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How to Write a Reflection Paper on a Movie

How to Write a Reflection Paper on a Movie

Knowing how to write a reflection paper on a movie is very important because such a paper can be assigned as part of your free writing tasks or as an assignment for reviewing your coursework that is injected with your experience. A reflection paper refers to a paper that is intended to cite your reactions towards a movie, an article, or a subject in a more personal manner rather than from an analytical or formal research perspective. The focus of a reflection paper on a movie is on your feelings, reactions and analysis of a movie in a personal manner. This is different from what a formal analytical or research paper would require you to do- resources.cleary.edu.

What a person who knows how to write a reflection paper on a movie will include in this paper

Generally, a reflection paper requires you to express your thoughts about something. As such, this paper should be written in first person unless when the teacher or lecturer instructs you otherwise. It is imperative to note that anybody who knows how to write a reflection paper on a movie will provide their opinion about the movie and supporting evidence which includes examples and expert’s knowledge.

A good reflection paper on a movie will have:

  • The introduction

This provides reactions to a movie and a thesis statement of the paper.

  • The body

This comprises of the feelings that are associated with the reaction.

  • The conclusion

The conclusion comprises of the analysis of the reaction and feelings about the movie.

Purpose of a reflection paper on a movie

The purpose of writing a reflection paper on a movie is to show what you have understood, thought and felt about the movie. You should express your own understanding, reactions and thoughts about the movie by considering your observations, experience and what you have learnt from the movie – kpu.ca.

A guide on how to write a reflection paper on a movie in five steps

  • Write the introduction

The best way of writing the introduction of a reflection paper on a movie is to describe the initial expectations, attitude and experience that you had about the movie- education.seattlepi.com. For instance, you may have had high expectations about the movie just because of its title. Express the first impression that you had about the movie and then proceed to what you found out after watching the movie. Your introduction should also have a strong thesis statement.

  • Write a thesis statement

Just like any other academic writing work, your reflection paper on a movie should have a thesis statement or the central, unifying idea. A good thesis statement for a reflection paper should sum up your entire paper.

  • Write the body

In the body, you should elaborate the thesis statement of the paper. The body should explain what you concluded after watching and analyzing the movie. Avoid generalities in the body when explaining your experience. Cite specific examples that demonstrate how you reached at the conclusions that you made about the movie. For instance, you can quote statements that characters made in the movie to support your thesis. Include all your reactions and thoughts about the movie or the experience that you had while watching the movie in the body.

You can start by presenting your feelings then explain what you concluded on the basis of those feelings. Make sure that your body is cohesive with direct references to specific parts of the movie or quotes that inspired your feelings or experiences. Note that in a reflection paper, you are allowed to include your personal experiences but they should be based on the subject, which in this case is the movie- ehow.com. Using examples from the movie to elaborate your experiences and feelings enable readers to see the essence of those experiences and what the movie has taught you.

  • Conclusion

The conclusion of a reflection paper on a movie should explore the initial impressions or experiences. In the conclusion, analyze your reactions and feelings towards the movie – sophia.org

You have already identified and elaborated your feelings and their prompts in the body. Therefore, explain why you reacted in a particular way or felt that way in the conclusion. You can also tell readers how you can apply the knowledge that you acquired after watching the movie. For instance, if you are writing a reflection paper on a movie about civil rights, you can tell readers that your perspective about the essence of racial and gender equality has been broadened by the movie. Readers should see the value of your experiences after watching the movie as stated clearly in the conclusion.

  • Edit and proofread

Once you have written your reflection paper on a movie, you should edit, revise and proofread it. Ensure that your paper is free of typo, spelling and grammatical errors.

Examples of reflection papers on movies

Your teacher or lecturer might give you specific guidelines on how to write a reflection paper on a movie. However a reflection paper is a typical paper that requires you to maintain the basic format of an academic paper which includes the introduction, body paragraphs and the conclusion.

Here are links to samples of reflection papers on different movies:

  • A reflection paper on the “Oh God” movie- cesarsalad.
  • A reflection paper on the “ROMERO” movie- academia.edu.
  • A reflection paper on the movie “Facing the Giants”- introvertandsmart.

Bonus tips on how to write a reflection paper on a movie

When writing a reflection paper on a movie, there are tips that should guide you. Go through these tips after writing your reflection paper to ensure that you have adhered to each of them:

  • Ensure that your paper includes a reflection that is directly related to the topic of the movie or the prompt.
  • Ensure that your reflection paper presents organized thoughts from the introduction of your expectations about the movie to the conclusions that you made and how the movie changed your perspectives.
  • State the assumptions that you had about the movie clearly
  • Explain your own reflections on the movie in a clear manner and then explain why and how you got the feelings or impressions about the movie
  • Analyze or judge your feelings and thoughts about the movie
  • Discuss the beliefs that you have formed about the movie
  • Explain how the movie has changed your perceptions due to the experience that you got after watching it
  • Explain the situations or factors that influenced your feelings and thoughts about the movie
  • Explain what and how your real life experiences have led to the formation of your reflections of the movie
  • Explain the lessons that you have learned by watching and reflecting on a movie

Always remember that to reflect on something is to think about what you feel and/ or think about it, or your experience, why you feel or think that way about it and how you came to feel or think that way about it- academia.edu.

Therefore, when writing a reflection paper on a movie it is not a must that you refer to other sources. However, your thoughts should be organized coherently and the paper should be structured properly to make it easier for readers to read and follow your argument.

Consider the prompt for writing a reflection paper

Your instructor can provide a specific prompt for your reflection paper. For instance, in the reflection paper on the “ROMERO” movie, the prompt may have been “Explain how worship is depicted in the ROMERO movie”. For the reflection paper on the movie “Oh God”, the prompt may have been “What can you say about believing in God after watching the movie “Oh God?” For the reflection paper on the movie “Facing the Giants,” the prompts may have simply been, “Write a reflection paper on the movie “Facing the Giants”.

Regardless of the prompt that you are given, a reflection paper on a movie gives you a chance to examine what you feel and think about the movie. Instructors want to see how you examine your beliefs, feelings and thoughts about the movie and expressed them in a paper. They also want you to examine different levels or sides of the movie but you must answer the question or respond to the given prompt for writing the reflection paper on a movie.

Get help with your reflection paper on a movie

You might have been assigned a reflection paper on a movie and now you want to know how to write a reflection paper on a movie. Simply follow the steps that have been highlighted in this section. Alternatively, you can seek our help with reflection paper on a movie. Get in touch with us here or visit our homepage for more information about our services.

Sources

http://resources.cleary.edu/page/Reflection+Paper,+Tips+for+Writing

http://www.kpu.ca/__shared/assets/Reflection_Paper_Guidelines22358.pdf

http://education.seattlepi.com/keys-writing-reflection-paper-5796.html

http://www.ehow.com/way_5184362_tips-writing-reflection-paper.html

http://www.sophia.org/tutorials/reflection-papers

https://cesarsalad.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/reflection-paper-on-the-movie-oh-god/

http://www.academia.edu/4461063/A_Reflection_Paper_on_ROMERO_Movie_The_Movie_Romero_based_on_true_story_written_by_John_Sacret_Young_is_directed_by

http://introvertandsmart.blogspot.com/2014/02/reflection-paper-facing-giants.html

http://www.academia.edu/5070747/Reflection_Papers

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