For now, though, a look at the chapter shows how the information in it can help a student break away from merely retelling the story of a movie, and break into illuminating it through film analysis. The editors acknowledge that the chapter is merely an introduction to film analysis by listing several texts that discuss it in detail. Roberts and Jacobs point out that each performance of a play is unique, implying that films cannot be. The remakes show that each new production of a film results in a different movie, too, even though it s the same story. Add to that the sensitivities to editing, montage, the visual explanation of character, directorial commentary, long shots, close-ups, zoom shots, camera work, and sound characteristics, and the analysis can go beyond respectable to illuminating.
Many students mistake summarizing or reviewing the movie for analyzing it.
Each of those issues may come into play as small parts of the essay, but they should not constitute the bulk of it. The material in this chapter sets the student up to write effective film analysis, an essay which shows what a film means and discusses how it means it. Prewriting is especially important in film analysis. The advent of video releases makes it possible to take especially good notes because the instant replay is possible. The answer to the first question can provide the central idea.