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1,200 words -- approximately four pages -- on any movie except the ones for class discussion and the ones included as samples below. Your choice must be different from the movie you used for your Review. Please stay within the expected length (1,100 to 1,300 words), in order to use only the best material and to write efficiently. Save this paper with the filename analysis_yourlastname, and put it into the shared folder at the start of the class when it is due. |
Your analysis should arise from your own observations, thoughts, and insights, not the work of others. Please do not include quoted material or consult external sources. You will have an opportunity to work with sources in our next project, the Research Paper.
A full description of an analysis can be found in The Analytical Essay by David Bordwell.
Feedback on your first version will help you refine your analysis for the final version at the end of the course. However, if you need some idea of how to approach this, check out the sample analysis papers below. Take your own approach and invent your own solutions. Just do your best and we'll help make it better!
Double Escape:
An Analysis of Cast Away
Now
the Bible Can be Found on Video:
An Analysis of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest
About Formatting
More important than formatting is the content and how you express it. In addition, the length is significant -- not a number of pages (since pages can vary considerably when working on a computer), but the word count. Writing less than the expected amount wastes an opportunity for development, while writing more shows that you haven't selected for the best material said in the most efficient way.
If you are using citations for sources, choose any style you wish -- MLA, or APA, or any other major style guide (if in doubt, use MLA). Any one is suitable, but be consistent. Our writing reference book, The Everyday Writer, gives detailed help for each of them, but again, formatting is not a major concern for this course. In-text citations are explained well by Lunsford, and are important to use when you do your research paper.
For other issues about formatting, here's what I recommend --
Spacing
- single-spacing is best for documents written and read on a screen, since it minimizes the amount of scrolling needed (if you prefer double-spacing, that's fine). A blank line between paragraphs helps visibility.
Font
- 12 point, any style
Titles within the text
- best identified by using italics (for example, talk about The Everyday Writer like this). Underlined titles can be confused with links, and should be avoided for documents read on-screen.
Margins
- left-justified (not full-justified)
Title for the paper
- use a unique title that catches attention and orients the reader
Cover Page
- not needed for an on-screen document (forces unnecessary scrolling to reach the text)
Footnotes versus Endnotes
- always use Endnotes. Footnotes are often displayed incorrectly when your document is opened by a reader who uses a different word processing program than you do.
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