Assignment: First Essay (film review)

Length: 800 words

Value: 10%

Due: Sept. 25th

 

In this essay you will review a film of your choice.  This is not an academic review, but do need to keep to a relatively formal tone. Think of your audience as mature, well-educated readers from the so-called “professional class.” Also keep in mind your angle, purpose, and the other elements of the rhetorical situation. Remember that a review is evaluative; that is, you will be judging the film- providing an overall assessment of it (see 67 WT), so make sure that you support your claims with sufficient evidence (including detail). Do not use any outside sources, including other reviews. If you quote, put the quoted material in quotation marks and put the film’s title in parenthesis, like this: “Luke, I am your father” (Star Wars). Organize your review according to either of the two models on page 59 of WT.  Here are some further guidelines:

   *Avoid excessively detailed summary or description

   *Use the present tense rather than the past tense when discussing the film

   *Summarize only what the reader needs to know to understand your argument

  *Avoid trying to deal with too many cinematic elements (cinematography, acting, lighting, soundtrack, special effects, etc.); rather, focus on only those elements that are pertinent to your evaluation.

 

I will also be looking for – and marking you on - the following:

  *A title that is interesting, informative, and centred above the first line of your essay

  *An effective introduction (see 66 WT for what I mean by effective)

*A succinct, clearly worded, underlined thesis statement expressing your main point

*Paragraphs that are unified by topic ideas

*Paragraphs that lead logically to one other via linking phrases and sentences

*Abstractions supported by details (see 68 WT)

*A conclusion that briefly recapitulates your discussion and evaluation (see 68 WT)

*Consistent and appropriate tone (see 69 WT)

*Correct spelling, grammar, and mechanics

*Your name, the course name and number, my name, and the date of submission in the upper left-hand corner (separate title page not necessary)

 * Pagination (means numbered pages), centred, bottom of each page

 *A separate Works Cited page - Use the following template for films viewed online:

Movie Title. Dir. Director’s Name. Studio or Distributor, Year of Publication. Name of Sponsoring Website. Web. Day, Month, and Year of Access.

Example:

Jimmy Bean. Dir. Max Schnell. Imagine Films, 1996. Netflix. Web. 17 September 2013.