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FILM REVIEW: • Reviews tend to focus on the surface story, providing a lengthy description of the plot. • They typically make recommendations about whether the film is worth watching, so it is highly subjective and rather simplistic. • They do not meet the standards of academic writing. FILM ANALYSIS:
film reviewer) have seen, so if you compare the film you're reviewing with six others you're familiar with, they'll be lost. But if you're writing for a film magazine, the opposite of all those things is true. Readers of those magazines know all the filmmaking jargon, and they might see 100 movies a year.
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- INTRODUCTION
- UNDERSTANDING GENRE
- PURPOSE
- THE WRITER’S ROLE
- QUESTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED
- THE SPECIFICS TO WRITING A STANDARD DOCUMENTARY REVIEW
- FORMAT
- CONTENT/STRUCTURE
- DICTION/TONE/POINT OF VIEW
- SENTENCE STRUCTURE
- INTRODUCTION
- ARGUMENT/THESIS
- SUMMARY/BODY
- USE OF RHETORICAL APPEALS
- Ethos
- Pathos
- CONCLUSION
- SOCIAL FUNCTIONS AND VARIATIONS
- DO
- Director: Michael Moore Released Date: 2002 Running Time: 119 minutes
In our non-traditional writing guide, we ask you questions that allow your writing to take shape rather than forcing strict guidelines upon you. Keeping in mind that all writing standards are shaped and constantly changed by society, we understand the frustration when the “standard” form of a genre just does not fit what you need to write. So inste...
Before you begin writing a documentary film review, you should understand what a genre is, as well as a documentary’s origins and social functions. Genres are interactions between individuals and social environments; ideas and social environments work together to create a cyclic ecosystem. In addition, communication technology and social relations ...
The purpose of a documentary film review, at its most basic level, is to inform the reader about the film. Movie reviews are also used by consumers who wish to watch a movie but are unsure as to which is more worthy of their time. However, it can also be a means to voice your political, social, or moral issues. You can express your opinion as well ...
Having a clear understanding of the participants’ role in the genre is important when writing your review. Your role as the writer is to express your intentions using the conventions of the genre and to meet the reader’s expectations. The reader expects to have an understanding of what the film is about. Your intention should be to describe the ...
These questions are valuable to answer before you get started because they will provide you with the adequate background information and research that you will need to include into your review. Acquiring this information beforehand and keeping it constantly in mind will smooth out your writing process. What is the main issue/topic of the documentar...
The organization of a documentary film review has many different layers. Knowing how to organize your review is critical in writing your review. The first half of the organization is broken into format, content/structure, diction/tone/point of view, and sentence structure. The second half is an understanding how to write your introduction/argume...
Format is an important element in writing a documentary film review. By writing in the proper format, your audience will recognize more clearly what they are reading. This relates back to understanding the reader’s expectations and understanding the conventions of the genre. The format of documentary film review begins with a title. The title s...
When writing your review you should be aware of what kind of content needs to be included and how to structure it. The content that you need to put into your review should include a short synopsis of the film, director’s name or the name of an important figure associated with the film, the film’s title, specific scenes, quotes, excerpts, and any r...
The diction and tone of the genre dictate how it is read. Your audience will typically consist of the general public and your diction should reflect that. Use simple and concise words to describe the film. Also, do not use jargon or slang when writing because it is likely that your readers have no prior knowledge on filmmaking. However, if your...
The types of sentences that you should use when writing your review vary. Though most reviews use simple, compound, and complex sentence structure, you may choose to use simple and compound to make it comprehensible by as many people as possible (Remember whom your audience consists of). You will also want most of your sentences to be active inst...
Before writing your introduction, you need a title, which needs to explicitly inform the reader about which film you are analyzing. Then, your first paragraph must be written to attract readers’ attention. It should briefly summarize the film in one or two sentences; give critical information like the names of the main characters and director; and ...
Your thesis or argument will be included in the end of your introduction. You will support and refer back to this statement throughout your review. (Of course, this is not an essay, so you do not have to constantly support your thesis, but you should keep it in mind as your ultimate message.) Because you are writing a standard review, your thesis s...
The body of your review should include a description of the film and your critical analysis. When describing the film you should include quotes, excerpts, specific scenes, and any outside information you find necessary. By using direct quotes and specific scenes, you give the reader a clearer description of the film. Because you are limited to a ce...
The three main rhetorical appeals are ethos, pathos, and logos, and we will show you how each can be used to improve the persuasiveness of your writing.
This is the amount of authority that you show within your review. Conviction is one of the most important things necessary to make someone believe you. Oftentimes people may still doubt you when you are entirely correct merely because your attitude was hesitant. Here are some ways to enhance your knowledgeable image: Use numbers and statistics to p...
This is the use of emotional appeal to reach out and persuade your audience. How to use pathos will largely depend on what your topic is, but here are some tips: Most common sympathy-inducing circumstances include people suffering or people who are perseverant and courageous beyond normal capability When you describe the situation, emphasize the mo...
When writing the conclusion, keep in mind that you should not summarize what you wrote in your review. It is appropriate to reiterate your main argument, but more importantly, your conclusion should raise questions that will capture the reader’s interest. You can also insert a memorable quote from the film or a short statement, sometimes even a fra...
There are several important social functions to the genre. The most basic social function is to inform a reader about a film. Deeper social functions include influencing a person’s perception of their social environment, influencing the economics of the film industry through an influence on sales, and influencing how a person watches and interpre...
Understand whom your audience consists of Understand your role as the writer and the reader’s role Use the proper format: title, author, date/publication, introduction, body/summary, and conclusion Include the title and director’s name in the introduction Do have a thesis Give evidence supporting your critical analysis and arguments Use quotes, spe...
“Provocative!” “Incendiary!” “The most intriguing and fascinating documentary ever!” Have you been aware of the rapid pervasiveness of the gun-related violence? Do you and your family feel out of danger? How would you protect your family from the brutal gun violence? “Bowling for Columbine” is the documentary film directed and featured by Michael M...
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How to Write a Book Review, Film Review, or Other Critique The key to writing a good review or critique, whether it is for books, films, music, or another medium – is knowing what you think and why. There is no way to have a wrong opinion, but in order to have a useful one, you must be able to explain your opinion clearly.
- Watch the film at least once. When writing a film review, once is necessary, but twice is preferable. It’s impossible to capture every detail and thought only after one viewing.
- Express your opinions and support your criticism. Professional reviewers do not shy away from telling their readers whether they thought a movie was good, bad, or indifferent.
- Consider your audience. Are you writing for a fan site or a news outlet? Who will read your pieces, and what are their interests? Knowing who your readers are can help you decide what elements of the movie to highlight.
- Talk about the acting. Many casual filmgoers will be inspired to see a movie if a favorite actor is in it, so you should probably spend a little space talking about the performances.
The most common types of film writing are movie reviews, most often found in popular media and critical and theoretical essays, which are commonly found in academia. Within these three genres, films are typically analyzed through six lenses: formalism, genre, historical, national cinema, auteur and ideology. The Movie Review.
Page 1. For Entry 3 (and possibly L1) it would be useful to model a piece of writing first. Use the ideas this sheet to create a group review on the class whiteboard (select a well‐known film that everyone is familiar with).Alternatively, students could work in small groups – each group reviewing a different film.
