Sequence Analysis Assignment
This 3-4 pp. project asks you to pick a short sequence (from the film suggestion list I have given
you) for closer analysis. By "short" I mean about a minute, but there is a certain amount of
flexibility in the length of the segment you choose (two minutes is about the upper limit).
The assignment has two sections.
Once you have chosen your sequence (or short film), you have a four-part challenge:
Part One: Shot Analysis
(1) to look closely;
(2) to describe your clip precisely;
Part Two: Synthesis and Interpretation
(3) to identify the narrative structure of the film (is it a 3-act structure or not at all? Or there is
flash back(s) or moments in the past?)
(4) to think about the editing techniques used in the sequence and the purpose of using them
(Montage? Flashbacks? Parallel editing? Time lapse?)
In Part One, you will provide a careful, shot-by-shot description of your chosen sequence.
Number each shot, and tell us how many seconds the shot lasts. Then consider the following
questions (not every question will apply to every shot, of course):
a) How is the scene composed (what is the spatial relationship of the depicted scene and
characters to each other and to the frame)?
b) At what shot scale is the scene filmed (extreme close-up/close-up/medium close-up/medium
shot/medium long shot [="three-quarter shot" or "plan américain"]/long shot/extreme long shot)?
See definitions in the Glossary on Edmodo. Is there variation between different shot scales, and
if so, to what end?
c) Are the figures in the scene consciously “acting”? How overtly pantomimic are the gestures in
the scene?
d) At what angle is the film shot?
e) If there is movement in the image, from where does it originate—from the depicted world
itself, from a vehicular camera set-up, or from features of the camera itself?
f) If the film contains intertitles, what type are they, and how do they function?
g) Is there staging in depth (foreground/background) that is used in interesting ways to create
tension, to point to things we see but that the character "doesn't know," or to juxtapose two types
of action?
h) Does the light source allow for an image that shows a convincing dimensionality, or does it
seem flat and foregrounded? What is the relationship between backdrop and physical props?
i) What forms of editing exist in the film? Does it use intercutting (for simultaneity of action in
separate spaces), analytical editing (for visually subdividing a space or showing), or contiguity
editing (to create implied relationships between spaces in the fictional world)?
The careful description of your chosen sequence (or short film) in Part One should be about 2 pp.
long.
Then in Part Two ("Synthesis and Interpretation") of this assignment, please around 900-1100
words in which you interpret your chosen sequence or short film in an interesting and
illuminating way, using evidence drawn from Part One. (In Part Two, you do not need to use all
the details you came up with in Part One, of course--just the most important details for your
particular interpretation and your argument.).
Questions that may be helpful, as you brainstorm for ideas:
Try to begin with summarizing the film in one paragraph, giving both the film name and year of
release, and the name of the director, as well as a brief summary in your own words.
Then think about the format/narrative structure/technical devices used in the film, describe them
and explain why do you think the director has such a choice.
What interesting observations come to mind when you look at your chosen sequence as closely
as you just did in Part One? What do you see that you did not see before? What broader
questions do you find yourself asking? What is strange about the way this film or sequence has
been constructed? Why do you think the person who made this film used the particular
techniques and devices you described in Part One?
