TEWWG- Film Analysis Extra Credit

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Film Analysis Assignment: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Film Choices:

Persepolis- Amazon/Hollis

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Youtube

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry- Netflix Documentary

What Happened, Miss Simone- Netflix Documentary

*If the film is rate above a PG-13, please have your parent/guardian sign off that they gave you permission to watch the film. This is an extra-credit assignment and is not required for class.    _______________________________________ Parent/Signature

Title
Year
Writer and Director
Producer

Complete the following questions in well organized short answer responses.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

1. Historical/Contextual Details: When was the film released? Which events, philosophies, etc. influence this film, and what do we need to know about them? Which genre/tradition does the film belong to? Are there ideas or terms from this work that would be helpful to define? Was this film adapted from another work? How was it received when released?

2. What do you know about the culture or society for which this film was created?:

FIRST LOOK:

1. What do you think the title means? What do you expect from the film because of it?
2. How are the opening credits presented? Why do you think the director chose to present them this way?
3. How does the film start? How does this affect you as a viewer?

VIEWING:

Story/Theme Development: What are the three most important scenes in the film? Why? What scene constitutes the film's climax? How does this scene illustrate the main idea 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?

Characterization: How are the characters developed? What is their purpose in the film? What do they do/wear/say, etc. that establishes this purpose?

Cinematography: 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?

Mise-en-Scene: Are there any motifs (scenes, images, colors) that are repeated or have a special impact? When do they occur and what purpose do they serve?

Sound/Soundtrack: Is sound or silence used to enhance the film? (i.e., create drama, heighten tension, disorient the viewer, aid characterization, foreshadowing, etc.)

Editing: How and when are scenes cut/organized? Are there any patterns in the way the shots and cuts function?

CONNECTIONS:

What scenes, characters, themes, motifs, etc relate to our novel study? Find as many examples as you can and make a note about what makes that link compelling (think about our So What question).

Element	Association

Part III: ANALYSIS:

*If you are doing this with a partner, this section must be unique to the writer.

Using your notes from the previous pages, consider the following prompts as a start to your analysis. Your analysis should be a one page, single spaced typed response. Use MLA format.

• How does this film relate to the literary text we are reading in class? How are they different/the same?
• What is the director’s purpose? Is there an agenda/message/theme in the movie? How does this message relate to the literary text we are reading in class?
• What roles do the characters play? How do they relate to the message of the film? How does this message relate to the literary text we are reading in class?
• Does the director use symbols in the film? What are they? What do they mean? How does this message relate to the literary text we are reading in class?
• What is influencing the film (e.g. social ideologies, historical events, personal life)? How doe these influences relate to the literary text we are reading in class?
• Is the director trying to do something new in the genre/time period? What is he or she trying to change? How does this relate to the literary text we are reading in class?
• Other- You may also write about another literary/film element and how it relates to the literary text we are reading in class.

Due Dates: This entire assignment is due no later than 2 weeks after the essay.