- 27 Mar, 2021
- 0 Comments
- 1 Min Read
shot by shot analysis
Instructions:
1.) Write a brief summary or “synopsis” of the film (no more than a paragraph or
two). Do not copy and paste or plagiarize a plot summary from the Internet or any
other source— write your own! I want to hear it in your voice, written in your own
way. Don’t discuss every single detail of the story—only summarize the major
developments–but make sure you include enough info/details to give someone who
hasn’t seen the film a reasonably good sense of the story.
2.) Place the film in context, including details such as director, screenwriter, year of
release, studio, main actors/actresses, setting, filming location(s), etc. Also include
any interesting things you discover in the course of your research (this section should
be no longer than 2 paragraphs). Note: do not “list” these elements— write them in
full sentences.
3.) Select around 4 of shots in the film that communicate key ideas at key points in the
story. These ideas can relate to character, plot, theme, and so on. Describe and
analyze the techniques (mise-en-scene, cinematography, etc.) employed in each shot
and explain how they help tell the story in effective ways. Do not include your own
opinion—this is an objective analysis that only seeks to describe and understand the
relationship between how scenes are constructed and what they are designed to do.
Before you analyze each shot, briefly summarize what is going on in the film at that
point in the story. After that, describe the major formal elements of the shot. Then,
discuss how it relates to the story in this moment and in the film as a whole, and
explain what makes this shot effective/powerful/artistic.