Sequence Analysis
The assignment has a number of components, all of which provide learning opportunities for you.
You will complete a sequence analysis based on one scene or sequence from a film or video screened for this course
preferably one that is required rather than recommended.
There are lots of kinds of Sequence Commentaries out there, usually in the form of director commentary soundtracks on DVDs,
Blu-rays, and online. Some are silly and full of anecdotes that do little to enrich our knowledge or enjoyment of the film. Others,
especially if made by a director or film artist who is articulate and thoughtful, can teach us a lot about how things like editing,
rhythm and temporal ellipses have been employed to shape a spectators experience of the film. The same is true of well-crafted
video essays by film critics and scholars, sometimes called videographic criticism. In the best of them, the critic (you!) leads the
audience through a sequence in a way that builds an argument about the film through close observation of the films formal,
stylistic choices (for example, its narrative, mise-en-scne, cinematography, etc.).
