This guide has been written to help you study a feature film. It is specifically written for students in England and Wales, studying media for assessed work in English in Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum (GCSE). It may be of interest to students of film generally.

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• Get Star Wars on VHS or DVD.

Suggested title

Suggested title: How has George Lucas presented Star Wars for the cinema?

Starting your work

Give a brief outline or summary of the film - do not go into detail here (less than a page will do).

• Explain how the film explores ideas of freedom and political oppression.
• Briefly write about the writer/director
• Mention the various sequels to the film - The Empire Strikes Back , Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace. How do these compare with the original Star Wars?

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Social and media context of the film

• What is the film about - what are its subjects and themes? You might consider ideas of authority and independence or personal freedom.
• What view of the modern or future world appears in the film? Is the film a prediction or a fantasy?
• Explain the idea of the Force - what is meant by "May the Force be with you"?
• Compare this film to other sci-fi films (e.g. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Alien, Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, Independence Day, The Matrix)

Language

• Comment on any interesting passages of dialogue - especially those which establish the characters of Luke (Mark Hamill), Obi Wan-Kenobi (Alec Guinness), Darth Vader (Dave Prowse), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing).

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Presentational devices

Comment on the following, as far as you are able:

• Structure (sequence) of narrative
• Music and sound FX
• Stunts and special effects (SFX) - look at: the various vehicles and spacecraft in the film, weapons, such as light sabres, use of holograms (very novel in 1977), stunts and action sequences
• Make-up/costume - comment on the way John Mollo (costume director) depicts strange creatures (Jawas, Tusken Raiders, Jabba the Hut, Chewbacca and so on)
• Acting - comment on the performances of Mark Hamill, Alec Guinness, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Cushing, Dave Prowse and any others you think worthy of comment. Comment on the performance of those (human actors) playing non-human parts: Chewbacca, Jabba the Hut, C-3PO and R2-D2.
• Direction - comment on the direction: is it hard to follow the narrative, is the pace too slow or fast, how do the directors help the audience follow the plot?

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Visual images

Comment on the following, as far as you are able:

• Cinematography (how shots are composed, use of colour and lighting and so on)
• the way the film presents (visually) the action sequences
• the way the film presents scenes set in space
• the presentation of strange locations - Tatooine, the cantina, the Death Star and so on
• the visual qualities of the film: what are the abiding images?

Comment on the film's being awarded the 1977 Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

• What are the film's important visual effects?
• How do they contribute to the narrative?

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Significant achievement in cinema

Why is this (or is it not) a good film? To answer this, look in more detail at important scenes, including the set-up, any scenes which make the narrative clear, and the climax or resolution of the narrative.

Conclusion

Finish your response with a personal evaluation - what you liked about the film, and why.

In writing about Star Wars you may use reviews from magazines or Web sites. You are allowed to quote from these, but should show quotation with inverted commas. You may express agreement or disagreement with what you find in these reviews.

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GCSE criteria

Exam boards publish guidelines (descriptions, called criteria) for teachers, to help them award marks for speaking and listening, reading and writing. Oral coursework may be marked for speaking and listening, and for reading. Written coursework may be marked for reading and for writing.

Reading

For reading, your mark depends upon how well you do, but you must look at three things:

• The content of the films - what they are about, and their historic and media significance.
• Style, structure and appeal to audience.
• Language, presentational devices and visual images - how these create emotive and persuasive effects, and relate to other media.

Writing

For writing your mark depends upon how well you do in two respects:

• How you organize your ideas.
• How you choose a suitable (impersonal) style and control your writing.

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© Andrew Moore, 2000; Contact me

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