Assignment/Activity Title Quarter One Cinematic Analysis

Year Freshman
Skill Writing, research, media
Portfolio Category Critical Reasoning
For the first quarter Cinematic Analysis project, I watched a silent movie, The Jazz Singer, and wrote a summary
of the movie, a historical analysis of the movie, and an analysis of the films cinematographic techniques. I immediately
connected with the film, as I share my Jewish heritage with the main characters of the movie. Understanding the religious
context of the movie and relating to the main characters made completing the cinematic analysis project really enjoyable!
At first, I felt very overwhelmed by the amount of time required for the cinematic analysis project. In order to
make the project easier to complete, I divided it into four parts, or steps: watching the film, writing a film summary,
analyzing the historiography of the film, and examining the effects of cinematographic techniques. I allotted three hours
for watching the film and two hours for each remaining part of the project. Visualizing the project in chunks made it
easier for me to concentrate on each specific entity.
While I watched The Jazz Singer, I paused the film every few minutes to record historiography, costumes,
interesting cinematographic techniques, and character relationships in a notebook. The next day, I reviewed my notes and
began the second step of the cinematic analysis project: writing a summary centered on the films theme. Articulating
the theme of the movie into concise words proved to be difficult, and I also had trouble communicating the theme to
readers without actually stating, the theme of The Jazz Singer is This part of the project had to be limited to one page;
after writing the summary, I edited it several times and deleted unnecessary words. This particular constraint actually
helped me write a clear, quality summary because I was forced to carefully select and scrutinize each word.
Next, I began the third step of the cinematic analysis project: analyzing the historiography of the film. First, I
researched the location and time period of the movie, contrasting cultural aspects of the film to culture in modern times.
My dad is an anthropologist, and, from an early age, I have been very interested in the diversity of cultures and societies.
My relatives shared the cultural aspects of the Orthodox Jewish characters displayed in The Jazz Singer, and a historical
analysis of the film suddenly transformed into an analysis of my familys religious practices. Once satisfied with my
extensive research, I finally felt prepared to write the historical analysis. However, I did not adequately include the
historiography, or biases, presented in the film. Learning from my oversight, I made certain to include all possible biases
in the second quarter cinematic analysis project.
Exploring and researching the effects of cinematographic techniques in The Jazz Singer was fascinating. Learning
about the different camera angles, camera movement, lighting, and sound techniques expanded my appreciation for the
film, and I will always question a directors cinematic choices when I watch movies in the future.
In my free time, I create short films and photograph with both digital and film cameras. After review of the
cinematographic techniques used in The Jazz Singer, I felt armed with newfound knowledge and tools to perfect my own
films and photographs. I have already applied what I have learned and modified some of my existing work.
After I submitted my cinematic analysis assignment, I awaited feedback. I am always excited to read all
comments and grow as a writer. For the next cinematic analysis project, I will dig beneath the surface of the film when
searching for a theme.
I categorized the first quarter Cinematic Analysis Project under Critical Reasoning because, upon reflection, I
realized that I had extended my knowledge and perspective of the world of film simply by watching and researching a
movie. Although the entire project was time consuming, I am very proud of the final product. It represents an exploration
of myself and my Jewish heritage through an examination of The Jazz Singer.

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Assignment/Activity Title
SkillWriting, Media, Research.

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YearFreshman, Sophomore
PortfolioCritical Reasoning, Ethics.

Metacognitive ReflectionThe following questions ARE NOT A SCRIPT!! Use the ideas
within the questions to reflect on the assignment and its significance to you.
Your reflection MUST use Times New Roman font, size 11, single spacing

How does this assignment reflect your growth in the category in which you are placing it?
How have you changed as a result of this assignment?
Why is it important to include this piece in your portfolio?
How and where does this fit in with your prior knowledge?
How do you think that others will react to this product?
What process did you use to complete the product?
What did you learn by doing this assignment?
How does the portfolio product illustrate the connection(s) you've made between yourself and
the course material?
In what ways would you do things differently if you could do it over again?
What did you discover about yourself?
How does it relate to your future?
How does it illustrate your strengths and/or weaknesses?
What obstacles and challenges did you have to deal with, and how did this struggle change you?
How does the portfolio product show that your perspective on the world has deepened?
How does it relate to your understanding of the world around you?
Which of your accomplishments makes you feel most proud?

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