Write an essay of at least 500 words and no more than 600 words in which your response to one of the videos: “Donut People” – Directed and Edited by Keeley Steenson Any two of the seven “Tacos of Texas” videos, presented by Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece

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Write an essay of at least 500 words and no more than 600 words in which your response to one of the videos listed below:

  • “Donut People” – Directed and Edited by Keeley Steenson
  • Any two of the seven “Tacos of Texas” videos, presented by Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece

Write about your initial reactions to the videos. Were you entertained? Enlightened? Challenged? Explain and give specific details. Write about things you learned while Googling words and/or foods mentioned in the videos. Or, you might choose to go one step further and write about the connections between the videos. These are just a few examples and should not limit you.

In order to do well on this essay, you should:

  • Briefly summarize the video(s) about which you are writing. The word briefly is key here; the majority of your essay should be response and analysis.
  • Discuss what argument the video appears to be making (i.e. what it’s about, what story it’s telling) and discuss which elements of the video (narration, soundtrack, images) are most impactful.
  • Proofread carefully, eliminating all distracting errors.
  • Organize your ideas into coherent paragraphs and sentences.
  • Stay within the prescribed word count
  • Adhere to MLA Document Design guidelines
  • And finally, you may use first person pronouns here!

Choose one film (Gaslight (1944) or The Others (2001) and one text that we have studied on this course (Dracula or The Yellow Wallpaper), and use them to explain how the “psychological experience of being full of fear and dread and thus of recognising human limits” is in fact an uplifting experience, one in which we acquire knowledge that frees us

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Read carefully the assignment on the Module Six Extended Response Paper 3 file that I have attached and complete the assignment.

The writer has to choose one film (Gaslight (1944) or The Others (2001) and one text that we have studied on this course (Dracula or The Yellow Wallpaper), and use them to explain how the “psychological experience of being full of fear and dread and thus of recognising human limits” is in fact an uplifting experience, one in which we acquire knowledge that frees us, helps us heal or resolve past trauma, or allows us to explore possibilities that are normally denied expression by the cultural conditions in which we live.

Moreover, you will need to rent the films Gaslight (1944) and The Others (2001) in Amazon for example in order to complete this assignment.

Your paper should have a thesis statement that proposes an argument in response to the points above, and should use evidence from the text and film to illustrate and support your ideas. If you quote specific lines of dialogue from the film, the in-text citation should contain the director’s last name and the specific hour, minute, seconds that you reference: (Cukor 00:23:11-00:23:57)

In your term paper, give me the basic details of the director’s life and career. Identify some of the director’s most important films. What honors and awards did the director receive?

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Select a director who was active (directed more than 3 movies) during the time period of 1950 – 2000.  In your term paper, give me the basic details of the director’s life and career. Identify some of the director’s most important films. What honors and awards did the director receive? Provide a sampling of critical opinion about the director’s work (i.e. film reviews or articles). View at least two films by your director and comment on them (one of them can be a film you would have watch previously for the class). Do not summarize any plots. Write about how this director used the following in these films: Editing (montage), Sound and Music, Cinematography, Special Camera Work (steady cam, hand held, optical effects), Special Effects (this can include stunt work).

(b)    Select one film of feature length made during the time period of 1970 – 2000. You are not to use a film already used by you, the instructor or the course content. In your term paper, you should present information about the making of the movie, about its success at the box office, about awards it was nominated for and/or received. Also present a sampling of the critical reaction to the film, from both the time of its release and later. Finally, you should watch the film and react to it. Do not summarize the plot. Assume that I’ve already seen the film. In addition, write about how this director used the following in these films: Editing (montage), Sound and Music, Cinematography, Special Camera Work (steady cam, hand held, optical effects), Special Effects (this can include stunt work).

(c)   This option is more of a research option that the other two. You are to take a topic or item with in an element of film making and write a short research paper on its development. For example, if you want to write about camera development, take a more focused part of that broader topic such as the steady cam and use that as your subject. You do not need to get too technical in your paper. Some broader topics include: Camera Development, Projection and Viewing in Theaters, Film, Special Effects, Director Training, Actor Training, and Editing.

Define and use specific vocabulary relating to filmmaking and the motion picture industry. Analyze motion pictures using established criteria. Compare and contrast films according to their genres, styles, and narrative strategies.

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  • Define and use specific vocabulary relating to filmmaking and the motion picture industry.
  • Analyze motion pictures using established criteria.
  • Compare and contrast films according to their genres, styles, and narrative strategies.
  • Write about specific films in depth using your knowledge of film terms.
  • Compare and contrast films and their related themes and artistic devices through discussion and writing

The Task:

In order to demonstrate your ability to do these things,write an essay comparing how a specific theme  discussed this quarter is treated or developed in three of the films that we have watched. Choose films that you think offer interesting contrasts and comparison in how the theme is treated. In your comparison discuss specific details about the portrayals of main characters, the plot / events or the film’s narrative structure, and the elements of film style and cinematic techniques. Discuss how these elements contribute to the films’ overall treatments or developments of the theme.

This film assignment is designed to consider how Dead Poet’s Society communicates its themes.Identify the primary focus of the film. Underline the choice made. Support the choice with clear rationale.

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Dead Poets Assignment.

This film assignment is designed to consider how Dead Poet’s Society communicates its themes.

1) Begin the paper by identifying the film, the director and your subjective opinion regarding the film.

2) Identify the primary focus of the film. Underline the choice made. A list can be found in the intro lesson.

3) Support the choice with clear rationale.

4) Identify a secondary focus. Underline the choice made. A list can be found in the intro lesson.

5) Support the choice with clear rationale.

6) Determine the dramatic question and how that question reflects the primary focus presented in part 1.

In the first paragraph determine the primary focus of the film. Include a discussion that supports that choice. (parts 1 & 2 of the above rubric)

In the second paragraph determine a secondary focus. Include a discussion that supports that choice. (parts 3 & 4 of the above rubric)

In the last paragraph identify the dramatic question. This should be a central question that reflects the point of the film. Connect that to the choice made for the primary focus.

View a feature film made between 1970–2000 you have not seen before (or will see later in this class) by a great director or featuring a great actor or actress. Pay particular attention to the screen play, camerawork (cinematography) the editing (montage) and the sound (this can include the music)

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You will be responsible for watching a film and writing a 3-5 page essay in which you respond to prompts which will be provided for each paper. (This means at least 3 pages include the “My Criteria for Quality in Film” page and no longer than 5 pages. These assignments are reaction papers, not plot summaries or research papers. The key element here is that you will be telling the instructor what you have to say about the film, not what others have said.

View a feature film made between 1970–2000 you have not seen before (or will see later in this class) by a great director or featuring a great actor or actress. Just as you did in the first paper, comment on the specific film you saw. Pay particular attention to the screen play, camerawork (cinematography) the editing (montage) and the sound (this can include the music). You may also address special effects. Again, as you did in the first paper, talk about what you like, and what you dislike, about what you saw? Why do you like the things you like, and why do you dislike the things you dislike? Is the film a good film, or is it not?

Now that you have commented on the specific film you viewed, see if you can draw some general conclusions about the work of the director and of the main actors or actresses.

Be sure to comment on the overall impression you had of the film, including how you see it as an example of its genre and time period. Remember, this is not a research paper. I am interested in what you have to say, not in what you can learn by reading up on the film or the filmmaker.

Go back to the “My Criteria for Quality in Film” page. Based on your viewing this week’s film, add five new general conclusions. These statements should be numbered (6) through (10). Be sure to include entire page, including all of your previous criteria statements.

Think about the title of the film – The Murderers Are among Us. What do you think the title might mean or symbolize? How does it relate to a main message or a theme in the film? Is this post-war German film relevant for us today? Why?

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What attitude toward Nazi Germany and World War II does this movie reflect? How is the film influenced by the historical and cultural context in which it was made? What was Germany like right after WW II and how can we see this reflected in the movie?
Characterize Dr. Hans Mertens. What specific event during WWII caused his trauma? How is trauma depicted in the film? What effect has the war had on Merten’s mind and how is this represented on screen? What cinematic devices are used to visualize his trauma? How are his internal feelings externalized and how does this compare to the visualization of emotions in the Expressionist films that we have watched?
Do you think Mertens develops over the course of the movie, i.e. is he a static character (no development) or a dynamic character (noticeable development)? Why?
Please characterize Susanne Wallner. How is she introduced and what role does she play in the film? How are women depicted in the movie? What attitudes toward gender roles does the film reflect?
What part of the story told by the movie was the most powerful? Which scene of the film do you find most important? Why?
How is the potential for healing suggested in this film? What role does language play in the healing process?
Think about the title of the film – The Murderers Are among Us. What do you think the title might mean or symbolize? How does it relate to a main message or a theme in the film? Is this post-war German film relevant for us today? Why?
Do you like the ending of the film? Why or why not? What other ending would be possible? Why did Staudte let the film end the way he did?
If you had a chance to ask a character in this movie a question, what would it be? What do you think he or she might answer?

Select at least two works from different moving image mediums (whether video art, television, film, cinema or video games etc) and discuss the similarities and differences between these works.

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Select at least two works from different moving image mediums (whether video art, television, film, cinema or video games etc) and discuss the similarities and differences between these works. By two works, simply mean one work from each medium. How does one work from one medium resemble another work from another medium? In your analysis, cite at least one reading from the course.  Reference a theoretical framework on how media interrelates and define key terms using theorists.decide how many sources you will use as reference list.

Describe how the individual elements combined to present the overall mise-en-scene of the film. • Describe how these elements combined to present the overall viewer impression of the film

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Choose 1 of the following silent films to watch and report on. • The General (1926) • Metropolis (1927) • Safety Last (1923) • City Lights (1931) • Nosferatu (1922)

Describe how the individual elements combined to present the overall mise-en-scene of the film. • Describe how these elements combined to present the overall viewer impression of the film. Think like a filmmaker—what did the director do and how/why did he do it to create that unique experience for the viewer? • Use examples
Other things to keep in mind:

• What kind of settings show up in the film and why?

• Are any props part of comedic gags? How?

• How do makeup/hairstyle/costume contribute to what’s funny?

• How are stand-out scenes staged for comic or horror effects?

• Does the use of light in the film call attention to itself? Why or why not?

• Is the film colorized? Why? For what effect?
SOUND-In at least 8 sentences, discuss the use of sound in the film.

• What kind of music is being played? How is it used?

• Are there any sound effects?

• Does silence play a significant role in delivering the film’s experience to the viewer?

• Use examples. • Think like a filmmaker—what did the director do and how/why did he do it to create that unique experience for the viewer?
CINEMATOGRAPHY-Cinematography includes choices about types of shots, camera angles, and mobile framing to create the language of cinema. Write at least 8 sentences here.

• Use the notes from what you learned so far so you are demonstrating the proper terminology.
Things to keep in mind:

• What does the director compel us through cinematography to focus on? Why? What is left to the imagination? In sum, how does the director’s use of the camera help to create humor or horror in the film?

• How do the cinematic aspects of the film–the qualities of the film stock, lenses used, framing, camera angles, camera movement, and use of long takes–add up to an overall
look? How could a viewer describe that look?

• What kind of camera motion is being used in certain scenes? Is there a dependence on hand-held camera work? Other techniques? Why and to what effect?

• How do the individual shots tend to be framed and angled? What is the overall tendency in composition in the frame and angle? Why?

• To what extent is the filmmaker deviating from eye-level angles? Are these meant to convey a particular point of view (i.e., are they POV shots?) If so, what do the angles convey about characters’ states of mind?

• Does the cinematography ever call attention to itself? If so, why?

• Describe a particular scene that showcases the film’s cinematography.

Use textual evidence (i.e. direct quotations from the readings) as well as visual evidence (specific scenes from the film) to weigh in on the Mulvey-Keane debate: whose position do you find more convincing? Why?

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This is the first of 3 papers you will submit for this course wherein you combine the readings and philosophical themes from the weekly lectures with a film screening. For this particular assignment your job is to watch Hitchcock’s Vertigo (available online) and consider it in light of the debate between Mulvey and Keane. We discussed Mulvey’s famous article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” at the end of Week 3 where she criticizes Hitchcock’s Vertigo for its male-centric perspective and degradation of the female lead (Kim Novak). Mulvey argues that in this way it is exemplary of the mainstream Hollywood style. In Keane’s article, which you’ll read on your own, she defends Vertigo against Mulvey’s criticisms. For your paper I’d like you to use textual evidence (i.e. direct quotations from the readings) as well as visual evidence (specific scenes from the film) to weigh in on the Mulvey-Keane debate: whose position do you find more convincing? Why? What scenes from the film and claims from the readings support your point? Whose tragedy is Vertigo? Scottie’s or Madeleine/Judy’s? Both? Or is this simply the wrong way to look at the film? If so, why?