Free Custom «How to Analyze a Movie» Essay Paper

Introduction

A real movie lover would like to know the real content behind the movie; some people just like to watch the action, enjoy and pass time. However there is need to have an in-depth analysis of the movie so as to establish vital ideas such as what motivated the writer, how it was cast, and the characters, the setting and plot among other issues. This paper focuses on how one can analyze a movie taking into consideration all the vital and crucial elements which will help understand the movie better. It also deals with how to find and interpret meaning in movies and the determination of a personal criterion for evaluating movies.

In tackling this subject certain aspects of the movie must be addressed to make it present the necessary facts and originality of the movie. Every artwork must be presented in a way that pleases the audience and movies are no exception. This is the reason movie lovers flock to theaters or are glued to screens at home to catch all the actions of their favorite movie. Vital aspects such as plot, editing, sound, cinematography and characters must be addressed (How to Analyze Movies, 2010).
Before analyzing a movie then it is a must to first watch it; this will be very helpful in having a prior understanding of the movie and getting to single out various aspects that are outlined. This will be most efficient in establishing the value and meaning of the movie. Watching the movie will opens up the mind to have a deeper understanding and having a new perspective in analyzing the movie. Some individuals prefer not to analyze a movie basing their argument that the love for the movie will be eliminated.

The movie is subjected to criticism which makes the people know the weaknesses in the movie and thus dislike it. On the other hand it may make people realize a good movie and acknowledge the artwork involved. This will generally have a positive impact to people who make movies in that they will aim at producing quality and unique pieces of art.

Analyzing the title and credits of the movie

Every time a title is mentioned each person will have a different perspective or idea of the film. Some titles may be directly related to the movie while at times they need to be analyzed to bring out the real meaning (Pollick, 2010). Knowing the meaning of the title is very helpful in getting to know the storyline and what to expect in the movie. The credits are also very helpful since the give the idea of who acts, directs and produces the movie. In general all the casting crew and producers are acknowledged which will help to know the actors by name and appreciate talent. In analyzing the title and credit you should think why the movie was given the title and how the credits are useful in establishing an attitude. All the motives of the producers should be identified behind the title and credits to help understand more on the movie.

Freeze Frames

This involves pausing the movie periodically at different scenes to grasp what is in the movie. This will help in watching the scene different time and have a good idea how the scene is. One will have to take detailed notes of the different scenes and play close attention to the all action at the scene; this however takes sometime to analyze all the scenes and one may opt to analyzing the important scenes (Kawin, 1992). This will require one to have seen the whole movie and be very conversant with it. The storyline also needs to be identified so that the directorial options are analyzed. The scene should also not be too long in view of the fact that much may happen in each single scene; but it is advisable to focus on a small detailed scene more closely.

It is also advisable to have a list of the things or ideas you are looking for in a movie. The first ideas being the shots and cuts; identify what shots the director uses in each frame the length of the shot; the reason; the angle and the reason to shoot in that angle; and what other issue is in the frame that contributes to the story other than the actor. The style should also be identified, where frames of the scenes e.g. painting should be viewed. The darkness and light in the scene; and where the light comes from the dominant color, and the color of certain objects whether it is real or edited must be identified (Cfloud, 2010). The reasons for the cinematographer and director to have the scene developed the way it is and the scene's contribution to the story should be identified.

Then one needs to identify how the scene moves; and identify the number of cuts. Also identify the movement of the camera it's spanning in and out and the reasons for the movement. The sound is also a very important aspect in the scene (Pollick, 2010). Analyzing the sound of the scene will entail all what one hears in the scene apart from what the actor is saying. If there are any sounds their relevance to the scene and their correct application. Such as a scene on the street the cars should be heard but it is also necessary to identify if they can just be assumed in the scene. Identify if the add or deduct value to the scene (Cfloud, 2010). At the entire different analysis one must be making notes so that when repeating the watching of the scene one can compare the notes. This will make one identify the contribution of each scene to the storyline and the whole movie. Every single frame should be subject to a critical review whether it is relevant to the movie; and the ways of improving it and if it is better why is it better. A great movie can be faulted by a single scene which is not cast properly.

Pay Close Attention to Dialogue and Subtitles

When analyzing there is need to hear and understand what the actors are saying. The dialogue in every scene helps to identify how the scene is relevant to the whole movie since every dialogue is developed to build the story line. Turning on the dialogue will be better since one will hear all the words spoken without skipping a word. This requires watching the scene different times and listening carefully to identify any ambiguity, dialogue characteristics used such as idioms, proverbs, and irony among others (Pollick, 2010). This will be essential in identifying the kind of language used its simplicity and how it can be improved if it is not good.

Language should also be checked for obscenity or ideas and words that are given by the actor rather than screenwriter. The effectiveness of the dialogue and the storyline is important to consider since screenwriters may not pay close attention like the actors, producers, or directors. The origin of the scripts should be identified i.e. if they are original manuscripts or adopted from books (Pollick, 2010). For a perfect movie there should be where the actor is able to dialogue with ease while a poorly crafted one is where the actor feels uncomfortable and artificial.

Deciding the production quality of the video

The video produced is either of high or low quality; this will depend on the production values used by the producers. For a high quality movie all the aspects such as the dialogue, storyline, characters, cast, performance, editing, and sets and costumes should be integrated together to bring an organized piece of art that is free from errors and mistakes. With such a movie people will enjoy not only because of its glossy and expensive look but also because it delivers the storyline effectively without confusion (Jaikishan, 2010). Creating an amateur video will be noted by very poor editing, casting, dialogue and a mixed storyline that does not tend to have a specified theme.

Quality can also be identified in the blending of the scenes and their relevance to the movie's storyline in that for high quality every scene must be relevant while for poor quality there will be a mixture of scenes and ideas which will make the movie confusing. The cinematographer must seem to agree with the screenwriter and director to have a harmonious piece but if the disagree there will be conflict of interests which will reflect in the movie in one way or the other (Cfloud, 2010). The actors must also fit the characters given to them and act them accordingly if not they will produce poor quality.

Watch entire film and the extras keenly

Watching the entire movie is not an option this will be done time and again as one tries to identify the good and bad. Consequently there is also vital importance to watch all the extras of the movie. These include the trailers and deleted scenes of how the movie was developed and casted. The extras will help identify what was left out after the cast and if they were included what impact they would have in the movie (Pollick, 2010). The deleted scenes will be mainly used to identify the disliked parts of the movie which the producers saw necessary to clear due to their faults. The editing process should be identified which was used to cut out the needless parts that would have made the audience loose track on the concept of the movie.

Review the General Quality of the Movie

When the movie hits the store clients judge it differently since they all have different tastes; however one who analyses stays impartial and gives credit where it is due. After watching the entire movie analyzing the different aspects then one has to focus on the overall quality. This does not take into account particular scenes but the film as a whole. One must focus on all the scenes that make the movie and give a judgment on quality (Cfloud, 2010). High quality will be given to the movie that fulfills its purpose of developing a storyline to the fullest. This will include all the scenes, dialogues, shots and cuts, and titles and credits. Most movies are generally produced at high quality since they build on the error made by others.

The Meaning in Movies

When a movie is shot it is intended to convey a message to the audience this will be done using the characters, plot, settings and music included in the movie. The characters must be perfect to the roles they are to play and they must have well understood their scripts, roles and expectations (Kawin, 1992). The character becomes most important in conveying the meaning of the message since he or she will be the visual image of the message. The character must suit the role in that they must be carefully selected, for instance, those playing harsh roles should befit their stature with huge muscles and unruly characters.

The plot must also be inline with the story line established. The themes and ideas of the movie must be in line with the people's relevant activities and convey practices of culture of effects of the changes (Jaikishan, 2010). The plot should not only be entertaining but also educative to the audience. The setting of the movie brings meaning to the time and relevance of the movie. Setting brings meaning to the persons watching the movie in that they are able to realize the time and place. Music aids in conveying the meaning in that different scenes will have different meanings and thus different music (Pollick, 2010). For suspense there will be fast beats, while for love there will be slow soothing beats; there will also be the main song of the movie which will contain the whole meaning of the movie.

Personal Criteria in Evaluating Movies

For me personally there should be a simple way of evaluating a movie which will try to identify the basics of the movie. Numerous evaluations of scenes, dialogues and subtitles and the rest may be good but very tiresome and time and resource wasting. Therefore the easier way would be to identify the type or genre of movie; this will identify if the movie is action packed, drama, romantic, ancient, or comedy. There is also need for reviews which will identify the rating of the movie in stores and what the audience accept or reject it. The critique of the audience will be very crucial since it was created for them and if they enjoy it then it will qualify to be good.

Conclusion

Every movie is developed for a specific audience but at times it may impress more than intended; this is the dream of every director that the movies they produce hit the stores and sells to platinum. However, this is not to be achieved without taking into account all the issues discussed above. The highlighted issues will act as a stepping stone to producing a high quality movie that will not only entertain and educate the audience but inspire and be loved.