E.T (the movie)

Your proposal should be at least 75 words and include an underlined thesis statement.

Think of a thesis statement (for our purposes) this way:

Specific, narrow topic (such as a technique) + your own argument about why or how it works = Thesis Statement

It is NOT enough to say that you're simply interested in writing about a film, photograph, artist, director, actor, etc. – you MUST flesh out an idea at the outset based on the prompt you choose (see final paper instructions).

You must name SPECIFICALLY the filmmaker(s) and film(s) you will discuss in your proposal.

DON’T’ just say “I’m interested in writing about [Steven Spielberg, black-and-white films, science fiction, etc. etc.]

DO: say which prompt you’ve chosen (you can list it as a title/header).

Your thesis should clearly state what you plan to argue. It should be a specific, debatable point. There are some tried and true “formulas” that work well for this type of paper. You may want to consider using the following statement as a guide:

__[Filmmaker/artist]_____ uses __[technique]_____ and _[other technique]____ to ___[evoke, depict, achieve]  ___ [idea, emotion, etc.]____.

Another “formulas” might look like this:

____[Film title(s)_____ depicts ____[idea] _____ through [technique or concept].

You can structure your thesis statement how you see fit, as long as it’s an argument, not an announcement. “Steven Spielberg is a legendary director known for his science fiction films” does not argue anything––it’s a statement of fact.  If a reader can say "how?" or "why?" or "so what?" after reading your thesis, you should revise your thesis so that it answers those questions.