Title Sequences: Research Paper

This paper is expected to be 6 pages or longer, typed, and double-spaced (and proofread before you upload them).
It is an exercise in technical analysis as well as in close reading.

Title Sequences: Research Paper
This paper should show your grasp of the pivotal concepts and historical developments in film title design. Drawing on the kind of analysis you did for the midterm, you now go beyond close readings to develop an argument. Please focus on at least three title sequences, at least two of which have not already been part of our class screenings or your prior assignments in this class. You should use a minimum of three references from the readings (they are mostly quite short); additional sources are good, and a majority of your referenced articles or book chapters must be from scholarly journals or books, not from newspapers or magazines. The format of this research paper is like that of any other persuasive essay:
1. You must have a thesis (an argument you can state in one sentence, usually at the end of
your first paragraph after you state your topic) in your paper.
2. Generally, it is a good idea to state your topic in a few sentences and then state your thesis,
as the last sentence of your first paragraph.
3. Feel free to contact me at any point in the composition process to discuss your ideas, your
clips, your stills, your sources, and your argument.
4. Write clear, concise, reader-friendly prose. Write to be understood.

Your essay should have a title that describes specifically what your paper is about. If your title is
overly general, it means you do not have a topic or a thesis. It may be a good idea to have the titles of the films you’re discussing in your essay title, but it also needs to announce your approach to them, your angle on them. Do not summarize the texts or the title sequences you are discussing.

You may assume that your reader has read the reference material carefully and is familiar with title sequences. Develop an outline before you start writing. Be coherent and concise. Remember to back up your points with concrete references to the film or text and quotations from it. Integrate quotations into your paper: after citing, translate each quote into your own words and say what it means for your argument. Incorporate stills from the sequences you discuss where it is appropriate.

Please proofread your paper carefully. Double-space your paper. Do not refer to lectures or class discussions, but imagine you are writing for a general, informed audience. If your paper were posted on a webpage, anyone interested in film & media culture should be able to follow your argument. Use the present tense when discussing a text or film; make sure that nouns and pronouns agree in number (a singular noun goes with a singular pronoun; a plural noun goes with a plural pronoun); give the name of the director and the year of release of any film being discussed, and always give information about who is responsible for the main title design. Underline or italicize titles of films and books. Put citations in quotation marks, and properly attribute your sources. Use a 12 point font, and number your pages. Make sure your paragraphs have strong transitions between them that tell your reader how you are developing your argument. Avoid listing observations instead of guiding the reader through an argument. Make sure your paragraphs are in themselves developed clearly. It is acceptable to use “I” or “my” as in “I would argue” or “in my view,” but do not personalize your argument (“When I saw the film I felt that . . .”). You’re writing a persuasive essay directed at an audience, not an autobiography.

Choose a minimum of three references from the readings (I will upload them)

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