Film Critique: Harry Potter project; Publishing Project: Submissions

Period 7: 

Task 1: Critique the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). Your critique should include:

Film Critique Draft Guidelines

Paragraph 1: Offer your overall impression of the film while mentioning the movie's title, director, and key actors. [Note: this info can be found at https://www.imdb.com]

Paragraph 2: Briefly summarize the plot of the film.
Paragraph 3: Positive things you thought about the film (acting, setting, music, special effects, writing, story, theme, dialogue, costumes, etc.) what did you like? Why? Use descriptive words to discuss the plot, setting, techniques and effects used, costumes, acting, camera or cinematography, music, directing, etc.
Paragraph 4: Negative things you thought about the film, what didn’t you like? Why? Comment on the same type of things that you mentioned in paragraph 3.
Paragraph 5: Ending paragraph--your last opportunity to guide the reader. Summarize and strongly restate your opinions.

Some words and phrases that are commonly used in movie reviews: 

spectacular visual effects, excessive violence, breathtaking, evocative, mood, atmosphere, poorly, unsuccessful, detail, scenery, irresistible, perfect, moments, plot, this movie has been compared to ____ because, wonderful, hilarious, momentum, unexpected plot twists, unbelievable, phenomenal, hype, suspense, disappointing, confusion/confused, fake, imitation, genre, unoriginal, typical, thrilled, was a very moving portrayal, quality of the film, I was impressed by, credible, cliché, a mixture of, classic, captivating

The following questions should help you in writing your critique. Use your notes and use them when choosing what to write about in your critique.

BACKGROUND

• Who is the writer/director or cinematographer of the film? What other films has this person made/been in/shot/written, etc.?
• Has the screenplay been adapted from another work? Explain how the blockbuster best-selling novel was adapted effectively (or chosen as subject matter).
• When was the film made? Why might it have done well or poorly at the box-office. How much did the film make? Were there any sequels or spin-offs? Why might this be so?

STRUCTURE / FORM

• How are the opening credits presented? Do they relate to meaning?
• Why does the film start in the way that it does?
• Are there any motifs (scenes, images, dialogue) that are repeated? What purpose do they serve?
• What three or four sequences are most important in the film? Why?
• Is sound used in any vivid ways to enhance the film? (i.e. Enhance drama, heighten tension, disorient the viewer, etc.)
• How does the film use color or light/dark to suggest tone and mood in different scenes?
• Are there any striking uses of perspective (seeing through a character's eyes, camera angle, etc.) How does this relate to the meaning of the scene?
• How and when are scenes cut? Are there any patterns in the way the cuts function?
• What specific scene constitutes the film's climax? How does this scene resolve the central issue of the film?
• Does the film leave any disunities (loose ends) at the end? If so, what does it suggest?
• Why does the film conclude on this particular image?

General Terms/Film Vocabulary: 

• Shot: continuous, unedited piece of film of any length
• Scene: a series of shots that together form a complete episode or unit of the narrative
• Storyboard: Drawn up when designing a production. Plans AV text and shows how each shot relates to sound track. (Think comic strip with directions - like a rough draft or outline for a film.)
• Montage: The editing together of a large number of shots with no intention of creating a continuous reality. A montage is often used to compress time, and montage shots are linked through a unified sound - either a voiceover or a piece of music.
• Parallel action: narrative strategy that crosscuts between two or more separate actions to create the illusion that they are occurring simultaneously.
• Long Shot: Overall view from a distance of whole scene often used as an establishing shot - to set scene. Person - will show whole body.
• Medium or Mid Shot: Middle distance shot - can give background information while still focusing on subject. Person - usually shows waist to head.
• Close Up: Focuses on detail / expression / reaction. Person - shows either head or head and shoulders.
• Tracking shot: single continuous shot made with a camera moving along the ground
• Reverse shot: shot taken at a 180 degree angle from the preceding shot (reverse-shot editing is commonly used during dialogue, angle is often 120 to 160 degrees)
• Subjective Shot (P.O.V. Shot): Framed from a particular character's point of view. Audience sees what character sees.
• Pan: Camera moves from side to side from a stationary position
• Tilt: Movement up or down from a stationary position
• Tracking: The camera moves to follow a moving object or person
• Low Angle Camera: shoots up at subject. Used to increase size, power, status of subject
• High Angle Camera: shoots down at subject. Used to increase vulnerability, powerlessness, decrease size
• Cut: The ending of a shot. If the cut seems inconsistent with the next shot, it is called a jump cut.
• Fade in or out: The image appears or disappears gradually. Often used as a division between scenes.
• Dissolve: One image fades in while another fades out so that for a few seconds, the two are superimposed.

Sound

• Soundtrack: Consists of dialogue, sound effects and music. Should reveal something about the scene that visual images don't.
• Score: musical soundtrack
• Sound effects: all sounds that are neither dialogue nor music
• Voice-over: spoken words laid over the other tracks in sound mix to comment upon the narrative or to narrate

See your notes for other vocabulary terms. You may use the graphic organizers and rubric to help you write your review/critique.

If you finish your draft today in the lab, please proofread it and print it out (and turn it in for credit). If you did not finish today, you will complete your work Monday, Dec. 10 (it is due then). 

Period 8:

Let's switch back to our publishing project. Print out a draft of your submission. Proofread and make sure your draft is formatted correctly. Use the style sheet information on your acceptance letter to format your submission.

Your submission is due at the end of period 8.

Once the commissioning/acquisitions editor receives your draft (Alquasia), she will distribute 3 copies to the chief editor: Jesziah (Jesziah will distribute each story/poem draft to her editor team: Joshua, Akhiyar, Kemani, Britney, Isobel, Victoria, Jenna, Pahz.) Editors will proofread, correct grammar and send the proofread copy back to the author for changes. Authors will revise, correct, and resubmit their work. Editors should fill out the editor handout sheet for credit. The chief editor and acquisitions editor should help/assist the editor team. When a piece has been proofread (at least twice), the acquisitions editor will hand the galley back to the author for correction.

Meanwhile, the publishing editors (Ja'Miah & Kordae) will meet with the graphic design team (Turon, Javant, Raeona) and brainstorm ideas about the design of the literary magazine. What should it look like? How much might it cost? What can our company print this most effectively? Etc.

That will be enough for now. More as we move forward.

HOMEWORK: Please read the article "Media Economics & the Global Marketplace" & answer the 4 questions to turn in for participation credit next class.