Assignment For this assignment, you will write a brief analysis of either a film or TV show. This will, in part, be something that you will want to work on for your final paper, but you do not need to worry about that right now. You can choose either a TV show or a film, but it should be something that you are interested in finding out more about and that you like and could be willing to work with for the remainder of the semester. The analysis will be focused on making an argument about a central meaning or theme present in the text and how the creator develops that theme or meaning. Basically, pick a TV show or film and tell me what it means beyond just what happens (the plot). Approach First, you will need to develop an idea of what you see as a meaning or theme of the text (the TV show or film you have selected)– what is its point / what is the creator trying to say / what is the creator trying to get us to think about. Next, you will need to cull the text for the techniques that you see in use that bring out the meaning or theme. Depending on the text you have chosen, these may include camera angle and lighting, the story and the characters (it will be mostly this), or music and imagery, to name only a few. You will need to decide which you think are the most significant to bringing out what you are saying is the central meaning or theme of the text. Refer to those things specifically in your paper and, most importantly, say how they do what you say they do. Note that you will NOT talk about the whole of the film or show. You cannot in 3-5 pages. Finally, you will craft a thesis statement, which will appear in your introduction, and introduction that address the relationship of technique to theme and establishes the direction the paper is going to take. The paper itself will then be an extended explication of that using specific reference to the text (quotes) and explanation of their importance. The body paragraphs should relate back to the thesis and develop the idea throughout the paper. Some Comments Strive to frame your comments and analysis in the terms of what the creator is doing, not just what is happening in the text. So, don’t just say “this character does this.” Rather, say “the show has the character do this in order to show X,” where X is some idea from your thesis. Be as specific as possible in the evidence used. You do not need to recount the whole text – only the moments that are important to your argument. Your reader is familiar with the texts, but may not remember all of the details. Start early. Give yourself time to think, write, think some more, and then rewrite. Take chances. Don’t worry about “reading too much into it.” See where it leads you.