How to write effective essays on film
Before I took English 101 with Dr. Lance Cummings, I knew the basics of writing. I had written for past language and literature classes. Never did I take a course where students could write about anything that they desired, until now. Today, I will discuss what I have taken away from English 101.
Narrative and information
I learned a lot about writing for specific audiences over the course of this past semester. My English class has given me the opportunity to write atomic essays and the freedom to talk about topics I find interesting.
One important aspect of writing for an audience is mixing narrative and information together. Starting an essay off with a story is an effective way of drawing possible readers in.
After you have enticed people with your opening story, you can convey the information necessary to the essay. If an article begins with information, it may not be able to hook anyone. Any good piece of writing needs a hook.
Creating a hook
Now that I have taken this English course, I have also learned how to form hooks and other ways to convince people to read my essays.
A hook is anything can catch the attention of potential readers. Images are a great example of that. An image will bring anyone’s eyes to your essay. Photos, such as the one above, with vibrant colors pop out more than the rest.
Titles are imperative. They are the first impression that readers will have with your work. Make titles something to remember. In order for a title to stick out, make it dramatic, but be sure that it is supported by the text.
The first sentence of an essay should be impactful as well. It sets the stage for the rest of your writing. Setting the stage appropriately will make the essay feel more coherent.
How can this be applied to film?
The main topic that I focused on throughout this semester is film. I have discovered just how much I enjoy talking about the movies that I love.
Film is a medium in which many people work and put forth endless effort. Writing about different aspects of film is a perfect way to show appreciation for those filmmakers. Not only that, I see it as exposing others to movies that they may not have thought about watching before.
So, how can what I have learned about writing from my class apply to film essays? Think about a movie that you love and think about the first time that you watched it. Did it make you happy, or did it make you feel depressed?
Express the emotions that you have attached to the film at the beginning of your essay. If there are no emotions attached, the start of the essay could tell the film’s story in a brief synopsis.
Film hooks
Hooks do not truly have one definition. There are many routes that writers can take in order to gain an audience. I find that the best way to creative hooks for film essays is to describe the plot of the film for the title.
For instance, take the movie Finding Nemo. If you simply title it “Finding Nemo Review”, not many people would click unless you are a prominent writer. The alternative would be having the title say “A fish’s son is taken from him after a tragic accident”. Adding an image from the film would also benefit the essay.
Tell the readers a story from the beginning and they will want to keep reading. Essays are meant to inform, not necessarily to entertain. Writers should not bore their readers, but the first priority is informing. Make sure that they are hooked before all else.
In the future
I plan on taking creative writing courses in the future. I have discovered how much I enjoy writing about what I love. I am considering minoring in creative writing, under my film studies major.
The skills that I have gained from my current English class will be more than helpful going forward. Although my class has leaned towards professional writing as opposed to creative writing, I can still use the information given to me by Dr. Cummings.
My future writing courses will give me a chance to further apply what I have learned. If I ever have information that I need to convey, I will not do so until there is a narrative in the essay. The formats of my essays changed and made the writing easier to digest. This trend will continue as I move to other classes.
Eventually, I hope to write screenplays for feature length movies. Being able to see a story of my own translated into a motion picture would give me a feeling of completion. Writing for this class has helped to open a path for me to achieve that goal one day.
Thank you
I would like to thank anyone who has taken the time to read my ramblings about film during the past semester. I know that I have certainly enjoyed the rambling myself.
The main person that I should be thanking is my professor. English 101 seemed like it was going to be dull, but the unique format of the course kept me engaged. I want to thank him for the opportunity to write about film.
I may continue writing about film on Twitter and Medium, so keep an eye out for that.
Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day.
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