Film and Character Analysis of the Film, Amelie

Film 100 – Fall 2019 TU
Due: October 22nd at 7:00 PM
Submit Your Paper on Canvas.
Essay 2 Prompt: Determine the implicit meaning and impact derived through a formal analysis of the
storytelling, mise-en-scene and cinematography of a single 8ilm.
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate a familiarity with the Jilm criticism tools and
Jilmmaking techniques that we have discussed in the Jirst half of this semester. Students are expected to
undertake sustained critical analysis, as well as use the vocabulary and terminology from Essential
Cinema, in making their assessments. Your implicit meaning should work as your thesis statement.
Assignment Instructions:
Write about each of the four topics listed below and include a word count for each section. The number in
parenthesis, next to the category, is how many words you are expected to write in that section (the
minimum word count).
• Introduction/Genre Analysis (275 words): Discuss the genre, genre conventions & characteristics
utilized in the Jilm. Does the Jilm fall into one genre or have elements of several (Give explanation and
reasons why or why not)? Who is the director, what is the nationality of the Jilm, and when it was
made? State and describe the implicit meaning of the Jilm.
• Narrative (400 words): Identify all of the following – the main protagonist(s), antagonist(s), the
inciting incident, the turning point at the end of Act I, the turning point at the end of Act II, the climax
that the Jilm builds to, and the resolution in the third act. Discuss how the story is told: who provides
the narrative? Are there Jlashbacks? Is there a narrator? Does the story unfold chronologically? If
there is voiceover, what kind is it? Does the Jilm utilize A and B or parallel stories? Explain how the
Jilm’s approach to storytelling contributes to the implicit meaning of the Jilm.
• Mise-en-scene (400 words): Choose one character and one setting or location. Using the location
or setting: Discuss the overall art direction and style of the Jilm, focusing your attention on some
combination of: composition, set design, lighting, open/closed framing and use of color. Using the
selected character: Discuss the character’s wardrobe, makeup, hair and associated props and how it
reJlects the character’s personality and journey in the Jilm. You can also discuss the changes or
evolution of the character through these design elements. Explain how these design and composition
creative decisions connect and reinforce the implicit meaning of the Jilm.
• Cinematography (400 words): Choose at least one scene and discuss the use of camera movement,
framing, lens perspective, and lighting and how it contributes to the emotional impact of the story.
Pay attention to how the scene is covered with certain types of shots. Identify how the camera
functions as a storyteller in the Jilm and describe how this scene(s) Jit into the Jilm’s overall camera
and lighting style. Explain how these creative decisions in cinematography add to and emphasize the
underlying meaning of the Jilm.
‣ You MUST engage extensively with the vocabulary and concepts in the textbook.
‣ You MUST include a Works Cited page and use MLA Format.
Page 2 of 3
Select one of these Jilms to analyze
All of these 8ilms are available on the Swank Digital Database or on-reserve at the CSM library. I encourage
you to watch several trailers before you choose a 8ilm.
1. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jenuet, 2001) Amélie is an innocent and naive girl in Paris with her own sense
of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love.
2. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) In the fascist regime of Spain in 1944, the bookish young
stepdaughter of a cruel army ofJicer Jinds escape in an eerie but beautiful and captivating fantasy
world.
3. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, 2006) A family determined to get their young
daughter into the Jinals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.
4. A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 2018) In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in
silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.
5. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi
driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent
action, while attempting to liberate a twelve-year-old prostitute.
6. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominick, 2007) Robert
Ford, who’s idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the
Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.
7. Carrie (Brian de Palma, 1976) Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by
her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by
her classmates at her senior prom.
8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977) Roy Neary, an electric lineman,
watches how his quiet and ordinary daily life turns upside down after a close encounter with a
UFO.
9. Road to Perdition (Sam Mendes, 2002) A mob enforcer’s son witnesses a murder, forcing him
and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.
10. Pleasantville (Gary Ross, 1998) Two 1990s teenage siblings Jind themselves in a 1950s
sitcom, where their inJluence begins to profoundly change that complacent world.
Page 3 of 3
Paper Guidelines & Tips
‣ You will need to watch your Jilm at least twice to be able to do this assignment well.
‣ Maximum word count for this paper is 2000 words.
‣ Pause the Jilm as take notes while you watch it – make note of where speciJic scenes are (write the
time down) so that you can revisit them later. Do not include the timecode in your paper.
‣ Try to not simply make arbitrary observations – see if you can Jind a way that the different aspects of
the Jilm combine to have a desired effect upon the audience. For example, simply saying that a
character wore a hat is not a very interesting insight to include in the mise-en-scene portion. You need
to identify how the hat says something about the character and how it matches up with the rest of the
Jilm’s style.
‣ Demonstrating the capacity to follow speciJically laid out guidelines is essential to getting a good
grade – no matter how much you write and how much time you spend writing it, if your essay does
not meet the assignment guidelines, you will receive a poor grade.
‣ This is not an evaluative essay. In other words, you are not discussing whether a Jilm is good or
not. If you start by complimenting or denigrating the Jilm, you have drifted from the guidelines of the
assignment.
‣ Spellcheck your essay before turning it in.
‣ Cite any and all websites and/or periodicals you use in your in your essay using MLA Format.
‣ It doesn’t matter if it is single spaced, double-spaced, or what size the font is: I’ll be paying attention
to the amount of words in each section. Following directions is part of the assignment.
‣ If any element of your essay is found to have been taken from the internet or another source
without proper citation, you will receive a grade of zero on the assignment and you will be
immediately reported to CSM Vice President of Student Affairs.
‣ Late Papers will be marked down a half letter grade for every day late.