A Short Guide to Writing About Film (Short Guide Series)

This practical guide addresses how to write effective essays about films. It discusses the various stages in the writing process specific to film studies, such as taking notes, preparing an outline, research, and integrating technical details into analysis. It includes sample essays.

A Short Guide to Writing about Film walks the reader through the process of converting the fun and pleasure of watching a movie into the satisfaction of articulating ideas about that movie. Drawing on the readers' love and knowledge of films ranging from movies that readers easily recognize to ones they may only have read or heard about, the book encourages and develops writing skills. With numerous examples along the way, it moves from note taking and first drafts to polished essays and research projects, demonstrating how an analysis of a film becomes more subtle and rigorous as part of a compositional process. For film enthusiasts interested in enhancing their writing skills.