Do you know how to analyze a movie or not? Well, obviously you’re not the only one, and many people want to learn how to analyze a movie to form and give a more informed opinion about its strengths and weaknesses.
In fact, did you know that a movie review is not the same as a criticism? That’s why you have to learn how to do a film analysis because a film analysis finds gems of audiovisual language that make a film much more enjoyable, whereas a review is just a subjective opinion. You may need to do a film analysis in college, so this article will also be helpful to you.
So, join us and learn from essay assistance how to do film analysis like professionals. First, we’ll look at what film analysis is, how it differs from film criticism, what film analysis is for, and what types of film analysis are.
Contents
What is film analysis?
Film analysis – also known as film analysis, critical film analysis, or film analysis – is the study of the components of film language that distinguish one film from another.
What is film criticism and how does it differ from film analysis?
In the world of film appreciation, analysis is one thing and criticism is quite another. Film criticism seeks to evaluate the various elements of a film, to evaluate the effectiveness of the formal and content elements in communicating its content to the audience.
Ideally, film criticism is the result of analysis, but it is often the result of interpretation. Because film criticism is widespread, it can become very subjective. Therefore, we will focus on teaching you how to write film analysis.
What is the purpose of a film analysis?
The purpose of analyzing a film from an interpretive perspective is to find out how the signs and communicative structures of the film interact with each other to produce an effect on the viewer.
Recall that because a film is conceived as a screenplay, its purpose (in most cases) is to tell a story in such a way as to evoke positive emotions in the viewer. A film analysis, therefore, seeks to find out whether the elements of the film have fulfilled this goal.
What types of film analysis exist?
As you can imagine, there is more than one way to conduct a film analysis. There are several types of film analysis that overlap and complement each other depending on their purpose:
- Textual. The focus is on analyzing the text of the film. By “text” we mean not only the script of the film, but also everything that appears on the screen, without any interpretation or speculation. In this sense, teaching textual analysis of film is an objective task.
- Contextual. It examines the context in which a film product is produced and received, principally time, society, and culture.
- Subtextual. It focuses on the analysis of unseen concepts that arise from the interpretation of the textual part. In this sense, the subtextual analysis of the film is less objective and more subjective.
- Intertextual. It assesses the relationship between the film product and other media or disciplines such as literature, painting, and theater.
However, all types of film analysis share the study of minimal and common elements. So starting with the basics of film analysis (which we have already seen) to understand how to do film analysis, we will easily explain it to you.
How to analyze a film?
In general, every film analysis follows the same process; this means that while the approaches and nuances of each film analysis vary, the procedure does not change much.
Consequently, no matter what type of film analysis you plan to do, you can follow the instructions below. If you are still wondering how to do a film analysis, this is a step-by-step explanation for you:
- Choose the film you will be analyzing. Although it may seem obvious, the truth is that the topic of your film analysis is just as important as the analysis itself. Therefore, choose it wisely.
- Determine the purpose of your analysis
- Determine exactly what you want to evaluate in the film you choose. Depending on the elements you choose, certain types of film analysis will be more appropriate.
- Determine the approach you will use to analyze the film, this will help you determine what type of film analysis is appropriate.
- Choose the type of analysis you will use to examine the different elements of the film.
- Watch the film and write down each example, element, and detail that will help support your analysis of the film. A plot and synopsis format for a brief description of the film and some of its elements can be helpful in this regard.
- Develop your analysis based on what you have seen and, if necessary, watch the film again.
- Conclude your analysis of the film. Be careful, as they should not seem random, but should be the logical result of the arguments you used throughout the study.
If you have completed each of these steps, you should have a much clearer idea of how to conduct a film analysis. Essentially, the first steps serve to establish goals, approaches, and perspectives, that is, to establish a clear framework for interpretation.
Once you have this framework, you can move on to the actual analysis of the film and, ultimately, to the development of arguments and valid conclusions. This process is repeated for almost any film analysis, no matter what approach or goals are envisioned.
Final Words
When analyzing a film, you will encounter many elements to pay attention to. Although it may seem like a lot of work, with practice you will understand how to analyze a film more accurately.
Understanding how to analyze film helps content creators, filmmakers, and, in general, any movie buff takes advantage of the language of film.
