A movie reflection paper is a type of writing that you have to do when it is assigned on your english class. When you are required to write a movie reflection paper, this just means that you are going to discuss the theme and elements used in the film or movie. Some scenes may have been shocking and others funny but what matters most to your reflective essay is how the film has affected you emotionally as well as intellectually.
Writing a movie reflection paper is a type of academic writing which is becoming more popular to use in film courses and other college courses. They have a lot of advantages over other types of assignments and they can help both the students and teachers. This article will give some tips on how you can write your own amazing film reflection papers for any movie or film.
Note: The aim of this guide is to show how writing a movie reflection paper works, not to show you ‘movie reflection paper examples‘ or “film reflection paper examples” that you should copy or imitate! You shouldn’t be doing someone else’s work as an example – make sure it’s clear that it’s just an example.
Contents
How to write a movie reflection paper
In a movie reflection paper, you take a piece of media (book, TV series, movie, song, video game etc.) and write a paper detailing your understanding of the message that piece of media is trying to get across. You can analyze pretty much any aspect of a movie (or TV series,) but it’s always most helpful if you pick something that will have some impact on how other people interpret the work. For example:
- How did the director tell this story?
- What tools does he use?
- What lessons can we learn from this piece of art?
The goal in doing this is not to analyze every part of a movie or episode (although that can be good for short essays, it might not apply when writing a reflection paper that is long) but instead just focus on one or two major points. This way, you’re getting more out of each movie! It’s a great way to make your understanding of a piece of media richer, and it allows you to connect the movie with other things that you’ve watched or read in class.
In order for your essay to reflect about a movie, there should be more than mere statements related on the story plot and prominent characters in it. Your reflections will show if you were able to perceive any messages passed by the director of the film, together with other details about the film. There are some details which should be included in your movie reflection paper.
Here is the list of things you have to talk about and include in your movie reflective essay:
- What is the main theme in the movie?
- Have you sensed any inner meaning on it?
- Do you agree or disagree with it? Explain why.
- What kind of characters were presented in the movie?
- What makes each character different from one another?
- What messages does the author/director want to pass through this movie based on its title and story plot?
- Can the film be applied to real life? Explain why or why not.
- Does it have a moral lesson that will guide your audience to live a better life?
- Is there any philosophical aspect in the film which makes you think deeper of its meaning? Point out how important they are for your audience.
- Is it possible to make a connection between a certain character with yourself based on their personality and attitude toward other characters in the movie?
- Can you relate or make a connection from one story plot to another? Explain why.
- Are there other kinds of stories that are related to the film? Give a list of them and explain what connects it with this movie.
- Are you able to see any particular pattern on the development of each scene in the film based on its title, characters, as well as messages passed by it?
- Is this film is something copied from others or does it have its own creativity? Why do you think so?
How to start a reflection paper about a movie
To start a movie reflection paper, first, choose the right movie that you are going to write about. It should be a movie you have watched before. It is better if the movie you have selected to write about is interesting and worth your time watching it. Not all movies are good enough for you to be able to write a reflection paper on them.
What kind of films would make a good writing topic?
If you want your essay to be unique from other students’ essays, try looking for films that will interest audience most. You need not just choose a serious film but also use something funny or that makes people laugh as well since they say laughter is the best medicine. Choose an adventure or action-packed movie too if those are the ones that make up what you enjoy seeing in TV or cinemas. The only thing needed here is how you will present its characters your thoughts and opinions on it.
When writing a reflection paper for movies, you need to make use of such type of words as this would give your audience an idea if the film is good or bad from your point of view. Another thing that will help convey how the movie feels unique and different from others in its genre is by using action-related words like “angry”, “action”, “thriller”, etc. The choice of words may vary depending on what kind of movie you are going to write about such as describing an angry character with violent-related words while for comedy dramas, funny-related words are used instead.
Once you have chosen a film, the next thing you need to do is a title. You can name it after what made you interested in watching the movie or choosing its genre instead. It would be better if your title is clear enough that people who have not watched the film before will also know how it was all about and why they may want to watch it too.
Now that you have a good title, proceed to write an introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion as shown below.
How to structure a film or movie reflection paper – Outline/Format
A basic structure of a movie reflection essay includes: Introduction, Body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Below is an outline of a movie reflection essay.
Introduction:
The first step in writing a good movie reflection essay is write an introduction of what kind of film it is, its characters, plot and setting as well as any additional information related to it such as messages passed by this movie. The introduction should not be written on just one paragraph but make sure that there are several paragraphs included inside each other.
For each scene in a movie reflection paper, start with giving out its title and describe what happened in it as well. For example, you may give the title “The rainy scene” and write how it was when the character stood there with his best friend who just told him that he is not going to see him anymore or something like that. You can also add up your personal opinions about this scene after having written what really happened in it.
Body section:
In a movie reflection paper, the body should be divided into two parts – the first one would contain different types of sentences such as question-answer and declarative sentence while the next part will focus on descriptive words which are used to give out details about certain scenes within each paragraph. A good movie essay requires both eyes-view (what happens) and words-view (your interpretation) so make sure that the sentences you have used are different.
Conclusion:
For film reflection paper conclusion, you need to write a strong conclusion as it is used to summarize your thoughts and opinions on this film. This part would be longer compared to your introduction but shorter than the body of your essay and may contain about two or three paragraphs.
Things to remember while writing a reflection paper about a movie or film
Here are some things to remember while writing a reflection paper about a movie or film:
- Don’t use big words! – You don’t need to show off how smart you are, just write as if you were having a conversation with someone else.
- Use evidence from the movie/show/book etc., such as examples or instances where the message is shown clearly.
- Don’t put too much focus on one idea.
- Your film reflection paper should be giving others ways of interpreting art and forming their own opinions.
- Make sure you’re not off topic. Make sure that your essay is relevant to the subject or genre of the movie you’ve chosen.
- Don’t use ‘I`. Try to make it as clear as possible that what you are saying is not just your opinion, but instead may be interpreted by others in their own way (and therefore can act as evidence!)
- Cut out parts of the movie/episode etc. You don’t need to analyze every single scene in detail, especially if you don’t have much time. Instead focus more on important points and themes throughout the work that will help readers understand exactly what the message of the work is.
- Write how you would watch it. Is there something that you can take from this movie/show etc., or does it have little to no value? Did it affect your life in anyway? What’s the best way for people to use this information?
What makes a good movie/film reflection paper?
A good film reflection paper must at least posses the following attributes:
- Length: A film reflection paper should not be too long, not too short! (Aim for around 750 word essay, 800 words to 1000 words essay)
- Proper structure for movie reflection paper/outline: Must have a good movie reflection paper outline – Introduction, Body, and conclusion
- Detail and evidence: your essay should be using examples from the media (a song lyric, a specific scene) to support whatever idea you’re trying to get across.
- Pop culture references are allowed as well.
- Quotes are nice, but used sparingly (no more than a few!)
- Proper references: Include references from the movie and other scholarly academic articles.
What should be included in your writing your film reflective paper?
There are some additional things you need to include such as:
- The first thing that would catch people’s attention is how you have started your essay. Start the paper by giving a brief explanation of what is the film or movie you have chosen to write about. You may also want to talk about how you feel on watching it as well as what made you interested in watching this film or movie.
- A good movie reflection paper should not just be written from your point of view alone, but look at it from different angles too such as those of the director and other characters presented in it. Explain why did they do that? What are their reasons for doing that? And who do they think they are?
- If there are additional information worth mentioning to make your essay more detailed along with any footnotes, bibliography, or an appendix which will support your writing and points of views, you may include them in the end of your essay. Make sure to write it on a separate page though just like any other supporting materials used for references only.
- It is also necessary that you put a cover page with its complete information such as your name, date written, subject/course title and number, instructor’s name and class number/semester.
Now that you know the basics, it’s time for your first assignment! Make sure you remember everything we’ve talked about in this article and good luck with your first film reflection paper!
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