Assignment F4

• See a pre-1980 feature film you haven't seen before which fits into one of the following film genres: musical, Western, science-fiction, horror, or gangster. I recommend that you see a film either from a genre with which you're unfamiliar, or from a genre you know you don't or suspect you won't like.

• If you'd like to see a musical, consider GUYS AND DOLLS, THE PAJAMA GAME, or THE MUSIC MAN. For a Western, try THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, THE SEARCHERS, or BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. For science-fiction, look for FORBIDDEN PLANET, QUINTET or ZARDOZ. For a horror film, try the original FRANKENSTEIN or DRACULA or NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. For a gangster film, consider WHITE HEAT, LITTLE CAESAR or THE ROARING TWENTIES. These titles are suggestions: for each of the five genres acceptable for this assignment, there are many other possibilities. Be sure to see a feature-length film, and be sure it's a film that was made before 1980 and that you haven't seen before.

• At the top of your assignment, put your name and the number 1 (for page 1). Under that, put the sentence, "I have watched all of ____________," substituting the name of the film you viewed for the blank line. Don't put this statement unless you have in fact watched all of the film. Viewing the complete film and putting the "I have watched" statement will earn you 5 points. (Remember, all film titles should appear in CAPITALS, every time you mention a film by name.)

• You may now earn up to an additional 15 points (for a possible total of 20) by writing about the film you saw. Don't summarize the plot — you can assume that I've seen it. Instead of telling me what it's about, tell me what you thought about it. For example, did you like the film you viewed? Why, or why not? Whether or not you liked it, did you think that it was a good movie? Again, why or why not? (It's a good idea to discuss how many and which of your "Criteria for Quality in Film" the movie you've viewed meets, and which it doesn't meet, to help justify your evaluation.)

• Part 2: Okay, now assume that the movie you viewed for this week's assignment is representative of the genre into which it fits. From your viewing of this film, see if you can identify several (at least three) characteristics of the genre. In other words, it's time now to see if you can identify specific elements which contribute to genre in film.

• Now go back to your "My Criteria for Quality in Film" page. Based on your viewing of this week's film, add two new general conclusions. These statements should be numbered (7) and (8). (Be sure to print the entire page, including all of your previous criteria statements — which you may edit, if you'd care to.) Don't forget to save this page to your hard drive for later use.

• Your film assignments are to be typed or wordprocessed. Handwritten assignments will not be accepted. Use a 12-point font. Double space, and leave 1" margins at the left, right, top and bottom of every page. Do not justify your right margins. Be sure to put your name and a page number at the top of every page (including, if you choose to submit an expanded version of it this week, your "My Criteria" page).

• Putting these assignments off until the last possible moment probably won’t work very well. Each of them requires you to view an additional film outside of class time, so you should be sure to leave yourself enough time to view the film, think about it, write a first draft, and then edit and revise. That’s more work than some of you are going to want to do — but it’s the way to get a good grade in this course!

• Be sure to spell the names of directors, actors, screenwriters and other people correctly. Always CAPITALIZE the titles of films.

• There is no set length requirement for these assignments. However, you should remember that I'm looking for you to show me evidence that you're actually thinking about the film you saw this week, about the things you've learned so far in this course, and about the assignment. I almost never give full credit for F4 to students who turn in less than three double-spaced typewritten pages, and I rarely give a grade higher than a C to students who are still turning in work littered with spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

• As I grade your papers, I will be looking for the following elements: evidence that you are paying attention in class, references and comparisons to other films you have seen (in or out of class) and especially to films you have previously written about, use of the film vocabulary introduced in class, clear presentation of your opinions, reasonable explanations and justifications to support those opinions, and college-level writing skills (spelling, punctuation and grammar).

Return to Homework.