Analyzing Film As Text

NAME: ______DATE:______

Analyzing Film as Text

Instructions: Type your responses to the prompts to analyze the film as a work of literature. Allow the boxes/spaces to expand as you type your information. Please remove superfluous empty space.

Title of Film
Author of Original Work of Literature

Setting

· Where and when (time period, time of day?) does most of the action take place? Be detailed in your explanation. (Tangible, intangible – countries, land, homes, century, year)

· How much time (not “class time”) does the film cover from beginning to end? (estimate if not specific time is given. (for example: 3 months, 3 years, 1 day, etc.)

Character

Name at least 3 characters in this film. / Describe the characters in various aspects which may include, but may not be limited to appearance, personality, background, lifestyle, other family members’ relationships, etc.
1.
2.
3.

· What does the main character want (in detail) and why? You will have more than one response, and you should include both the obvious desires and the subconscious ones you infer. Ideas to consider: What is the overall goal? What does the character want on a daily basis? What does he or she want for his life? His family? His inner self?

List three forces/obstacles that prevent the protagonist from getting what he/she wants.
(People, places, personality flaws, etc.) / Describe WHY those forces interfere. What is the conflict?
4.
5.
6.
Define the two terms listed below as they relate to character development:
Static
Dynamic
Character Name / How do the main character(s) change during the film? Explain the process of development, what causes the change, who else is involved and what lessons the character has learned or not learned.

Plot

What is the most important conflict/problem in the film?
What is the conflict with the main character? Describe it as internal or external.
What other conflicts develop as the characters try to resolve their problems? What gets in the way of the character’s goal?
Where is the climax, the most exciting moment in the film, when you finally know who will win the main conflict?
What is the turning point? When do things start to change and look either up or down for the character?
In at least three (3) sentences, summarize the plot of the film. Cover events that take place in the film’s beginning, middle and end.

· Circle the following plot devices used in this film (may include both).

a. flashback – a scene interrupts the action to tell what happened at an earlier time.

b. Frame story – a story told within the framework of another story.

Point of view

· From what POV is the story told: first person third person third-person omniscient

Tone

List 9 adjectives that best describe the way the author seems to feel about the characters and events in the film.
Research a list of terms for tone related to literary analysis for help with this prompt.

· Describe in detail the film’s atmosphere or mood? (Options for focus: mysterious, exotic, magical, comic, dreary, peaceful, angry) Describe how the setting influences the mood or overall feeling of the movie.

Theme

· What is the main subject of the film? Write a one-sentence powerful statement that encompasses the theme. It could be about a person or idea.

· What is the film’s theme, the important idea about life or people that the story reveals to you? What message is important? What idea is being presented?