Film Critique
Guidelines
Paragraph
1: Offer your overall impression of the
film while mentioning the movie's title, director, and key actors. [Note: this info can be found at
www.imdb.com]
Paragraph
2: Briefly
summarize the plot of the film
Paragraph 3: Positive things you thought about the film,
what did you like? Why? Use descriptive words to discuss the plot, setting,
techniques and effects used, music, etc.
Paragraph 4: Negative
things you thought about the film, what didn’t you like? Why? Comment on the
same type of things that you mentioned in paragraph 4.
Paragraph 5:
Ending paragraph--your last opportunity to guide the reader. Summarize and strongly restate your opinions.
Critiques must be typed. No handwritten work will be
accepted.
Critiques must have a filled-out rubric attached.
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Here are some words and phrases that are commonly used in
movie reviews. You may want to use some of them (or the ideas they suggest) in
your critiques:
spectacular visual effects, excessive violence,
breathtaking, evocative, mood, atmosphere, poorly, unsuccessful, detail,
scenery, irresistible, perfect, moments, plot, this movie has been compared to
____ because, wonderful, hilarious, momentum, unexpected plot twists,
unbelievable, phenomenal, hype, suspense, disappointing, confusion/confused,
fake, imitation, genre, unoriginal, typical, thrilled, was a very moving
portrayal, quality of the film, I was impressed by, credible, cliché, a mixture
of, classic, captivating
The following questions should help you in writing your
critique. Keep them in mind when watching a film, and use them when choosing
what to write about.
BACKGROUND
Who is the writer of the film? Has the screenplay been
adapted from another work?
Who is the director?
When was the film made?
STRUCTURE / FORM
What does the title mean in relation to the film as a whole?
How are the opening credits presented? Do they relate to
meaning?
Why does the film start in the way that it does?
Are there any motifs (scenes, images, dialogue) that are
repeated? What purpose do they serve?
What three or four sequences are most important in the film?
Why?
Is sound used in any vivid ways to enhance the film? (i.e.
Enhance drama, heighten tension, disorient the viewer, etc.)
How does the film use color or light/dark to suggest tone
and mood in different scenes?
Are there any striking uses of perspective (seeing through a
character's eyes, camera angle, etc.) How does this relate to the meaning of
the scene?
How and when are scenes cut? Are there any patterns in the
way the cuts function?
What specific scene constitutes the film's climax? How does
this scene resolve the central issue of the film?
Does the film leave any disunities (loose ends) at the end?
If so, what does it suggest?
Why does the film conclude on this particular image?
THEME
How does this film relate to the issues and questions evoked
by your topic?
Does the film present a clear point-of-view on your topic?
How?
Are there any aspects of theme that are left ambiguous at
the end? Why?
How does this film relate to the other literary texts you
have read on your topic (or in class this year or on your own)?
General Terms
Shot: continuous, unedited piece of film of any length
Scene: a series of shots that together form a complete
episode or unit of the narrative
Storyboard: Drawn up when designing a production. Plans AV
text and shows how each shot relates to sound track. (Think comic strip with
directions - like a rough draft or outline for a film.)
Montage: The editing together of a large number of shots
with no intention of creating a continuous reality. A montage is often used to
compress time, and montage shots are linked through a unified sound - either a
voiceover or a piece of music.
Parallel action: narrative strategy that crosscuts between
two or more separate actions to create the illusion that they are occurring
simultaneously
Shots
Long Shot: Overall view from a distance of whole scene often
used as an establishing shot - to set scene. Person - will show whole body.
Medium or Mid Shot: Middle distance shot - can give
background information while still focusing on subject. Person - usually shows waist
to head.
Close Up: Focuses on detail / expression / reaction. Person
- shows either head or head and shoulders.
Tracking shot: single continuous shot made with a camera
moving along the ground
Reverse shot: shot taken at a 180 degree angle from the preceding
shot (reverse-shot editing is commonly used during dialogue, angle is often 120
to 160 degrees)
Subjective Shot (P.O.V. Shot): Framed from a particular
character's point of view. Audience sees what character sees.
Camera Movement
Pan: Camera moves from side to side from a stationary
position
Tilt: Movement up or down from a stationary position
Tracking: The camera moves to follow a moving object or
person
Camera Angles
Low Angle Camera: shoots up at subject. Used to increase
size, power, status of subject
High Angle Camera: shoots down at subject. Used to increase
vulnerability, powerlessness, decrease size
Editing (the way shots
are put together)
Cut: The ending of a shot. If the cut seems inconsistent
with the next shot, it is called a jump cut.
Fade in or out: The image appears or disappears gradually.
Often used as a division between scenes.
Dissolve: One image fades in while another fades out so that
for a few seconds, the two are superimposed.
Sound
Soundtrack: Consists of dialogue, sound effects and music.
Should reveal something about the scene that visual images don't.
Score: musical soundtrack
Sound effects: all sounds that are neither dialogue nor
music
Voice-over: spoken words laid over the other tracks in sound
mix to comment upon the narrative or to narrate
