Here are some comments about writing academic papers and style.
Many of these comments are in response to common errors made when students write about film music.
- First Person and Second Person
Avoid first person (I, me, my, we, us, etc.) and second person (you) in academic papers.
Also, avoid the word "interesting."
Rather than writing:
"I think this scene is interesting because you get a sense of the character's feelings..."
You should write:
"In the author's opinion, this scene is noteworthy as it gives the audience a sense of the character's feelings..."
- Names
List characters' names followed by the actors' name in parenthesis.
The first time you identify an actor, use first and last names.
If you need to mention an actor again, use only the last name:
Starring Bette Davis and Paul Henried, and featuring music by Max Steiner, this film follows many of the conventions of the women’s films of the period.
The main character, Charlotte Vale (Davis) is plagued by the ugly duckling syndrome.
She is a middle-aged spinster aunt (her brothers are married with families of their own) who lives under the rule of an overbearing mother (Gladys Cooper) in a Boston mansion.
- Titles
Put titles of complete works (films, operas, symphonies, books, etc.) in italics, such as
Casablanca, Jaws, and Gone with the Wind.
- Titles continued
Put titles of parts of larger work in quotation marks, such as
"After Hours Scene" from Casablanca, "Baptism and Murder" from The Godfather, and "Shower Scene" from Psycho.
- Quotation Marks
As illogical as it may seem, a closing quotation mark always goes after the final punctuation, whether the punctuation is part of a quote or not.
Also, a footnote marker, if there is one, always goes after the closing quotation mark.
Harry points his revolver at the man and says "Do ya feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"1 (Question mark is part of quote.)
Did Humphrey Bogart really say "Play it again, Sam?"2 (Question mark is not part of the quote.)
Rick smiles and says to Ilsa "Here's lookin' at you, kid."3
- Hyphenation
Two words that are part of the same modifier should be connected with a hyphen.
This film is an excellent example of twentieth-century filmmaking.
Because "twentieth-century" describes the filmmaking, a hyphen is needed. Without the hyphen, the filmmaking would be both "twentieth" and "century." But,
This film was made in the twentieth century.
Because "twentieth" describes the century, there is no hyphen.
The film ends with a mind-blowing fight scene.
Because "mind-blowing" describes the fight scene, a hyphen is needed. Without the hyphen, the fight scene would be both "mind" and "blowing."
Clifford is a big red dog.
But this needs no hyphen because Clifford is both big and red.
- "You're" and "Your"
"You're" is a contraction of "you are."
"You're going to write a great essay!"
"Your" is possessive, and describes something that belongs to you.
"Your essay is excellent!"
- "It's" and "Its"
"It's" is a contraction of "it is."
"It's going to be a great semester."
"Its" is possessive, even though it has no apostrophe.
"My favorite part of that film was its music."
- "They're" "There" and "Their"
"They're" is a contraction of "they are."
"They're going to learn a lot this semester."
"There" refers to a place that is not near.
"I live here, but I work there."
"Their" is possessive and describes something that belongs to a group of people (third person).
"The students submitted their essays on time."
- The Apostrophe and the Word "Film"
Use the apostrophe only if a noun, such as "film," is possessive. Also use the apostrophe in a contraction.
John Williams wrote the music for the first Harry Potter film. ("Film" is neither plural nor possessiveso it needs no apostrophe nor an "s.")
There have been eight Harry Potter films so far. ("Films" is plural, so it needs an "s.")
John Williams wrote only the first film's original score. ("Film's" is possessive, so it needs the apostrophe followed by the "s.")
John Williams wrote all six of the Star Wars films' original scores. ("Films'" is both plural and possessive, so it neesds the "s" followed by an apostrophe.)
The new Star Wars film's going to be great. ("Film's" is a contraction of "film is.")
- The Apostrophe with Years and Decades
Use the apostrophe only for years or decades that are possessive. Also use the apostrophe in a contraction.
Gone with the Wind won the Academy Award for the Best Picture of 1939. ("1939" is neither possessive nor plural, so it needs no apostrophe nor an "s.")
Gone with the Wind was 1939's Best Picture. ("1939's" is possessive and needs the apostrophe followed by an "s.")
Gone with the Wind was one of the best films of the 1930s. ("1930s" is plural, so is needs the "s" but no apostrophe)
Gone with the Wind was the 1930s' best film. ("1930s'" is both plural and possessive, so it needs the "s" followed by the apostrophe).
I think that 2016's going to be a great year for Hollywood films. ("2016's" is a contraction of "2016 is.")
- "Who" and "Whom"
"Who" is a subject pronoun. It takes the place of a person's proper name, often in a question.
"Who ate my sandwich?"
"This is who ate my sandwich."
"Whom" is an object pronoun. It is always preceded by a preposition (in, at, to, from, before, after, under, above, for, etc.).
"To whom did you send the package?"
"For whom did you bake the cake?"
"This is my son, in whom I am well-pleased."
- "Based On" as opposed to "Based Off"
Films are often "based on" books, including comic books, television programs, historical events, etc. Avoid using the term "based off." In English, it makes no sense.
"The first six Star Trek films were based on the original Star Trek television series, which aired from 1966 to 1969, and starred William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
-
Avoid words that add no information.
Don't write:
This really mysterious theme is heard throughout the whole film.
Write:
This mysterious theme is heard throughout the film.
The words "really" and "whole" do not give the reader any useful information whatsoever.
- Finally, avoid ending sentences with a preposition (in, at, to, from, before, after, under, above, for, etc.).
Prepositions are usually followed by an indirect object.
Don't write:
"Which movie theater did you go to?"
"The movie theater downtown is the one we went to."
Write:
"To which movie theater did you go?"
"We went to the movie theater downtown."
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