Film Analysis-700 word essay
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Shot List Description:
Choose a ~3 minute sequence from Rear Window. Choose a scene that you can access online so that you can watch it a few times. Film is deceptively complex because we naturalize a lot of these techniques. So writing from memory is not effective. Using the template given below, in one column list the type of shot, the camera angle and movement (e.g. panning shot, low-angle, medium close-up). In another column you’ll very briefly describe mise-en-scene and what’s happening in the
shot (e.g. Jeffries grabs binoculars and wheels into the shadow). The last column is where you begin to speculate about the meaning of the action/scene. You’ll add a new entry each time the camera or shot changes.
Essay Description:
Using your observations from the shot list, compose a critical analysis that brings together the film’s form (narrative, miseen-scene and cinematography) and its meaning (implicit, symptomatic, etc.)). Your analysis should:

Have a clear thesis that addresses a larger theme in the film
Examine how form and content work together to shape your interpretation of the scene.
Useful questions to ask as you watch the scene:
Mise-en-scène: How do props and costumes help convey characters and themes? Are particular colors dominant (or absent)? Is the setting significant? If so, how is it presented? How does the lighting help convey the setting and the action? How is character blocking and placement used?
Cinematography: Where is the camera placed in relation to the action? Distance? Angle? How do particular compositions draw attention to elements of the settings, characters or themes? How does camera movement function in the sequence?
Are different focal lengths or depths of field used? How does cinematography reinforce the mise-en-scène?

Answer Preview-Film Analysis-Rear Window (1954)