Film Analysis: How to Analyze a Movie (Free Worksheet and Example)
Anyone can say whether they liked a movie. Film analysis asks a harder question: how did the movie make you feel that way? This guide shows you what to look for, how to analyze a film in six steps, and gives you a free film analysis worksheet, filled in for The Big Short.
TL;DR: Watch Twice, Take Notes, Argue One Point
Film analysis explains how a movie creates meaning through its story, camera, editing, sound and design. Watch the film once for the experience and again with notes. Log the key scenes, find the pattern, then argue one clear point backed by those scenes.
Download the Free Film Analysis Worksheet
Two fillable pages: your first reaction, the story, the look and sound, an 8-scene log and an argument builder. It comes in US Letter and A4, with a Word version and a filled-in example for The Big Short.
What Is Film Analysis?
Film analysis is a close look at how a movie works. You pick apart the choices a filmmaker made, from where the camera sits to when the music drops out, and explain what those choices do to the audience.
The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina puts the goal plainly: go beyond describing basic film elements by “articulating the significance” of them, according to its film analysis guide.
A movie analysis is not a review. Here’s the difference.
| Movie review | Film analysis | |
|---|---|---|
| Main question | Is it good? | How does it work? |
| Written for | People deciding what to watch | Readers who have seen it |
| Spoilers | Avoided | Expected |
| Ends with | A verdict or score | An argument backed by scenes |
If you need the review version, use our movie review template.
4 Types of Film Analysis
Most film analysis falls into one of four approaches. You can mix them, but picking one gives your writing a spine.
| Type | The question it asks | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Narrative analysis | How do the story, structure and characters work? | Character arcs, conflict |
| Semiotic analysis | What do the signs, symbols and metaphors mean? | Foreshadowing, allegory |
| Mise-en-scène analysis | How is everything in the frame arranged? | Mise-en-scène |
| Cultural and historical analysis | How does the film connect to its time and place? | Film theory, intertextuality |
What to Look for When You Analyze a Film
- Story and structure: where the turns happen, who changes and who doesn’t
- Cinematography: shot types, angles, camera movement and light
- Editing: the pace, the cuts (jump cuts, match cuts) and what gets left out
- Sound and music: the score, the songs, the silences
- Mise-en-scène: sets, costume, props and where the actors stand
- Themes and symbols: the ideas under the plot, and the images that repeat
- Context: when, where and why the film was made
You won’t use all seven in one analysis. Pick the two or three that do the most work in your film.
How to Analyze a Film in 6 Steps
- Watch it once for the experience. No notes. Just notice how you feel and when.
- Watch it again with notes. Write down timestamps for every scene that made you react.
- Pick your moments. Choose the 5 to 8 scenes that matter most and log them.
- Ask how and why. For each scene, name the technique, then say what it does.
- Find the pattern. What do your scenes have in common? That pattern is your thesis.
- Argue one point. Write a thesis about how the film works, back it with three scenes, and answer one counterpoint.
What’s in the Film Analysis Worksheet
- Page 1: film details, your gut reaction, the story in one sentence, structure, character arc, conflict, and boxes for cinematography, editing, sound and mise-en-scène
- Page 2: an 8-scene log (when, what happens, technique, why it matters), themes and context, and an argument builder for your thesis, three pieces of evidence and a counterpoint
- Formats: fillable PDF in US Letter and A4, a Word file, and a Google Docs copy
Film Analysis Example: The Big Short
The Big Short (2015) follows a few outsiders who bet against the US housing market before the 2008 crash. Adam McKay directed it from Michael Lewis’s 2010 book, and it won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, according to Wikipedia).
Here’s how the worksheet turns a first reaction into an argument.
- The gut reaction. Margot Robbie in a bathtub, explaining mortgage bonds. It’s funny, and it works. That reaction is the first clue.
- The scene log. The same trick keeps coming back. Anthony Bourdain compares CDOs to a stew made from old fish. Selena Gomez and economist Richard Thaler explain side bets at a blackjack table. Characters turn to the camera to admit a scene didn’t happen that way.
- The pattern. Every one of those scenes uses comedy to make something confusing easy to follow.
- The turn. Late in the film, Brad Pitt’s Ben Rickert scolds two young traders for celebrating. If they’re right, people lose their homes and jobs. The jokes stop.
- The thesis. “The Big Short uses comedy tricks, like celebrity explainers and fourth-wall breaks, to keep us laughing just long enough to understand the crash. Then it drops the jokes so the anger lands.”
Notice that the thesis doesn’t say the film is good. It says how the film works, and every scene in the log backs it up. The fourth-wall breaks and Hank Corwin’s choppy, Oscar-nominated editing are evidence, not decoration.
The Big Short is one of my all-time favorite movies.
Pick a film you love for your first analysis.
You’ll happily watch it twice, and you’ll catch more on the second pass.
How to Write a Film Analysis
Once the worksheet is full, the essay mostly writes itself.
- Introduction: the film, the director, the year and your thesis
- Body: one paragraph per piece of evidence, each built around a scene from your log
- Counterpoint: one short paragraph that answers the best argument against you
- Conclusion: what your reading shows about the film as a whole
Describe only as much plot as your point needs. Your reader has seen the movie.
Write your timestamps down as you watch.
Hunting for a two-second shot after the fact can eat an hour.
FAQs About Film Analysis
How Long Should a Film Analysis Be?
A class assignment usually runs 1,000 to 2,500 words. Check your brief. A shorter piece can focus on a single scene.
Can I Use “I” in a Film Analysis?
Often, yes. Many teachers allow it when you describe your own reaction. Keep the argument itself about the film, not about you.
Do I Need to Watch the Whole Film Twice?
For a full analysis, yes. If you’re analyzing one scene, watch the film once, then rewatch that scene several times.
Can I Analyze a Film I Didn’t Like?
Yes. Analysis is about how a film works, so a movie you disliked can still give you plenty to write about.
The Final Cut on Film Analysis
Film analysis turns “I liked it” into “here’s how it made me feel that way.”
Download the worksheet, watch your film twice, and let the scene log show you the pattern.
Which film would you analyze first?
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.