Short Project Essay

Short Project

1. This essay must be 500-600 words long. Double-spaced, typed in 12pt. Times New Roman or Calibri fonts – and must be no more than 3 pages long.
2. Essays should be formal – which includes citing your sources from the web, textbook, articles, etc. You may use APA or MLA formats for citations.
3. The citations will not count as part of the “essay” word or page limit, so please turn in these citations on the final page of your essay.

GRADING RUBRIC                                                                                                                       

To receive full credit (10pts.), follow ALL the following instructions:

2pts.  Pick at least one (1) film assigned for this course or in the readings. You will write an essay about this film from your point of view, exploring the power structures being demonstrated within the film or within the production of the film (production team, writing, casting, etc.)

5pts.   Identify no less than 5 power structures being demonstrated/explored within your chosen film. Bold these concepts within your essay. Failure to bold these concepts in your essay will take away 5pts from your final assignment grade.

1pt.   Your essay must also elaborate on how the film you picked relates to today’s current world affairs: be specific (dates, places, events).

2pts.   Your essay must be double-spaced, typed in 12pt. font, (Times New Roman or Calibri) and must be no more than 3 pages long. You must turn this essay in as either a PDF or Word Doc. You can use your online Google Suite account provided by UCI to write this essay in Google Docs, but you MUST export it as a PDF. Links will NOT be accepted.

Failure to follow these instructions will negatively affect your final grade.

/10pts. FINAL GRADE

I chose the film Dumplin (2018) Anne Fletcher

https://www.cmcm5.com/play/48711.html?48711-1-1

Power Structure:

When I ask about “power structures” I mean:

• who has power?
  • what kind of power?
    • political, wealth, social position, family position, physical power (beauty/hawtness), educational, racial, etc.
  • who is telling the story?
    • who are the actors?
    • who are the writers?
    • who is producing this film? (producers = the money and authority to make decision to make the film)
  • whose story is it?
    • does the representation match the original owner/experiencer of the story?
      • Latinx experience being told with white actors
    • whose voice(s) matter?
      • which characters get to be taken seriously?
        • …by the other characters?
        • …by the audience?
      • which characters are we supposed to like?
        • which characters are we supposed to dislike?
      • what has been manipulated to take/give power?
        • has the story been put on different bodies that it originally came from?
        • are the leads suddenly ridiculously attractive (for what’s supposed to be an average family)?
        • do the characters have access to a lifestyle impossible for their supposed wealth level?
          • think of all the characters in TV sitcoms that part-time waitress, but can afford an apartment in downtown Manhattan or LA
        • , etc., etc.