A synopsis is a brief summary of a written work or a movie. Read the movie synopses below and try to guess the title of the movie.

Translate the sentences into Russian

1. What’s the film about?

2. Is it worth seeing this film?

3. This film is very popular with the cinema-goers

4. Which of the British film actresses are your favourites?

5. Are you fond of the cinema?

Notes

1. Drama 2. Adventure 3. Musical 4. Comedy 5. Romantic comedy 6. Documentary 7. Sci-fi 8. Horror 9. Western 10. Detective 11. Cartoon 12. Suspense-thriller 13. Historical drama

a) A short film that is made by photographing a series of drawings, clay models, etc. b) A romantic film about love c) A film describing or based on the events of the past d) A film about life in the 19^th century in the American West e) A film in which exciting and unusual situations or sets of events happen f) A film about a crime, often a murder, and a detective who tries to find out who did it g) A kind of film in which imaginary future developments in science and their effect on life are described h) A film in which dangerous and unusual events happen i) A film that tells an exciting story about murder or crime, and you do not know what will happen next j) A film that uses dancing or singing to tell a story k) A film in which strange and frightening things happen l) A film that is intended to entertain people and make them laugh m) A film that gives facts and information about smth

5) Make three movie riddles using the clues in the boxes. Read your riddles to the group and they will try to guess your movies. Wait until all 5 clues have been given before guessing.

Movie #1 ____________________________(Movie title – Keep this a secret)

Clue #1 It’s a _________________________ (Genre)

Clue #2 It takes place ___________________ (Setting)

Clue #3 __________________________ is in it. (Actor)

Clue #4 It’s about _______________________ (Plot)

Clue #5 In the end, _________________________ (Climax)

A synopsis is a brief summary of a written work or a movie. Read the movie synopses below and try to guess the title of the movie.

Movie 1: ________________

Reading what others have said about the film before you see it may help you to focus your observations. If a film is particularly well known for the editing of a certain scene (the shower scene in Hitchcock's Psycho, for example), you'll want to pay close attention to the editing when you view the film.

• What can you learn from the film's genre?

Before you see the film, think a bit about the norms and limitations of its genre. When you view the film, you can then consider how these limitations are obeyed or stretched. For example, Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven is a western that challenges its genre's typical notions of good guy vs. bad guy. Knowing how this dynamic plays itself out in other westerns helps you to understand and to appreciate Eastwood's accomplishment.

• Does the film reflect an interesting cultural phenomenon?

Sometimes a teacher will ask you to watch certain films because he wants you to examine a cultural phenomenon - for example, the phenomenon of stardom. Accordingly, you might watch The Scarlet Letter with the idea of viewing it as a "star vehicle," contributing to Demi Moore's star persona. Note that this sort of paper may also be a discussion of formal analysis: for example, you might discuss how Demi Moore was lit in certain scenes to emphasize her position as Hollywood star.

WRITING TIPS

In many ways, writing a paper about film is no different from writing other kinds of papers in the Humanities. You need to focus your topic, write a good thesis sentence, settle on a structure, write clear and coherent paragraphs, and tend to matters of grammar and style.

In some other ways, however, writing a paper about film has some challenges of its own. We've collected a few tips here:

• Don't simply summarize the film.

Your teachers have seen the film; you don't need to recount the plot to them. They are looking for analysis, not summary.

• Don't simply summarize the use of camera angles or editing techniques.

You've annotated shot sequences in order to find something to say about them. Don't simply transcribe your annotation and call it a paper. Rather, posit something about what the director is trying to achieve, or the effect that this shot sequence has upon the audience.

• Don't limit yourself to a discussion of plot and characters.

Some students come to film criticism trying to employ the techniques they've used to analyze novels in their English classes. They focus on analyzing the characters, themes, and plot. Film Studies papers focus on different elements of composition, as discussed above.

• Avoid the "I."

It's too easy to slip into a subjective "reviewer's" stance when you use the "I" in your criticism. Try to find a more objective way of beginning your sentences than "I found" or "I feel."

GLOSSARY OF FILM TERMS

• Accelerated Motion: Representing a shot as taking place at a higher speed than it did in reality.

• Back Lighting: Lighting which comes from directly behind the subject, placing it in silhouette.

• Camera Angle: The position of the camera in relation to the subject determines the camera angle. High angle means that the camera is looking down at the subject. Low angle means that the camera is looking up at the subject.

c) It’s about a family of superheroes who have to hide their identities and live normal lives. The dad gets bored living a normal life and takes a secret job as a superhero. But the job nearly kills him. His employer is in fact an evil genius who plans to take over the world. In the end, the superheroes save the planet form the evil genius.

d) It’s about a society of monsters that generate electricity from children’s screams. One day a child follows the main characters back to the monster world, which causes a great deal of trouble. In the end, the monsters learn that they can generate more electricity from children’s laughs.

e) It’s about a boy who finds a magic lamp with a genie inside. He uses his wishes to win the love of a princess. Unfortunately, an evil sorcerer steals the lamp and tries to kill the boy. In the end, the boy gets the lamp, wins the girl, and frees the genie.

9) Fill in the blanks below in the words in the box:

Action // actors // animation // blockbusters // cameo // camera // character // comedy // critic // documentary // extra // genre // horror // plot // projector // scenes // sci-fi // screen // sequel // setting // star // theater // ticket // usher

Parts of the Movie:

The place or time a movie takes place is called the _________________. What happens in a movie is called the _____________. A movie is usually broken up into many _________________. The movie is filmed with a ________________.

People in Movies:

The people who act in the movie are _________________. A _______________ is a part that an actor plays. The main actor is sometimes called the ____________________. When a famous person has a short appearance in a film it is called a ___________________. An ______________ is an unimportant person who acts in the background. A ________________ is a person who watches movies and writes reviews about them.

Movie Genres:

The type of movie is the movie _________________. A movie that makes you laugh is a ___________________. A movie that makes you scream is a ___________________. A movie that is exciting with lots of guns and explosions is an _________________ movie. Movies about the future or space are known as __________________ films. And a movie about real life is a _______________________. An __________________ film has cartoon characters.

Blockbusters

Movies with big budgets that sell a lot of tickets are called ______________________. Many of these movies do so well that movie producers make a _______________, or part II.

At the Theater:

The place where you watch a movie is called a _________________. To see a movie, usually, you have to buy a __________________. The movie is projected onto a large _______________ using a movie _________________. An __________________ is a person who shows you to your seat and makes sure everybody is quiet during the movie.

However, when your film professors ask you to write about film, it's precisely those "invisible" aspects that they want you to see. Pay attention to the way the camera moves. Note the composition (the light, shadow, and arrangement of things) within the frame. Think about how the film was edited. In short, consider the elements that make up the film. How do they function, separately and together? Also think about the film in the context when it was made, how, and by whom. In breaking down the film into its constituent parts, you'll be able to analyze what you see.

As you analyze and write about film, remember that you aren't writing a review. Reviews are generally subjective: they explore an individual's response to a film and so do not require research, analysis, and so on. As a result, reviews are often both simplistic (thumbs up, thumbs down) and "clever" (employing the pun-driven or sensational turns of phrase of popular magazines). While reviews can be useful and even entertaining pieces of prose, they generally don't qualify as "academic writing."

We aren't saying that your individual and subjective responses to a film are useless. In fact, they can be most informative. Being terrified when you watch The Blair Witch Project can be the first step on the way to a strong analysis. Interrogate your terror. Why are you scared? What elements of the film contribute to your terror? How does the film play with the horror and documentary genres in order to evoke a fear that is fresh and convincing? And so on.

Film History

All films are deeply involved in history: they reflect history, influence history, have history. A film like Gone With the Wind not only tells a story of the South during the Civil War, but (more importantly) it reflects the values and ideas of the culture that produced it, and so can be understood as an historical document.

All films are part of our culture's history. They derive from and contribute to historical events. War films, for example, take their substance from historical events. They also influence those events - by influencing wartime audiences to rally behind the troops, or to protest them.

But films also have their own histories:

1. All films have production histories, which involve the details of how and why and when they were made. Production problems often (if not always) affect what we see on the screen.

2. All films have distribution and release histories: some films are released to different generations of audiences, to wildly different responses; other films are banned because they

threaten certain cultural values. (Thailand, for example, banned both The King and I and the recent Anna and the King because, in the estimation of the Thais, the films were disrespectful to their royalty).

3. Finally, all films should be understood in the larger context of film history. A particular film might "make" history, through its innovations, or it might reflect certain historical trends.

Ideological Papers

Even films that are made to entertain promote some set of beliefs. Sometimes these beliefs are clearly political, even propagandistic: Eisenstein's Potempkin, for example, is a glorification of Soviet values. Other films are not overtly political, but they still promote certain values: Mary Poppins, for example, argues for the idea that fathers need to take a more active interest in their families.

It's important to remember, when watching a film, that even films whose purpose it is to entertain may be promoting or even manipulating our feelings about a certain set of values. Independence Day, for example, is entertaining, in part, because it plays on our feelings of

A: ‘Attack from Planet Q’ is playing at the Odeon theatre.

B: What’s that about?

A: It’s a sci-fi about aliens who invade China. It takes place along the Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty.

B: Who’s in it?

A: It’s starring Will Smith. He plays a palace guard who uncovers an alien plot to kill the Emperor.

B: What do the critics say about it?

A: The critics say it’s frightening and entertaining. It won ‘Best Film’ at the Cannes Film Festival.

B: OK. Let’s see that. What time does it start?

A: Show times are at 6:45 and 8:30.

B: Why don’t we catch the 8:30 so that we can have a bite to eat before we go?

I want to …/ I’d like to see a movie. / I feel like seeing a movie. / I’m in the mood for seeing a movie. / I wouldn’t mind seeing a movie. / I could go for a movie.

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