T:\Departments\English Dept\Literacy Courses (11,12,13Ea)\Level 2\Transactional Writing Tasks for 8825
\8825 Transactional Writing Film Review Task.doc
Paraparaumu College English Department Internal Assessment Resource
This is ONE task of THREE required to pass 8825
Transactional Writing (5 credits)
Film Review – The Way I See It
Teacher Guidelines:
The following guidelines are supplied to enable teachers to carry out valid and
consistent assessment using this internal assessment resource. Students will need
to complete three pieces of transactional writing for the unit standard – this task will
help them to complete one such piece of writing.
Context/setting:
In this activity students write a film review suitable for a readership of senior students
and adults. The review may be based on a film studied in class, or viewed
independently.
Conditions:
This activity may require both classroom and homework time. If films for review are
selected individually by students, preparation completed at home might include
viewing and note taking. All drafting should be worked on in class under teacher
supervision to ensure authenticity of the final published pieces. Notes and drafts
should be sighted regularly. Teachers should be aware of the significant amount of
film review material available on the internet.
Teachers may guide students through the initial tasks, demonstrating how the
techniques used in the activity can be applied to the students’ own writing.
As students develop their final drafts, teachers can offer appropriate guidance that
writing may need further work on ideas, language, structure or accuracy in spelling,
punctuation or paragraphing. Teachers may not correct errors, rewrite sentences or
suggest specific ideas. Students should have access to dictionaries and thesauruses
to check their writing. Word processing is encouraged where possible.
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This is ONE task of the THREE needed to get US 8825 Transactional Writing.
You must complete THREE pieces of writing to achieve.
Student Instructions Sheet
In this activity you will write a film review. Before you begin writing you will explore
the content, style and structure of the reviews, to prepare you to write your review.
You will be assessed on your ability to:
 Develop and sustain/support your ideas and opinions about the film
 Craft controlled writing which creates effects appropriate to the film review text
type and an audience of senior students and adults, and which communicates an
informed opinion in an interesting style
 structure material in a way that is appropriate to the audience, the purpose and
the text type
 use writing conventions accurately (spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax,
paragraphing)
Your writing will be at least 500 words long. It should be appropriate for a readership
of your peers and your English teacher.
Task 1: Close Reading
Read the following review of the film Batman, directed by Tim Burton. Look closely at
the information conveyed, and the style of writing:
Tall, Dark and Crazy
By Bertha Van Nation
BATMAN, 1989
directed by Tim Burton; PG Contains low level violence
The film Batman, directed by Tim Burton, is a dark take on an old
superhero tale. It follows the early exploits of the Dark Knight, with
Burton’s Batman a tormented, driven hero in a sinister, gothic world.
Though audiences may be distracted by the massive amount of publicity
this film received, there are some great moments in this action packed
126 minute adventure.
Batman is a familiar character to most – the troubled orphan whose
parents were killed by criminals, who puts on a costume at night and
fights back against the forces of darkness. Tim Burton’s Batman
(Michael Keaton) is true to the comic book hero, though Burton has
chosen to emphasise Batman’s angry, unstable side. This is definitely
not the camp hero of the 1960’s TV show. The villain of the film is its
greatest delight – the Joker (Jack Nicholson). Batman must battle this
newly formed criminal foe, and attempt to save the damsel in distress,
whilst keeping his identity secret.
Undoubtedly the best thing about this film was Tim Burton’s dark vision
of Gotham City. The sets are intricate, detailed, and very gothic.
Gargoyles crouch on rooftops, it’s almost always raining, and buildings
tower over the dark streets. This urban nightmare landscape forms the
backdrop for the drama that takes place, and gives the film a sinister,
gritty feel. The actors perform admirably – especially Jack Nicholson as
the twisted Joker. His over-the-top performance might have slipped into
comedy, if Burton had not created such a believable Gotham City, where
sinister super-villains fit right in.
Unfortunately, the casting of the film went a little astray in the two heroic
leads. Michael Keaton does well as Batman, portraying the caped
crusader and his alter ego Bruce Wayne with flair and more than a little
instability. However, when placed opposite the much taller, and more
physically imposing Kim Bassinger, the ‘tall dark and handsome’ image
doesn’t quite work – it’s more like ‘short, dark and crazy’!
Overall, this is a well made film with some great action and emotional
performances. Burton creates a world for his characters, and the
audience is drawn into their struggles. There are one or two minor flaws,
which may put off comic-book fans, but the film stands as a strong
product by itself. If you like action, don’t mind the occasional cliché, and
want to be transported into a dark gothic world, you’ll love Tim Burton’s
Batman.
After reading: reread the review, and highlight any phrases or sentence starters you
think you could use when reviewing another film.
Things to consider about this review:
Standing details
 reviewer, film title, censor rating &
guidelines
Introduction
 genre established
 writer’s opinion signalled
Vocabulary
 repetition of ‘dark, gothic’
 Variety of sentence starters
Features selected in this review and the
order in which they occur
 setting
 action and plot
 acting and characterisation
Other review conventions
 actor’s name in parentheses after
character’s name
 use of present tense when describing
film’s events
 film titles italicised
Task 2: Preparation
View the film you are going to review. Collect information about the film on the
following topics:
Title:
Actors
* Hugo Weaving
Roles
V
Actors
* John Hurt
V for Vendetta
* Natalie Portman
Evey
Roles
Chancellor
Adam Sutler
* Tim Piggot-Smith
Creedy
Director:
*Stephen Rea
Chief Inspector Finch
* Roger Allam
Prothero
* Stephen Fry
Gordon Dietrich
* John Standing
Bishop Lilliman
John McTeigue
BRIEF PLOT SYNOPSIS
KEY THEMES AND EVIDENCE
In the near future, England has
become a dictatorship. Evey
Hammond is attacked by
government officers, but is
saved by a strange masked man
called V. He tries to inspire the
people of England to stand up to
their government, to bring about
a change. Branded a terrorist,
Evey hides out with him. Events
build to a tense climax between
the authorities and the heroic
terrorist V.
That we’re all responsible for our governments’
actions – we need to stand up for ourselves and
what we believe in. (eg – Evey stands up to the
government, trying to stop the kidnapping and
torture)
That an idea can last beyond the person or people
who champion it – so it’s worth working, even
dieing for a cause. (eg – V dies to make England
a better place)
KEY/MEMORABLE SCENES
REFERENCES TO TECHNIQUES

* Use of setting/location, Camera work
(including editing), Sound track/music,
Costumes, Symbolism, Colour and
lighting
Description of scene:
Research
a)
Your review will seem extra flash if you include some research. Try to find out 3
interesting facts you can include. An informed opinion comes from
researching beyond the film, for example, by:
 reading about the background and the setting of the film
 reading about the director and the lead actor[s]
 viewing or finding out about other films by the same director
 finding more information on the genre the film best fits into
These steps can help establish a film’s critical reputation and place it in context
(with other films). It will also enable you to develop a depth of knowledge to
support your opinions and to make comments that can enrich your review.
Task 3: Developing a Draft
a) Try to read as many film reviews as possible in the lead-up to writing your own
review. It will help you to understand the style of writing needed.
b) Using your notes and your understanding of the structure and style of film
reviews, write the first draft of your film review. Remember to include:
 an apt title
 correct standing details
 an introduction that commands attention. It should signal the opinion or point of
view on the film that you will develop
 evaluation of several features (for instance, content/plot, pace,
atmosphere/setting/location, characterisation, acting, credibility, structure, film
techniques used), supported by selected details and your background research
 At least one paragraph on strengths of the film, and one on weaknesses
 language choices that are appropriate for your audience and the review text
type – this means some flash sounding language, and no inappropriate
language (such as swearing).
 a conclusion that ends the review strongly and pulls together the major aspects
of the review.
When your draft is finished, read over it to make sure you’ve included everything you
need. Try to fix as many spelling and punctuation errors as possible before you
get your teacher to check it.
Task 4: Developing a Final Version
Write a final version of your review, being as careful as you can with accuracy in
spelling, punctuation and grammar. Read over your work carefully and check for
mistakes before you hand it in.
Your review will be at least 500 words long. It should be appropriate for your class
and your English teacher to read. You must write the review yourself – plagiarism
(copying or stealing other people’s ideas) is a serious matter, and you will be caught
and punished if you try it. Do not copy material from classmates, the internet or
published reviews.
Exemplar – Achieved Level 2 Film Review
GREAT EFFECTS, BUT….
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, PG Contains supernatural horror
“One blood is the life and it shall be mine”. Yes there was plenty of blood and plenty of great
effects in Francis Ford Coppola’s new film Bram Stoker’s Dracula. A movie needs more
than effects though. Dracula was a bit boring with a long, drawn out story. The cast didn’t act
to their full potential and were dull, but Coppola made up for this by using great special
effects, costume, lighting and make-up.
The film did an excellent job in the special effects department. In an early scene Vlad the
Impaler (Gary Oldman) stabbed a large crucifix after finding out that his wife had committed
suicide. Blood poured out everywhere until the whole screen was flowing with blood. This
was great because it was so unexpected and it showed what a terrible thing he had done. All
that blood was a great introduction to his new life as a vampire and got us in the mood for a
good vampire movie.
Coppola also used lighting cleverly. When Dracula or any of the other vampires were around,
the lighting would turn red to show that there was danger. When there were no vampires it
would turn blue to give a sense of safety. For example when Jonathon (Keanu Reeves) was
leaving London the sky was blue because he was safe, but as he entered Transylvannia the
background turned red because he was entering dangerous vampire country.
Costuming showed me the time the film was set in and this also was a technique that Coppola
used well. One way it was good was because the costumes’ colour often revealed or
emphasised aspects of characters. Mina always wore blue because she was a nice, safe, quiet
girl, but her friend Lucy always wore red because she was wild and outgoing.
A technique that won Coppola an Academy Award was make-up. Dracula’s physical shape
changed constantly, from a handsome young man to a wrinkly, 400 year old vampire and then
back again, into a bat and a posse of rats. The make-up was so well done that you really
believed that he could change like this and helped show how powerful he was.
The problem was that the film is long and confusing. After 135 minutes it really did lose the
plot. Part of the problem was that there were too many stories happening at the same time:
Dracula in London trying to seduce Mina, Van Helsing trying to track down Dracula, Lucy
getting used to being a vampire… Scenes seemed to jump from one to another and by the
time the stories connected and began to make sense, it was too late.
The best thing about the film was definitely the technical side. It was also good to find out
about the original Dracula story. Unfortunately the film was too long and slow moving and
the acting was dull, but this was mostly made up for by the makeup, costume, lighting and
special effects. It was a movie that was enjoyable to watch if you are in the right mood, and if
you have plenty of time – so long as you don’t mind the sight of a little blood.