Some  do’s  &  don’ts  -­‐  An  incomplete  style  guide  to  wri7ng  effec7ve  film  reviews  and  wri<en  essays.  

 

1:  Don’t  use  the  first  person!      i.e.  ‘I  think  that,  I  believe  that,  In  my  opinion,  If  you  ask  me…'      Instead  of:      ‘My  review  is  of  Vincenzo  Natali's  2009  film,  Splice.’        Consider:      ‘This  review  examines  Vincenzo  Natali's  2009  film,  Splice.’      Instead  of:      ‘For  my   research   I  have   looked  at  Nightmare  Movies  by  Kim  Newman,  The  David  Cronenberg  Companion  by  Bodie  Horrace  and  How  To  Turn  A  Baboon  Inside  Out  by  Seth  Brundle.’        Consider:      ‘Research   sources   include   Nightmare   Movies   by   Kim   Newman,   The   David  Cronenberg  Companion  by  Bodie  Horrace  and  How  To  Turn  A  Baboon  Inside  Out  by  Seth  Brundle...'    

Okay  -­‐  construc8ng  sentences  using  the  third  person  might  feel  a  li>le  unnatural  or  strange  at  first,  but  you’ll  soon  get  used  to  it.    The  reason  for  not  wri8ng  in  the  first  person  (I  think  etc.),  even  though  it  feels  en8rely  intui8ve  to  do  so,  is  simple.    If   you   are   weighing   up   an   idea   or   discussing   different   interpreta8ons,   you  will  quickly   sound   to   your   reader   as   if   you’re   experiencing   a   mul8ple   personality  disorder!      e.g.   ‘I   think  David  Cronenberg’s   1986   remake  of  The  Fly   is   a   story  about  HIV/Aids.    However,  a\er  reading  the  following  observa7on  made  by  cri7c,  Richard  Luck   -­‐   ‘Perceived   as   a   film   about   the   AIDS   crisis   at   the   Fme   of   its   release,  Cronenberg   is   too   intelligent   a   filmmaker   to   allow   his   picture   to   become   a  vehicle   for  other  people's  poliFcs.’   (Luck,  2007)   -­‐   I’m  thinking  now  that  maybe  The  Fly   is  not  about  HIV  a\er  all.    Yes,   I  now  think  Cronenberg’s  body-­‐horror  classic   is   a   film   about   our   fear   of   decay   more   generally.     However,   a\er  reading…’  (and  so  on).      Use   the   following   conversion   table   to  help   you  weed  out   the  first   person   from  your  academic  wri8ng.  

2:  Don’t   narrate!   (wri8ng   as   if   you're   thinking  out-­‐loud  or   telling   your   reader   a  bed8me  story).      e.g.   ‘My   essay/review   is   on   Splice.   I   was   thinking   about   looking   for   some  research  in  books,  but  I  couldn’t  find  any  good  ones,  so  I  started  looking  on  the  internet,  and  I  found  some  good  quotes  which  I’ll  be  using  in  my  essay  because  I  want  to  show  how  I’ve  researched  my  essay  using  the  internet….'      Yawn!   Your   tutor   is   giving   up   the  will   to   live.     Just   get   on  with   it!     Be   specific  always  –  it’s  not  a  diary  entry.  WHICH  published  sources  are  you  using?  Give  the  8tle  and  the  author.    Don’t   tell  your  reader  about  content  you’re  NOT  using,  or  about   informa8on  you  COULDN’T  find.  DON’T  talk  about  how  ‘hard’   it’s  been  to  find  relevant  informa8on.  Your  reader  doesn’t  care!    

 3:  When  you  introduce  a  film,  tv  programme,  book,  game  or  pain7ng  etc.  in  an  assignment  for  the  first  8me,  give  both  the  author/producer/originator/director  and  release/publishing/painted  date.    A:er  that,  just  the  8tle  is  fine.      e.g.   'David   Lynch’s   The   Elephant   Man   (1980)   explores   what   it   means   to   be  human'  not  just  ‘The  Elephant  Man  explores  what  it  means  to  be  human’.        

4:  Always  give  film  7tles/book  7tles  etc.   their   righgul  capital   le<ers  and  do   it  every  8me  you  write  them!      e.g.  ‘The  Elephant  Man’  not  ‘The  elephant  Man’,  or  ‘the  Elephant  man’,  or  ‘the  elephant  man’.    

5:   The   first   7me   you   introduce   a   director/prac77oner/specific   individual,   give  their  full  name;  a\er  that  use  surname  only!      e.g.   'David   Lynch’s   The   Elephant   Man   (1980)   explores   what   it   means   to   be  human.   Lynch’s   use   of   black   and   white   cinematography   and   evoca7ve  soundscape  contribute  to  the  film’s  expressionis7c  style...'      If  you  con8nue  to  use  the  person’s  Chris8an  name,  it  presumes  a  familiarity  you  do  not  have  with  them:        'David  Lynch’s  The  Elephant  Man   (1980)  explores  what   it  means  to  be  human.  David’s   use   of   black   and   white   photography   and   evoca7ve   soundscape  contribute  to  the  film’s  expressionis7c  style…'      (it's  like,  “yeah,  me  and  David  go  way  back  –  we're  old  drinking  buddies…)        

6:  Avoid  vagueness!      e.g.   ‘In   the   past’   (when   exactly?),   ‘In   the   olden   days’   (when   exactly?),   ‘Back  then’  (back  when?),  ‘people  did  this  a  lot’  (how  much?)  –  ‘people  did  this  a  lot  in  the  past,  but  now  people  don’t  do  it  as  much’  (which  people  did  what,  to  what  degree,   and   when,   and   now   [meaning   when?   Right   now?   This   century?   This  decade?  This  minute?]  which  people  are  doing  what  and  by  how  much  less  than  before?).         Vagueness   is   a   consequence   of   a   research   ‘blindspot’   or   ‘lazy   repor8ng’.   If   it’s  ge`ng  vague,  you  obviously  don’t  know  enough  about  your  subject  yet!        

7:  Avoid  generaliza7ons!      e.g.  ‘All  women  think  this.’      Unless  you  have  done  a  recent  survey  of  ‘all  women’  this  statement  cannot  be  proven;   if   it   cannot   be   proven   it   is   a   generaliza8on   and   has   no   place   in   an  EVIDENCE  based  discussion.        

8:  Avoid  superla7ves  and  sycophancy!  (Don’t  gush!)      e.g.  Neil  Jordan’s  The  Company  of  Wolves  (1984)  is  a  brilliant  film.      Or  In  Fritz  Lang’s  Metropolis  (1927),  the  set  designs  are  just  amazing.      (Here  ‘brilliant’  and  ‘amazing’  are  en8rely  ‘content  free’  –  i.e.  they  don’t  tell  your  reader   anything.   Your   job   is   to   unpack  what   you  mean   by   ‘brilliant’   and   unpack  what  you  mean  by  ‘amazing’.      e.g.   'Neil  Jordan’s  The  Company  of  Wolves   (1984)  impresses  in  its  use  of  dream-­‐logic  by  which  it  links  its  separate  stories'  or  'In  Fritz  Lang’s  Metropolis  (1927),  the  set  designs  are  monumental  and  imposing'.    

9:  Always  put  your  film  7tles/book  7tles  etc.  in  italics  to  dis7nguish  them  from  the  rest  of  text.      not   'In   Fritz   Lang’s   Metropolis   (1927),   the   set   designs   are   monumental   and  imposing',  but   'In   Fritz   Lang’s  Metropolis   (1927),   the   set   designs   are  monumental  and  imposing.'    

10:  Always  put  your  quota7ons  between  ‘’  or  “”  and  italicise  them.      e.g.  "This  is  a  quotaFon!"        

11:  Unpack  your  quotes  /demonstrate  your  knowledge/define  your  terms!      Some  students  use  quotes  in  their  assignments  but  let  them  ‘hang  around’  –  like  especially  invited  dinner  guests  who  end  up  with  nothing  to  contribute  to  the  conversa8on.        Consider  this  statement:      ‘As  Kim  Newman  observes,  ‘Splice  shares  Cronenberg’s  fascinaFon  with  body  horror’.      Okay  –  but  Cronenberg  who?  Body  horror  what?’  And  Newman’s  point  is?  And  the  point  of  you  choosing  this  quote  and  using  it  in  this  context  is...?      Consider  instead:         ‘As   Kim   Newman   observes,   ‘Splice   shares   Cronenberg’s   fascinaFon   with   body   horror’   (Newman  1989:76).   Here,   Newman   refers   to   Canadian   director,   David   Cronenberg,  whose   early   films   -­‐   Shivers  (1975),   Rabid   (1977)   and   The   Fly   (1986)   among   others   -­‐   are   preoccupied   with   themes   of   bodily  disintegra7on   and   infec7on.  Of   his   1979   film,  The   Brood   (1979),   David   J.   Schow   noted,   ‘Cronenberg  turns   our   private   terrors   of   the   flesh   into   horrid,   visceral  manifestaFons’.   (Schow   1986:102)   Splice’s  depic7on   of   unstable   and   evolving   flesh   exploits   similar   anxie7es   regarding   the   body’s   capacity   to  shock  and  surprise.’      You   must   unpack   the   quote   into   its   important   elements,   define   them   where   necessary   and   thereby  demonstrate   your   knowledge   of   the   concepts   encompassed.   Then   you   apply   the   content   to   your   own  discussion  in  a  proac8ve  way:  i.e.  you  use  the  quote  to  enrich,  advance  and  corroborate  your  argument.  Quotes   have   no   inherent   value   of   their   own   –   they   only   become   significant   when   they’re   used   to  illuminate  your  subject  further.    

And  finally…      A  very  basic  bit  of  advice:  if  you're  not  reading  interes7ng  stuff,  you're  not  going  to  write  interes7ng  stuff!  You'll  only  get  out  what  you're  pu`ng  in  -­‐  so,   if  you're  not  doing   the   research,   if   you're  not   reading  around   the  subject  and  engaging   in  independent  study,  and  if  you're  leaving  it  to  the  night  before  to  write  your  wri>en  assignments   WILL   be   average,   generic   and  may   fail   to   sa7sfy   the   assessment  criteria.