Analyzing Film Using Ideas from Film Studies Course

Instructions for Film Analysis Assignment

Choose one of the following films: Hugo, by Martin Scorsese; The Saddest Music in the World, by Guy Maddin; or, Sans Soleil (Sunless), by Chris Marker; watch it closely, and then analyze it by drawing on ideas from the course. You will have to watch the whole film first, and then re-watch certain scenes slowly in order to analyse them in detail. The point of this assignment is for you to use the knowledge gained in this course to analyse an interesting film. You can apply the ideas learned in any or all of the units. You have some freedom of choice here. You can, for example, refer to the first unit, and discuss what broad category – formalism, realism, classical Hollywood, or a combination of the three – the film fits into, in terms of its cinematography and/or story structure. You can refer to the second unit and analyse the editing of the film. You can also use other parts of the course textbook to analyze the film. You can also use all of these concepts or a combination (and note that many of them overlap). However, make sure to spend time on and do justice to the concepts, and to provide detailed analyses of the film as a whole and of particular scenes. You can start by discussing the course concepts that you will use, then say something in general about the film you will analyse, and lastly analyse particular scenes in detail, demonstrating how they embody the concepts. For example, if you focus on editing, start by defining editing, demonstrating knowledge of continuity editing and montage. Spend some time on this. If you do not have a good sense of what distinguishes (especially a more formalist/artistic) montage from continuity editing, you will not be able to do the second part. 2. Analyze the editing style of the film. You can start with a paragraph or two on what the film is about (the content of the story). But you have to mainly discuss the form or structure of the film’s editing. Does the film use continuity editing? Does it use montage? Provide examples of either or both. Make sure to identify at least one montage in the film, and analyse it in detail, with reference to the ideas of montage presented in your course materials (power points, textbook, etc.). Note: if you choose to focus on editing, you can draw on your previous assignment. But in that case make sure you have a lot of new material on the film. If you focus on cinematography, or story structure, start with a general definition of these terms, say something about the film, and then analyze these techniques at work in the film in detail… About the films: Hugo is the easiest, most mainstream film out of the three. It is a family film. However, it has a serious level of psychological depth and is very artistic in its form. It’s also a good film history lesson. The Saddest Music in the World is very experimental in its form, using a lot of montage throughout, and replicating the look of old movies as a stylistic device. It also has a high level of psychological and sociological depth. It has a very ironic tone. Sans Soleil is perhaps the most experimental, and should only be chosen by students who would like a challenge. It is not a narrative film, at least in the typical sense of story. It is more of a poetic film essay. Unfortunately, the GB streaming service is very limited. Out of the three, only Sans Soleil is available. The link to the film is provided on blackboard, in course readings. You will have to find the other two films yourself, if you want to work on them. They should be available online. Hugo is on youtube for 4 dollars. Sources Asides from drawing on your recollections of the lectures and on power points, you need to use the course textbook: “Movies and Meaning” (check the outline for details). If you don’t have the textbook, you can use “Film Studies” by Ed Sikov, which you can access through the link provided in blackboard “course readings”. For more ambitious students, you can look up Eisenstein’s “Essays on Film Form.” This is also available as a pdf online