Writing a Perfect Reflection Paper on a Movie 2024

The prime reason behind writing a reflection paper, particularly for a movie is to get different reactions to it. The style of presentation of responses in a reflection paper on a movie should be personal. For some students, undertaking an assignment on writing a reflection essay on a movie, is part of their coursework assignments.

Students must know how to write craft one in a creative way. Apart from schoolwork, writing a reflective essay is a great way for students to enhance their writing experiences.

What is a reflection paper on a movie?

Most students who find it ambiguous to write a reflection essay have the wrong definition of what it is. A reflection paper is an essay where the writer shares their sentiments on a specific movie. While they can cover a plethora of subjects, including but not limited to books, incidents, or articles, our specific focus here is movies.

The main focus of a reflection essay is to describe certain experiences, analyze their meanings, and what other people can learn from them. Writers should open up about their emotions and thoughts when writing them. By opening up, writers can develop accurate images of the relevant historical, personality, and personal traits.

When you write a reflection essay, always provide a brief, informative summary that describes your experiences. This will help the readers walk in your shoes. You should, therefore, include elements such as vivid descriptions of your feelings and thoughts towards the specific movie, rather than providing cliché movie reactions.

How do you start a reflection paper on a movie?

While most reflection papers take on a personal and subjective form, you should aim to still maintain a cohesive organization and an academic tone throughout the paper. Begin with an introductory paragraph, that points out the subject of the paper and gives your readers a concise overview of any initial impressions you had of the movie. Finish off your introductory paragraph with a concise thesis statement, which should act as the focal point of your paper.

Additionally, you should mention the key reasons behind your impressions of the subject of the movie. Considering that this is a reflection paper, feel free to reflect or speculate because there are no wrong or right solutions when writing these kinds of papers.

How do you write a reflection paper on a movie example?

In the miniseries “Roots,” slavery is the dominant theme. This is clear from the fact that the major character of the movie is an African man who is betrayed, captured, and sold off to white slave buyers. The African man gets shipped to America, where he works as a slave for the rest of his life. Throughout the movie, we get meaningful insights into the transatlantic slave trade, the numerous traumas slaves underwent during their transit, and eventual slavery under cruel white masters.

To write an excellent movie reflection paper, you ought to consider it similar to other literary works that focus on the topic and theme of slavery. Racism as a theme is inclusive of other Subtopics like prejudice, victimization, and racial segregation, among others.

Additionally, you will have to place great emphasis on the diverse characters throughout the movie. The main character, in this case, is Kunta Kinte. His roles throughout the movie are a vital component of plot development. According to the movie “Roots,” Kunta Kinte displays a strong will to fight for his rights and attain freedom from his white slave masters.

Such an aspect showcases the struggles slaves went through trying to break free from the bondage of slavery. Slave masters, on the other hand, highlight the inhumanity and brutality white slave masters had towards the slaves. Such brutality includes acts like hanging sentences, whipping the slaves naked, and even killing them.

What should a reflection paper on a movie include?

It is important to create relevant templates, such as movie reflection templates when writing these particular essays.  Since most follow a more or less similar format, you should be fine following or creating a template with the following components:

1. Introduction

When writing the introductory paragraph of your reflection essay, make sure it includes:

• An attention-grabbing first sentence is essentially a concise preview of what the essay is about. The first sentence should act as a hook.
• A thesis statement that communicates to the readers what the paper is all about and your previous experiences.

2. The body

Make sure the body paragraphs of your reflective essay contain:

• The expectations you had for the literary work
• Your first impressions of the literary work
• Vivid details of your experiences
• The feelings and passions you developed during the assignment
• Any novel findings or discoveries

3. The Conclusion

In the final paragraph of your paper, include the following:

• A summary of your ideas, with a demonstration of their development
• Expression of any plans
• Highlights of any discoveries
• An expression of your feelings and reactions toward the literary work

How do you end a reflection paper on a movie?

Like most other essays, reflection papers, end with a conclusion paragraph. The final paragraph of your reflection essay should focus on bringing the different aspects of your paper together. You achieve this by writing a summary of the points you make throughout the essay, the lessons you have learned, and your feelings towards the whole experience.

If you can, try and include an explanation of why and how your perceptions and attitudes towards the subject have changed.

How do you write a good reflection paper on a movie?

Writing a reflection paper is very different from writing a research paper. While research papers can be lengthy, a reflection essay should be short and informative.

Ideally, you want your reflection essay to be 300 and 750 words. Avoid falling short or exceeding these limits unless otherwise instructed. Remember, you should only write about information that is relevant to the subject. To the reader, your paper should strike a balance between conciseness and clarity as much as possible. The following are tips for writing a movie reflection paper.

1. Reflection paper template

Writing a reflection paper gifts you the opportunity to express your unique opinion, experiences, and thoughts about the movie. As long as you stay relevant to the subject, you can choose to interact with the readers by vividly describing relatable personal experiences. In your expression of the ideas, feelings, and opinions you have about the movie, you get to reflect on the movie and how the experience of watching it affects your personal life.

Good reflection papers are synonymous with well-structured templates. Therefore, before you begin any writing, create a suitable template to guide you throughout the writing process. Below is an example of a template you can implement when writing a reflective essay on a movie.

• The introductory paragraph of a reflection paper

The first paragraph of your essay should serve as a hook that grabs the attention of the readers to inform them what the essay is about. Always include a thesis statement in the introductory paragraph that serves as a focal point for the entire essay.

•  Body paragraphs of a movie reflection paper

The body paragraphs should form the bulk of your essay. Explain in detail your initial expectations of the movie, the first impressions it gave you, your movie-watching experience, any discoveries you made watching the movie, and the feelings you developed towards the movie.

• Conclusion of a movie reflection paper

In the final paragraph of the essay, wrap up all the ideas you pointed out throughout the essay while demonstrating their development process. Explain the intricacies of your reactions and feelings towards the movie, while explaining any plans you may have for the future.

2. Reflection paper outline

Regarding coursework, one major reason why students write reflection papers is to demonstrate their understanding of specific works of art. Developing a reasonable outline is a key step during the planning process of any reflective essay. Students armed with reasonable outlines have fewer chances of living out any crucial details in the paper. A simple outline you can use when writing a reflection paper is as follows:

The first body paragraph

State the major reason behind your impressions on the specific subject, and the rationale behind such impressions to begin with. Remember, reflection essays have no wrong or right solutions, therefore feel free to reflect and speculate as much as possible.

The second body paragraph

Dive deeper into the nuances of the subject, and if you feel necessary, give your readers a second impression of the movie, and the rationale behind such impressions.

The third body paragraph

Depending on the content of your paper, you can use this section as a recap of your thesis statement while providing reasons behind the illustrations you make in the previous paragraph. Use this section to summarize your reflection paper while providing any final thoughts and opinions relative to the subject. Also, provide closing opinions or remarks on your reflection essay.

Steps for writing a reflection paper on a movie

Writing reflection papers is one of the simplest and most enjoyable assignments among students. The thought of an assignment that needs you to watch a movie and then write an essay that reviews your experience is intriguing, to say the least. Calling these assignments fun is an understatement.

Arguably, movies are a very unconventional yet effective means of teaching students. Perhaps the reason for this is that they provide students with distinct perspectives on various life issues. Therefore, having reflection papers on movies as part of school assignments could help students develop a deep understanding of their coursework while appreciating its relation to their respective courses.

Follow the steps below the next time you have to write a reflection paper on a movie.

1. Develop a theme

The rationale behind this step is to view the movie review like you would view other literary works. Consolidate different ideas to include in the reflection paper while you watch the movie. As you watch the movie, seek to visualize and idealize the storyline and concept of the movie. In simple terms, dissect the movie as you watch it. Treat it more or less how you would treat other works of literature.

The purpose of breaking down the movie involves identifying the movie’s themes. For instance, when watching a movie that focuses on the tensions that ultimately caused a war, then you can deduce the theme of rivalry. Additionally, look out for all the motifs pointed out throughout the movie.

Similar to other literary works with different characters who play diverse roles, you will need to consider each character in their capacity and the roles they play. During this phase, identify who the main characters are, the assistant characters, and the parts they play to develop the plot of the movie. Always place significant emphasis on the characters of the movie because they greatly influence your perception of the movie.

Remember that the perceptions you develop towards a movie act as a figurative backbone for your reflection essay. This implies that you should carefully and systematically analyze the roles of different characters in different scenes. Also, identify how different roles contribute to the development of each theme.

2. Choose a focus for your movie review

A highly underappreciated part of writing reflective essays on movies is choosing a good, simple focus for the movie review. When selecting an area of focus, ensure that it places the review in a position of unity with your respective course or class topic.

To explain this point further, assume you are handling a history class movie review. Part of the assignment requires you to watch a history movie and write a reflection essay on it. Preferably, the most optimal way of tackling such a history assignment is prioritizing the historical details highlighted in the movie.

By prioritizing the historical details of this movie, your paper has a high chance of staying in line with the teachings of your history class. In this scenario, one critical factor to bear in mind is the accuracy of any dates you mention in various scenes of the movie. Additionally, as a good history student, you should place significant emphasis on the geographical locations shown throughout the movie. Such locations have a crucial role to play in the formation of the plot.

3. Spot interesting movie elements

Identifying an interesting array of movie elements to include in the reflection paper should be part of the writing process. In this case, movie elements refer to the different production elements of a movie. Even though often underappreciated, these production elements have a massive role in developing the plot of a movie.

Some critical elements to look out for when writing a reflection on a movie include the background music played in different scenes, sound effects, and movie clearness/camera clarity. Since essays on movies are subjective and rely on personal perspectives, always mention the movie production elements that stood out to you.

Additionally, you can do a comparison of the different movie Elements you chose to highlight. Do these elements have an active role in the success of various scenes during the movie? By following this question, you can effectively regulate different movie production elements as you write your essay.

4. Introduce your paper

Start your paper by briefly summarizing the movie in the opening statements. In your introduction, provide basic information on the paper’s title, the movie, its characters, and any other major elements.

Also, if necessary, provide a brief description of the producer’s position on the movie. Your experiences and reactions towards the movie’s contents should be in the body paragraphs.

How to write an introduction for a reflection paper?

To capture the interest of your readers, start your introduction with an informative statement on the subject. The introductory statement should be specific to the issues you intend to point out throughout the paper, therefore avoid using general or vague statements.

For example, rather than writing “among the most controversial movies of the 20^th century is Roots,” write something along the lines of “since the release of ‘Roots’ in 1977, there has been plenty of controversy surrounding the supposedly offensive themes presented in the movie, including racial prejudice, violence, and adult language.”

Writing such an introduction will give the readers a summary of the movie, and what it is all about while informing them of the specific controversies and debates you intend to write about. This technique is highly effective when writing reflection essays on other literary works as well, e.g., books and articles.

To continue the thoughts you brought up during the opening statement, write a few more subsequent sentences. In these sentences, you could highlight the movie’s overarching themes or provide the material facts you gathered while doing the assignment. Continuing with the example of the movie ‘Roots,’ you could write subsequent sentences that reveal the number of countries that banned the movie. Also, you can mention some groups and organizations that commended the movie.

Finishing the introduction

Finalize your introductory paragraph with a thesis statement. Ideally, your thesis statement should only be one sentence long. In most academic works, including reflection essays, thesis statements form focal points for entire papers. A strong thesis statement can bring across striking conclusions or observations that the writer encountered while handling the essay and how they intend to defend their positions in the paper.

You must clarify your position using a thesis statement. More importantly, remain steadfast in such a position during the rest of the paper. For example, a good thesis statement to use in the introductory paragraph about the alleged offensive material in the movie ‘Roots’ could be something like “In my opinion, without the numerous controversies that surround this movie, Roots, it would not have attained its impressive status of a classic film.”

5. Evaluate the movie

Symbolically, this section should be the flesh of your paper. This section focuses on providing a comprehensive, non-biased evaluation of the movie. The paragraphs in this section should be indicative to the readers that you watched the entire movie and understood its context.

Use each paragraph to explain and establish your position and response to different subjects presented in the movie. Support your positions and responses using evidence and examples from the movie. Devote different paragraphs to specific ideas and their respective pieces of evidence.

The stance you take on the movie can oppose or support the view of the movie’s producer. Regardless of the stance, ensure it is articulate enough for readers of all levels to understand without having to watch the movie themselves.

6. Write the Conclusion

Summarize your final position on the movie in the last paragraph of the response paper. You can achieve this by restating the focus of the paper and some of the key points you made earlier in the body paragraphs.

Remember, avoid the common mistake of starting a new topic in the conclusion. Make it concise and do not introduce any new ideas.

7. Review the reflection paper

This should be the last step of the writing process. It entails thoroughly going through everything you have written to ensure flawlessness. Review your punctuation, make all necessary grammar corrections, check your spelling, and do anything else to ensure your paper is flawless. By doing a full review of the paper, you can ensure that all the ideas flow systematically.

In simple terms, this is a process of quality control where you identify mistakes and correct them. Besides striving for perfection, reviewing the paper will help you determine whether your paper meets all the necessary instructions and guidelines.

To avoid any biases, take the position of a second party when reviewing your paper. Put yourself in the shoes of the reader to check out for smoothness and consistency in the flow of logic. A simple yet effective technique you can implement is reading your paper aloud to get a better picture of everything you have written about.

Tips for writing reflection papers on movies

• Do not repeat the story

Remember, this is a reflection paper and not a narration. Instead of writing a synopsis, focus on highlighting the key themes of the movie.

• Do not critique the movie

Remember, you are supposed to reflect on the movie and not judge it. Therefore, focus more on the issues brought forth by the movie producer.

• Ensure the paper is flawless

Strive for perfection every time you write a reflection paper or essay. Thoroughly proofread your paper before submission will help you achieve nearly perfect work.

The bottom line

Writing a reflection paper on a movie is largely dependent on your personal views and how you present them. When doing your essay assignments, always dwell on your observations and experiences more than anything.

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