Description
Watch the film “Her”800–1000 words (~3–4 pages)For this essay you will compose a focused, detailed look at one aspect of just one of the film Her. Your essay should be grounded in a close reading and analysis of just one scene.* Your objective here is to do a close reading, which means you should not include much (if anything) in the way of plot synopsis, production history, director/actor biographical details, critical reception, or box-office numbers. None of that matters in our approach! Instead get to the scene(s) as quickly as possible. You should NOT use any secondary sources (including Wikipedia, IMDB, movie reviews, etc.); if you want to quote a line or two from a course reading to support your analysis that’s fine, but not at all necessary. The focus should be squarely on the details of the scene under investigation and their role in influencing how we understand the meaning of the film. Rather than a slowly unfolding introduction (e.g., ruminating on technology in society), your essay should dive right in: announce your specific topic in the opening sentence; tell us what scene is most relevant by sentences 2–3; then quickly wrap up your intro paragraph with a solid thesis arguing for a particular interpretation of the film’s treatment of the topic. First, pick ONE theme, character trait, or formal element that you find to be particularly interesting, revealing, or strange. Examples include (among the films’ themes) betrayal, revenge, emotional expression, desire, masculinity, gendered A.I., loneliness, freedom, nature vs. technology, master vs. servant, or human vs. “artificial” intelligence; (among the characters’ traits) innocence, cunning, meanness, inquisitiveness, drunkenness, genius, depression, giddiness, naivety, or sophistication; (among formal elements) use of lighting, reflection, music, color, framing, the cutting out of diegetic sound, close-ups, slow zooms, etc. You may pick one of the above or something else; this is your topic. Once you have a topic to focus on, choose one scene from the film that you feel exemplify the film’s treatment of the theme/character/element about which you are writing. A detailed exposition and rigorous analysis of the scene will form the backbone of your essay. You should draw attention to everything within the scene that seems revealing or significant—not just dialogue and action, but gestures, facial expressions, props, background, and various cinematic techniques such as framing, camera movement, camera angle, shot duration, cuts, lighting, and sound. In other words, you should consider not just what is presented but also (and more importantly) how it is presented and why the filmmakers might have done it this way and not some other way. How does this way of presenting the film’s subject matter shape and direct our interpretation of events, characters, themes, and so on? From a rhetorical perspective, we might ask: What and how does each element contribute to our interpretation of the scene, its place in the trajectory of the film, and your own argument about theme/character/element.?* A “scene” is typically defined as any span of plot or sequence of shots that is bounded by time and space. If you’re focusing on a formal element (rather than a theme or character trait), you may include more than one scene (but no more than three) where this element predominantly appears. In selecting your scene(s) and thinking about its place in the larger structure of the film, a fast-forward (3-4x) viewing might be helpful, but once you’ve selected your scene, be sure to watch (and listen!) to it so many times that even the most banal details begin to seem strange. Watch it with your eyes closed. Watch it with the sound off. Refer to Crano’s “Terms and Tips for Thinking and Writing about Film” (on Canvas) for handy terminology and possible things to keep an eye out for in your scene.
