film paper

In this paper, you will respond to a film of your choosing. The film must focus on relationships in some way. A few great options are “500 Days of Summer” and “Silver Linings Playbook” but any film which is about relationships should work. A response paper is just what its name suggests—a paper explaining your response to a film. It may be like a review, because your reaction may involve judgment or evaluation; it may be like an analysis, because your response may focus on a particular character, relationship, or scene. Like any good essay, your reaction paper should develop a few primary ideas or perceptions, support them with specific evidence, and present both ideas and evidence in clear language and a logical order.

This paper is worth 50 points. In order to receive a grade for this paper, you must meet the minimum standards, which are as follows:

Length: 2-3 pages, not including the header and the works cited page. If this minimum page length is not met, you will automatically lose 5 points. If your paper is considerably short of this length, the instructor will deduct additional points.
Sources: Your paper should at least cite the textbook. You may also use additional sources. These sources must be cited within your paper and on a separate reference page using APA style.
Grammar and spelling: Please double check all grammar and spelling. You may lose points for grammar and spelling.

You will be graded on the substance of your paper. This paper should NOT be a film summary. Any viewer can get the plot from viewing the film, so if your paper devotes too many words to plot summary, there’s not much “value added” in the paper. This response paper will offer very little to a reader if it mainly retells the story. This is the most common problem in response papers. Your paper should focus on key concepts and theories that we have discussed in class, apply them to the film, and produce a response. A LARGE PORTION OF YOUR GRADE WILL COME FROM YOUR ABILITY TO DO THIS!