Chapter
Key Features of a Well-Written Paper about an Evaluative Essay about a Film
A Concise Description of the Subject
You should include just enough information to help readers who may not be familiar with your subject understand it. Remember, the goal is to evaluate, not summarize.
For instance, if writing about a movie, you’d want to describe the main plot points, only providing what readers need to understand the context of your evaluation. While you are evaluating the movie, you want to try to avoid retelling the story of it.
Another thing to keep in mind is that depending on your topic and medium, some of this descriptive information may be in visual or audio form.
Clearly Defined Criteria
Since you are evaluating the subject, you will need to determine clear criteria as the basis for your judgment. In reviews or other evaluations written for a broad audience, you can integrate the criteria into the discussion as reasons for your assessment. In more formal evaluations, you may need to announce your criteria explicitly.
For instance, you could evaluate a film based on the stars’ performances, the complexity of their characters, and the film’s coherence. There are lots of other criteria to choose from, depending on your film choice.
A few things to keep in mind when coming up with your criteria:
- Don’t try to have too many things to evaluate. Using three to four elements to evaluate should be enough criteria to support an overall evaluation of the subject.
- Pick things relevant to evaluating your subject. For instance, if you are specifically reviewing a movie, you don’t want to include criteria evaluating the popcorn at the movie theater.
- Remember, you’re going to have to define the criteria for your evaluation, so make sure you pick things you either know about or that you can learn about.
A Knowledgeable Discussion of the Subject
To evaluate something credibly, you need to show that you know it yourself and that you understand its context. Cite many examples showing your knowledge of the film. Some evaluations require that you research what other authoritative sources have said about your subject. You are welcome to refer to other film reviews to show you have researched other views, but your evaluation should be your own.
A Balanced and Fair Assessment
An evaluation is centered on a judgment. You can point out both its weaknesses and strengths. It is important that any judgment be balanced and fair. This is why it’s important to select your criteria before starting your evaluation. Seldom is something all good or all bad, and your audience knows this. If only presenting the positive or negative, your audience may feel you aren’t that credible of a source. While it may feel weird to include less-than-positive comments about something you enjoy, a fair evaluation acknowledges both strengths and weaknesses.
Well-Supported Reasons
You need to argue for your judgment, providing reasons and evidence that might include visual and audio as