5 Types of Writing

5 Types of Writing

In this article written by Karen Gocsik, she explains differences in how we interpret and react to film and its analysis. The article highlights the five ways in which you can write about film, the first being formal analysis. This type of analysis requires people to look at all the different aspects of the film and then relate them back individually to the overall picture or message of the film and how they help the overall film. When we look at the individual parts we can make sense of why the director chose to incorporate this in his film and how it helps the plot as well as what role it plays in the story being told. The next type of writing is called film history. This is essentially talking about a period in time and every film that is made has this aspect to it. The film reflects ideals of history and tells the story from this viewpoint. The next type of writing is ideological papers. This means that the film has a set of specific beliefs and ideology, hence the name. It has to do with the idea or ideas being presented or promoted and how well the film attempts to do this. The next type of writing is cultural studies of films that have aspects of a certain culture or country that it was made in. This is varied due to the many types of cultures around the world so it is interesting to see how others portray information and life. One cultures have different values, different kinds of people, and can have a totally different ideology than those of other cultures. Last but not least is discussion of the auteur which is taking the ideas that the director wanted to present and his overall vision for the film.

Shot from Gone With the Wind highlights Film History 

This ideology is representative of Culture  Studies and Ideology from a specific place 

Annotating a Film Sequence

Annotating a film sequence requires using language and diction in order to completely understand what is occurring in a specific sequence of shots. This is labeling the shots in a sequence and effects such as dissolves. Through this, you can learn keep track of the shots and look at them as a whole series and change them and add aspects that will enhance the overall product. This is beneficial to the editor and director that require this knowledge to be successful.


Thinking Beyond the Frame

Thinking beyond the frame is really looking at the effect of the film, history of the film and context, and realizing what the true vision of the director was. It is looking at why the director chose to do what he did while also being conscious of how it is being interpreted by many different kinds of people, its cultural impact, and how it relates to its genre which can highly add to your knowledge through analytical reasons for its production.