Prepare: 

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the following:

• Discussion of genre in Chapter 3 of Film: From Watching to Seeing
• Chapter 11: Experience and Meaning in Genre Films in Film Genre Reader IV
• Instructor’s guidance and lecture materials
• The ENG225 Research GuideLinks to an external site. in the University of Arizona Global Campus Library will be particularly helpful in locating required sources.

 

This assignment is your opportunity to demonstrate understanding of one selected genre. To do that, you will watch a full feature-length film from that genre:

• Choose a film from this List of Approved Films Download List of Approved Films.
• Watch your chosen film twice—once to ensure that you have grasped the storytelling and once to take more specific notes on aspects of the film you wish to discuss. If you would like to write about a film not listed, you must email your professor for approval in advance or you may not receive credit on this assignment.

Reflect: 

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, reflect on the following:

• Look ahead to the Week 3 written assignment and Week 5 final paper guidelines to ensure that you choose a film for this assignment that will work with the requirements on those later assignments. You may opt to write about the same film in your Week 3 and Week 5 written assignments, and applicable pieces of this assignment can be used to write those. If you do this, you should reflect on and revise this assignment based on the instructor’s feedback before you incorporate it into any future writing assignment.
• Review the Week 2 Sample Paper Download Week 2 Sample Paperwhich provides an example of a well-developed analysis as well as insight on composition.

Write: 

In your introductory paragraph,

• Explain genre theory in your own words and why this is a useful approach to the study of film, using Ch. 3 from Film: From Watching to Seeing as a reference.

• Describe the common conventions (story, theme, mise-en-scène) of the genre you have selected.
• Identify a feature-length film that fits your selected genre and state the year it was produced, its director, cinematographer (or director of photography), and top-billed cast. (Place film titles in italics.)
• Develop a thesis statement that argues how specific elements of your chosen film fit or expand the conventions of the genre and subgenre(s) and establish an overarching theme or message.
  • Visit the Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site. resource from the UAGC Writing Center.

 

In the body of your paper (at least three paragraphs),

• Summarize the movie. As you develop this summary, remember the differences between a film’s story and its plot and be sure to highlight specific genre elements.
• Interpret at least two genre conventions exhibited in your chosen feature-length film that help classify it in the selected genre. Be sure to provide a specific example of each convention (e.g., the elements used in a scene, type of story, plot component, or theme).
• Evaluate a third convention (e.g., the elements used in a scene, type of story, plot component, or theme not yet addressed) from your chosen feature-length film and how this convention expands the boundaries of the specified genre.

 

In the conclusion of your paper,

• Connect each element of your chosen film and how it contributes to the film’s overall genre classification, whether it displays the conventions of multiple genres or subgenres, and how these elements are effectively used to convey a particular theme.

 

The Film Analysis: Genre Theory and Genre Conventions paper

• Must be 900 to 1200 words in length and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper in bold font
• Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
  • Your first and last name
  • Name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
  • Course name and number (e.g., ENG 225: Introduction to Film)
  • Instructor’s name
  • Due date
• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic VoiceLinks to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
  • For assistance on writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least two scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
  • To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view the Quick and Easy Library ResearchLinks to an external site. tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper guide.Links to an external site.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resource in the Writing Center for specifications.