Film and Reading Observations

So that you can gather examples to bring up in class, you will type out observations you make about the films you watch and the comics you read. Every set of observations must meet the following the criteria:

1. Be done typing them before class begins and be in class to discuss your observations!
2. Type your observations in a Google Document (12 pt. Times New Roman, following this template).
3. Distribute your observations evenly across the assigned reading or film. For example, if you need at least 2 observations for an issue of a comic, then the first observation should be from the first half and the second should be from the second half. If you need at least 3 observations for a 90-minute film, then you have to make one observation roughly every 30 minutes. This distribution will change if you record additional observations (a good idea) or if the length of the comic or film is greater.
4. Each observation should include the following:
   
   1. Page number of the comic issue (start counting with "1" at the beginning of each issue) or minute of the film that contains an interesting feature of interest.
   2. Description of the feature you want to interpret. For a comic, focus on a feature in ONE panel. For a film, focus on a feature in one frame or short clip (no more than 5 seconds). Start with "I see" or "I hear" for a film clip. Start with "I see" for a comic panel. Then your descriptions should focus on a visual (or audible, in the case of film) feature that you describe using the vocabulary you've learn about film and comics.
   3. Interpretation of the feature you just described.
5. For film observations, type the title and length of the film at the top of the page. For reading observations, type the title of the comic at the top of the page and then indicate issue and page number for each observation.

Film and reading notes should not be a summary of the story or a random list of thoughts. This is not busy work. You need to show me your active engagement in the material. The best sets of notes will show that you are paying attention to detail, looking for meaningful artistic choices, and exercising critical thinking. Be sure that I can see your effort! The goal is to describe and interpret. If you only describe, or only interpret, your assignment will not count as complete, and you'll get a late penalty!

Scoring Guide (film and reading notes are graded together):

"quality effort"	this means that you embraced the work of art and offered CRITICAL insights that MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the way we think about the film or comic; good coverage, thoughtful, impressive, and invested; you actively and vocally participated in class discussion
"falls short"	this means that your observations merely summarize what is happening or JUST describe a feature, missing the interpretation; you passively or silently participated in class discussion
"incomplete"	this means failure to follow instructions; you will have to finish or redo the assignment