In a 2-3 page paper, double-spaced, one inch margins, 12 point font, analyze any of the media products:
When the Levees Broke (Spike Lee, 2006)
If God is willing and da creek don’t rise (Spike Lee, 2011)
The World according to Sesame Street (Linda Goldstein Knowlton and Linda Hawkins, 2006)
China Blue (Micha X. Peled, 2005)
Discovering Dominga (Patricia Flynn, 2002)
Divided We Fall (Jan Hrebejk, 2000)
Judgment at Nuremberg (Stanley Kramer, 1961)
Long Night’s Journey Into Day (Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffman, 2000)
Cautiva [The Captive] (Gastón Biraben, 2003)
The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)
Missing (Constantin Costa-Gavras, 1982)
The Pinochet Case (Patricio Guzmán, 2001)
Chile: Obstinate Memory (Patricio Guzmán, 1997)
Nostalgia for the Light (Patricio Guzmán, 2011)
Enemies of Happiness (Eva Mulvad, 2006)
Screaming Queens (Victor Silverman and Susan Stryker, 2005)
BPM [Beats per Minute] (Robin Campillo, 2017)
In your analysis, discuss the content, production, distribution and reception of this media:
Content – Do a textual analysis, or content analysis, of the film. What is discussed in the story? How is the story told? What is the dominant message? What choices does the filmmaker make in terms of visuals and audio? Does music play a significant role? How would you describe the mise-en-scene (set, lighting, costumes, characters – everything found within the frame) of various scenes? How is the film edited?
Production – How was this media produced? Who was involved in the production? How was this financed? How may the conditions under which this media was produced have played a role in the final product – how it looks and sounds, the story and point of view?
Distribution and Reception – Who is the target audience for this media? Describe the historical context in which the media was released. How was it released? Where was it available to viewers? Can you find any printed reviews of this media – articles by newspaper and magazine film critics, comments on the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), letters to the editor from readers? See if you can get someone else from outside of our class to watch this media. Describe their responses. How do someone else’s responses compare/contrast with your own?
