Writing About Film

A Formal Analysis is much like the Oral Commentary that we are expected to give for IB Film. Like the Oral Commentary, the formal analysis requires the commentator to look at all of the different aspects of the film and see how each part contributes to the whole. Some of these aspects include the cinematography, sound design, story, and art direction just to name a few. Looking at these different aspects is important to see how the individual parts of the film adds meaning to the film.

Film papers can also look at the history behind films. This encompasses the history that the actual film reflects, the culture and society that the film was made in, and even factors during the film's production that could have affected the outcome of the film. This is especially with the case with Apocalypse Now where the production of the film was so prolonged that it heavily impacted the film by incorporating a long production period to characterize the film itself. Films like Casablanca also reflects the society that made it because it represents Classic Hollywood film making. When film scholars look at films like Casablanca, they can identify conventions that were prominent in Classical Hollywood film making.

All films reflect some kind of ideology. Ideology papers examine the ideology behind film. Many times the ideology comes from the director or writer of the film. Film can be a medium to express one's views on topics and themes such as family, redemption, or trust. Fight Club works to express how anarchy effects the society around it. This is done through Tyler Durden's refusal to cooperate with the conventions of normalcy.

Like Ideology papers, Cultural Studies and National Cinema focused papers look at the society that made the film. Especially in national cinema, films can show audiences what the culture is like in other countries beside our own. For example, watching a film like Amelie can offer a glimpse into what French society is like at the time.

Finally papers that look at auteurs focus on the body of work that the director has made and how they relate with each other to emphasize certain themes. Many times, directors use similar techniques in making their films such as recurring plot structure, themes, and types of conflicts.

Annotating a film sequence is like taking notes, except with film. It can be a very helpful technique to efficiently articulate your ideas in a film paper. This technique is done by taking notes on individual shots of the film. Expecially when looking at excerpts of film, noting down the time code and adding notes to significant shots is effective in breaking down a sequence.

Thinking beyond the frame is a term to encourage scholars to think about the factors that contribute to the film outside of the visual image. For example, factors like sound, production history, and expert opinions on the film. A film is much more than the film itself. External factors play a big role in defining the film and what it come to represent, outside of the subject matter