how to write a film analysis essay

How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Examples, Outline, & Tips

A film analysis essay might be the most exciting assignment you have ever had! After all, who doesn’t love watching movies? You have your favorite movies, maybe something you watched years ago, perhaps a classic, or a documentary. Or your professor might assign a film for you to make a critical review. Regardless, you are totally up for watching a movie for a film analysis essay.

However, once you have watched the movie, facing the act of writing might knock the wind out of your sails because you might be wondering how to write a film analysis essay. In summary, writing movie analysis is not as difficult as it might seem, and Custom-writing.org experts will prove this. This guide will help you choose a topic for your movie analysis, make an outline, and write the text.️ Film analysis examples are added as a bonus! Just keep reading our advice on how to get started.

❓ What Is a Film Analysis Essay?

• 🚦 Film Analysis Types

📽️ Movie Analysis Format

✍️ how to write a film analysis, 🎦 film analysis template, 🎬 film analysis essay topics.

• 📄 Essay Examples

🔗 References

To put it simply, film analysis implies watching a movie and then considering its characteristics : genre, structure, contextual context, etc. Film analysis is usually considered to be a form of rhetorical analysis . The key to success here is to formulate a clear and logical argument, supporting it with examples.

🚦 Film Analysis Essay Types

Since a film analysis essay resembles literature analysis, it makes sense that there are several ways to do it. Its types are not limited to the ones described here. Moreover, you are free to combine the approaches in your essay as well. Since your writing reflects your own opinion, there is no universal way to do it.

• Semiotic analysis . If you’re using this approach, you are expected to interpret the film’s symbolism. You should look for any signs that may have a hidden meaning. Often, they reveal some character’s features. To make the task more manageable, you can try to find the objects or concepts that appear on the screen multiple times. What is the context they appear in? It might lead you to the hidden meaning of the symbols.
• Narrative structure analysis . This type is quite similar to a typical literature guide. It includes looking into the film’s themes, plot, and motives. The analysis aims to identify three main elements: setup, confrontation, and resolution. You should find out whether the film follows this structure and what effect it creates. It will make the narrative structure analysis essay if you write about the theme and characters’ motivations as well.
• Contextual analysis . Here, you would need to expand your perspective. Instead of focusing on inner elements, the contextual analysis looks at the time and place of the film’s creation. Therefore, you should work on studying the cultural context a lot. It can also be a good idea to mention the main socio-political issues of the time. You can even relate the film’s success to the director or producer and their career.
• Mise-en-scene analysis . This type of analysis works with the most distinctive feature of the movies, audiovisual elements. However, don’t forget that your task is not only to identify them but also to explain their importance. There are so many interconnected pieces of this puzzle: the light to create the mood, the props to show off characters’ personalities, messages hidden in the song lyrics.

To write an effective film analysis essay, it is important to follow specific format requirements that include the following:

• Standard essay structure. Just as with any essay, your analysis should consist of an introduction with a strong thesis statement, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The main body usually includes a summary and an analysis of the movie’s elements.
• Present tense for events in the film. Use the present tense when describing everything that happens in the movie. This way, you can make smooth transitions between describing action and dialogue. It will also improve the overall narrative flow.
• Proper formatting of the film’s title. Don’t enclose the movie’s title in quotation marks; instead, italicize it. In addition, use the title case : that is, capitalize all major words.
• Proper use of the characters’ names. When you mention a film character for the first time, name the actor portraying them. After that, it is enough to write only the character’s name.
• In-text citations. Use in-text citations when describing certain scenes or shots from the movie. Format them according to your chosen citation style. If you use direct quotes, include the time-stamp range instead of page numbers. Here’s how it looks in the MLA format: (Smith 0:11:24–0:12:35).

Even though film analysis is similar to the literary one, you might still feel confused with where to begin. No need to worry; there are only a few additional steps you need to consider during the writing process.

Need more information? It can be found in the video below.

Starting Your Film Analysis Essay

There are several things you need to do before you start writing your film analysis paper. First and foremost, you have to watch the movie. Even if you have seen it a hundred times, you need to watch it again to make a good film analysis essay.

Note that you might be given an essay topic or have to think of it by yourself. If you are free to choose a topic for your film analysis essay, reading some critical reviews before you watch the film might be a good idea. By doing this in advance, you will already know what to look for when watching the movie.

In the process of watching, keep the following tips in mind:

• Consider your impression of the movie
• Enumerate memorable details
• Try to interpret the movie message in your way
• Search for the proof of your ideas (quotes from the film)
• Make comments on the plot, settings, and characters
• Draw parallels between the movie you are reviewing and some other movies

Making a Film Analysis Essay Outline

Once you have watched and possibly re-watched your assigned or chosen movie from an analytical point of view, you will need to create a movie analysis essay outline . The task is pretty straightforward: the outline can look just as if you were working on a literary analysis or an article analysis.

• Introduction : This includes the basics of the movie, including the title, director, and the date of release. You should also present the central theme or ideas in the movie and your thesis statement .
• Summary : This is where you take the time to present an overview of the primary concepts in the movie, including the five Ws (who, what, when, where, and why)—don’t forget how!—as well as anything you wish to discuss that relates to the point of view, style, and structure.
• Analysis : This is the body of the essay and includes your critical analysis of the movie, why you did or did not like it, and any supporting material from the film to support your views. It would help if you also discussed whether the director and writer of the movie achieved the goal they set out to achieve.
• Conclusion: This is where you can state your thesis again and provide a summary of the primary concepts in a new and more convincing manner, making a case for your analysis. You can also include a call-to-action that will invite the reader to watch the movie or avoid it entirely.

You can find a great critical analysis template at Thompson Rivers University website. In case you need more guidance on how to write an analytical paper, check out our article .

Writing & Editing Your Film Analysis Essay

We have already mentioned that there are differences between literary analysis and film analysis. They become especially important when one starts writing their film analysis essay.

First of all, the evidence you include to support the arguments is not the same. Instead of quoting the text, you might need to describe the audiovisual elements.

However, the practice of describing the events is similar in both types. You should always introduce a particular sequence in the present tense. If you want to use a piece of a dialogue between more than two film characters, you can use block quotes. However, since there are different ways to do it, confirm with your supervisor.

For your convenience, you might as well use the format of the script, for which you don’t have to use quotation marks:

ELSA: But she won’t remember I have powers?

KING: It’s for the best.

Finally, to show off your proficiency in the subject, look at the big picture. Instead of just presenting the main elements in your analysis, point out their significance. Describe the effect they make on the overall impression form the film. Moreover, you can dig deeper and suggest the reasons why such elements were used in a particular scene to show your expertise.

Stuck writing a film analysis essay? Worry not! Use our template to structure your movie analysis properly.

Introduction

• The title of the film is… [title]
• The director is… [director’s name] He/she is known for… [movies, style, etc.]
• The movie was released on… [release date]
• The themes of the movie are… [state the film’s central ideas]
• The film was made because… [state the reasons]
• The movie is… because… [your thesis statement].
• The main characters are… [characters’ names]
• The events take place in… [location]
• The movie is set in… [time period]
• The movie is about… [state what happens in the film and why]
• The movie left a… [bad, unforgettable, lasting, etc.] impression in me.
• The script has… [a logical sequence of events, interesting scenes, strong dialogues, character development, etc.]
• The actors portray their characters… [convincingly, with intensity, with varying degree of success, in a manner that feels unnatural, etc.]
• The soundtrack is [distracting, fitting, memorable, etc.]
• Visual elements such as… [costumes, special effects, etc.] make the film [impressive, more authentic, atmospheric, etc.]
• The film succeeds/doesn’t succeed in engaging the target audience because it… [tells a compelling story, features strong performances, is relevant, lacks focus, is unauthentic, etc.]
• Cultural and societal aspects make the film… [thought-provoking, relevant, insightful, problematic, polarizing, etc.]
• The director and writer achieved their goal because… [state the reasons]
• Overall, the film is… [state your opinion]
• I would/wouldn’t recommend watching the movie because… [state the reasons]
• Analysis of the film Inception by Christopher Nolan .
• Examine the rhetoric in the film The Red Balloon .
• Analyze the visual effects of Zhang Yimou’s movie Hero .
• Basic concepts of the film Interstellar by Christopher Nolan.
• The characteristic features of Federico Fellini’s movies.
• Analysis of the movie The Joker .
• The depiction of ethical issues in Damaged Care .
• Analyze the plot of the film Moneyball .
• Explore the persuasive techniques used in Henry V .
• Analyze the movie Killing Kennedy .
• Discuss the themes of the film Secret Window .
• Describe the role of audio and video effects in conveying the message of the documentary Life in Renaissance .
• Compare and analyze the films Midnight Cowboy and McCabe and Mrs. Miller .
• Analysis of the movie Rear Window .
• The message behind the film Split .
• Analyze the techniques used by Tim Burton in his movie Sleepy Hollow .
• The topic of children’s abuse and importance of trust in Joseph Sargent’s Sybil .
• Examine the themes and motives of the film Return to Paradise by Joseph Ruben.
• The issues of gender and traditions in the drama The Whale Rider.
• Analysis of the film Not Easily Broken by Duke Bill.
• The symbolism in R. Scott’s movie Thelma and Louise .
• The meaning of audiovisual effects in Citizen Kane .
• Analyze the main characters of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .
• Discuss the historical accuracy of the documentary The Civil War .
• Analysis of the movie Through a Glass Darkly .
• Explore the core idea of the comedy Get Out .  
• The problem of artificial intelligence and human nature in Ex Machina .
• Three principles of suspense used in the drama The Fugitive .
• Examine the ideas Michael Bay promotes in Armageddon .
• Analyze the visual techniques used in Tenet by Christopher Nolan.
• Analysis of the movie The Green Mile .
• Discrimination and exclusion in the film The Higher Learning .
• The hidden meaning of the scenes in Blade Runner .
• Compare the social messages of the films West Side Story and Romeo + Juliet .
• Highlighting the problem of children’s mental health in the documentary Kids in Crisis .
• Discuss the ways Paul Haggis establishes the issue of racial biases in his movie Crash .
• Analyze the problem of moral choice in the film Gone Baby Gone .
• Analysis of the historical film Hacksaw Ridge .
• Explore the main themes of the film Mean Girls by Mark Walters .
• The importance of communication in the movie Juno .
• Describe the techniques the authors use to highlight the problems of society in Queen and Slim .
• Examine the significance of visual scenes in My Family/ Mi Familia .
• Analysis of the thriller Salt by Phillip Noyce.
• Analyze the message of Greg Berlanti’s film Love, Simon .
• Interpret the symbols of the film The Wizard of Oz (1939).
• Discuss the modern issues depicted in the film The Corporation .
• Moral lessons of Edward Zwick’s Blood Diamond .
• Analysis of the documentary Solitary Nation .
• Describe the audiovisual elements of the film Pride and Prejudice (2005) .
• The problem of toxic relationships in Malcolm and Marie .

📄 Film Analysis Examples

Below you’ll find two film analysis essay examples. Note that the full versions are downloadable for free!

Film Analysis Example #1: The Intouchables

Raising acute social problems in modern cinema is a common approach to draw the public’s attention to the specific issues and challenges of people facing crucial obstacles. As a film for review, The Intouchables by Oliver Nakache and Éric Toledano will be analyzed, and one of the themes raised in this movie is the daily struggle of the person with severe disabilities. This movie is a biographical drama with comedy elements. The Intouchables describes the routine life of a French millionaire who is confined to a wheelchair and forced to receive help from his servants. The acquaintance of the disabled person with a young and daring man from Parisian slums changes the lives of both radically. The film shows that for a person with disabilities, recognition as a full member of society is more important than sympathy and compassion, and this message expressed comically raises an essential problem of human loneliness.

Movie Analysis Example #2: Parasite

Parasite is a 2019 South Korean black comedy thriller movie directed by Bong Joon-ho and is the first film with a non-English script to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020. With its overwhelming plot and acting, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect and some kind of shock. The class serves as a backbone and a primary objective of social commentary within the South Korean comedy/thriller (Kench, 2020). Every single element and detail in the movie, including the student’s stone, the contrasting architecture, family names, and characters’ behavior, contribute to the central topic of the universal problem of classism and wealth disparity. The 2020 Oscar-winning movie Parasite (2019) is a phenomenal cinematic portrayal and a critical message to modern society regarding the severe outcomes of the long-established inequalities within capitalism.

Want more examples? Check out this bonus list of 10 film analysis samples. They will help you gain even more inspiration.

• “Miss Representation” Documentary Film Analysis
• “The Patriot”: Historical Film Analysis
• “The Morning Guy” Film Analysis
• 2012′ by Roland Emmerich Film Analysis
• “The Crucible” (1996) Film Analysis
• The Aviator’ by Martin Scorsese Film Analysis
• The “Lions for Lambs” Film Analysis
• Bill Monroe – Father of Bluegrass Music Film Analysis
• Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Harry Potter’ Film Analysis
• Red Tails by George Lucas Film Analysis
• Film Analysis – UNC Writing Center
• Film Writing: Sample Analysis // Purdue Writing Lab
• Yale Film Analysis – Yale University
• Film Terms And Topics For Film Analysis And Writing
• Questions for Film Analysis (Washington University)
• Resources on Film Analysis – Cinema Studies (University of Toronto)
• Does Film Analysis Take the Magic out of Movies?
• Film Analysis Research Papers – Academia.edu
• What’s In a Film Analysis Essay? Medium
• Analysis of Film – SAGE Research Methods
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Film Analysis

What this handout is about.

This handout introduces film analysis and and offers strategies and resources for approaching film analysis assignments.

Writing the film analysis essay

Writing a film analysis requires you to consider the composition of the film—the individual parts and choices made that come together to create the finished piece. Film analysis goes beyond the analysis of the film as literature to include camera angles, lighting, set design, sound elements, costume choices, editing, etc. in making an argument. The first step to analyzing the film is to watch it with a plan.

Watching the film

First it’s important to watch the film carefully with a critical eye. Consider why you’ve been assigned to watch a film and write an analysis. How does this activity fit into the course? Why have you been assigned this particular film? What are you looking for in connection to the course content? Let’s practice with this clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958). Here are some tips on how to watch the clip critically, just as you would an entire film:

• Give the clip your undivided attention at least once. Pay close attention to details and make observations that might start leading to bigger questions.
• Watch the clip a second time. For this viewing, you will want to focus specifically on those elements of film analysis that your class has focused on, so review your course notes. For example, from whose perspective is this clip shot? What choices help convey that perspective? What is the overall tone, theme, or effect of this clip?
• Take notes while you watch for the second time. Notes will help you keep track of what you noticed and when, if you include timestamps in your notes. Timestamps are vital for citing scenes from a film!

For more information on watching a film, check out the Learning Center’s handout on watching film analytically . For more resources on researching film, including glossaries of film terms, see UNC Library’s research guide on film & cinema .

Brainstorming ideas

Once you’ve watched the film twice, it’s time to brainstorm some ideas based on your notes. Brainstorming is a major step that helps develop and explore ideas. As you brainstorm, you may want to cluster your ideas around central topics or themes that emerge as you review your notes. Did you ask several questions about color? Were you curious about repeated images? Perhaps these are directions you can pursue.

If you’re writing an argumentative essay, you can use the connections that you develop while brainstorming to draft a thesis statement . Consider the assignment and prompt when formulating a thesis, as well as what kind of evidence you will present to support your claims. Your evidence could be dialogue, sound edits, cinematography decisions, etc. Much of how you make these decisions will depend on the type of film analysis you are conducting, an important decision covered in the next section.

After brainstorming, you can draft an outline of your film analysis using the same strategies that you would for other writing assignments. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind as you prepare for this stage of the assignment:

• Make sure you understand the prompt and what you are being asked to do. Remember that this is ultimately an assignment, so your thesis should answer what the prompt asks. Check with your professor if you are unsure.
• In most cases, the director’s name is used to talk about the film as a whole, for instance, “Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo .” However, some writers may want to include the names of other persons who helped to create the film, including the actors, the cinematographer, and the sound editor, among others.
• When describing a sequence in a film, use the literary present. An example could be, “In Vertigo , Hitchcock employs techniques of observation to dramatize the act of detection.”
• Finding a screenplay/script of the movie may be helpful and save you time when compiling citations. But keep in mind that there may be differences between the screenplay and the actual product (and these differences might be a topic of discussion!).
• Go beyond describing basic film elements by articulating the significance of these elements in support of your particular position. For example, you may have an interpretation of the striking color green in Vertigo , but you would only mention this if it was relevant to your argument. For more help on using evidence effectively, see the section on “using evidence” in our evidence handout .

Also be sure to avoid confusing the terms shot, scene, and sequence. Remember, a shot ends every time the camera cuts; a scene can be composed of several related shots; and a sequence is a set of related scenes.

Different types of film analysis

As you consider your notes, outline, and general thesis about a film, the majority of your assignment will depend on what type of film analysis you are conducting. This section explores some of the different types of film analyses you may have been assigned to write.

Semiotic analysis

Semiotic analysis is the interpretation of signs and symbols, typically involving metaphors and analogies to both inanimate objects and characters within a film. Because symbols have several meanings, writers often need to determine what a particular symbol means in the film and in a broader cultural or historical context.

For instance, a writer could explore the symbolism of the flowers in Vertigo by connecting the images of them falling apart to the vulnerability of the heroine.

Here are a few other questions to consider for this type of analysis:

• What objects or images are repeated throughout the film?
• How does the director associate a character with small signs, such as certain colors, clothing, food, or language use?
• How does a symbol or object relate to other symbols and objects, that is, what is the relationship between the film’s signs?

Many films are rich with symbolism, and it can be easy to get lost in the details. Remember to bring a semiotic analysis back around to answering the question “So what?” in your thesis.

Narrative analysis

Narrative analysis is an examination of the story elements, including narrative structure, character, and plot. This type of analysis considers the entirety of the film and the story it seeks to tell.

For example, you could take the same object from the previous example—the flowers—which meant one thing in a semiotic analysis, and ask instead about their narrative role. That is, you might analyze how Hitchcock introduces the flowers at the beginning of the film in order to return to them later to draw out the completion of the heroine’s character arc.

To create this type of analysis, you could consider questions like:

• How does the film correspond to the Three-Act Structure: Act One: Setup; Act Two: Confrontation; and Act Three: Resolution?
• What is the plot of the film? How does this plot differ from the narrative, that is, how the story is told? For example, are events presented out of order and to what effect?
• Does the plot revolve around one character? Does the plot revolve around multiple characters? How do these characters develop across the film?

When writing a narrative analysis, take care not to spend too time on summarizing at the expense of your argument. See our handout on summarizing for more tips on making summary serve analysis.

Cultural/historical analysis

One of the most common types of analysis is the examination of a film’s relationship to its broader cultural, historical, or theoretical contexts. Whether films intentionally comment on their context or not, they are always a product of the culture or period in which they were created. By placing the film in a particular context, this type of analysis asks how the film models, challenges, or subverts different types of relations, whether historical, social, or even theoretical.

For example, the clip from Vertigo depicts a man observing a woman without her knowing it. You could examine how this aspect of the film addresses a midcentury social concern about observation, such as the sexual policing of women, or a political one, such as Cold War-era McCarthyism.

A few of the many questions you could ask in this vein include:

• How does the film comment on, reinforce, or even critique social and political issues at the time it was released, including questions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality?
• How might a biographical understanding of the film’s creators and their historical moment affect the way you view the film?
• How might a specific film theory, such as Queer Theory, Structuralist Theory, or Marxist Film Theory, provide a language or set of terms for articulating the attributes of the film?

Take advantage of class resources to explore possible approaches to cultural/historical film analyses, and find out whether you will be expected to do additional research into the film’s context.

Mise-en-scène analysis

A mise-en-scène analysis attends to how the filmmakers have arranged compositional elements in a film and specifically within a scene or even a single shot. This type of analysis organizes the individual elements of a scene to explore how they come together to produce meaning. You may focus on anything that adds meaning to the formal effect produced by a given scene, including: blocking, lighting, design, color, costume, as well as how these attributes work in conjunction with decisions related to sound, cinematography, and editing. For example, in the clip from Vertigo , a mise-en-scène analysis might ask how numerous elements, from lighting to camera angles, work together to present the viewer with the perspective of Jimmy Stewart’s character.

To conduct this type of analysis, you could ask:

• What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?
• How does this scene represent the theme of the movie?
• How does a scene work to express a broader point to the film’s plot?

This detailed approach to analyzing the formal elements of film can help you come up with concrete evidence for more general film analysis assignments.

Reviewing your draft

Once you have a draft, it’s helpful to get feedback on what you’ve written to see if your analysis holds together and you’ve conveyed your point. You may not necessarily need to find someone who has seen the film! Ask a writing coach, roommate, or family member to read over your draft and share key takeaways from what you have written so far.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Aumont, Jacques, and Michel Marie. 1988. L’analyse Des Films . Paris: Nathan.

Media & Design Center. n.d. “Film and Cinema Research.” UNC University Libraries. Last updated February 10, 2021. https://guides.lib.unc.edu/filmresearch .

Oxford Royale Academy. n.d. “7 Ways to Watch Film.” Oxford Royale Academy. Accessed April 2021. https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/7-ways-watch-films-critically/ .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to Write a Film Analysis Essay – Step by Step

So, your assignment is to watch a movie and analyze it in an essay. Great!

I’m Tutor Phil, and in this tutorial I’ll show you how to write a film analysis. 

In short, to write a film analysis means to:

• Identify the elements of the film
• Identify the relationships among those elements
• Form an argument about your findings
• Support your argument using evidence

If this task seems daunting, don’t worry – it is actually fun once you know exactly what to do. 

So, let’s dive right in. Here are…

7 Steps to Writing a Film Analysis Essay

Step 1. Watch the movie while taking notes

If you already saw the film you need to analyze, you’ll probably need to watch it again, this time taking some notes. 

Why is note taking important? Well, to analyze really means to break something into parts and to discuss relationships among them. 

And to identify parts (or elements) of a movie, you need to watch it while paying attention to details and writing down your observations. 

Taking notes will allow you to do several things:

• Identify some of the elements of the film so you have something to discuss
• Uncover details you would otherwise miss
• Make connections between ideas
• Get some raw content you can readily use in your essay

How to take notes

Here’s a tip on how to do it most efficiently. Play the movie on one device while taking notes on another. 

For example, play the movie on your TV or iPad, and take notes on your laptop. This way, you can pause the movie and make a note without switching apps on your laptop. 

What to look for 

When watching the movie, you are looking for elements that it is made up of. You can simply start a bulleted list with a timeline and some of the things you observe. 

Importantly, you usually don’t want to simply describe every event of the film. You need some kind of a theme or motif to focus on because otherwise you’ll simply write a synopsis if the movie. 

But you want some useful notes. Here’s how to choose what to focus on. 

First, your assignment should determine your focus. For example, if your instructor wants you to write about a particular character, then pay special attention to that character.

If your assignment includes more details, that’s even better. Maybe you have to pick a character and write about her love life or her relationship with her mother. 

Great – that will help you narrow down your focus. 

Second, you can choose your own theme to focus on. If your assignment is very general, don’t worry – just pick your own character, theme, or something in the movie you want to write about.

In this case, if you’ve already seen the film, just think back and choose something to focus your analysis on. 

Third, you can simply analyze the entire film. In this case, your task is to identify the overall message of the film and how its elements help deliver this message. 

Each of these ways to approach writing a film analysis essay works great. And the steps you learn here will help you whatever approach you choose. 

Example of note-taking

Let me give you an example. Recently, I had to write about one particular character in a movie. I also had to discuss the mental health of the character. So, I paid special attention to anything that had to do with mental health. 

I chose the movie The Hours based on Michael Cunningham’s book of the same title. And by the way, let’s use this film from now on as an example to illustrate our seven steps to writing a film analysis. 

This movie follows three women at different periods of the twentieth century. One of them is Virginia Woolf, based on the real-life writer of the same name. 

Since my task was to write about her, I took notes primarily related to her. But I also noted relevant elements in other parts of the film. 

Note that I time-stamped the events that happen on the screen. This would help me orient myself in the story when I later read my notes. 

This can also help you use quotations from the film because in some citation styles you are required to provide exact time stamps for the dialogue lines. 

Here is a sample of the notes that I took while watching the movie:

00:00 – 3:30 Very compulsive behavior. Frantically dressing up. 

“I feel that I’m going mad again.”

08:35 – ~11:00 “How was your sleep?” “Uneventful. No headache. I believe I may have the first sentence.”

“Always giving parties to cover the silence.” – Ed Harris. ~22:00

27:44 – 31:50 “Her fate becomes clear to her.” 

Makes demands on her cook. Being kind of rude. 

43:20 Doesn’t comply with doctors. Depressed all the time. Lies down by the dead bird, as if wanting to join it.

01:05:45 Talking to herself, mumbling, in the presence of others – sister, nephews, niece. 

-What were you thinking about? 

-I was going to kill my heroine but I changed my mind. 

01:08:05 “I’m afraid I might have to kill someone else instead.”

Your notes don’t have to consist of perfect sentences. You can jot down sentence fragments, phrases, or even just words. 

But complete sentences, or at least sentence fragments, will help you understand what you were thinking when taking the note. A sentence will tell you more than a word or a phrase. 

Write down some important dialogue verbatim. You can later use these quotations in your essay. 

Elements to look for

Let’s explore what kinds of elements you can look for while watching the movie. Cinema is an amazing medium that combines a multitude of things to talk about.

A film can contain everything a novel can. And in addition, it has visuals and sound. So, it’s very rich. Let’s divide the elements into two categories – literary and cinematic.

Literary elements

• Story (the beginning, middle, and end)
• Plot (how events are arranged in time and space)
• Setting (where and when the action takes place)
• Characterization (characters and their unique qualities)
• Themes (recurring elements that link things together by topic)
• Message (the point, the argument, if you will, of the movie)
• Dialogue (what characters say)
• Symbols (concrete visual or auditory bits that stand for abstract ideas)
• Contrast (highlighting differences)

Cinematic elements

• Sound (music, noises, or the use of silence)
• Lighting (how light is used to convey or emphasize ideas)
• Camera angles (positioning of the camera when shooting a scene)
• Editing (putting different shots together in a sequence)
• Mise-en-scene (everything you see on the screen)
• Casting (the choice of actors)
• Acting (the art of playing a character)

If you’re a film or literature student, many of these elements will sound familiar to you. But even if you’re not, you don’t have to know much about all or even most of these to write a great film analysis. 

All you need is a few good elements that will serve as ideas to organize and develop your paper. And you are probably already familiar with some of them, such as story and characters, for example.

As you watch the movie and take notes, keep these elements somewhere in your document so you could check in with the list at any time. 

Step 2. Make some connections among the elements

If you really want to do well on this paper, you might want to watch the movie one more time after you’ve taken your initial notes. This time, you’ll be making connections using these elements.

You can do this step from memory and your initial set of notes, but if you do it while watching the film one more time, your paper will be a lot stronger. And the writing part will be easier.

As you watch the film, especially for the second and maybe even a third time, you’ll notice patterns. 

You’ll begin to see how different elements are connected by themes and other unifying elements.

Here are examples of how different and seemingly distant elements can be connected in a movie:

Thematic connection

Two or more characters have the same pattern of behavior. They may not know each other or may even live on different continents or in different time periods. But they both feel stuck in their marriages, for example.

Connection through dialogue

Two or more characters who, again, seem completely unrelated say the same things. Or, one character says something, and another picks it up or answers it in the next scene or shot. 

Connection through mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is all the visual elements on the screen. A recurring visual can link different elements, such as characters, together.

For example, a character can have a red rose in her hand. Another character, in a different time and space, can also have a red rose in her hand. This is a director’s way of saying: “Pay attention and look for connections between these characters.”

Musical connection

The same music can play in different scenes. Or, the same tune can be played in a major, happy key in one scene but in a minor, sad key in another. Or, a short motive can be repeated at pertinent moments in the film. 

Movie writers and directors make all kinds of other connections in their films. If you watch the movie more than once while being consciously aware of the possibilities, you’ll notice things. 

You can choose any types of connections you want. If your instructor wants you to be specific and use cinematography and dialogue, for example, then use these two categories. 

But if you identify some nice connections in other categories, put them in your notes, too. You’ll use them as supporting ideas in your essay. 

Example of making connections 

Let me give you an example of how I used elements of film to make some connections for that film analysis I worked on. 

Note that I’m using only four categories of these elements because to discuss more of them would only make the essay get out of hand. It’s better to focus on a few. Make sure it’s no fewer than two, and preferably three or four. 

The first one or two can be the main ones, and the rest can be used as supporting ideas (more on this later). 

To make better sense of the example below, keep in mind that the movie The Hours follows three women in different times and places. 

I used letters V, L, and C as acronyms of their first names, because it’s faster and easier that way. 

Here is a sample of connections (as brief notes)  

• Homosexuality and bisexuality. 
• Around 42:00 – L kisses her neighbor Kitty. Later, V kisses her sister Vanessa. Both women are not only stuck in their situations – they are also stuck in the closet. 
• C is also stuck, according to her own words. 
• V tries to write a novel. L tries to bake a cake. C tries to throw a party. Each one is frustrated. 
• But there is a progression from V-L-C. V never succeeds. L fails at first attempt but succeeds with the second one. C makes everything ready, but the party never happens through no fault of her own.
• Also, trying to run away. V fails. L succeeds. So does Louis in modern times. 
• C says at one point, “From then on I’ve been stuck.” It seems she’s stuck in bisexuality. 
• When L drops off her son, it’s with Mrs. Latch (note the name). A latch is a fastening or binding device. 
• Louis Waters says, “The day I left him, I got on a train and made my way across Europe. I felt free for the first time in years.”
• V succeeds on the third attempt. L contemplates it but changes her mind. C never attempts. But Richard succeeds. 
• 13:54 – (1951) L’s son asks to help with the cake. L: “Of course you can, sweet pea. I’m not gonna do anything without you.” Cuts to 2001 New York: C: “No, of course!” 
• It’s as if the director is being sarcastic: “Yeah, sure. Of course I’m not gonna do anything without you.” 
• L eventually abandons her family, including her son. So, this juxtaposition seems sarcastic and acts as foreshadowing. 

Mise-en-scene (visual elements)

• Each of two women, V and L, is alone in a bed; one is in bed with a partner. 
• L is particularly emphasized as alone with an empty half bed – happens again later in the film.
• The light is pouring in from outside, but the room is dark. She is isolated by the window frame. Isolated from everything in the home, including her son. 
• Later, around 17:30, her son will be alone in a very dark apartment: “I needed to let in some light.” Maybe light is associated with freedom.
• V depressed, even disturbed
• L wondering what the day will bring
• C excited about the upcoming day.
• There seems to be a progression from worse to better in V-L-C. 

When you actively look for connections, you’ll make many of them. In this step, you’re not thinking deeply about them. You’re just noticing things and jotting them down.

The main thinking is done in the next step. 

Step 3. Formulate your main argument

Now that you have your elements and you’ve perceived some relationships among them, it’s time to formulate your thesis. 

A thesis is the main point of your essay. This step is the most important because this is where you take a stand. 

This is also a creative step. You’re essentially making a decision about what to say about this movie or an aspect of the movie. 

Here’s a short video I created, explaining what a thesis is:

Read back through your notes

Read through the initial notes you took and the connections that you’ve made. 

What stands out to you as the most important, the most general and overarching idea that is probably the main one?

Make your thesis about this idea. And the rest of the elements or ideas will act as supporting points (we’ll add them in the next step). 

Choose the subject

Let’s choose what to write about – our subject – in our sample film analysis. We have four categories of elements in which we’ve made notes and connections:

• Mise-en-scene

Just by looking at this list and reading through the connections made, it is easy to notice:

One or more of the themes are dominant, and the rest is supportive. Therefore, our main point should probably be about a theme . 

Again, if your instructor has given you a specific subject to focus on, then that’s what your thesis will be about. 

In this example, let’s assume that we must simply write a film analysis, and we’re free to choose what to write about.

So, we’ll pick one of the themes, take a stand on it, and formulate our thesis based on it. Let’s look at the themes we’ve picked out again:

• Repressed sexuality
• Frustration
• Being stuck
• Seeking freedom  

Which of these is the dominant one? Which one is all-encompassing? Which one includes some of the others?

These are some of the questions we might ask to pick the main subject for our essay. Let’s arrange these themes in the order of more general to more specific:

Why is being stuck the most general and all-encompassing theme? That’s because it seems that the rest of the themes are either the signs or the effects of it. 

Repressed sexuality and frustration in trying to accomplish things and failing are signs, examples, or manifestations of being stuck. 

It is only possible to seek freedom if you feel stuck. And suicide, at least in this film, is a result of being stuck and seeing no way out. 

This tells us that being stuck as a theme is the best candidate for our thesis. In other words, this essay will be about the theme of being stuck in the film The Hours .  

Formulate the thesis

At this point, we have everything we need to formulate our thesis, our main point that we’ll be supporting in the essay. Let’s do it:

“In the film The Hours, the feeling of being stuck in terms of their sexualities and life situations plagues the main characters. And the earlier in the century the action takes place, the more disastrous the consequences of them feeling stuck.” 

What’s going on in this thesis? 

First, we have two sentences because this film analysis is kind of complex. It is possible to write out the main point in only one sentence, but then it would be too long and complicated. 

Second, note that we have all the main elements either explicitly or implicitly present in this statement. In other words, this thesis summarizes our entire essay perfectly. 

It contains the themes of:

• Being stuck (which is our main subject)
• Sexuality (one supporting idea)
• Seeking freedom (from an unwanted life situation)
• Sucide (a disastrous consequence)

In other words, it’s all there in the thesis. And we’ll unpack these concepts more in the next two steps. 

Step 4. Write the introductory paragraph

The introductory paragraph consists of three parts:

• An introductory sentence
• The thesis (main point)
• The supporting points

Here is a diagram of how it is organized:

We already have one of these parts, which is the thesis (part 2). Now, all we need is  the introductory sentence and the supporting points. 

Let’s put together our supporting points – the crucial part of a thesis statement. A full thesis statement always includes the main point and the supporting ideas. And then we’ll write out the complete introductory paragraph.

Keep in mind that each of our supporting points will correspond to a section of our essay. And I always recommend using the Power of Three to organize a paper. 

Three is a great number to divide one idea into many. Note that writing an essay on any topic is very much a matter of dividing big topics into subtopics. 

What three supporting points or sections can we have in this essay? Well, luckly, it just so happens that the film The Hours centers around three main characters set in different time periods and places. 

This makes a perfect division into three parts. Now, your movie may not have such a clear division, and in that case you’ll need to come up with three supporting ideas creatively. 

For example, you could discuss the feeling or predicament if being stuck in terms of these concepts:

And your essay would have three main sections. Each section would be devoted to being stuck in a particular sense. 

In our essay, the three women are:

• Virginia Woolf (1923)
• Laura Brown (1951)
• Clarissa Vaughan (2001)

From our thesis, we know two things:

• They all share the feeling of being stuck, in similar ways
• There is a progression from past to present in how it affects them

So, now, let’s write out the complete thesis statement. Note that we’re also including the introductory sentence, whose function is to pull the reader into the subject matter of the essay.

Our film analysis thesis statement example

“Through the power of narrative and visual elements, cinema allows the viewer a glimpse into worlds she otherwise could not know, revealing difficulties people have faced throughout history. In the film The Hours, the feeling of being stuck in terms of their sexualities and life situations plagues the main characters. And the earlier in the century the action takes place, the more disastrous the consequences of them feeling stuck. Virginia Woolf, set in 1923, is in the worst situation because while she suffers from repressed homosexuality and hates living in the country, it is next to impossible for her to find a viable way out. Laura Brown, set in 1951, is also a closet lesbian and lives a small-town family life she despises. But she eventually finds a way to liberate herself. Finally, Clarissa Vaughn, set in 2001, is stuck in her bisexuality. But her life situation, while challenging, is otherwise better than those of the other two characters.”

Step 5. Outline the essay 

The thesis statement that we just put together also acts as our big-picture outline. Let’s see how our essay will be organized, in terms of the main sections:

Notice that this big-picture outline is dictated completely by our thesis statement. This is why a great, detailed thesis statement is so important. 

Fulfilling the word count requirement

Your film analysis essay assignment may have a specific word or page count requirement. Let me give you an example of this film analysis outline with a breakdown of words per section and subsection.

Let’s say you need to write a 2,000-word paper. Well, right now our introductory paragraph contains about 150 words. Here is how we could distribute words to meet that word count requirement.

Outline with word count distribution

• Introductory paragraph (150 words)
• Sexuality ( 300 words )
• Life situation ( 300 words )
• Conclusion (100 words)

If you add up all the sections and subsections, you’ll get 2,050, which is about our desired word count. 

If you need to write 5,000 words, then distribute your words accordingly. You’ll have about 250 words per introduction and conclusion, which will leave you with 4,500 words for the body of the essay.

That will be 1,500 words per main section. Divide each main section into three subsections using the Power of Three, and you have 500 words per subsection. 

It’s very helpful to know how to distribute your words because that allows you to map out how much you’re writing in each section and paragraph. 

Step 6. Write the body of the essay

The body of a film analysis essay consists of sections, and each section consists of one or more paragraphs. 

So, your main building block in the body of the essay is the body paragraph. Here is how a body paragraph is structured:

The first sentence is the so-called lead sentence. It must summarize the contents of the paragraph succinctly and perfectly. 

An explanation is where you have a chance to provide any reasoning or describe a process.

And examples are the most specific parts of any paragraph or essay. They are the most fun to write and to read. 

Let’s write a body paragraph to illustrate exactly how such a building block works in a movie analysis. 

Our example is about Virginia Woolf. It belongs in Section 1, subsection 1 – about being stuck with repressed homosexuality. 

Note that this subsection can have more than one paragraph. This will be one of the paragraphs in this section. 

Film analysis body paragraph example

“Virginia feels stuck in her personal life as if in a prison because of her repressed sexuality. She appears to be a closet homosexual, which is a difficult predicament to endure in the early 20th century England. Homosexuality was looked down upon, and a woman had to be married to a man, regardless of her innate sexual preferences. She lives with her husband who takes care of her and clearly loves her. However, when her sister Vanessa comes to visit, at the end of the visit, Virginia gives her a long, passionate kiss on the lips that is apparently reciprocated. The kiss is so intense that it indicates a repressed desire. Vanessa accepts it, but it is not clear whether she does so out of mutual attraction or compassion for her sister’s suffering.”

This paragraph follows the structure illustrated in the diagram. 

It opens with a lead sentence which summarizes and introduces the entire contents of the paragraph perfectly. It is also the most general statement of the essay.

Next comes the explanation. We explain why we think that Virginia has a problem. The time period she lives in makes it difficult to be a sexual minority. 

Finally, we provide an example – the most specific kind of evidence in an essay. It is an example of a kiss, with a description and implications. 

To complete the body of the essay, we would need to build it out by writing one paragraph after another, following the outline and maintaining this body paragraph structure. 

Note that you can also use outside sources to support your points. But first write out what you can without resorting to research. And only then go and find sources that would confirm your thinking and ideas. 

Step 7. Write the conclusion

This is the final step and the easiest one. I usually advocate for concluding with a simple restatement. 

All you need to do is write out the thesis statement using different words so it doesn’t come across as a mere copy. 

Your conclusion can be shorter than the introductory paragraph. After all, you’ve already said it all. And now, just restate in fewer and different words. You can also add a more general statement at the very end, as a finishing touch. 

And let’s do it.

“The Hours is a fascinating study of how repressed sexuality and confining life situations have affected people’s lives throughout the twentieth century. The three characters live in different times, and the earlier the period the more difficult the situation and the harder it is to endure. Virginia commits suicide because she can’t find a way out of her situation. Laura almost commits suicide but then chooses to abandon her situation, which is physically a little easier in the 1950’s. And Clarissa lives with her girlfriend. Her situation is better although she is still stuck as a bisexual. Life in 2001 is significantly better, though not devoid of challenges.”

And there you have it. Now you know exactly how to write a film analysis paper. 

I hope this was helpful!

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

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Film Analysis Essay: Student Guidelines & Examples

• Icon Calendar 24 August 2024
• Icon Page 7309 words
• Icon Clock 33 min read

This guideline is designed to teach people how to write a film analysis essay. Basically, students and anyone interested in writing a good movie analysis essay should read crucial details and tips that can help them to produce a high-standard piece. The article begins by defining what a film analysis is and its format, listing possible topics in such an essay, and giving an outline, template, and an example of a paper itself. Moreover, a presented guideline also teaches about various types of film analysis and the most common concepts that such a paper may address. As a result, a current article concludes with some tips, including 10 things to do and 10 things not to do, what to include, and common mistakes.

General Aspects

A college education is dynamic and robust because students undertake various academic activities in and out of the lecture room. Typically, activities within lecture halls are theoretical, and those that happen outside are practical. A critical academic exercise is a film analysis writing assignment, where professors require students to watch a movie and discuss using particular elements. Further on, crucial elements directors and producers use to bring an action alive include a stage, lighting, sound, and other special effects. As such, analyzing a video is a complex exercise that requires one to perfect a unique art of writing. In turn, this article is a guideline for how to write a film analysis essay. By reading this text, students can gain insights into critical details and elements they must address when writing a movie analysis essay.

What Is a Film Analysis Essay and Its Purpose

According to its definition, a film analysis essay is a critical examination of a specific movie, focusing on how its various components work together to create a unique meaning and convey a central message. For example, the main purpose of writing a film analysis essay is to provide a deeper understanding of a chosen movie by exploring how key elements work together to convey messages, evoke emotions, and create a cohesive artistic expression (White, 2024). Unlike a simple review, which often emphasizes personal opinions and recommendations, this type of paper covers crucial elements, such as a narrative, character development, cinematography, sound design, and thematic content, and evaluates how these aspects contribute to a movie’s overall impact. Further on, by dissecting essential elements for writing, these essay compositions aim to provide a more thorough understanding of a movie’s artistic and cultural significance, enriching a viewer’s experience and offering new perspectives on a medium of cinema (Lauritzen, 2021). Moreover, people can engage critically with an assigned video, considering not only what is presented on screen but also underlying intentions of filmmakers in a cultural or historical context. In terms of pages and words, the length of a film analysis essay depends on academic levels, course instructions, and assigned movies, while general writing guidelines are:

High School

• Length: 1-3 pages
• Word Count: 250-750 words

College (Undergraduate)

• Length: 3-6 pages
• Word Count: 750-1,500 words

University (Advanced Undergraduate)

• Length: 6-8 pages
• Word Count: 1,500-2,000 words

Master’s

• Length: 8-12 pages
• Word Count: 2,000-3,000 words
• Length: 12-20+ pages
• Word Count: 3,000-5,000+ words

Defining Features

From a simple definition, film analysis explores a unique use of particular elements in a chosen movie, including mise-en-scène, cinematography, sound, and editing. For example, students should talk about actors’ positioning, scenery adaptation, physical setting, stage lighting, and cultural context when writing this kind of essay (White, 2024). Another critical fact to consider is that movies come in various genres, including action, documentaries, drama, horror, romance, and science fiction. Furthermore, each type of video analysis utilizes the above elements differently. Therefore, film analysis means writing an in-depth examination of how directors and producers approach their productions to make them entertaining and informative. Basically, most science fiction works are futuristic, showing how society may change (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). In this respect, all videos have a cultural context students must address in their movie analysis essay and writing.

Generally, film analysis essays differ from other types of papers, including an argumentative essay, a cause and effect essay, and a research paper, because they focus on a single production and explore a particular use of the above elements. For example, some unique features that differentiate film analysis papers from other types of essays include a short plot summary where authors briefly tell readers what a movie is about, such as exterminating evil (Matthews & Glitre, 2021). In this essay type of analysis, people evaluate a specific use of the elements above and state whether they make a movie great or below expectations. Another feature is a poster showing sceneries to give readers a visual experience of a video. Such visuals are essential to arouse the reader’s emotions and mental involvement in a movie analysis. Therefore, when writing a film analysis essay, students should focus on telling a unique story and depicting it.

Note: Some sections of a film analysis essay can be added, deleted, or combined with each other, depending on assignment requirements and scopes of examination. For example, a standard film analysis essay format is a structured approach to writing that includes an introduction section with a concise thesis statement, a body section where various cinematic elements are examined, and a conclusion section that summarizes an entire evaluation and restates a main claim (White, 2024). In essay writing, a film analysis typically involves a detailed examination of a movie’s components, such as themes, cinematography, characters, and narrative structure, presented in a well-organized essay that critically evaluates how these elements contribute to an overall meaning and impact of a video material. Further on, an example of a film analysis essay is a written critique that dissects a specific movie, discussing its narrative structure, character development, visual style, and thematic content, using specific scenes and elements from a video to support an entire examination and provide insights into its overall significance and impact (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). In turn, to start a film analysis essay, people begin with an engaging introduction that includes a movie’s title, director, and release year, followed by a concise thesis statement that outlines a main argument or focus of their critique.

Students must determine a specific type of film analysis essay to avoid sounding ignorant and irrelevant when talking about a chosen movie. For example, the most common writing types are semiotic, narrative, contextual, mise-en-scène, cultural, and historical essay analyses (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). In writing, each type requires students to adopt a singular focus, meaning one cannot concentrate effort on elements that do not fall under a study. Moreover, a main reason for writing these types of analyses is that it is not always possible to understand an entire video in an essay, which is generally a short text of about 2 to 3 pages. Nonetheless, it is prudent for students to know how to write each type, meaning understanding an effective approach and unique features they must discuss and evaluate.

🔸 Semiotic Analysis

A semiotic essay involves discussing, evaluating, and interpreting a specific use of literary analysis elements, including analogies and metaphors, to inanimate characters and objects. For example, these elements have different meanings, and students should determine what a particular feature stands for in a film they are analyzing vis-à-vis its broader cultural or historical significance in society (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). In essay writing, when analyzing the 1958 film Vertigo , one may discuss some symbolism of flowers by stating how some images of them falling apart depict a heroine’s vulnerability. Then, when conducting a semiotic analysis, one should consider several issues, including a repetition of objects or images throughout an entire movie, an association of a character with particular objects, and a relation between an object and other objects. Hence, a semiotic analysis essay requires students to examine and write about a unique use of objects and symbols to communicate a deep meaning.

🔸 Narrative Analysis

A narrative analysis essay involves examining some elements directors or producers use to construct an entire storyline, including characters, a plot, a setting, and a narrative structure. As such, students should focus on an entire movie, a message it seeks to communicate, and the music they hear (Herget, 2019). Considering an example of Vertigo , people may discuss a narrative role of flowers by analyzing how director Alfred Hitchcock introduces them as a movie begins and only brings them up again toward an end to complete a heroine’s character arc. Students should also consider several issues when conducting a narrative analysis essay, including a plot and how it unfolds. In essay writing, one may talk about whether events are systematic or out of order and what that signifies. However, students should not focus on summarizing a plot at the expense of making and defending an argument.

🔸 Contextual Analysis

A contextual analysis of a film is a discussion of a placement of a movie and writing about it. For example, such a feature includes particular contexts, such as slavery, women’s suffrage, a civil rights movement, or a industrial revolution (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). In this case, filmmakers produce movies and base their identity on the unfolding circumstances or themes defining a particular time in history.

🔸 Mise-en-Scène Analysis

A mise-en-scène analysis essay involves discussing and evaluating compositional elements, including sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting, and how they complement or conflict with cinematography, sound, and editing. For example, the most effective approach in conducting this movie analysis a case study is to focus on one or a few scenes rather than an entire movie, telling readers how they support or undermine a plot (Carpio et al., 2023). As such, mise-en-scène is part of a director’s narrative because this element influences how an intended audience understands a central message in an entire production. Taking Vertigo as a case study for writing, one may discuss how Hitchcock incorporates lighting and camera angles to characterize Jimmy Stewart (starring as former police detective John “Scottie” Ferguson) as acrophobic. When adopting and writing a mise-en-scène essay analysis, students should consider how particular scenes create effects and their purpose and how different scenes emphasize a theme central to a plot.

🔸 Cultural Analysis

A cultural analysis essay examines, evaluates, and interprets a broader cultural disposition a director adopts to tell an entire story. For example, students must understand that, regardless of a movie’s production period, a culture influences its various elements, like characters and their mannerisms (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). Taking Vertigo as an example for essay writing, one may interpret a specific scene where a man observes a woman without her knowing it to mean a sexual policing of women in mid-20th century America. When analyzing a context of a video, students should consider how a chosen film captures, reinforces, or critiques social norms in a particular culture or era.

🔸 Historical Analysis

A historical analysis essay means writing about a particular video from a perspective of a specific period underscoring its production. Ideally, filmmakers place their work into a historical context, such as the colonial era or ancient civilizations (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). Therefore, when writing a film analysis essay, students should focus on a defined period a director situates a plot.

Key Cinema Terms and Techniques

Film analysis helps readers to understand essential details, including a unique plot and its central themes, characters and their disposition, scenes and significance, and effects and a message they communicate. Basically, one must be ready to undertake a technical, focused, and vigorous analysis of one or several of these elements (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). In most instances, instructions dictate key aspects students should write about in their essays. However, without such specifications, they should focus on a few elements and examine them vigorously. In writing, one may decide to focus on a plot. Moreover, a movie analysis essay must examine a plot from different perspectives, including principal characters, central themes, and a message. Such a focused analysis allows readers to gain an in-depth understanding of a particular element of movie reviews instead of an analysis that discusses several elements superficially. Finally, some elements, techniques, and terms students can use for writing a film analysis essay include:

• Flashback and flashforward: Flashbacks are scenes that recount events that have a powerful influence on a current or unfolding event. On the other hand, flashforwards are scenes that reveal events that will occur later in a movie, and their purpose is to create anticipation in a target audience.
• Time framework: Directors structure time linearly to depict an orderly unfolding of events. The most common time framework is omitting events to move an entire story forward.
• Setting: A specific environment within which a director creates a movie, including a physical surrounding like a city and a period like a year or a century.
• Range of events: Different events in a movie sustain a plot. Typically, these events directly or indirectly affect protagonists because they facilitate a whole storyline.
• Cast: People producing a video, including the main actors and the production crew. However, actors take priority when discussing the cast.
• Plot: A presented sequence of events that directors create to communicate a central message in a movie analysis. When writing a film analysis essay, students should never ignore this aspect because it underscores a storyline.
• Shot, scene, and sequence: Features that tell a quality of a video but, most importantly, an entire interconnectivity of elements in a director’s aim to tell a story.
• Genre: A classification of movies into various forms, such as action, documentaries, science fiction, horror, or romance. Knowing a film’s genre under analysis is helpful in identifying an actual significance of cinematography and mise-en-scène elements.
• Directing: Supervising film production by visualizing a script, controlling and managing artistic and dramatic aspects, and guiding the actors and technical crew.
• Scenario: An aspect of a movie analysis that provides an intended audience insight into a plot or characters. Ideally, scenarios are scenes that convey critical details of a storyline, such as a climax.
• Acting: A specific role that individuals play to bring a movie’s plot alive. As such, it involves all people who assume different characters in a video, including protagonists, antagonists, heroes, and heroines.
• Visual effects: Some qualities that filmmakers use to bring an action alive, such as images, shots, and scenes. When discussing visual effects in a film analysis essay, students should comment on how they reinforce certain concepts or themes, like mood, fear, and suspense.
• Music and audio effects: Sound and language that enhance an audience’s understanding of a central message. Most movies incorporate background sounds in multiple scenes to arouse reactions in a target audience.
• Camera angle: A unique positioning of a camera to capture precise shots in movies. Filmmakers use camera angles in relation to scenes and characters to affect an audience’s perception.
• Lighting: A mise-en-scène element that filmmakers use to create different effects in a movie. Ideally, movies involve different lighting techniques, such as key light, fill light, and backlight, to guide an audience’s attention, create a visual impact, give a video a texture, or create an atmosphere.
• References: Features that indicate how a video uses dialogue and images in its storyline to allude to, recall, or refer to another movie. Ideally, filmmakers use this feature to contextualize their productions within a cultural or historical space.
• Animation: An entire use of drawings or puppets with mobility like humans. Although it is a movie genre for analysis and essay writing today, filmmakers use animation to give objects animal or human qualities, such as walking, talking, crying, or fighting. Animations effectively depict society as a complex system comprising different life systems.
• Protagonist: A character that takes center stage in a video and whom a director uses to construct a plot. While a movie’s plot may revolve around several actors, only one is central, and others only assist a main hero in accomplishing agendas. In this respect, when students are writing a film analysis essay, they should tell an intended audience about the main protagonist(s).
• Antagonist: Characters that stand opposite of protagonists. Filmmakers use them to depict the main character as assailed by forces aiming to thwart their agenda.
• Climax: A unique point in a movie where a plot peaks and where a protagonist puts into motion a series of events that significantly determine their final experience. These events may include betrayal, heroism, or tragedy to write about in an essay. Therefore, one can identify a video’s climax by assessing how an observed plot intensifies and how events directly impact protagonist’s actions.
• Hero vs. anti-hero: Heroes stand out as brave because they attempt what others fear. In most movies, protagonists are heroes because they survive what consumes others. On the other hand, an anti-hero is a central character who lacks heroic qualities like bravery but is timid, fearful, frustrating, and irritating. As a result, an audience celebrates heroes under analysis and loath anti-heroes.
• Atmosphere: A specific environment in which a movie imbues an intended audience through a provided sequence of events revolving around a plot. Generally, action works create an intense atmosphere because of a frequency of fights. On the other hand, romantic movies create an emotional atmosphere characterized by attraction and happiness that students can use for writing their analysis essays. On their part, horror works create an uneasy atmosphere because of a constant anticipation of evil.
• Background: A technique of capturing an image or object from a distance, often giving other images or objects prominence. Filmmakers use this quality to create a sense of authenticity in scenes. In this case, a scene capturing a rioting crowd may have in its background an image of anti-riot police forming a barrier using their bodies. Looking at the imagery, one may see rioters more clearly but also understand a situation’s intensity because of the police in the background.
• Cameo: A dramatic appearance of a famous actor or personality in a movie for various reasons, including fun, publicity, or to give a video credibility. However, such characters do not become protagonists because they appear briefly and only once. When doing a film analysis, students should indicate and write about such personalities and a role they may have played in a plot.
• Cinematography: An artistic use of technology and visual effects to dramatize a sequence of events in a video. In essay writing, people should examine a scene’s general composition, locations’ lighting, camera angles and movements, and special effects, like illusions or camera tricks.
• Comic relief: A scene that allows a target audience to release emotional weight or tension that may have built up due to escalating events with a negative outcome, such as betrayal and a series of murders. Filmmakers interpose comic relief in tragic scenarios to avoid burdening an audience emotionally to a point of refusing to watch a video to its conclusion. The only film genre that rarely uses comic relief is gothic.
• Film critics: Individuals who have made criticizing films a part- or full-time engagement. Ideally, these people watch movies to identify negative qualities, like a confused plot, poor lighting, and sound effects. While one may consider them an appropriate source of film reviews, they rarely highlight writing a good analysis of a movie.
• Director’s cut: An edited film version that represents a director’s original edit before a release of a theatrical edit that reaches the screens. This part of a movie is important because it shows scenes that some editors may cut or alter. By examining a director’s cut, an author of a film analysis essay looks at the complete production and tells how it may enhance an audience’s viewing experience.
• Foreshadowing: A technique of giving an intended audience a sneak preview of events yet to unfold to build anticipation and heighten dramatic tension. Filmmakers use this quality early in a movie to create excitement in an audience and make them want to view an entire production to an end. For essay writing, foreshadowing focuses on events directly affecting a protagonist, such as a tragedy.
• Editing: Perfecting a film by deleting, arranging, and splicing scenes and synchronizing all elements, including cinematography, mise-en-scène, sound, and special effects. The goal of editing is to make a video perfect for airing on the big screen. In this respect, it aims to remove all features affecting quality.
• Long shot: A scene in a video that filmmakers shoot from a considerable distance to give images and objects indistinct shapes, almost unrecognizable. An excellent long shot captures people walking New York City streets from the city’s skyline. While one would know some images are people walking, they cannot describe their demographics, such as age, gender, or race.
• Metaphor: A literary device that allows filmmakers to represent and write about similarities between objects. An example of a metaphor in a movie is a visual metaphor, where filmmakers represent nouns through graphical images to suggest a particular association or resemblance. Moreover, an advert can represent beauty through an appearance of a flawless face, implying beauty is equal to a look without flaws to write about in an essay. Such an advert increases people’s interest in having a perfect face, leading to purchasing beauty products.
• Montage: A film editing technique where filmmakers combine a series of short shots into one sequence to condense time, establish continuity, or provide contrast. Montages take different forms, including repetition of camera movements, minimal or no dialogue, quick cuts, music, and voice narration.
• New wave: A French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s to pave a way for experimentation and iconoclasm, thus rejecting traditional filmmaking conventions. Filmmakers who subscribed to this wave used videos as a medium, like pottery or novels, for telling stories and translating thoughts and ideas by experimenting with form and style.
• Mockumentary traits: Films that assume a documentary genre, although they do not tell true stories. Instead, filmmakers use parody, satire, and humor to describe contemporary society through events, ideas, and emerging trends. Simply put, a movie is a mockumentary if it is a fictional documentary.
• Slow motion: A filmmaking effect where time appears to slow down because a movie captures footage at a slower speed. This technique is common for rewinding scenarios to reinforce an idea in a target audience. For essay writing, most productions of sports tournaments use slow motion to provide viewers with detailed and perfect shots that leave no room for imagination and analysis.
• Soundtrack: A sound, often music, which filmmakers incorporate in a plot to accompany scenes for heightened effects, such as arousing audience’s emotions. In most instances, this music plays in a video’s background, often from a low to high intensity and vice versa, depending on a specific scene.
• Theme: A concept, idea, or principle that emphasizes a film’s plot and central message, such as sadness, victory, morality, or community. By identifying and writing about some themes that a director uses to construct a plot, authors of film analysis essays can tell a target audience their meaning and significance through an entire story of a protagonist.
• Symmetry: A quality of balancing shots between characters or placing shots symmetrically to each other to create a pattern. For essay writing, visual symmetry involves repeating parts of an image along a path, across an axis, or around a center. Filmmakers use symmetrical patterns to convey a sense of unity or uniformity.
• Symbolism: A literary device of using objects to symbolize ideas. Basically, a filmmaker can use a dove to symbolize peace or a black color to symbolize evil. In essence, symbolism allows filmmakers to communicate profound messages to a target audience. Therefore, students need to identify symbols representing ideas in film analysis and write about them in their essays.

Count on Wr1ter Team to provide you with authentic, well-crafted papers with zero plagiarism.

Topics and Ideas

• Video Review: Salt (2010)
• Video Review and Approval of Black Panther (2018)
• Analysis Essay of Volodymyr Zelensky’s Speech “I Call for You to Do More”
• Impacts of Technological Advancements on the Animation Film Industry
• Examining Gender Issues Through Symbolism in The Ugly Truth (2009)
• Discussing the Narrative Structure in The Godfather (1972)
• Evaluating Christopher Nolan’s Use of Mise-en-Scène Elements in Oppenheimer (2023)
• What Features Indicate a Context of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1993)?
• What Is a Cultural Context of City of God (2002)?
• How Does History Feature as an Element in the Star Wars Trilogy?
• How Does Roman Polanski Employ Flashback and Flashforward to Tell a Story of Wladyslaw Szpilman in The Pianist (2002)?
• Discussing a Conception of Time in The Matrix (1999)
• How Does a Setting of The Departed (2006) Underscore a Film’s Contemporary Significance?
• Describing a Chronology of Events in The Bark Night Rises (2012)
• How Does Casting Affect a Plot in American Beauty (1992)?
• What Central Themes Describe a Plot in Inglorious Bastards (2009)?
• Discussing How Scenes in Idiots (2009) Facilitate a Plot
• Analysis of Gothic Elements in a Horror Genre via the Lens of The Mummy (2017)
• Evaluating Mel Gibson’s Directing of The Braveheart (1995)
• Discussing Crucial Scenarios that Construct a Climax in Capernaum (2018)
• Evaluating Al Pacino’s Acting in Scarface (1983)
• Analyzing an Actual Significance of Visual Effects in a Video From a Perspective of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• How Does Sound Affect a Target Audience in Monster House (2006)?
• Evaluating How Camera Angle Enrich Viewer Experience in Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
• How Does Lighting Fit in a Gothic Film Sleepy Hollow (1999)?
• How Does Steven Spielberg Employ References in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)?
• Analysis of Animation in a Movie From the Perspective of King Kong (1933)
• Who Is the Protagonist in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and Why?
• What Makes Saruman an Antagonist in The Lord of the Rings Series?
• How Does Climax Underpin a Plot in Casino (1995)?
• Analyzing a Difference Between Heroes and Anti-Heroes via the Lenses of Black Panther (2018) and Black Adam (2022)
• How Does Suspense Create an Atmosphere of Anticipation in Black Swan (2010)?
• Discussing How Background Influences Viewer Experience in No Country for Old Men (2007)
• Evaluating an Impact of Harrison Ford’s Appearance in  Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
• How Does M. Night Shyamalan Employ Cinematography in The Sixth Sense (1999)?
• Explaining Comic Relief in a Video Using Uncut Gems (2019) as a Case Study
• Criticizing Jurassic Park (1993) From a Perspective of Cinematography
• How Does Director’s Cut Enrich a Storyline in Blade Runner (1982)?
• Exploring Foreshadowing in a Movie Using 12 Years a Slave (2013)
• Explaining a Link Between Film Editing and Quality Using Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) as an Example
• How Do Long Shots Affect Viewers’ Experience in a Video?
• Understanding a Visual Metaphor in Hotel Rwanda (2004)
• How Does Dialogue Underscore Montage in The Terminator (1984)?
• Analysis of How the Mid-20th Century New Wave Impacted French Filmmaking
• How Does Forgotten Silver (1995) Incorporate Mocumentary Traits?
• What Role Does Slow Motion Play in Movies?
• Analyzing an Actual Importance of Soundtracks From a Perspective of Horror Films
• How Do Directors Use Themes as Conveyors of a Central Message?
• Discussing How Symmetry Affects an Overall Quality of Movies
• Exploring Symbolism in a Film Using Angels & Demons (2009)

Outline and Template

Essay Title: Unique Topic

I. Introduction

• Introduce a film’s title, followed by a director’s name and a year of production.
• Give a short description of a chosen movie or some context underpinning its release.
• End this paragraph with a thesis statement about a chosen film.

II. Summary

• Overview a movie by describing its context, setting, plot, and main characters.

III. Analysis

• Describe several scenes in more detail by focusing on various elements, including cinematography, mise-en-scène, and others that help to evaluate a chosen video.
• Provide and cite some scenes as details and supporting evidence for analysis.
• Evaluate and interpret a particular use of the above elements.

IV. Conclusion

• Remind a target audience about a film’s context and plot.
• Recapitulate information in an analysis section.
• Interpret a movie’s significance.

List of References

• Include and cite any source used for writing a film analysis essay and follow a required referencing style, such as APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago/Turabian, etc.

Film Analysis Essay Example

Topic: What Features Indicate a Context of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1993)?

Introduction

Films play a crucial role in educating people about the unique context within which movies come into their lives. Ideally, filmmakers implement various societal elements to construct ideas and use cinema as a conveyor belt to pass movies to different populations. Therefore, analyzing a video’s context is critical in understanding critical ideas that a director embraces to produce an entire work. In his 1993 film The Joy Luck Club , Wayne Wang implements several features, such as a physical landscape, cultural nuances, and a conflict between generations, to underline a unique movie’s context.

Body: Summary

Directed by Wayne Wang, The Joy Luck Club tells a tragic story of an Asian woman named Jun, born of the late Suyuan, who founded the Joy Luck Club social group. The movie’s plot revolves around the adverse experiences of Asian mothers as immigrants in America from the perspective of their daughters. In this respect, a video takes a narrative approach. Moreover, the movie’s setting alternates between San Francisco, California, and China, with the scenes in San Francisco representing the present day (Wang, 1993). Set in the 1980s, an entire storyline takes a viewer across generations. In turn, mothers have flashbacks of the 1920s and 1940s.

Body: Analysis

Physical Landscape

A key feature that reveals a unique context of The Joy Luck Club is the physical landscape. For example, a video captures San Francisco as an urban place populated by buildings, busy streets, and a coastline (Wang, 1993). Besides, the movie contrasts this landscape with the mountainous landscape in China, where natural elements exceed physical structures.

Cultural Nuances

Another feature that reveals a film’s context is the cultural nuances between mothers and their daughters. Basically, a viewer can learn how mothers went through a world so different from that of their daughters to the extent they loathe some of the behaviors and mannerisms they see in them. However, a viewer can also tell that some cultural differences between mothers and daughters may explain why there is confusion between the two generations. Born in a conservative Chinese culture, mothers experience a cultural shock once in America, which does not happen for their daughters because they have only experienced a liberal American culture (Wang, 1993). Hence, the life values and perspectives of mothers and their daughters are constantly in conflict.

Conflict Between Generations

Although the scenes in San Francisco and China are essential to a whole storyline, cultural nuances of mothers and their daughters take center stage in a conflict between generations in a film. While daughters seem relaxed and willing to engage in fantasies, their mothers insist they embrace education as the noblest achievement (Wang, 1993). As such, two generations are always at loggerheads about leisure time because mothers seek to utilize every minute to work, while daughters want to have fun most of the time. Ironically, mothers see education as a tool to make their daughters truly American because it determines their quality of life.

The Joy Luck Club exposes the dramatic experiences of Chinese mothers in America, showing some cultural nuances that influence their relationships with their daughters. In essence, a director depicts immigration as crucial to the women’s experiences, as presented in a video, because it is an avenue through which mothers arrive in America. Finally, the movie depicts mothers as caring despite their unpleasant experiences and their daughters’ ignorance.

Wang, W. (Director). (1993). The Joy Luck Club [Film]. Walt Disney Studios.

Steps on How to Write a Film Analysis Essay

Writing a good film analysis essay is a technical process that requires students to grasp and demonstrate certain qualities. For example, to write a film analysis essay, people critically examine key movie’s elements, such as themes, cinematography, and character development, while supporting their evaluation with specific examples and organizing their thoughts coherently around a central thesis (White, 2024). Ideally, one should know how to produce a high-standard paper, including adequate preparation, stage setup, creating an initial essay draft, and perfecting a final draft. As such, these details summarize basic steps of writing a great film analysis essay.

Step 1: Preparation

Preparation is a first step of writing a film analysis essay and involves several tasks. For example, a first aspect is defining possible essay topics if writing instructions from tutors do not specify them (Lauritzen, 2021). Basically, one may select film research paper topics that are easy yet challenging. Then, a second task is to generate ideas that an intended audience can relate to, such as some cultural or historical issues in a chosen movie. In turn, some examples of sentence starters for beginning a film analysis essay are:

• In a film [“Title”], directed by [Director] in [year], an effective use of [element, e.g., cinematography] plays an integral role in conveying a theme of [theme].
• Through key lens of [genre], [ Title ] explores a complex relationship between [concept/idea], highlighting [aspect].
• [ Title ], released by [Director] in [year], offers a powerful commentary on [social/cultural issue], as seen through its [specific aspect, e.g., character development or visual style].
• An opening sequence of [“Title”] immediately sets a unique tone for a movie by utilizing , which suggests [interpretation].
• In [ Title ], [Director] masterfully intertwines [two elements, e.g., narrative structure and sound design] to emphasize [key theme or message].
• A defining feature of [“Title”] is its ability to [achieve something, e.g., evoke a particular emotion] through [specific video element].
• An overall portrayal of [character] in [ Title ] is particularly striking, as it reveals [aspect of character or theme], which resonates with [broader context].
• A famous movie [“Title”] can be seen as a reflection of [historical/social context], with [specific elements] serving as key indicators of [theme or idea].
• [“Title”] utilizes [specific technique, e.g., non-linear storytelling] to challenge an audience’s perception of [subject], making it a compelling study in [aspect].
• By examining [element, e.g., dialogue, symbolism] in [ Title ], one can find a deeper meaning of [theme or message] that a movie subtly conveys.

Step 2: Stage Set Up

Setting a stage is a second step of writing a film analysis essay. In essence, this part involves watching an assigned film to understand its context and plot and using cinematography and other elements. For example, to write a critical essay about a movie, people analyze key visual elements, such as a plot, characters, themes, and cinematography, evaluate how effectively they contribute to a video’s overall message, and support their critique with specific examples and evidence from a video (White, 2024). Further on, a second task is to research credible sources that help to analyze an observed video, such as scholarly reviews and scholarship on film, including gothic movies and the use of literary or rhetorical devices. Finally, a next task is to create a clear essay outline according to a sample above.

Step 3: A Writing Process of Starting a First Draft

A third step of writing a film analysis essay is to develop a paper focusing on producing an initial draft. For example, to write a scene analysis essay, people focus on a specific segment of a video, breaking down its crucial elements, like dialogue, cinematography, and sound, and explain how these aspects contribute to an episode’s purpose and an overall narrative or themes of a chosen video (Lauritzen, 2021). As such, an entire text-writing activity should combine all ideas to create a document with a logical order of ideas and content. Then, some of the activities in this essay writing stage include adding or deleting reliable sources to fit a paper and altering an initial outline to organize ideas. In principle, people should also focus on developing a clear thesis statement when writing an introduction section because it summarizes a paper’s aim (Lauritzen, 2021). Besides, they should adopt evidence-based writing by incorporating evidence and corresponding citations in a body section. As a result, a last aspect is to restate a thesis and summarize an entire analysis in a conclusion section by mentioning the most critical points.

Step 4: Wrap-Up and Finishing a Final Draft

A final step of writing a film analysis essay is to wrap it up by perfecting a first draft. In this respect, students should focus on revising their first drafts to eliminate flaws like inconsistent ideas. Further on, a second task is to edit a film analysis essay by adding to deleting words and sentences to foster a logical flow of thought. In writing, students should also ensure each body paragraph has a topic sentence, evidence, scenes, or details cited from academic sources or films, explanation and analysis sentences, concluding remark, and transition to a next paragraph, not forgetting to check if a paper’s formatting is perfect. Concerning an essay’s formatting, students should adopt one style when writing an entire document: APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian. Considering The Joy Luck Club , templates and examples of citations should read as follows:

📕 Citing a Film in APA

• Reference entry: Wang, W. (Director). (1993). The Joy Luck Club [Film]. Walt Disney Studios.
• In-text citation: (Wang, 1993, 00:46:00-00:50:00)

📕 Citing a Film in MLA

• Work Cited entry: The Joy Luck Club . Directed by Wayne Wang, performances by Suyuan Woo and Rose Hsu Jordan, Walt Disney Studios, 1993.
• In-text citation: ( The Joy Luck Club 00:46:00-00:50:00)

📕 Citing a Film in Harvard

• Reference List entry: The Joy Luck Club (1993). Directed by Wayne Wang. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Studios.
• In-text citation: ( The Joy Luck Club 1993, 00:46:00-00:50:00)

📕 Citing a Film in Chicago/Turabian

• Bibliography entry: Wang, Wayne, director. The Joy Luck Club . Walt Disney Studios, 1993.
• Footnote: 1. The Joy Luck Club , directed by Wayne Wang (Walt Disney Studios, 1993), 00:46:00-00:50:00.

Students must learn essential tips for writing a high-standard film analysis essay. For example, these writing tips include watching a specific film before starting a movie analysis paper; determining crucial aspects to cover, such as a plot, cinematography, context, or setting; selecting suitable sources to construct ideas and defend arguments; and creating a well-organized essay outline (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2020). In turn, key writing things to consider are:

10 things to do include:

• watching a film at least once;
• considering an intended audience;
• commenting on acting;
• criticizing a directing by mentioning cinematography, mise-en-scène, or special effects;
• supporting criticism;
• talking about a plot;
• consulting professional reviewers, like Roger Ebert and Rotten Tomatoes;
• reading, rereading, editing, and revising;
• cultivating a personal voice to demonstrate knowledge;
• proofreading a final essay.

10 things not to do include:

• retelling a film;
• overusing sentences;
• generalizing ideas;
• continuously comparing a movie with its adaptations, like a book or novel;
• ignoring or doing superficial research;
• telling irrelevant details;
• writing poorly with too many grammar and format errors;
• getting too personal;
• reviewing another movie;
• plagiarizing reviews.

What to Include

Common Mistakes

• Over-Summarizing a Plot: Providing too much writing detail about a plot instead of focusing on critical analysis.
• Lack of a Clear Thesis: Failing to establish a concise thesis that guides a film analysis essay’s direction.
• Biased Analysis: Offering a shallow interpretation without exploring a movie’s deeper meanings or themes to write about.
• Ignoring Character Development: Overlooking how character growth contributes to a video’s overall message or theme.
• Neglecting Visual Elements: Failing to analyze cinematography, such as camera angles and lighting, which are crucial to a video’s storytelling.
• Overlooking Sound Design: Ignoring crucial impacts of sound, music, and dialogue on a video’s atmosphere and emotional aspect.
• Lack of Contextual Understanding: Not considering a movie’s historical, cultural, or social context, which can deepen an overall essay analysis and writing.
• Insufficient Use of Evidence: Making claims without supporting them with specific examples or quotes from a video.
• Being Overly Opinionated: Allowing personal opinions to replace objective writing in a critical analysis of a chosen video.
• Weak Conclusion: Ending a film analysis essay without effectively summarizing main points or reinforcing a central thesis.

A film analysis essay is a structured critique of a movie, examining different elements, like a narrative, cinematography, themes, and directorial techniques. Basically, a basic film analysis is a process of critically examining and interpreting various elements of a chosen movie, such as its themes, cinematography, narrative, and characters, to understand how they contribute to a video’s overall meaning and impact. In writing, an entire process starts with thorough preparation, including selecting a relevant topic and watching a chosen video multiple times to understand its context and other aspects. Further on, this type of paper should be well-organized, beginning with an introduction paragraph that presents a movie and a thesis statement. Moreover, a body of this composition must include a detailed analysis supported by examples from a video, while a conclusion paragraph reinforces main arguments and evaluates a movie’s overall impact. As a result, a careful revision of a film essay ensures writing clarity, coherence, and proper citation of all sources used. In turn, principal takeaways to remember include:

• Watch a chosen film while notetaking.
• Read several reviews focusing on a plot, context, setting, characters, scenes, and elements, like cinematography and mise-en-scène.
• Create a list of ideas.
• Organize key ideas to fit various aspects of a movie indicated above: plot, context, and other elements.
• Write an appropriate introduction.
• Summarize a film.
• Analyze a video by exploring one or several aspects comprehensively.
• Write a conclusion, which must satisfy a target audience.

Carpio, R., Birt, J., & Baumann, O. (2023). Using case study analysis to develop heuristics to guide new filmmaking techniques in embodied virtual reality films. Creative Industries Journal , 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/17510694.2023.2171336

Herget, A.-K. (2019). On music’s potential to convey meaning in film: A systematic review of empirical evidence. Psychology of Music , 49 (1), 21–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735619835019

Lauritzen, J. (2021). Read, write, and cite . Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

Matthews, P., & Glitre, K. (2021). Genre analysis of movies using a topic model of plot summaries. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology , 72 (12), 1511–1527. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24525

Pramaggiore, M., & Wallis, T. (2020). Film fourth edition: A critical introduction . Quercus Publishing.

White, B. (2024). Film analysis handbook: Analysing films, movies and cinema . Amba Press.

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The Writing Place

Resources – how to write a film analysis, introduction to the topic.

While most people watch films for entertainment, those who study film focus on the elements of a film that combine to create the ultimate product. Behind the scenes production editing that occurs before, during, and after filming contribute to the images that people see on screen. A formal analysis of a film asks you to break a film down into its different components and discuss how those pieces work together to create an overall experience. Here is a checklist to help you write a film analysis.

Sections of a Film Analysis with Tips

The introduction to the paper.

Begin by  briefly  summarizing the film. You should not rehash the entire plot, but instead give the most critical information about the film to the reader. Then, introduce the formal elements that you will be discussing. Finally, your thesis should connect the elements you will discuss to their importance to the film as a whole.

The Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of a film analysis are similar to those found in other analytical essays.  Each paragraph should discuss a different small component of the film and how the component serves the entire film. In these paragraphs, you should give concrete examples to support your claims. These examples can include scenes or quotes from the film itself, but you can also include different editing techniques or other behind the scenes work. Connect your examples to the overall film and try to answer the question, “Why does this element ultimately matter for the viewing audience?”

The Conclusion

Briefly summarize what you have talked about in the essay. Be careful not to make generalizations about the film that are not supported by the effects of the specific elements you discussed. In this section, you can discuss the overall importance of the film its historical context or address any lingering questions the film leaves.

Tips for Film Analysis

• Understand the vocabulary of filmmaking. Knowing how to talk about elements such as lighting, special effects, framing, focus, and screenwriting are critical to writing a film analysis.
• Try to watch the film more than one, if possible. After you decide which element(s) to write about, watch the film again, keeping those ideas in mind.
• A film analysis is not the same of a film review. Avoid making pedestrian judgments about the film’s entertainment factor. If you wish to criticize the film, do so by referencing formal elements.
• Unless the assignment asks you, do not try to cover every single element the film uses. Try to narrow your focus as much as you can to one or two salient elements.
• If you are referring to the actions of a person in the film, refer to the scene using the character’s name. If you are referring the acting itself, use the actor’s real name.

Exercise: Which Sentence Belongs in a Film Analysis?

Sentences and instructions.

When writing a film analysis, many students have to fight the urge to incorporate the components of a film review into their essays. In each of the following exercises, one sentence could be a part of a film analysis, while the other is better suited for a review.

See if you can tell the difference:

1.      (a.) In  Winter’s Bone , Jennifer Lawrence gives the performance of the decade. (b.) For her role in  Winter’s Bone , Jennifer Lawrence had to learn a West Virginia accent in order to portray an authentic character.

2.   (a.) The editors of  Hocus Pocus  use special effects to create magic on screen. (b.) The editors of  Hocus Pocus  used a green screen to give the appearance that the witches were flying over the city.

 3.    (a.) The lack of shadows in  V for Vendetta  gives the viewer the impression that the editors forgot to add in some special effects. (b.) The lack of shadows in  V for Vendetta  gives the viewer the impression that the scenes are occurring in a futuristic world.

Developed by Ann Bruton, with the help of Alexander Waldman

Adapted F rom:

Dartmouth Writing Program’s “Writing About Film” 

Duke University’s Thompson Writing Program “Writing About Film”  

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How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Format & Examples

Movie analysis essays offer a unique opportunity to take a closer look at narrative techniques and artistic aspects of filmmaking. A paper on this subject lets you explore themes, characters, cinematography, and other elements that make movies stand out. Students can improve their movie analysis abilities by reading our comprehensive guide! It has enough information to make you a movie critic in your own right.

Our team has covered the main film analysis essay components to help you thoroughly analyze movies. By the end of this read, you’ll understand how to pick the right motion picture and craft a film review that best captures its essence. The guide covers all the crucial steps for students to make a film analysis essay captivating and thought-provoking for readers. Let’s dive into cinema analysis and discover the secret behind excellent papers!

• 📽️ What Is a Film Analysis?
• 🎞️ Types of Movie Analysis

🎬 Film Analysis Template

• 🤩 11 Tips for Movie Analysis
• 💡 Film Analysis Essay Topics

🔗 References

📽️ what is a film analysis essay.

In a film analysis paper, students should closely examine the various elements of the picture. These include directing , writing , cinematography , acting , and setting . As with any critical paper, the subject is evaluated based on specific standards. Sometimes, a film may be compared to other entries in its genre or series, for example, Star Wars vs. Star Trek.

🎞️ Types of Movie Analysis Essays

Before making a movie analysis outline, it’s essential to understand what kind of essay you want to create. There are several popular types with unique goals and aims. Understanding the difference between them helps you choose the right one for the paper you want to write.

The most common types of movie analysis essays include:

• Semiotic Analysis. This type discusses the symbols and signs represented in a particular movie. With its help, you may uncover the meaning of objects or images repeated throughout the picture. It’s also possible to show connections between different examples of imagery in the film. For example, you may discuss the meaning of oranges in The Godfather .
• Narrative Structure Analysis. This common type of analysis lets you look deeper into the various story elements, such as plot, narrative structure, and characters. For example, you may use it to explore the story and setting of Psycho.
• Contextual Analysis. In a contextual analysis, you draw connections between the film and its cultural and historical context. This works well with documentary films or movies based on real events. For example, you can describe the atmosphere of the Cold War in Red Dawn and The Hunt for Red October .
• Mise-En-Scene Analysis . If you want to go into deep detail about the beauty and meaning of scenes or single shots, mise-en-scene analysis is right for you. It lets you take a look at individual elements and interpret them. For example, you may try to explain how various details of the surroundings were depicted in Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. This analysis is as effective for short films as it is for feature-length ones.

Creating a high-quality, compelling essay isn’t just about being creative. It also needs structure and a systematic approach. You can’t write it right if you don’t know how to do it. So, we’ll take a closer look at each step of this process to make your journey more comfortable. Come with us and learn what makes a movie critique essay great.

Prepare for Writing the Film Analysis Paper

Before you begin your first draft, it’s vital to prepare for the film analysis. This process is divided into five stages. We’ve decided to provide some advice and ideas for each of them. Look closely at what should be done to better prepare for this task:

Movie Analysis Format & Structure

A well-organized film essay structure will help you properly present your ideas and arguments. That is why we have provided some advice on how you should format your essay.

There are several parts you should include when writing your film critique:

• Introduction . Any good piece of writing starts with a catchy introduction. It must give readers a small taste of what the paper will be about with unique insights and analysis. One look at it should be enough to hook your readers.
• Body . After writing the perfect intro, summarize the work you’ll analyze and focus on the crucial plot points. Then, provide an analysis of the motion picture at length. Check your outline to ensure you only talk about relevant aspects. When organizing each of your paragraphs , you should remember its purpose and try not to stray off topic.
• Conclusion . The last part of your paper should summarize the main points and present your final thoughts. Don’t haste and write the first thing that comes to mind. Ensure that the conclusion is as impactful as the introductory part.

Sometimes, students get too engrossed when watching a movie and leave out essential details. To make sure that doesn’t happen, follow this movie analysis template. It will help you retain information and avoid making mistakes.

🤩 11 Tips to Follow While Writing a Movie Analysis

A movie analysis essay writing requires exceptional attention to detail. We’ve come up with several terrific pieces of advice that will improve your writing skills regarding these assignments. They will work for you whether you’re analyzing a Tim Burton animated film or the legendary Titanic movie.

• Even if you’ve seen the work before, rewatch it. It will refresh your memories of it.
• Don’t rush things, and see the movie at least twice. Arrange your time to have the opportunity to refresh your memories of the plot details.
• Sometimes, it helps to work on the body of the paper before adding an introduction.
• Develop a clear thesis statement . It helps better organize the paper’s arguments.
• Closely investigate the audio and visual elements. They often help bring more nuance to the story and the film’s atmosphere.
• Don’t make the paper all about the plot. It should be an analysis and not a retelling of the entire story.
• To make the paper more professional, incorporate some technical jargon. For example, you may explain the techniques used by the camera crew or the editors.
• Do your best to remain objective. Your paper should analyze the movie elements and your opinions should be evidence-based.
• Compare the film to other genre entries. Try to tell how other works tackle the same subjects and utilize similar cinema elements .
• Check the structural integrity of the work. Comb the paper for any inconsistencies or sentences that seem to dangle in the air. Your text should be easy to follow.
• Finally, remember to edit. It’s important to polish the paper until you have all the facts, grammar, stylistics, and spelling in order.

💡 Interesting Topics for Film Analysis Essays

• Pandora’s Unobtanium: Analyzing James Cameron’s “Avatar”
• Truth and Its Consequences in “Liar Liar” Directed by Tom Shadyac
• The Feminist Revolution in “Mona Lisa Smile” by Mike Newell
• Blade Runner’s Cyberpunk Aesthetic: A Scene Analysis
• Society and Class Distinctions in “Pride and Prejudice” Movie
• Power, Loyalty, and Betrayal in “The Godfather” by Francis Ford Coppola
• The Heroine’s Journey into “The Wizard of Oz” by Victor Fleming
• Generational Saga “Mi Familia” by Gregory Nava
• Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates: A Cinematic Journey in ‘Forrest Gump’
• Transformation in “Dances with Wolves” by Kevin Costner
• Spirit of Nature and Childhood Innocence in “My Neighbor Totoro”
• Subversive Masculinity in “Fight Club” by David Fincher
• Intercultural Communication in “Lost in Translation” by Sofia Coppola
• Ethical Dilemmas and Family Bonds in “My Sister’s Keeper” by Nick Cassavetes
• Shakespearean Romance and Identity in “Shakespeare in Love”

We did our best to address all questions you might have had about film review writing. Feel free to use our guide and review essay examples to write excellent papers and share our articles with your friends.

• Resources – How to Write a Film Analysis. – Northwestern University
• Film Analysis. – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Film Writing: Sample Analysis. – Purdue University
• How to Write a Movie Review: 9 Essential Tips. – New York Film Academy
• Step by Step Guide to Writing an Essay on Film. – Film Threat
• How To Write a Critical Analysis in 5 Steps (With Tips). – Indeed
• Film Review. – Writing Studio, Duke University
• How to Write About Film: The Movie Review, The Theoretical Essay, and The Critical Essay. – University of Colorado Denver
• Film & Media Studies Resources: Researching a Film. – Bowling Green State University
• Questions for Film Analysis. – University of Washington

Study Guide - Edward Scissorhands: How to write a Film Analysis Essay & Cinematic Techniques

• Characters, Plot, Synopsis &Themes
• Quotations & Bibilography
• Film Reviews
• How to write a Film Analysis Essay & Cinematic Techniques
• Film Genres & Film Lighting Terminology, Film QUIZ

How to write a film analysis essay

How to Write a Film Analysis Essay

By Timothy Sexton

Writing a film analysis essay is an assignment that is less likely to terrorize those who fear the idea of writing an essay, because it allows them to write about something most people enjoy. Film analysis is not the same thing as writing a movie review, which involves passively watching a movie. An analysis means you must engage on a level beyond that of storytelling.

Watch the movie. Then watch it again. Take notes during the first viewing and, if you are analyzing a movie that is available on DVD, be ready with your remote control to pause and rewind.

Critically engage the movie so that you can effectively produce a strong essay. Focus on a single thematic concept related to the film. Ideas for essays taking this route could include an analysis of how the film is photographed, how the movie relates a historical event in a dramatic way without compromising the facts or how a single sequence within the film relates to larger cinematic concepts, like overlapping dialogue or the utilization of dramatic irony.

Introduce the film and its major participants, such as the actors and director. Include the name of another technician on the film if your analysis will be focusing on that aspect. For instance, cite the name of the cinematographer if you are going to be writing about the importance of shadows to film noir, or include the name of the composer of the movie’s score if you are writing about the importance of background music to the emotional tone of the film.

Provide a brief overview of the story, but avoid the temptation to pad your word count by writing what amounts to a synopsis of the story rather than analysis. Reveal plots twists or the ending of the film only if they relate directly to your analysis.

Write your film analysis with the movie at hand if this is possible. Write next to a television and DVD player if applicable. Stay inside the theatre for the second or third showing with your notepad ready if this is possible. Writing an effective film analysis is best accomplished if you don’t have to rely on your memory of events, dialogue or cinematic techniques.

Familiarize yourself with technical jargon related to the art of filmmaking. Learn the difference between a cut and a dissolve. Write about subjective camera work if the analysis is dealing with a part of the movie shot from the point of view of one of the characters. Properly utilizing filmmaking terms will strengthen the authority of your essay.

Source:  http://classroom.synonym.com/write-film-analysis-essay-4125.html

Cinematic Techniques

Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands Film Analysis

Help with writing a film essay - Linda Rubens

Film Techniques

Film techniques is the term used to describe the ways that meaning is created in film.

Camera Shots

A camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot or frame. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of a film's setting, characters and themes. As a result, camera shots are very important in shaping meaning in a film. Reviewing the examples on the right hand side of this page should make the different camera shots clearer.

An extreme long shot ( animation on right ) contains a large amount of landscape. It is often used at the beginning of a scene or a film to establish general location (setting). This is also known as an establishing shot.

A long shot ( animation on right ) contains landscape but gives the viewer a more specific idea of setting. A long shot may show the viewers the building where the action will take place.

A full shot ( animation on right ) contains a complete view of the characters . From this shot, viewers can take in the costumes of characters and may also help to demonstrate the relationships between characters. For more information on costumes and acting refer to Chapter 4.

A mid shot ( animation on right ) contains the characters or a character from the waist up . From this shot, viewers can see the characters' faces more clearly as well as their interaction with other characters. This is also known as a social shot

A close-up ( animation on right ) contains just one character's face . This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot.

An extreme close-up ( animation on right ) contains one part of a character's face or other object. This technique is quite common in horror films, particularly the example above. This type of shot creates an intense mood and provides interaction between the audience and the viewer.

When analysing a film you should always think about the different camera shots and why they are being used. The next time that you are at the cinema or watching television see what camera shots are being used.

Important: These camera shots are used in all forms of visual texts including postcards, posters and print advertisements.

Camera angles

It is important that you do not confuse camera angles and camera shots. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of setting, themes and characters. Camera angles are used to position the viewer so that they can understand the relationships between the characters. These are very important for shaping meaning in film as well as in other visual texts.

The following examples will help you to understand the differences between the different camera angles

A bird's eye angle ( animation on right ) is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene . This angle is often used as an establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot, to establish setting.

A high angle ( animation on right ) is a camera angle that looks down upon a subject . A character shot with a high angle will look vulnerable or small. These angles are often used to demonstrate to the audience a perspective of a particular character. The example above demonstrates to us the perspective or point of view of a vampire. As a viewer we can understand that the vampire feels powerful.

An eye-level angle ( animation on right ) puts the audience on an equal footing with the character/s . This is the most commonly used angle in most films as it allows the viewers to feel comfortable with the characters.

A low angle ( animation on right ) is a camera angle that looks up at a character . This is the opposite of a high angle and makes a character look more powerful. This can make the audience feel vulnerable and small by looking up at the character. This can help the responder feel empathy if they are viewing the frame from another character's point of view.

As with camera shots, you will be able to see many examples of camera angles in any film or visual text that you view. The next time that you watch television or see a film, take note of the camera angles and think of how they affect your perception (idea) of different characters.

Another camera angle that you might come across is a Dutch angle.

A Dutch angle ( animation on right ) is used to demonstrate the confusion of a character. The example above should disorientate you.

Camera movement

Composers of films also use camera movement to shape meaning. The following are some examples of common camera movements and how they can be used to shape meaning in films.

A crane shot ( animation on right ) is often used by composers of films to signify the end of a film or scene. The effect is achieved by the camera being put on a crane that can move upwards

A tracking shot and a dolly shot ( animation on right ) have the same effect. A tracking shot moves on tracks and a dolly shot is mounted on a trolley to achieve the effect in the example above. This camera movement is used in a number of ways but is most commonly used to explore a room such as a restaurant. By using a tracking shot or a dolly shot the composer of a film gives the viewer a detailed tour of a situation. It can also be used to follow a character.

Panning ( animation on right ) is used to give the viewer a panoramic view of a set or setting. This can be used to establish a scene

An Evangelion shot ( animation on right ) is derived from the popular anime series 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'. This camera movement begins as an extreme close-up and zooms out abruptly, creating a blurring effect to emphasise the speed and size of the object

Lighting is a very important aspect for shaping meaning in films. What kind of atmosphere is created in a room lit by candles? Have you ever heard of mood lighting? A room that is brightly lit by neon lights might seem to be sterile or a shadowy room might be eerie or scary. The lighting technicians in a film crew have the task of creating lighting to suit the mood and atmosphere of each scene in a film.

Consider the animations Lighting example one, Lighting example two, Lighting example three and think about what type of atmosphere is created in each.

For each example, do you think the lighting suits the characters in the frames? For instance, in Example Three the two people are very happy and the scene is lit brightly. What would be the effect on the atmosphere if the lighting were dark and shadowy, similar to Example Two?

Remember that lighting is used in still image visual texts as well as in films.

Cinematography

Cinematography is the combination of the techniques described in this chapter. This includes camera shots, camera angles, camera movement and lighting. Use the term cinematography to group all of these together, for example, 'The cinematography in that film was exceptional.'

Mise en Scene

Mise en scene refers to all the objects and characters in a particular frame. More specifically, it refers to the composition of the frame. When you use the term mise en scene, you are discussing where the composer or director has placed all the elements of the scene within the frame.

Source : Information taken from educational website - www.skwirkcom

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