20Th CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE

ENGLISH 3940: TOPICS IN FILM: IRELAND ONSCREEN DUE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19TH MARY MCGLYNN AT CLASSTIME

LONGER PAPER #1: IN-DEPTH SCENE ANALYSIS

THE RULES:  All papers are due on Wednesday, October 19th at the beginning of class. Each day or portion of a day that a paper is late (this includes being tardy to class!) will reduce its grade by three points, and no papers will be accepted after Wednesday, October 26th. Nonsubmission earns zero points. Problems with delivery are the student’s responsibility.  Papers should be between 4 and 5 pages (including 2-3 small screen shots, if you wish) plus one page of shot-by-shot description on the chart; much longer or shorter papers will be penalized. Margins should be one inch, font should be 12 point, and spacing should be double. All papers must be proofread; excessive misspellings, missing words, and formatting errors will result in a 3-10 point markdown. Give a title that creates interest.  Essays should be about ONE scene in ONE film: The Field, Eat the Peach, or The Commitments.

GRADING: This essay is worth 160 points; there will be an opportunity to revise and resubmit after you receive your grade. Your performance will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Chart: 60 POINTS Argument: 20 POINTS Evidence: 25 POINTS Logic and organization: 25 POINTS Diction and Tone: 20 POINTS Effective Title: 10 POINTS

THE ASSIGNMENT: Choose one scene to subject to critical analysis that links the scene’s goals to those of the film as a whole. Develop an argument using technical evidence from the film to help readers already familiar with the film to understand the consequences of certain choices made by the filmmakers. The first step in crafting an argument this time will be creating a table in which you provide a shot-by-shot description of your chosen scene. Please see the chart and samples posted on the blog (in “links” abd . Next, you want to use the notes you take to develop an argument about the technical aspects of the scene. You will not be talking as much about plot or characters as about how the story is told. Do not describe each shot, but rather talk about what choices the director and actors make and what messages these choices send. You want to highlight what techniques are being used and how they help to construct meaning. Develop a thesis that both states how the technical choices shape the goal of the scene and how this goal fits into the message of the film overall. If you would like to use image grabs, please paste them into the body of the essay—keep them small (no more than 2 inches). Please cite the moments in your scene by including a time stamp. Please review the plagiarism policy. There is no tolerance of infractions; ignorance of the rules is no defense, and you will be FAILED for the class if any uncited work on this essay is not your own.

GOOD LUCK!