10+Things...+film+essay

=How to write an essay about "10 Things I Hate About You"=

Film essays will ask you about __an aspect__ of the film – a character, a setting, an idea, or an event for example. A film essay is not a plot summary of the film. All essay topics ask you to __describe__ the aspect then __explain__ something about this aspect. You will be expected to use __film techniques__ (also known as visual and verbal features, or visual and oral language features) in your essay.

//The writing process:// “Describe an important __idea__ (theme, moral, lesson) in the film. Explain how __verbal and visual features__ (film techniques) showed you this idea was __important__.” (What did the director want us to learn, how does it relate to real life).
 * 1. Read the question** carefully. Identify the key words. Make sure you understand it and can answer __all__ parts of the question. For example:

Idea = Don’t judge on appearance. - Michael showing Cameron around – different groups - Costume – Kat, Patrick – changes - Patrick – sold his liver? - Joey – we all know I look good - Kat – I guess I was just trying to protect you - Music – cars at start of film, contrast Kat/other girls
 * 2. Brainstorm** ideas related to the topic. For example:

1 – Kat: appears tough at start of film, really caring and feminine (music, dialogue, costume) 2 – Patrick: appears macho, has ‘heart of gold’ (costume, dialogue) 3 – Why important – e.g. of Michael showing Cameron around, compare to real life, lesson.
 * 3. Plan** – organise your ideas so you group similar ideas together and decide on two or three strong points for your paragraphs. Decide what order to put your points in. For example:

__Introduction:__ In the film “10 Things I Hate About You”, directed by Gil Junger, an important idea is not to judge on appearance. This idea is shown through the characters of Kat and Patrick, and contains an important lesson for the viewer.
 * 4. Write** your essay. Begin with an __introduction__ that includes the title, director, topic, and key points. Follow that with a __background statement__ – a brief summary of the film, to give your essay some context. Then follow your plan for the next paragraphs. Finish with a __conclusion__ summing up your main points. For example:

__Background:__ The film is about teenage sisters Kat and Bianca, whose overprotective father says Bianca can't date until her older sister Kat does. Unfortunately Kat doesn't intend to date. A group of boys come up with a plan to get Patrick to date Kat so Bianca is available.

__First body paragraph:__ The main idea is not to judge on appearance. The director shows this by contrasting Kat's appearance at the start of the film with her personality at the end of the film. Her personality changed by becoming more feminine and caring towards others because she falls in love with Patrick. A significant feature that shows this is costume. At the start she dresses to make a statement by wearing dark, bland clothes. In the end she is more feminine by wearing lighter colours, pinks and florals.

__Second body paragraph:__ Another example is Patrick, who appeared to be a rebel at the start. For example, he "sold his on liver on the black market for a new set of speakers." As the movie progresses he is shown to be caring, honest and loving to others around him. He starts to wear different clothing, not the scruffy jeans and black clothes he wore at the start of the film, becuase he understood that his appearance really mattered to people.

//At the moment, this essay is aiming at Achieved. It answers the question, is clearly structured, and uses specific details from the film. It will need to show more depth of analysis to gain a Merit or Excellence - perceptive, insightful comments, more detailed explanations, or discussion of the director's intentions. Here are some suggestions for a third body paragraph that would lift this from Achieved to Merit or Excellence://

__Third body paragraph:__ The idea of being judgemental is very strong in this movie. We see this idea throughout the whole movie, especially with the characters of Kat and Patrick. When we first meet their characters, we feel like we know who they are. Kat appears tomboyish and a rebel. Patrick is portrayed in the same way, but this is only because we do not know them. This can be related to real life and even everyday life. We can be fooled by appearances and first impressions. As the movie progresses the softer and more caring side of both characters is shown. The director wants us to learn that we should take the time to get to know someone, as judging on first appearances could mean missing out on a great friendship.

//Or maybe...// In real life it is very common that we judge on appearance. At high school especially, people are very judgemental. First impressions decide whether you like that person or not, even if you haven’t talked to them. Making new friends, meeting your teacher, we judge on how they present themselves through body language, speech, dress code and even their surrounding. This was shown in the film when Cameron was getting shown around the school and gets introduced to the different cliques at school. His first impressions are what lead him to get to know Bianca and meet Joey. A first impression can decide the rest of your actions.

//Or maybe...// As the film goes on Kat and Patrick’s characters begin to change from what we first see of them. This idea is linked to real life as people are often judged by their first appearance. An example of this is people with glasses who are judged as bookworms or nerds when in reality they simply wear them because they can’t see. The director wants us to learn to get to know a person very well before you judge them, as sometimes people have a different side to how they appear at first.’

//Or maybe...// The story of Kat and Patrick’s relationship shows that you shouldn’t judge people on appearances. Patrick thinks there is no way he could actually like Kat but in the end she turns out to be the girl he falls in love with. The idea of not judging on appearances relates to real life. At the beginning of the film Michael walks through the courtyard with Cameron and informs him about the different social groups at Padua High School. This shows the way high school is often perceived in real life. The scene, with a long camera shot, shows how judgemental they are putting everyone into groups and putting a label on them.

__Conclusion:__ The film "10 Things I Hate About You" teaches us an important lesson not judging people on appearance. The examples of Kat and Patrick show us that people can be different to how they appear at first. The director wants us to learn that we should get to know someone, because if we judge on appearance we could miss out on a great friendship.