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Step By Step Guide On Writing An Essay On A Film

January 24, 2022

Written by Ella Rebecca Horton

Ella Rebecca has been in love with the horror genre since an early age. The Bride of Frankenstein began her love of the classics and she's been writing and collecting since.

Writing an essay on a film seems to be a fun task. It seems all you have to do is watch a film a few times and write. However, it is not as simple and easy as it seems. There are factors you need to consider before starting to write. Here is a step-by-step guide on writing an essay on a film. 

 

  • Watch a film and make notes.

After analyzing any movie essay examples, you will realize how important it is to watch the movie before writing the essay on it. You might think it would be enough for you to read the summary of that movie from the internet. You might also read reviews of that movie, but that is not enough to write a proper movie review. 

 

You should understand that by assigning you the task of a film essay, your teacher wants to know your original point of view about the movie. The teacher wants you to explore the movie and develop your perspective. By only reading reviews or even going through summaries, you will not come up with a fresh perspective. 

 

If you are interested in how to write an essay about a movie, it is recommended that you watch the movie even if you have watched it before. It is important because, in the first instance, you would have watched the movie only for entertainment purposes. You have to pay attention to important details if you want to write a good essay on a film. You will have to pay close attention to certain movie elements to write an in-depth analysis. Here are some significant elements of the movie that you should observe.

 

  • Key moments of the plot;
  • Execution of editing;
  • Stylistic elements;
  • Background music;
  • Cinematography.

 

 

  • Gather the main facts about the film

Any essay expert will tell you that you should gather specific facts on movies to write an essay on as a crucial part of your preparation for writing a good essay on a film. Gathering main facts is important because you will not be able to write a comprehensive essay if you have not explored the main facts about the movie. You should know who has directed the movie, and you should also have an insight into the writer’s background. This will allow you to comment upon the expertise of the writer and the genre of movies the director is interested in making the movies. 

 

You should also gather facts about the cast of the movie you are writing a movie essay on; it will help you comment in detail about the movie actors, their acting style, and their past performances. By paying close attention to acting, you will tell your audience whether the acting, in general, is aligned with the movie’s main idea. It will also allow you to make remarks about average performance and the good ones. You should also analyze whether the actors have effectively portrayed their characters. 

 

Writing a movie essay can become simple for you if you look for factual information about the movie, such as which locations the director shot the movie and problems the crew faced while making this movie. It will make your essay interesting for your audience.

 

  • Make summary

By reading movie reviews, you can develop an insight into how to write a good summary in an essay about movies. Once you have written the introduction of your movie essay, it is time to write the summary of the movie. Writing a good summary in a movie essay can be tricky because you have to refrain from going into details and cover all the important points. 

 

If you take help from your seniors on how to write a film essay, they will tell you that you should write your summary in a powerful way. One way of making your summary sound more powerful is to assume that your audience has not watched the movie. In this way, you will add all the important details in the movie. Ensure you don’t miss out on important details and give importance to the five Ws – who, what, when, where, why. You should include how as well in this way you will be able to write a good summary.

 

  •  Compose your analysis

This section is the crux of your entire essay. The best way is to read a few movie essay examples to get the hang of approaching this section of your essay. As a writer, you must focus on the creative elements of the movie in this part and give your views on them along with concrete examples from the film. An ideal way to do it is to dedicate a paragraph for each creative element you address. Here is what you must look at while analyzing a film.

 

  • Scenario: You must analyze the logical sequence of events in the movie. You will focus on how the dialogues are set and characters are developed while analyzing them;
  • Direction: A director’s perspective of the script and scenario is crucial. You will analyze how he has perceived the plot and executed it. You may also compare the work with his other movies; 
  • Acting: Without good acting, even a star script can fall flat. Therefore, you mustn’t forget to analyze how the actors have performed their roles in the movie. You must also know how to mention a movie in an essay effectively; 
  • Music: Music in the movie has a great impact on it. Analyze how it enhances a certain scene or event in the movie;
  • Visual Impact: The special effects, makeup, and costume are equally important in creating a certain impact on the audience. Make sure you analyze them in detail, along with examples from the movie. 

 

  • Proofread what you have

Never submit your assignment without taking a second look. Carefully evaluate each line to remove any typos and errors. Writing an essay on films is not an easy task. You might make errors that leave a bad impression on your professor. For instance, you quote an actor’s dialogue and forget to add quotation marks, which is considered plagiarism. 

 

There is a possibility of spelling mistakes when writing essays about movies. The names of actors, directors, and producers are sometimes misspelled, causing a major offense. Check out the content for any grammatical errors and typos mistakes. Fix issues in your essay to ensure everything is perfect before submitting it.

 

Writing an essay on a movie can be fun. All you have to do is to adopt this easy-to-follow step-by-step guide on writing an essay on a film, and you are on your way to producing an excellent analytical piece of writing in no time. 

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