Part I. Description
Pick one of the following four clips. Then, isolate what you take to be one cohesive and
meaningful segment:
1. Rear Window
https://vimeo.com/330638322 (password: midterm1)
2. In the Mood for Love
https://vimeo.com/792971422 (password: midterm2)
3. Billy Elliot
https://vimeo.com/792420261 (password: midterm3)
4. Man with a Movie Camera
https://vimeo.com/330682883 (password: midterm4)
As you watch (and repeatedly re-watch) your chosen segment, you should take note of as much
information as you can about its formal elements. This includes elements of the mise-en-scene
(i.e., sets, costumes and make-up, lighting, performance and staging); elements of the
cinematography (i.e., photographic qualities including tonality, speed of motion, varieties of
perspective, framing including aspect ratio and all aspects of camera placement, mobile framing,
on/off-screen spaces, shot duration/long take); devices of editing; elements of music/sound
(mainly, diegetic or non-diegetic—you do not need to use other technical vocabulary of
music/sound since we have not covered this unit yet).
You can use the shot-by-shot analysis form below (available on Canvas too) to document your
observation. There is no page limit for this part. The length of your form depends on your chosen
segment and the thoroughness of your engagement with it.
Part II. Analysis
After you have finished the descriptive part of the assignment, write an essay of 1200 words (+/-
10% acceptable, reference included) that proposes a reading of how one or two stylistic elements
function in your chosen segment. Discuss how your chosen stylistic elements are deployed 1) to
engage the viewers’ attention and to shape their understanding of the immediate action; and 2) to
engage the film’s larger thematic, ideological, socio-political, and/or philosophical concerns. Your
analysis should aim to propose an original reading of the film; it should marshal your segment’s
formal features as evidence to support your interpretation. Put another way: you are asked to
mobilize your formal analysis to say something illuminating about your chosen segment and about
the film as a whole.
As you make your argument, you should include a discussion of at least one assigned reading
we’ve covered so far. You are welcome to use additional material sourced from your own research