Category: film

This paper involves watching the movie “Within Our Gates (1920) – Oscar
Micheaux Silent Film”
The link to watch the movie is here: 

The movie is 1 hour 17 minutes long. Please get a good understanding of the film prior to writing the essay.
Film Response Paper’s Instructions: 
1. Have a clear thesis (Please underline it) that is on par with the course content (choose one film screened in class or online and critically discuss how Race, Class, Gender, and or Emotions are shown in the film. Please note: You do not have to discuss all of them, but you must use Race.) (10 points) 
2. Use at least three examples from the film to support your thesis. (20 points each = 60 points) 
3. Remember to Cite (APA or MLA). (You must cite the film. If references are used, they must be cited, and a Work Cited or Bibliography  page should be included.) (3 points. Some papers may automatically fail without including or not correctly citing a work cited page.) APA or MLA
4. Include your personal reflection on the film. (10 points) 
5. Between 4-6 pages. Please note: The Title page and the Work Cited or Bibliography Page are not included in your page count of 4-6 pages. (8 points, but negative various points if less than the required length.) 
6. Assignments should be typed in 12-point font, double-spaced, and 1-1.25 inch margins. (3 points, but various points are subtracted if the font is more prominent than required or if there is a structure issue).
7. Title Page: Your name, the date due, the title, and the course title should be centered on a separate page. (3 points) 
8. Page numbers should be included. (3 points) 

My essay must anwser these research questions about the movie “Resevoir Dogs” by 
Quentin Taratino 
1. How does Quentin Tarantino’s non-linear story telling engage and shape the viewers 
engagement and interpretation? 
2. How do the themes of loyalty, betrayal, and morality contribute to the overall narrative? 
3. How does the mise-en-scène of the minimalist set design and costumes affect the atmosphere of the movie?
Must be MLA formmat 
I have to use these two sources, and also add two more of any kind of source.

“The Things You Gotta Remember Are the Details”: Reservoir Dogs and the Fragility of Memory and Meaning in the Nineties…

A comparative essay examining “Blade Runner” and “Ghost in the Shell”  delving into the
shared themes but differing stylistic approaches of these works of science fiction cinema. Both
films are set in dystopian futures where technology has deeply intertwined with humanity,
blurring the lines between the organic and the artificial. One central theme would be the
exploration of identity in an era of technological advancement. “Blade Runner” portrays a world
where ‘replicants’ question their own humanity and seek to extend their limited lifespan.
Similarly, “Ghost in the Shell” grapples with questions of identity in a cybernetic age, where
characters have cybernetic enhancements and the distinction between human consciousness and
artificial intelligence becomes increasingly blurred.
Furthermore, both films invite viewers to contemplate the ethical implications of
technological progress, particularly in terms of autonomy, agency, and the nature of
consciousness. The essay could explore how these themes are manifested through the characters’
interactions with their environment and with each other. Additionally, the visual and stylistic
differences between the two films offer rich material for analysis. “Blade Runner” is renowned
for its noir-inspired aesthetic and dystopian cityscapes, while “Ghost in the Shell” features
intricate cyberpunk visuals and philosophical dialogue. Overall, an essay comparing “Blade
Runner” and “Ghost in the Shell” would offer a nuanced take on how these films engage with
questions of identity, technology, and humanity, while also considering their distinct narrative
and stylistic approaches.

Choose one answer from the four questions below. Post one thoughtful, substantial 250-300 word reflection on the discussion board. You may wish to write about one or more primary sources (literary texts and films) assigned for that week, one or more secondary sources (scholarship and theory), or both. The challenge here is to present your own thoughts, ideas, and reflections on the assigned material in a well-organized, concise, and clear way.
View these Films on Course Reserves:
A Better Tomorrow 英雄本色 (1986) and The Killer 喋血雙雄 (1989) directed by John Woo

Number the responses (it doesn’t have to be formatted like a traditional paper). .  
Respond to the following questions for Brave.
1.  Discuss Merida’s “Separation from the Feminine” (The Heroine’s Journey, Act One) 
2.  Discuss Merida’s “Road of Trials” (The Heroine’s Journey, Act Two) 
3.  The Main Tension/Central Question is: “Will Merida change her fate and avoid becoming betrothed?” At what point in the narrative is this answered? 
4.  What is the new, higher-stakes, Act Three Main Tension/Central Question?
5.  What is the “ticking clock” that adds urgency to the plot?
Support your answers. 
Movie Link: https://ww16.0123movie.net/movie/brave-5065.html

Through an analysis informed by the perspectives of “The
Structuralists: from Marx to Levi-Strauss” and “The Philosophy of
Science Fiction Film,” explore how these films illuminate the
relationship between societal structures, technological development, and the ethical
considerations of such development. 

Choose ONE or TWO of the films listed in the modules — could be films we screened, films assigned that we saw clips of in class or films that are listed as “optional” –  during the first part of the quarter (Week 1 – 5) and analyze or compare/contrast the ways in which gender, gender identity or gender expression is dramatized or represented in the film’s story (content) and approach (form). What type of limits or freedoms are created for the main character(s) by their gender and/or gender expression?  Be sure to use ideas from at least ONE of the assigned theory essays to frame your analysis. Your analysis MUST include detailed descriptions at least two moments in the film that illustrate your ideas. 
(I encourage you to use any of your discussion forum writings as a starting point for the paper.)
[3-4 pages/750-1000 words] Submit as PDF film, type in 12 pt, double-spaced, Times New Roman (or similar font).  Be sure to proofread your paper for grammatical, typographic and spelling errors. (Points will be deducted for these errors and for run-on sentences.) Use proper Chicago Style citation format  Download Chicago Style citation format and footnote any ideas that are not your own.  
I put one of the assigned theory essays in the file.
The films listed in the modules are: 
Blue is the Warmest Color
Vertigo
Rear Window
Home of the Brave
Barbie
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Raise the Red Lantern 
Wadija
The Rider
Brokeback Mountain 
The Searchers

Please answer ONE of the following questions in a 750-1000 word MLA format essay, double spaced. Please cite any resources you use, if there are any. 1) Discuss some of the differences between the animation styles of Walt Disney and Warner Bros., and how those cartoons play to you today.
2) Pick a movie or TV series and do a visual analysis on the way cinematography was used to create the mood, dramatic context, and overall style of the piece.

Watch two films made in the last 10 years from two different countries that are NOT covered in this class that are also not your country of origin (Haiti). These films should be non-English language or multi-lingual, and countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand should be excluded.
For each of these films, write a journal that covers the following issues: 
–The title, country, year, director, and languages for the film, and how you accessed it. 
–What attracted you to this film, and what it was like to watch it? 
–Did it meet your expectations? If so, how? If not, why not? 
–Did you find it challenging? How so? 
–What, if anything did you do in order to better understand the movie? 
–Would you see another film from this country or director? Why, why not? 
There is no need to re-state the plots of these films nor should you review them or evaluate their quality. Instead, use this assignment to further develop the habit of watching international films, including those that are outside of your comfort zone, paying attention to the issues that come up for you along the way. Good luck, and have fun!
This class covers Early Soviet Cinema, European realism, Italian Cinema, French Cinema, Japanese Cinema, Spain, Argentinian, Senegalese, Korean, Iranian, and Mexican Cinema. So please do not use a movie from any of those places either. 
500-900 typed, double-spaced words for each film. Will be graded as 100%, 75%, or 59%. 
I need 100% so please do your best work on this assignemt as it will allow me to pass the class.

For this assignment, you will be using materials in the MHDL to conduct your own historical
film research – using these digitized archival sources to produce novel analysis on a film from
the first half of the 20th century.
Assignment overview: 
1. Choose an American film released before 1950 and then watch that film. 
2. The purpose of this assignment is to conduct PRIMARY historical research on your
chosen film. Primary research means engaging with sources that appeared close to (we’ll
say within five years of) the original release date of the film.
Your goal will be to collect a minimum of FIVE primary sources that are directly related
to your film. The sources must be directly about your chosen film – they cannot simply
mention the film in passing. Only a maximum of three of these sources can be
advertisements for the film. 
To find primary sources, you will be required to use the following two resources: 
The Media History Digital Library (MHDL): www.mediahistoryproject.org . A collection of millions of digitized pages of historical trade magazines and technical
journals. 
Lantern: http://lantern.mediahist.org/ 
A search engine for the MHDL. Be sure to browse the MHDL rather than just searching
it using this tool – not everything in the MHDL will necessarily be included in Lantern,
and browsing the complete collection is a better practice for seeing your sources in their
full context (i.e., what kinds of other material are in the issue), helping you to understand
their function.
After you have collected your five (or more) sources, write a 4-5 page research
report in which you do two things:
a. Summarize each of the sources you found in a logical order, explicitly stating
what the source is and what kind of historical knowledge it gives us – be it about
the film itself, reaction to the film, production/distribution/exhibition history, the
film’s marketing, or something else. If the source has an obvious bias in mind (if
it is studio advertising, for example), be sure to state that in your summary. As
you consider a source’s potential bias, be sure to carefully consider the goal of the
source. Who created this document? What were they trying to accomplish? What
kinds of audiences were they trying to reach? How might those audiences have
made sense of this document/reacted to this document?
b. At the end of your report, include at least one paragraph about what your
research (in aggregate) suggests about the film overall. Consider the following
questions in writing this section
What kind of larger research project (article, dissertation, book) might the
research material support?
– What kind of historical argument, or historical questions, do your sources seem
to support (or at least point toward)?
– What additional kinds of evidence would you need to shore up the argument
suggested by the sources you found?
Include a bibliography at the end of your paper (this does not count toward your
paper’s required length). See more below.
4. The goal of this assignment is to start exploring primary sources related to film history
and to begin thinking about them – it’s not for you to necessarily make a full-fledged
argument about your film. Concentrate on the sources and what they seem to suggest –
it’s perfectly fine to have a speculative argument, as long as you acknowledge what your
sources don’t say or support, and what kinds of additional sources you would need to
actually make a full argument.  
Your research report will be assessed based on: 
• Whether you fulfilled the guidelines of the assignment (you had at least five sources
pulled from the MHDL, you wrote 4-5 pages summarizing your sources and critically
speculating on a potential argument they might support, you had the required
bibliography, etc.) 
• The extent to which your sources actually support your speculative argument. For
example, if your speculative argument is about the sound techniques and strategies used
to produce the 1929 film Applause and your sources say little or nothing about the film’s
sound, you have not fully addressed the prompt. 
• Your resourcefulness in finding and analyzing the sources found in your research.
A note about ads:
Probably the simplest way to go about this assignment is to look at your film’s advertisements.
These are easy to find on Lantern. It’s fine if you do this, but it will not fully satisfy this
assignment to simply discuss a bunch of ads. You need to contextualize those ads with other
(non-ad) sources that point to a broader argument about how the film was positioned in the
cinema marketplace, or what plot/text/star elements were emphasized, or what the ads suggest
about the film’s production, or some other broader idea than “here’s the ad campaign.” This is
why you can only include a maximum of three advertisements.
Bibliography:
You need to include a full bibliographic entry at the end of the assignment indicating the date(s)
and page number(s) you are working with so that I can also look at what you are writing about. 
For example:
John Doe, “Thomas Edison Does it Again,” Motion Picture World (January 1911): 12.
Formatting:
Please begin your paper at the top of page one and end somewhere on pages 4-5 with a regular
12-point font, one-inch margins, and double-spaced spacing
A few research tips: 
1. One of the first things you will want to do is figure out when your film premiered.
Determining this date will help you narrow down when you are likely to find the most
sources about your film. Release dates are slightly more complicated than it might seem
because studios often “prereleased” (premiered) films in New York in advance of their
“general release.” The AFI catalog is a good source for determining both a film’s
premiere date (typically, New York) and the beginning of its general release:
https://aficatalog.afi.com/ 
2. For your sources, be sure to search around your film’s premiere and release dates (that is
to say, at least six months before and after those dates). 
3. When searching, it’s often a good idea to put your film’s title in quotes in the search box
(i.e., “the Love Parade”), but it also helps to be flexible. It will also be worth searching
for other terms connected to your film, such as its director, stars, or its studio/distributor.
(ex.: the Love Parade AND Paramount). 
4. If you are looking for reviews, it helps to know that headlines for reviews might not have
the film’s name in them, but something descriptive about the film.