Film Presentations

Each student will give a class presentation based on a film chosen for its relevance to the topics and literary texts studied in this course (see list of films in “Files” on Canvas). Presentations need to demonstrate the ability to analyze and contrast pertinent material, to formulate and substantiate arguments, and to draw independent critical conclusions.
Presentations will be prepared in collaboration with another student, and should be 10-12 minutes long. The presenters will use visual aids (e.g. PowerPoint, clips, google docs, etc.) to introduce and emphasize the main points of their arguments.

Guidelines for Film Presentations:
1) Introduce yourselves, and your film (when it was made, and by whom), and the themes you will articulate (example: family conflict, societal conflict, violence, race, gender, etc.)

2) Give a brief synopsis of the film that you will analyze (2 mins maximum: do not tell the story in detailed form from beginning to end).

3) State and analyze the themes of the film in connection with the literary texts and theoretical references we studied in class. What links it to other themes, characters, films, histories, societies, political contexts? Your presentation should have a thesis you want to demonstrate, in other words, a point that you want to prove. (This is the most important aspect of your presentation and it should be made clear).

4) Select and screen 2 scenes from the film that best support your analysis and the connections with the literary texts you established (in-class screening should not exceed 1/3 of your allotted presentation time). Tell us why you chose the scenes and how they represent the themes and issues you have chosen above. Some visual analysis is advised (for example: type of shot, editing, visual or sound effect, etc.).

5) You will ask one question at the end of your presentation to engage the class in a short but relevant discussion. The question cannot be too specific about the film plot since your classmates may have not seen the film; it should be more about drawing comparisons between your film’s themes and the texts that we read in class. Allow a few minutes for questions or comments to and from the class at the end of your presentation.
6) Presenters should have a handout for the class to follow with the main points and the discussion question.

7) You are responsible for screening the film with your partner. You must prepare your presentation with your partner and collaborate in ways that will improve each other’s work. You must share the allotted presentation time equally. In case of unequal preparation and participation, instructor will assign different grades to students of the same team.

First presenters will need to arrive a few minutes early to get ready. In case of a late start or equipment related problems, you will use your own judgment and adjust to time constraints to make the best of it. No group will be allowed more than 13 minutes each.

Dates and times will be assigned by luck of the draw ten days before group presentations begin (on June 16th). Students who are scheduled to present during presentation days must come to the podium to get ready while previous presenters wrap up their performance with questions to and from the class.

8) Important: you will put your power point on a flash drive, and also send it to your USF email address, and verify beforehand that it opens correctly. You will make sure to do the same with the clips of films you have selected to screen. Also make sure you know how to switch from one visual support to another.
Note that bringing your own laptop to hook up to the classroom console takes time, and the different interfaces (from Mac to PC or vice versa) do not always translate power points as expected. Also you need to have a VGA cord to hook up your laptop to the screen. Do not count on using your laptop as your first choice.

Your grade will be determined based on the following criteria:
Level of Preparation
Organization of Material Presented
Delivery of Presentation
Choice of Clips
Ability to Stimulate Discussion
Quality of Handout
Time Management
Overall Quality of Information Presented

9) In your final exam, there will be a question about comparing some film presentations to the literary materials we have studied.