COMA 270 Video Review Assignment

Objective: To recognize the basic elements of narrative TV shows and to evaluate the stylistic aspects of the show production.

Process:

1. Choose a television program that tells a story - drama or comedy. (No longer than 1 hour, no shorter than 30 minutes broadcast time.)

2. Watch the show carefully - you may wish to record the program to make it easier for analysis.

3. While watching the show, note the camera shots and angles used. Try to determine why certain shots are used at various times. Do they always start with a wide shot? How close are the closeups? Was there a significant amount of camera movement? Did the camera move constantly? Etc.

4. Break the story down to its most most basic elements. What was the story about in one sentence? Who was the main character or characters? What was the main conflict? What needed to be resolved for th show to end? Were there multiple conflicts?

5. As you watch, note the things mentioned in numbers 3 and 4 and jot down notes to help you write your analysis.

6. Using your notes and observations, write a two-page paper discussing your analysis of the program. The paper should be typed, double-spaced, and written using acceptable grammar and spelling. Use a standard type face that is 12 point in size. You may organize your paper any way you like, but it is a paper, not an outline. It is not a question/answer assignment. Write as if you were doing a review for a newspaper or Web blog. Avoid too much of the "I think..." or "I was not impressed by..." because that seems very personal. Try to write in a way that uses the third person, such as: "One might think the show was for kids..." or "The program lacked any continuity or clear cause and effect..." You are still saying to the reader what you think and believe, but it seems more scholarly and credible. Also, don't refer to the reader as "you,", such as "You wouldn't believe the number of shots I saw in this show." Instead, say, "The number of shots seemed excessive compared to the story." One way to think of this is to say to yourself, "How can I write that without using 'I' or 'you' in the sentence?"

7. Print your paper and turn it in on the night it is due. Make sure your name is typed in the upper left corner. Here is an example of what the heading on the first page would look like:

Your Name

COMA 270

Dr. Cameron Pace

Video Review Assignment

Your Title Here

        Begin typing your paragraph here......................