The following are some things to remember when you are writing about film:
- Italicize/underline the titles of movies.
- Get the exact quote when you are quoting a line or several lines from a movie -- don't just approximate. You wouldn't do that if you were quoting from a book, article, or poem, so don't do it with a movie.
- Incorporate quotes the way you would if you were quoting from a written source. Example:
Tanner says to the opposing team, "Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straignt up your ass!"
- Make sure that you are doing more than just summarizing plot. Talk about many of the different elements of filmmaking, how they are used, and the effect of their use. A question to ask yourself: "Am I giving the person any reason to read my paper instead of just watching the movie?"
- Whenever you are discussing the words of or arguments of a particular character, remember that there are two audiences to keep in mind -- that character's audience within the film and the movie's audience. The two audiences have different things available to them, and the argument might be received by each quite differently.