Film Reflections
Reflection Goals:
Film reflections are meant first and foremost to be an academic exercise,
not an "op ed" piece, where you just share your feelings or offer unsubstantiated
opinions. You need to reflect upon what you’ve seen, drawing from the lectures
and the reading material. This means you should do the following:
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Thoughtfully consider the information presented within the context of your
existing knowledge base (from other classes, your professional life, other
readings, lecture and discussion here, etc.).
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Discuss how the film ties in with material covered in lecture and in the
main text.
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Struggle and grapple with the ideas. Don’t just blindly accept or reject
them.
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Think of questions the film raises. Present these questions in your reflection.
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Share your own thoughts and opinions, but not without appropriate context
and reference.
It’s fine to offer a brief summary of the scenes presented, but don’t just
focus on the plot. On the other hand, don’t simply discuss the ideas presented
in the film without any reference to the larger plot. Your reflection should
be a balance of your thoughtful consideration about the ideas, with reference
to lecture, discussion, and readings.
Format:
Jot down key ideas and points. For instance, in the film Blade Runner,
we see several interesting future-urban themes: a "big brother" theme;
incredibly overbearing and almost alienating architecture, with little
connection to "human scale"; technology-gone-awry; propaganda-like advertising;
etc.
Your film reflection should:
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Be a coherent essay, not a random stream of thoughts. Use full sentences
and paragraphs.
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Be correct in terms of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Use the Writing
Checklist.
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How much should you write? Your double-spaced essays should be at least
one and a half pages long, but no more than three pages.
Your film reflection should NOT:
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Be a film review copied from or based on a pubished review of the film.
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Critique the film from a cinemagraphic perspective
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Repeat the plot of the film without indicating how the elements relate
directly to themes covered in class or in readings.