(go to main index of Writing and Rhetoric)
|
900 words -- approximately three pages -- on a movie of your own choosing, excluding ones that we will be discussing in class. The review and the analytical paper later must use two different movies, so decide now which one to use for the review. Save this paper with the filename review_yourlastname, and have it available (on a flashdrive or sent to yourself by email) at the start of the class when it is due. Note that the review does not need to be printed out. |
We're beginning with this paper because all of you are familiar with reviews that you have seen in newspapers, magazines, and on the web. A review attempts to persuade the reader that a movie is either worth seeing -- or not. In doing so, however, the reviewer can develop some complex thoughts about the movie. Each movie can be a mix of highs and lows, of brilliance and mediocrity. The reviewer needs to be observant and honest, giving both the positives and the negatives, and then deciding whether the mix is worth the reader's attention.
You should choose a movie that you find significant and which you have access to for close study. You can use the same film for the rest of the quarter, or switch to another at any point.
A review is not simply a description or a plot summary, but an evaluation by you, the reviewer. Use enough description and plot that the reader can understand the points you are making, but not so much description that you give away the whole story, spoil surprises, or overwhelm your own comments with information. You can illustrate your points with vivid examples, which themselves are specific and detailed, without treating the whole story with the same level of detail. Talk about as many features of the movie as you can -- the acting, the dialogue, the camera work, the special effects, the music, the pacing, the themes, the risks it takes, and more.
For this first paper, try your best ... your paper will receive feedback and you'll be rewriting and improving it at the end of the quarter. Your final result will be more successful if you do the best you can now.
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.
This page
is maintained by David Sharpe
Please email comments or suggestions to 