A Christmas Carol Film Analysis. Literature & Language Essay

1. Read the book: A Christmas Carol, then watch two movies: A Christmas Carol (1984 Version); The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
2. Write a film analysis based the two movies and book.
3. Format:
1. Intro:
- introduce novel, movie#1, movie#2 (Do Not give a summary)
- Thesis
2. Body Paragraph
- 1-2 pages per work
- analysis of films in relation to novel, ex. appearance, action, design, role, framing, voice...
3. conclusion
Just in case you need this for citations.
List films by their title. Include the name of the director, the film studio or distributor, and the release year. If relevant, list performer names after the director's name.

Film Analysis Essay 101 
Being assigned a film analysis essay might just be the most exciting assignment you have ever had! After all, who doesn’t love watching movies? You have your favorite movies, maybe something you watched years ago, perhaps a classic, or perhaps it is something new.  
But here’s the kicker: You ​will ​ actually have to write a movie analysis essay after you watch the movie, in comparison to the novel.  
Once you have read the novel and watched the movie, facing the act of writing might knock the wind out of your sails because you might be wondering how to write a film analysis essay. 
Before you write 
Obviously, there are a few things you need to do before you start actually writing your film analysis paper. First and foremost, you have to watch the movie. Even if you have seen it a hundred times, you need to watch it again and you learn how to analyze a film. 
When watching the movie, keep the following tips in mind: 
1. Consider your impression of the movie. 
2. Enumerate memorable details. 
3. Try to interpret the movie/book message in your own way. 
4. Read/listen to experts talking about the given film. 
5. Base your arguments on the various elements of movie theory. 
6. Present and discuss conflicting opinions about the movie. 
7. Combine theory and analysis. 
8. Offer proof of your statements (quotes from the movie and the novel.) 
9. Comment on the plot, settings, characters, and source material in relation to the novel. 
10. Draw parallels between the movie you are reviewing and the novel. 
11. Search for details that no one has spotted yet. 
 At this point you might be wondering what aspects should be considered when analyzing a movie? What follows are several pointers for making good film analysis essays. 
13. These days, people simply watch movies for entertainment. Such an approach will not work if you have to prepare a film analysis essay. Get ready for critical perception of the chosen/assigned film. Watch it for the first time and think about the following: 
● What is shown in the movie? 
● Why? 
● What is the main message of the film? How is it conveyed? 
14. To understand the meaning of the film and explain it in your film analysis essay, you should know the main elements of cinematic structure. Some of them are: 
● Camera placement 
● Scene composition 
● Shot structure, etc. 
By the way, you should be aware and understand all basic terms and concepts related to the film industry. 
15. When analyzing the movie in your film analysis essay, it is a good idea to think about current and historical events, phenomena. Very often, themes depicted in films are linked to various events. This will help you develop a better understanding of the movie. This is easy since it’s based off of the novel by Chrales Dickens! 
16. Do not forget about history! Say, you are writing about a horror movie. Investigate the history of this genre and learn more about famous horror film directors, their styles, etc. This will help you prepare an informative film analysis essay. 
       Film analysis vs. critical review 
A film analysis is not the same as a film review and a critical review of a film is not something that is generally requested in academic circles. Writing movie reviews is generally best left to the media. 
Similarities 
● Offers a short summary of the movie plot 
● Specifies the peculiarities and describing the characters 
● Compares the movie to the original text 
(play/novel/story/etc.) 
● Evaluates the movie according to certain standards ● Provides the writer’s impression about the movie and the characters 
Differences Film analysis: 
● Is objective 
● Offers an evaluation the movie 
● Follows a certain structure 
● Analyzes one movie 
● Contains a summary of the ideas 
Critical review: 
● Relies more on subjective ideas 
● Suggests means to improve the movie 
● Creates a specific outline 
● Compares and contrasts several movies 
● Makes up a clincher! Specifics Film analysis: 
● Mise en scene 
● Cinematography 
● Sound 
● Editing 
● Plot devices 
Critical review: 
● Peculiar movie facts 
● Qualitative and descriptive elements 
● Technical aspect 
● The critics’ opinion 
● Your personal opinion 
Types of movie analysis 
You might also be wondering what can be gained through analyzing film.  
● A form of entertainment 
● Documents of the place and time in which they are made 
● A form of art and self-expression 
● A way to tell a story 
The critical essay can look at the following: 
Critical types of analysis 
● Formalism: This is a look at the style and structure of the movie and is concerned only with what has occurred on-screen, including sound, lighting, cinematography, editing, etc. What implications do these various elements have on the movie’s overall meaning? 
● Genre: This is a combination of looking at structure and form and the content of the movie with a consideration of the historical changes of the genre over time. 
● Historical: A common theme for a movie analysis, this is concerned with how a historical occurrence is portrayed in a movie and whether knowledge of the historical background of the movies subject matter is relevant or helpful when analyzing the film’s content or the technique used to create it. 
Film analysis essay outline 
Once you have watched and possibly re-watched your assigned or chosen movie from an analytical point of view, you will need to create a movie analysis essay outline. This is pretty straightforward and follows the same type of outline as you would use for a literary analysis or an article analysis. The outline is as follows: 
17. Introduction: This includes the basics of the movie, including the title, director, and the date of release. You should also present the main theme or ideas in the movie, along with your thesis statement outlining what your focus is. 
18. Summary: This is where you take the time to present a summary of the primary concepts in the movie, including the five Ws (who, what, when, where, and why)—don’t forget how!—as well as anything you wish to discuss that relates to the point of view, style, and structure. 
19. Analysis: This is the body of the essay and includes your critical analysis of the movie, why you did or did not like it, and any supporting material from the movie to support your views. You should also discuss whether the director and writer of the movie achieved the goal they set out to achieve. 
20. Conclusion: This is where you can state your thesis again and provide a summary of the primary concepts in a new and more convincing manner, making the case for your analysis. You can also include a call-to-action that will invite the reader to watch the movie or avoid it entirely.
Speed Racer. Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, performances by Emile Hirsch, Nicholas Elia, Susan Sarandon, Ariel Winter, and John Goodman, Warner Brothers, 2008.
To emphasize specific performers or directors, begin the citation with the name of the desired performer or director, followed by the appropriate title for that person.
Lucas, George, director. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977.
for in text citations and film:
Time-based media sources
When creating in-text citations for media that has a runtime, such as a movie or podcast, include the range of hours, minutes and seconds you plan to reference. For example: (00:02:15-00:02:35).