The Critical Essay

Critical Essay for EcoMedia
Due Monday, January 24th, in class.
Essay Proposal due Saturday, January 14th by 12noon, emailed to me.

4-5 pages, double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font, 1” margins all around, no cover page.

This essay is a critical analysis of a single film with specific attention to how this film works as an EcoMedia text. Choose one film from our course syllabus or the list included below. Then write your essay by making an argument about the ecological theme or themes and arguments within the film. Consider both the sorts of information the film may be trying to communicate and how the film tries to communicate this information as well as the film’s methods of motivating the audience to do something. An excellent essay will place emphasis on careful and sustained analysis of particular moments in the film, attending to the dynamic of content and form. Your essay must treat at least one scene with discussion of formal issues like editing, shot composition, lighting, sound, focus, camera movement, etc. An excellent essay will also make its argument in part by situating the film in relation to other films, whether EcoMedia or not—you may focus on similarities and/or differences. As this is a short essay, I do not want you to perform research for it; this essay is to present your thoughts through your voice. As such, no bibliography is needed.

For your Essay Proposal, please email me by 12noon on Saturday to tell me which film you will write about and what you think your argument will be about. There is not a lot of time to write this essay, and that is why I’m requiring you to make this decision soon. Plus, I can give you some feedback on your thesis idea at the early stage of planning.

Remember that our course films are on reserve at Preus Library—you may go to the circulation desk and ask for a title and tell them our course number and my last name (Hageman).

In addition to the films on our syllabus, you may select another film for your essay from the following list. If you have another film in mind not listed here, please consult me to request approval.
Still Life
Food, Inc.
King Corn
Gasland
March of the Penguins
Soylent Green
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Erin Brockovich
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder
Koyaanisqatsi