ENG 225 Introduction to Film NO PLAGIARISM PLZ
As we have been discussing, mise-en-scne is the use of a variety of design elements to create the visual theme of a film. As you prepare to write this discussion, take a few moments to do the following:
Review the grading rubric for this discussion.
Select a film from this list of approved choices.
Note: If you would like to write about a film that is not on this list, you must email your professor for approval in advance or you may not receive credit on this discussion.
Reflect
Mise-en-scne refers to different technical elements used in making a film, some of which you have already analyzed in this course. The term also encompasses the role of actors in a film, their costuming and makeup, their physical positioning and movements within the frame, as well as the different styles of acting performance.
Consider the ways in which the casting of specific actors, their makeup and costumes, their placement in chosen scenes, and how they interact with their environment on set are used to establish and develop the characters within the story.
Write (due Thursday, Day 3)
In your initial post of at least 200 words, and using specific examples from your chosen film,
Identify three actors from your film and their style of acting in this film.
Compare their performance in this film in relation to other performances.
Analyze how the actors choices impact the development of each character.
Describe how costuming and makeup contribute to the actors performance. Is it realistic, stylized, or fantastical?
Focus on one of the actors you have discussed. Based on other films the actor has been in, would you consider this actor typecast or broad-ranging in his/her performances? If so, what does this say about the genre of film or the actor? If not, what can you infer about the flexibility of these categories? Provide evidence (references from other films, including film clips and stills) to support your argument.
You must use at least two outside sources, in any combination of embedded video clips, still photos, or scholarly sources. All sources should be documented in APA style as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center(Links to an external site.). Please view the video Posting in a Discussion in Canvas(Links to an external site.) for guidance on how to integrate multimedia with your response.
Guided Response (due Monday, Day 7): Respond substantively (150 to 175 words) to at least two classmates who chose different actors or different categories than you did. In your responses, reference your initial post and show how your ideas relate to those of your peers, extending the discussion. Provide support for your position. Substantive responses use theory, research, experience, and/or examples to support ideas and elaborate on the discussion topic.
List of Approved Movies
Created by Dr. Nathan Pritts and Dr. James Meetze (2020)
Throughout this class, you will be able to select a film to use as the basis for your analysis. This is a list of approved choices.
NOTE: If you would like to write about a film that is not on this list, you must email your professor in advance. If you write about an unapproved film option in this class you may not receive credit.
Many of the films on these lists are sourced from the Ten AFI Top 10 lists, where you will find additional information and resources. Please note, though, that the different AFI Top 10 lists include films that are not approved.
Drama
Drama can be defined as a category of narrative film intended to be more serious than humorous in tone, however, drama is often qualified with additional genre-defining terms that specify its particular sub-genre.
Film
Year
Imitation of Life
1959
Shadows
1959
A Raisin in the Sun
1961
Guess Whos Coming to Dinner
1967
Wanda
1970
Do the Right Thing
1989
Boyz N the Hood
1991
Daughters of the Dust
1991
Mississippi Masala
1991
Winters Bone
2010
Dear White People
2014
Chi-Raq
2015
Tangerine
2015
Moonlight
2016
Beatriz at Dinner
2017
The Hate U Give
2018
Blindspotting
2018
If Beale Street Could Talk
2018
Clemency
2019
Biographical Drama
A biographical drama is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or group of people.
Film
Year
Malcom X
1992
Milk
2008
Fruitvale Station
2013
Dallas Buyers Club
2013
12 Years a Slave
2013
The Wolf of Wall Street
2013
Selma
2014
Hidden Figures
2016
Loving
2016
BlacKkKlansman
2018
Harriet
2019
Courtroom drama
AFI defines “courtroom drama” as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film’s narrative.
Film
Year
To Kill a Mockingbird
1962
12 Angry Men
1957
Kramer vs. Kramer
1979
The Verdict
1982
A Few Good Men
1992
Witness for the Prosecution
1957
Anatomy of a Murder
1959
In Cold Blood
1967
A Cry in the Dark (Evil Angels)
1988
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961
Just Mercy
2019
Epic
AFI defines “epic” as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past.
Film
Year
Lawrence of Arabia
1962
Ben-Hur
1959
Schindler’s List
1993
Gone with the Wind
1939
Spartacus
1960
Titanic
1997
All Quiet on the Western Front
1930
Saving Private Ryan
1998
Reds
1981
The Ten Commandments
1956
Fantasy
AFI defines “fantasy” as a genre in which live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.
Film
Year
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001
It’s a Wonderful Life
1946
King Kong
1933
Miracle on 34th Street
1947
Field of Dreams
1989
Harvey
1950
Groundhog Day
1993
The Thief of Bagdad
1924
Big
1988
Gangster
AFI defines the “Gangster film” as a genre that centers on organized crime or maverick criminals in a modern setting.
Film
Year
The Godfather
1972
Goodfellas
1990
The Godfather Part II
1974
White Heat
1949
Bonnie and Clyde
1967
Scarface
1932
Pulp Fiction
1994
The Public Enemy
1931
Little Caesar
1931
Scarface
1983
Mystery
AFI defines “mystery” as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.
Film
Year
Vertigo
1958
Chinatown
1974
Rear Window
1954
Laura
1944
The Third Man
1949
The Maltese Falcon
1941
North by Northwest
1959
Blue Velvet
1986
Dial M for Murder
1954
The Usual Suspects
1995
Romantic comedy
AFI defines “romantic comedy” as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.
Film
Year
City Lights
1931
Annie Hall
1977
It Happened One Night
1934
Roman Holiday
1953
The Philadelphia Story
1940
When Harry Met Sally…
1989
Adam’s Rib
1949
Moonstruck
1987
Harold and Maude
1971
Sleepless in Seattle
1993
Science fiction
AFI defines “science fiction” as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.
Film
Year
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968
Star Wars
1977
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982
A Clockwork Orange
1971
The Day the Earth Stood Still
1951
Blade Runner
1982
Alien
1979
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1991
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1956
Back to the Future
1985
Sports
AFI defines “sports” as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition.
Film
Year
Raging Bull
1980
Rocky
1976
The Pride of the Yankees
1942
Hoosiers
1986
Bull Durham
1988
The Hustler
1961
Caddyshack
1980
Breaking Away
1979
Race
2016
Jerry Maguire
1996
Western
AFI defines “western” as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier.
Film
Year
The Searchers
1956
High Noon
1952
Shane
1953
Unforgiven
1992
Red River
1948
The Wild Bunch
1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1969
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
1971
Stagecoach
1939
Cat Ballou
1965
Horror/Thriller
The horror genre includes films that seek to elicit fear for entertainment purposes.
Film
Year
Psycho
1960
Jaws
1975
The Exorcist
1973
The Silence of the Lambs
1991
Rosemarys Baby
1968
The Night of the Hunter
1955
The Shining
1980
The Babadook
2014
It Follows
2014
Get Out
2017
Us
2019
