Movie/Cinema Analysis template

“Cinema is an art and a way of communication whose purpose is to narrate a story in movement.”

Title
Year of release
Writer; director
Producer
Country/Language
Meaning of the title to
you

1. Story/Plot/Theme Development: Briefly summarise the story.

What is the opening scene/situation? Or How does the film start? How does
this affect you as a viewer?

How does the story develop? What happens at the end of the film?

What scene constitutes the film's climax? How does this scene illustrate the
main idea of the film?

Does the film leave any disunities (loose ends) at the end? If so, what does it
suggest? Why does the film conclude on this particular image?

2. Identify the main theme:

MAIN THEMES IN THE MOVIE

Love War Justice/Injustice Youth

Destiny Nature Life Death
Human Values Human relations/emotions
Family relations Future Personal ambitions
Adolescence Generation gap Violence Friendship
Education School life Work
Lack of Communication Conflict/s Choices
Cultural barriers / Culture clash
OTHER ….
PLEASE ELABORATE ON THE THEME
___________________________________________
___________________________________________________

3. Contextual details:

- Do you think the film was created for a peculiar culture or society? For which
culture or society was this film created?

- What is influencing the film (e.g. social/cultural ideologies, historical/ social /

cultural events, personal life)?

4. What is the message in the film?

5. What are the symbols in the film? What do they mean?

6. Setting (time and place):

- Where is the story set? When is the story set? Is the setting important for
the development of the main theme/s?
- Is the setting realistic or stylized? What atmosphere does the setting
suggest?

- Do particular objects or settings serve symbolic functions?

- How do the mood and ambience of the setting create meanings for an
audience?

7. Characters and characterisation (describing essential features):

-Who is/are the main character/s?

- How are the characters developed (through description or dialogue)?

- What are the characters like?

- What is their purpose in the film?

- What do they do/wear/say, etc. that establishes this purpose? How are the
characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup reveal
about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do
costume and makeup convey character?

- Are there secondary characters? Are they important? Why?

- Do different characters use different kinds of language? Do certain
characters speak through their silences?

Character design Character name Character name

Physical appearance - key
features of character’s face
and
hair
Physical appearance - key
features of character’s body
Costume
Sound of the voice
(tone, inflection, timbre)
Key phrases
Key movements,
mannerisms, gestures
Other personal traits
Motivations, fears, desires
Relationships with other
characters
Effects of the character’s
behaviour

8. (‘Cinematographic’) Language:

- How does the film use colour or light/dark to suggest tone and mood in
different scenes?

- Are there any striking uses of perspective (seeing through a character's eyes,
camera angle/point of view, etc.)?

- How does this relate to the meaning of the scene?

9. Mise-en-Scene:

- Are there any motifs (scenes, images, colors) that are repeated or have a
special impact? When do they occur and what purpose do they serve?
10. Sound/Soundtrack:

- Is sound or silence used to enhance the film? (i.e., create drama, heighten
tension, disorient the viewer, aid characterization, foreshadowing, etc.)

11. Point of View (POV) from which the Narrative is Presented

- From whose POV is the narrative presented?
- Do we see the narrative through one character’s eyes or more than one? Why?
What are the effects of this?
- Is the POV different from that of the other characters? What is the effect
of this?

12. Cause and Effect

- What motivates the characters?
- What events are motivated by character?
- If there are natural or supernatural causes, what are their consequences?
- Are conflicts, motivations and issues resolved or unresolved by the end of the
film?

13. Personal experiences and reflections:

Pick elements from the film that you find the most compelling
(persuasive/interesting/that touched you or moved you):
- Do these remind you of other references (films/novels/your experiences/
other…)?

- What are the three most important scenes in the film? Why?

- Did you feel empathy for the character/Protagonist? Why?

- At any point in time did you feel repelled by the character/protagonist?

- what were the different kind of emotions that you felt while viewing the
movie?

14. LEARNING ABOUT CONFLICT, NATURE AND RESOLUTION