Overview
you must post your choice of director along with the names of three films you will view for the Midterm Research Paper outlined below. Your Topic assignment is due by the end of Module 5; note that the Midterm Research Paper itself is not due until the end of Module 15.
For the Midterm Research Paper, you will identify and analyze the style of a director of your choice, using a minimum of three films as examples.
More than one student may write about the same director. Each paper will be graded on its own merit regardless of topic choice.
Assume the reader has seen the films you discuss and will not need a plot synopsis. Include the details of the plot that are relevant to your discussion of craft, but do not write page after page of "this happens, then that happens."
Focus on each of the creative aspects unique to cinema: mise-en-scenè (staging, sets, costumes, movement), cinematography, editing, and sound, as well as story structure and performance. If you read through your paper and note that it could be about a novel or other literature, then you are off track. Additionally, this is not a "review," and your choice of director does not imply that you feel he or she is "good." Leave behind the language of popular criticism and focus on the details of how style functions.
The paper should be 10–12 pages. Double-space text all the way through, with the exception of long quotes that are set apart from the text, which should be single-spaced (no extra spacing at headings, quotes, or between paragraphs). Use 12-point or smaller font (nothing fancy please), with 1-inch margins on all sides (including top and bottom of each page). Quote references and provide bibliography notations for words and ideas that are not your own. Give the paper a title on a cover page (do not space halfway down on page one and write the title again). No photos or images are required. If you choose to include photos or other visual material, place these at the end and reference "figures" in the text. Cover page, photos, and bibliography should not be included in the page requirement.
Please review AAU policy and consequences of plagiarism. You are required to list a minimum of two scholarly references, including author, publisher, date, and page number, along with web location if that is where you found it, in MLA format. Wikipedia and IMDB are not considered reliable sources of information and will not be accepted for this requirement. They can provide helpful starting points for research, and may be referenced after you have cross-referenced with, and in addition to, two legitimate academic resources. The required text may be used, especially if your chosen director is associated with a particular genre, style, film movement, or industry. You are likely to find something to reference in the text or other sources that address these topics, if not your specific director.
This is a research paper, not a personal essay. Therefore, references to yourself or your personal history with the topic are not appropriate, except perhaps in an introduction. Do not begin sentences with phrases like "I think," "To me," or "When I first saw this movie," etc. Your name on the cover page indicates that the contents are your opinion, and referencing yourself only weakens your point about the subject.
Following the guidelines will be a significant part of your grade. With so many people wanting to work in the movies, not following directions is the first "weeding out" criteria for industry jobs, grants, festival entries, etc. Copy/pasting from another source is surprisingly easy to spot and will result in an F; this is easily avoided by using quotes, referencing, and then restating and expanding in your own words.
Do not wait until the last minute to get started. Approach this like an industry professional. There are no excused absences on deadlines in Hollywood; just thousands of others waiting to take an opportunity away from you. Students with documentation of an illness or emergency will still be responsible for the assignment. Be prepared to discuss a new deadline date in these cases.
Guidelines
List the director's name and the titles of three films on the assignment topic download/grading screen. You may choose any director from any era or country (as long as three of their films are available through Netflix or other resources). The director choice itself will have no impact on grading, so feel free to pick someone you are interested in. However, consider whether there has been scholarly research on that director beyond newspaper reviews, etc. Choosing your favorite director may make this assignment difficult if you cannot access films or research sources. The research and decision needs to be made early so you can get on with the assignment.
When choosing films, consider a sampling across the filmmaker's career rather than three films from a particular era. Then you can address what is consistent throughout the director's career and how his or her technique evolved over time.
Grading Criteria
Turning in the assignment on time and as directed are the two predominant measures of evaluation for this assignment.
I chose this one and the professor approved it.
Director: Tim Burton
Films:
1. Beetlejuice (1988)
2. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
3. Alice in Wonderland (2010)