Dr.

Angela Winand
AAS/WMS 440 A
W 06:00 PM—09:30 PM 2031 UHB 3 credits
Spring 2007
Office: 3033 UHB
Office Extension: 68331
Email: awina2@uis.edu
Fax: 206-6217
Office Hours: TWR 4—5 p.m.
and by appointment.

How to Watch a Movie, Really

Although we have a tendency when we watch motion pictures to

passively sit and allow ourselves to be entertained, whether we are in
a public theater or sitting at home on the sofa, as scholars and
students of film, we need to practice more active and conscious
viewing. For the purposes of analysis and writing about film, your goal
is to present not simply an informed opinion about a particular film, but
to also construct a reasoned argument about the structure,
significance and meaning of film narrative and film images.
As you watch, pay attention to the use of action scenes and
sequences, positioning of bodies in film frames, use of motion and
gestures, use of sound, music, dialogue and special sound effects.
Take notes (including any questions you may have) on what you are
seeing.

Use your notes and questions to build an analytic essay with a

strong thesis statement. You should construct your essay to include all
of the following elements; a good essay integrates these aspects in
ways that best support your thesis argument and balances summary
description with thorough analysis. Describe the plot briefly, describe
the characters, their actions, their motivations. What is the basic
conflict; why is it important? What are the relationships between the
various characters? How do these different personalities interact or
change; how fully and complexly are they developed? To which
characters do you relate, and why?

If the film is a historical documentary, identify the time period,

the important events and the important figures. Your description
should briefly summarize important information as if you were writing
for someone who had not seen the film, and as if you were either
encouraging (or discouraging) them to see it.

Where other reviews exist, feel free to incorporate the responses

of other critics into your paper to help you clarify and define your own
evaluation of the film and your position on its significant themes, etc.
Focus your discussion on types or systems of images, ideas and
 Dr. Angela Winand
AAS/WMS 440 A
Spring 2007

attitudes about characters, symbols and events in the movies in

question. Think about what message(s) the film or the director is
trying to convey, or what problem the film is trying to identify or solve.
Use your likes and dislikes about the movie to say something about the
films' significance for viewers like yourself. How does this film aid your
understanding of the important themes and concerns of this course?