Overview This is your chance to take the concepts you’ve read about (and written

Overview
This is your chance to take the concepts you’ve read about (and written about in your journals) and apply
them to a film of your choice. You will analyze the film using concepts discussed in the textbook.
Requirements
• The paper should be between 5 and 7 double-spaced pages (about 1200-1700 words)
• You must use four (4) scholarly sources to build and support your argument. At least one of these
sources must be from a media studies or communication-related journal.
o Partial list of relevant journals: Television and New Media, Journal of Cinema and Media Studies,
Cinema Journal, Film Comment, Journal of Popular Film and Television, Journal of Film and Video,
Communication, Culture and Critique.
o Websites do not count toward this four source requirement.
• Use APA style for your citations and formatting.
o https://fhsuguides.fhsu.edu/citation/apa
o No need for an abstract. Title page and references do not count toward the length
requirement.
• You must use paragraphs. When you introduce new scenes, concepts or quotes, use a new paragraph.
When you’ve written four sentences, think about using a new paragraph. Do not write single blocks of
texts with no paragraphs. You will get a bad grade if you do this.
•
Content and Structure
• Your introduction is where you describe what your essay will be about. Do not start your analysis,
bring in sources or evidence in the introductory paragraph. Tell me what you are going to write. “I will
discuss the use of color in The Royal Tennenbaums to explain how the director manipulates audience
emotion”
• Your second paragraph should explain the key terms that you will use to analyze the film. You must tell
me where you got the conception / definition of the term that you’ll be using. “I will be using Richard
Dyer’s concept of pastiche. Pastiche, according to Dyer, is the imitation and parody of a previous work
in a new creative product.”
• Your conclusion will summarize your argument and reminder the reader what they should walk away
with.
• This is not a film review. Unless your argument makes use of who created or starred in the film, there’s
no reason to give more than a two-sentence reference to that information. You will not earn a passing
grade if your paper does not engage with theoretical or conceptual ideas.