Essay: Create an outline for your essay that includes a thesis and turn it in below. You can refer to the information on the second page of the assignment sheet and to the “Evaluation Essay Outline” document in the Week One module for help.
5. Review all the requirements for MLA formatting HERE and take the two MLA quizzes below.
Critical Evaluation Essay Outline
Introduction
Present the Subject. Write a paragraph introducing the subject to the reader by 1) Over-viewing the “big-picture” of your film, a short plot summary, its influence on people, why it’s important to evaluate, the context of its creation and 2) Establish the evaluative criteria you will be using to prove your thesis.
Thesis: Your Judgment on the Subject. Write your complete thesis statement, which includes your judgment and reasons for support. The reasons are your judgments on the evaluative criteria you have identified to evaluate your subject. Use the word “because” to connect your judgment to your reasons.
Example: The films of Kevin Smith, from Clerks through Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, should be avoided because the humor is sophomoric, the language offensive, and the dialogue crowded with unintelligible pop-culture references.
Body of Argument
Reason One
First Criteria. State, as a topic sentence, your judgment on the first evaluative criteria, and use appropriate transition words/phrases to move from thesis to first reason. Also, restate the wording of the first reason so it doesn’t simply copy the reason as you stated it in the complete thesis. Example: “The first reason to avoid Kevin Smith’s movies is the low-brow humor.”
Support for Reason One: Textual support, quotations, examples, expert authorities, cases, statistics, comparisons to similar subjects, analogies (comparisons to somewhat related subjects).
Reason Two
Second Criteria. State, as a topic sentence, your judgment on the second evaluative criteria, and use appropriate transition words/phrases to move from thesis to first reason. Also, restate the wording of the first reason so it doesn’t simply copy the reason as you stated it in the complete thesis. Example: “Another reason to avoid Kevin Smith’s movies is not only the low-brow humor, but also the offensive language used to “be funny”.
Support: Textual support, quotations, examples, expert authorities, statistics, analogies (comparisons to related subjects).
Reason Three. Repeat above.
Conclusion
Restate thesis and premises; alter the wording so that this is not merely a copy of the complete thesis in the introduction. Make a recommendation?
The outline will end up looking like this:
Thesis
1. Topic Sentence for first body paragraph
a. Detail
a. Example
a. Quote
a. Etc.
2. Topic Sentence for Second Body Paragraph
b. Detail
b. Example
b. Quote
b. Etc.
And so forth. The outline MUST NOT look like a rough draft. It should be a list of the things you plan to include in the paragraphs of the body.
Assignment #1-Evaluating Vertigo
Rough Draft Due:
Final Draft Due:
Description of Assignment:
The purpose of this essay will be to evaluate, critique, and analyze Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. This film is widely regarded as the greatest example of technical and narrative filmmaking, in any language. You will chose a set of criteria to use to analyze the film, its meaning, its themes, its techniques to better understand how it functions, and along the way, argue with the critics that hold such a high opinion of the film.
Organization:
The introduction of this essay should give the audience background information on the film or filmmakers, put it in context (the time and place of its creation) and end with your thesis, which should argue for a clear opinion about the film and introduces us to the criteria you will use to evaluate the film. Remember to include a title that reflects your feelings about the film.
The body will analyze parts of the film to support your evaluative stance. This should be done by reaching logical conclusions about what it means or its impact on culture or society, but also by using outside sources to support those conclusions. Find a set of criteria against which you can judge the film, such as dialogue, setting, framing and photography, subject matter, theme, character development, visual metaphors, use of sound or music, acting or editing. Throughout the body, try to find ways to incorporate quotes from the film. Avoid summarizing the plot.
The conclusion of the essay should re-emphasize your feelings about the film, but also why it is worth watching or considering. How does it challenge the viewer? How does it inform us?
Requirements:
1. Construct a thesis that tells us your opinion of the film and what criteria( from the second page of the assignment sheet) you used to form your opinion.
2. Two sources from the “Vertigo Sources” folder in Class Content on eCampus must be used. No sources outside of this folder should be used. All of the works cited entries for these sources can be found in this document .
3. Include MLA formatting, including appropriate in-text citations, all quotes are in quotation marks and works cited entries for every source that appears in your essay (including the film) are on a works cited page at the end of your essay.
Technical Details:
1. The paper must be 3 pages in length (about 1000 words), comprised of multiple paragraphs, including an introduction and conclusion.
2. Use 12-point font, Times New Roman (final draft must be typed), double-spaced.
3. MLA formatted with using at least three meaningful sources, including your primary source ( Vertigo), and a works cited page. All of your sources must come from the Vertigo Sources folder that can be found in the modules.
Evaluating a Film Outline
Intro:
Context and background on object and/or topic. You are introducing your audience to a conversation that has already been happening around your topic, so catch us up to speed and give us the definitions and facts we need to understand it.
Thesis Statement (Claim): What do you want us to believe about the film? What is your unique take on the film? Which criteria are you using to evaluate the film?
Body: These are things you might focus on as evaluation criteria, but you SHOULD NOT try to write about all of them (choose 2-4):
· Plot: What was the movie about? Was it believable? Interesting? Thought-provoking?
· Themes and Tone: What was the central idea of the movie? Any metaphors or symbols? What emotions were evoked?
· Acting and Characters: Did you like how the characters were portrayed? Did the acting support the characters, and help them come to life?
· Direction: Did you like how the director chose to tell the story?
· Score: Did the music support the mood of the movie? Was it too distracting or too subtle? Did it add to the production and work well with the script?
· Cinematography/Lighting: Were the shots used in a unique way to tell the story? Did the coloring and lighting affect the tone? Was the action coherently shot? How well did the camera move?
· Production Design: Did the sets feel lived-in and believable to the story or characters? Were the costumes suitable for the characters or story?
· Special Effects: Were the special effects believable? Did they align with the era and tone of the movie?
· Editing: Was the editing clean or choppy? Was the flow consistent?
· Pace: Did the movie flow well? Was it too fast or too slow? Was it clearly organized? Did certain scenes drag down the movie?
· Dialogue: Were the conversations believable or necessary? Did the dialogue bring context to plot developments? Did the words match the tone of the movie and personality of the characters?
Conclusion:
Paraphrase your thesis, and perhaps answer one or more of these questions:
What does the film want from us? How do the filmmaking techniques impact the audience? Why should it be seen? Why does it stand out?
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