Objective: Paper 2 requires you to write about a movie, movies, characters, a character, or a genre. Write no less than 1-page, double-spaced, but no more than 2 pages, creating a written work that is entertaining, informative, critical, and also engaging. Samples presented in class are options, but not formulas for you to follow. You can be experimental, you can compare and contrast, you can lampoon. This isn't about experimenting to be weird or odd or original—all of which you could do—but rather, to use a writing form or various forms as a framework for your ideas. Most importantly, connect with the reader.
Goals:
- write about a movie or movies, character or characters, director or directors
- entertain the reader, but also be a critical agent, who has something to say, critiquing the subject at hand
- keep the reader hooked, engaged, and interested, from the paper's start to its finish
- have fun, while also writing about something you know, or something you want to learn more about; if it's a new topic, research it deeply to really, really know about it and critique it
Considerations:
- How can you entertain the reader, keep them engaged, but also be a critical agent who evaluates movies, the movie industry, or performance?
- Any movie or movies, characters or character, genre or topic watched up to Feb. 28 can be used for this paper. You can also combine elements for something new, for instance, the Terminator, Papyrus, time travel, Avatar, Kickstarter paper we reviewed in class covered a wide range of content, and mashed it all together.
- We've covered documentaries about fonts, advertising, design, superheroes, and there are other movies on reserve in the RVRC. Any or all of those can be ingredients for this. But you can also go outside of what we've viewed. For instance, we watched a documentary about Superman, who is a superhero, and if you want to cover superheroes in Paper 2, you could tackle any superhero—past or present—who has been in the movies, or who hasn't been in the movies.
- You can write for an audience that knows the subject matter, that knows the movie and genre, but you could also write for a newbie who's not familiar with the topic.
Possibilities, Prompts:
- Any one of the following would be acceptable for Paper 2…
- List
- For/Against: play both sides, looking at something from two angles
- Fan Fiction
- What If?
- Fan Fiction, Fan Hopes, Fan Wishes
- Fan Disappointments
- Poem, Haiku
- Parody, Imitation—lots of possibilities here
- Interview, Imagined or Altered
- Love Letter
- Break-Up Letter
- Menu, Restaurant or Otherwise
- Analysis of Space, Setting
- Analysis of Values, Value, Ethics
- Casting, Typecasting, Roles and Performances
- Casting Call
- Casting Sheet: explanation of role the producer wants to fill
- Historical Fiction
- Breaking News, News Feature
- Alternate Headlines, Real Headlines, Honest Reviews
- Advertising Copy
- Craigslist Advertisement
- Newspaper Advertisement
- Radio, Spoken Word Copy
- Script, Teleplay, Stage Play
- Mash-Up, combining any/all of the above
- See the instructor for additional possibilities, and also reference the suggested reading, including but not limited to McSweeney's, Wholphin, New Yorker, Cracked, Mad
Format:
- your first and last name in paper's header
- Times or Times New Roman font, 12 point
- double-spaced
- 1-page minimum, 2-page maximum
- printed and handed in Feb. 22 at start of class
Evaluation
Worth 45 points:- 15 points: craft of writing, spelling, grammar
- 20 points: addressing the required content, tackling, taking apart, packing and unpacking the movie and/or movie content, its issues and influences
- 5 points: appropriateness of content, and entertainment value
- 5 points: presentation, professionalism, following directions
