Learn Film Analysis With This Cheat Sheet

We've all gotten into a debate about a movie with our friends. One says it sucks, another says it's great, and they go back and forth. If your friends are anything like mine, it probably gets personal after that.

But that's not the way it should go.

If you want to work in Hollywood, be a critic, or make films or TV shows, you should know how to speak about them in an educated way.

Late last year, I went on a rant about how important media literacy was to your film and TV career, and I'm back to tell you about this incredible course I watched FOR FREE on YouTube. It helped me in my ongoing journey to understand how to write and talk about filmmaking.

It's from video essayist Patrick (H) Willems, and it's spectacular. Over about 90 minutes, he takes you through the ins and outs of the process, theories, and coherent ways to make an argument.

Check out this amazing video from Willems, and let's talk after.

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Learn Film Analysis With This Cheat Sheet

What I loved about that video was how it guided you through ways to break down and study a movie. It's not just about pot or characters but about the choices the filmmakers made in everything from lenses to music to the very genre of the plot.

If you watch that video, there's not much more for me to explain - Willems does it much better than I could. But I drew up a little cheat sheet for you if you wanted to practice analyzing films and TV shows at home. I use these whenever I write about film here.

Here are some of the key areas I try to look at when analyzing a movie.

Key Areas of Film Analysis

Mise-en-Scène: Everything you see within the frame of the shot. This includes:

• Lighting (how a scene is lit)
• Setting (location and décor)
• Props (objects with significance)
• Costumes and makeup
• Actor movement and blocking (how they are positioned and move)

Cinematography: The technical choices behind the camera:

• Camera angles (high, low, tilted, etc.)
• Shot types (close-up, wide shot, long take, etc.)
• Camera movement (pans, zooms, tracking shots, etc.)
• Focus (what's sharp, what's blurry)

Editing: How shots are assembled:

• Types of cuts (fades, jump cuts, etc.)
• Rhythm and pacing of editing
• Montage (stringing shots together to create meaning)

Sound: Everything you hear:

• Dialogue
• Sound effects
• Music (both score and existing songs)

Narrative: The story and its construction:

• Plot structure
• Characters and their development
• Themes

Types of Film Analysis

It turns out there are lots of different types of film analysis. So when you're watching something, you have to lock into what you want to talk about.

Here are some directions you could go:

Formalist: Focuses on the technical elements (cinematography, editing, sound, etc.) and how they create meaning.

Narrative: Examines the story, characters, and themes of the film.

Ideological: Looks at how a film reflects or challenges social, political, or cultural ideas.

Psychoanalytic: Explores unconscious desires or symbolism within the film.

Cultural/Historical: Investigates the film within its historical, social, and cultural context.

Summing Up Film Analysis

When it comes to analyzing a film, you can use the stuff in this post to form the basis of your argument.

But at the ned of the day, the only way to become a real expert is just to watch a ton of movies and TV shows and go from there.

Leave your tips and tricks for film analysis in the comments.