Chapter Ten: Writing an Evaluation

I love film. I love movies, TV, all of it. Unfortunately, I know absolutely nothing about it, and I’ve always wanted to know more about the elements of film. This chapter helped me out. Reading it was considerably easier to read than previous chapters; it was magically informative without being dull.

Interesting bits:

Ty Burr’s review of Avatar. I remember the anticipation of the film (the “kool-aid” as Burr calls it) and the mixed response to it. I personally walked out of the theater amazed by the visuals but feeling like I’d just seen a glorified Pocahontas. Burr’s reaction to the film was similar, but stated a bit more eloquently. The side comments were helpful in pointing out how he did what I couldn’t–explain why. His analysis of the special effects, plot, and Cameron’s abilities, in my opinion, were spot on.

The director of Slumdog Millionaire ensuring the movie’s child actors completed their education. A cool tidbit, unrelated to the plot or characters or visuals, but which might influence those who had made negative assumptions about the film’s productions incentive to see it.

Mise en scene examples: Bill Murray, sticking out like a sore thumb in a crowded elevator in Lost in Translation, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in a passionate embrace in front of elaborate heart-shaped scenery in Moulin Rouge, Ellen Page’s baby bump front and center in Juno, a stunned Dev Patel surrounded by celebration in Slumdog Millionaire

DIY Media and Design, and the insight into writing film scripts

The three varying reviews of Fight Club and The Departed

Helpful bits:

The Q&A with Ty Burr.

Analysis of theme + your evaluation of execution = evaluative thesis

The elements of film broken down:

• story elements: character (lines, delivery, acting) and plot (development, pace)
• visual elements: cinematography (how the movie is filmed), editing (creating a cohesive final product), production design (sets, costumes, props), special effects (animation digital design, stunts)
• sound elements: the soundtrack (my personal favorite)

And the most important bit:

The Review = plot summary + evaluation

1. plot summary: brief, concise, no spoilers

2. evaluation: the rave, the pan, and the mixed review

Key players: producer, director, writer, actors, cinematographer, editor

All of the things I have to remember to think about and take notes on when I go see the film I’m reviewing (movie TBD):

background information, context

story, characters, acting, direction, editing, cinematography, sound effects, music, costumes, visual impact

All of the things I have to remember to write about in the film review I’m writing:

introduction–context, thesis (evaluation of film), brief summary

body–analyze elements of film, determine film’s strengths and weaknesses

conclusion–worthwhile to see?

 

Chapter 11: Writing a Causal Analysis

This chapter is about writing about trends and explaining them, and it is loaded with info. This blog looks a little more like notes than a blog. Old habits die hard.

I liked reading the example piece about social media in college admissions, and the side notes are helpful (sometimes obvious, but it’s nice to see each element pointed out). I found it interesting that the author originally had another topic in mind but changed direction.

Tips from the chapter:

• proof the trend exists then explain the trend
• Establish ethos: understand your audience–know what they do and do not know, and whether or not it is a controversial matter
• present yourself as an authority–use precise data, interviews, consult sources, quote exports
• objective voice–no first person! no opinion and attribution

Choosing a good topic: make observations and convert them to analysis

This, I think, is the hardest part: finding a topic that will work for the assignment and that will be  interesting  (to readers and the author). I like the texting example because it is such a major trend but I feel like the ways in which it has changed communication are pretty much common knowledge so I’m not sure what additional insight a causal analysis could provide. This is why you should test your topic: is it isolated or other examples? Are there larger implications? Are there noteworthy increases/decreases? What are the significant cause or effects?

The Analytical Thesis: define the trend and present a theory about it–signals what your readers will understand by reading your analysis

Keep track of research: books, social media, internet search engines and directories, internet databases, interviews and check for authority, currency, bias

I found the advice about “showing the human side of data” intriguing because when I think data, I don’t really think “personal”. But for someone to be included in a data figure, they must have had a personal experience with the trend. I like the idea of using the story within the data rather than simply a large impersonal numerical figure.

Using logic: avoid jumping to conclusions!

• post hoc fallacy–that something that happens is a cause of what comes after it
• correlation does not prove causation

So, if I fall asleep after this, it does not necessarily mean it was because this chapter was boring. Assuming so would be falling prey to the post hoc fallacy.

Revision: big idea reminders, restatements of previous topics, single word transitions

“Race Remixed Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above” and the other readings tie all the elements of the chapter together. They present trends and explain them using personal stories and relevant statistics.

Chapter 13: Creating a Visual Argument

Let me preface this: I know absolutely nothing about film. I can barely take a decent video on my iPhone’s camera. So this could either be a really great learning experience or a disaster. Fingers crossed it’s the first.

…That was unnecessary, as it turns out, because this chapter wasn’t about film. It was about PSAs, and film is the media we’ll be using, but the chapter mainly focused on getting the message across. I hadn’t realized before how every aspect of a public service message conveys meaning, even down to small details such as the size and font of the text.

In the Q&A with Tom Fauls, he advises focusing on the client’s objective, how the target audience (and only the target audience) will react, smart and original ideas that are relevant, and emotional motivators.

The chapter also talks about the “big concept”: the main message your PSA is trying to send, which is narrowed down to a specific message aimed at the target audience.

Persuasion path: attract attention and generate interest, appeal to hearts and minds, provide reasons, call to action

I’m trying to think of PSAs that have captured my attention in the past, and they seem to follow the formula this book gives. Each one has been interesting visually, had a catchy tagline, made me laugh, or was hard-hitting (like those brutal descriptions of deaths in drunk driving accidents).

I understand all of these concepts, like pathos, appealing to emotion, logos, using logic, and ethos. The difficulty will be in figuring out how to use them differently–in a way that’s not cliché or overdone.