Option A

Provide an auteurist analysis of one film from a filmmaker of your choice. You should argue how this particular film fits (or deviates from) this filmmaker’s typical style. How do the elements of film we’ve studied combine to produce a certain visual and aural style in this film? Are these stylistic effects typical in this filmmaker’s work?

Note that this will not be a comparative essay where you analyze multiple films—instead, you’re focusing deeply on just one film. However, you will need to provide some context for what this filmmaker’s typical style actually is. To do so, you should consult at least two reputable sources to lay the foundation for your argument. These sources may come from academic film studies journals or reputable journals of film criticism (Cinema Journal, Film Quarterly, The Velvet Light Trap, etc.) or scholarly books from the library. You will need to identify a filmmaker who you can find some existing research on, so keep that in mind as you select the film and filmmaker you want to analyze. I’m happy to discuss options with you, help you brainstorm, and guide you as you research your filmmaker.

Option B

Choose one of the films from our syllabus and identify its genre. There are a wide range of different types of film genres: detective, action/adventure, mystery, science fiction, horror, gangster, romance, comedy, musical, comedy, animation, detective, or spy thriller. Often, a movie may contain elements reflecting different genres. In this paper, you should argue how this particular film fits (or deviates from) its genres. How do the elements of film we’ve studied combine to produce a certain visual and aural style in this film? Are these stylistic effects typically used in this genre? How may this film be subverting expected generic traits to produce something new? Bring in outside research as needed to help support or contextualize your claims.