit of this is that it can help the viewer reflect back on the sequence and pick up on any patterns of camera shots and movements that the filmmakers might have used to tell the story. This allows the viewer to understand how the film was crafted and the effect of the shots on the audience.

To "Think Beyond the Frame" simply means to simply look at aspects of the film and its production that had a lasting impact on you. Thinking beyond the frame makes you not just analyze the film, but the work that went into it. Try thinking of the director who made this film, the time period was set in and the time period it was made and how they might be connected. Wondering the contribution to the modern culture through its theme(s) or source material and why it became popular are two of many ways thinking beyond the frame.