First Essay Guidelines

Due: Thursday October 9 (in class) or via email by Thurs. Oct. 12
Length/word count: 4-5 pages, 1200-1500 words

Topic guideline:
You may write about any show/film or subject we have viewed/discussed in class so far, including:
Walkabout, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Devil’s Playground, Mad Max or Gallipoli

Your primary topic area should be landscape. You may choose any topic you wish or choose from the ones suggested below. Your paper needs a descriptive title.
You must utilize and cite at least three different research sources; at least one of them must be from the articles by Gibson or Macfarlane that were handed out in class. There are a number of good sources also listed on the blog, and our library has some excellent resources on Australian Cinema.

You must include a standard bibliography page, AND either 1) an endnotes pages, or 2)cite your quotations/ideas not your own within the paper with authors and page numbers. Endnotes may also include additional notes to explain your topic, not just citations of source material.

Your essay should also refer often to your chosen film text and give examples from it along with analysis of it. There is no need to provide plot synopses or production information unless it is relevant to your argument.
Essays must be typed and carefully proofread for errors.

Topic suggestions:
1. How landscape establishes mood or tone in Walkabout or Picnic at Hanging Rock.
2. The clash of urban and rural culture, or nature and civilization, in Walkabout or Picnic at Hanging Rock.
3. The symbolic portrayal of sexual repression or sexual awakening in Picnic at Hanging Rock or The Devil’s Playground.
4. The portrayal of mateship in Picnic, Mad Max, The Devil’s Playground or Gallipoli.
5. The use of music to manipulate emotion and/or create emotional resonance in any one of the films.
6. The clash of British and Australian/Aboriginal, or white and black, cultures in Picnic, Walkabout or Gallipoli.
7. The portrayal of homoeroticism, whether actual or symbolic, in any one film.