Choose a film from the Recommended Viewing list for your film report, which will be an analysis of the plot, structure, and meaning in a film. Your report must include the following:

1. Title (5 points)
   Begin your report with a title: "An Analysis of the Plot and Structure of Saving Private Ryan," for example. Then start a new line with your name, the course number, and the date. Note that the title of the film should be in italics.

2. Part One: Director and Writer (10 points)
   Write a sentence that names the film director and the author of the screenplay of the film that you will discuss in your report. For example: "Steven Spielberg is the director of Saving Private Ryan, and Robert Rodat is the author of the screenplay." Then below that sentence, list other notable films directed by the director and written by the screenplay author. In the case of a director like Spielberg who has made many films, list only five. The same is true for the director; list no more than five films. Robert Rodat, for example, has written seven films that have been released in theaters as of July 2001, but only one of those is very well known, The Patriot, directed by Roland Emmerich, who also directed Independence Day and Godzilla, among others. You can use the search engine below from the Internet Movie Database to look up the film and then find the name of the director and screenplay author.
   

   Titles People

   
   

3. Part Two: Narrative Devices (35 points)
   In this section of your report, briefly describe the plot or narrative device that is used to develop the plot. The film may contain more than one narrative device. Then provide a brief explanation of the narrative devices. Write a fully developed paragraph for each narrative device. For an example to use as a model, read the following two paragraphs from a student's report:

   The film Saving Private Ryan uses the narrative devices of the journey and problem solving, and both are used simultaneously to focus on people and the parts they play in one man's story. The journey starts when we see the man break down in Arlington Cemetery. The reasons for his emotions are revealed through the vivid battle scenes and the journey takes us through a search for Private Ryan, as well as each man’s journey through the emotions of war. Most of the soldiers were young men on an idealized mission of right and wrong, and through their journeys, they realize that nothing is clear-cut, especially in war. The journey isn’t completed with finding Private Ryan, though, as the film also shows us who the man in the cemetery is, and we finally understand why he was so emotional. Frankly, I cried through most of the movie as well, because I have German descendants and also my dad was in the Vietnam War.

   Another very effective narrative used in this film is problem solving. At first glimpse, it seems the problem is finding Private Ryan, and the solution is easily solved. However, there are also problems internally which all lend truth to the storyline. There are problems within the unit, with each man, and between the soldiers themselves. The soldiers are working to defend their beliefs while dealing with the cruel realities of war, and the dissention within the ranks comes from the Captain making decisions that the other men don’t agree with. This comes as a shock to the soldiers, but the captain finally reveals that he’s not a real soldier, but a high school teacher trying to do his best in his job and his duties as a commanding officer. Once the other soldiers realize this, they try to pull together long enough to make it home alive. The problems they try to solve are as simple as getting from one place to another, and as difficult as dealing with hostile enemies and watching their friends getting killed on a daily basis. The problem solving gets the viewer into the film, and makes us want to watch to see if the problems get solved. This film isn’t just about solving problems within the story’s timeline, though, because the problems are ones each of us has to deal with during our daily lives, and I found it interesting that each of us has the capacity to deal with such momentous struggles.

   Note: Write your paragraphs single spaced as you see here, with double spacing between paragraphs.

4. Part Three: Conflict (25 points)
   Plot is not just what happens in a film. Rather, plot is a pattern of cause and effect or conflicts upsetting the equilibrium of a situation. Plot is characters responding to those conflicts into some form of resolution, even if that resolution is incomplete, inconclusive, or unsatisfying to the viewer. The meaning of a film often comes from the manner in which the conflict is resolved or left unresolved. In this last section, explain the conflict in the film in only one paragraph. Conflict occurs between two people (a protagonist and an antagonist), between one person and a group, between a person and a situation, and between a person and an idea. Through conflicts, the screenplay author and the director of the film create anticipation, suspense, and tension, and these create interest in continuing the watch the film to see what will happen, how the character will resolve the conflict.

5. Part Four: Resolution (25 points)
   In your final paragraph in this report, explain the meaning that you find in the way the conflict that you explained above is resolved or not resolved.
6. Click here to read a sample film report.
7. Click here to read more about film structure.
8. Click here for additional film resources.