Final Paper Assignment

Dear Class,
Your assignment for the final paper is as follows:

5-7 pages (double spaced, 12 pt font, etc) analysis of a film that you've already written about for this class in which you form a thesis (an overarching interpretive claim) and support it based on the formal and structural elements of the film. That is, if you stick to plot and dialog within the film, you are missing the bigger picture.

I want you to stay away from evaluative claims and our list of "dirty words" from the beginning of the semester. The idea is to demonstrate your understanding of how all of the formal elements of a film come to together to describe a specific theme or concept that is relevent to a deeper understanding of its content. The key to a good paper is a strong thesis, which doesn't include "I like it" or "it was really good." A thesis statement essentially asks a question that is going to be answered in the course of the paper using examples from the film.

If you need an example of a this sort of analysis, look to pg 39 of your textbook. The article assigned to you on "Primary" also provides a very analysis of that documentary in the broader context of "direct cinema".