When writing an essay that references the title of a movie, you have a few options for how to write the title. When incorporating a movie title into an essay, adhere to proper formatting guidelines, such as italicizing or using quotation marks; for expert assistance, consider reaching out to essay writers at https://canadianwritings.com/. You’ll need to take into account the essay’s writing style, whether you should underline or italicize the title, and how to incorporate the title smoothly into the essay’s text.
Using Proper Capitalization and Punctuation
The first step is ensuring you capitalize the movie title properly in your essay. Always capitalize the first and last word in the title, just as you would capitalize the first and last words of any title.
For example:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Capitalize major words in the movie title as well, like nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Articles (like “a”, “an”, and “the”), coordinating conjunctions (“and”, “but”, “or”), and prepositions of four letters or fewer are not capitalized unless they are the first or last word in the title.
Be sure to use the correct punctuation marks around the movie title as well. Stylistically, you have options on how to punctuate it. You can place the movie title in quotation marks:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
You can also italicize the movie title:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Or you can use underlining:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Pick one of these options and be consistent with that style throughout the essay. Do not switch back and forth between them.
Incorporating the Movie Title into Your Text
When addressing the inclusion of a movie title in an essay, it’s essential to follow formatting conventions such as italics or quotation marks; for additional support and guidance, students can turn to reputable resources like college writing services. Once you’ve styled the movie title properly, it’s time to work it into your essay text smoothly. This will vary somewhat depending on the essay’s writing style.
For example, in an essay written in MLA style, you’ll want to include the movie title in your in-text citation:
David Fincher’s film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button explores themes of aging and mortality.
In APA style essay, you would put the movie title in italics after the director’s name:
David Fincher’s film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) explores themes of aging and mortality.
In Chicago style, you would cite the movie in footnotes, like so:
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount Pictures, 2008).
Regardless of the writing style, aim to incorporate the movie title naturally into the text rather than abruptly. Make sure it flows smoothly in the sentence and paragraph. Try to work it in organically through a relevant introductory phrase like “David Fincher’s film” or “In the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
When to Underline vs. Italicize Movie Titles
If you choose not to put the movie title in quotation marks, you’ll need to decide whether to underline or italicize it. Here are guidelines on when to use underlining or italics:
- Italicize movie titles in the body of an essay. Example: The curious case of Benjamin Button explores themes of aging and mortality.
- If writing by hand, you can underline movie titles that appear in the body of the essay. Example: The curious case of Benjamin Button explores themes of aging and mortality.
- If using a word processor, italicize movie titles that appear in your paper. Avoid underlining them when typing.
- Italicize movie titles in bibliographies. Don’t underline them.
- Italicize movie titles in footnotes or endnotes. Don’t underline them.
- Italicize or underline movie titles in outlines.
The takeaway is to use italics when possible, like when typing an essay. Reserve underlining for handwritten work like notes or drafts. Whichever you choose, be consistent throughout the essay.
When to Use Quotation Marks vs. Italics for Movie Titles
Sometimes writers make the mistake of using quotation marks around movie titles instead. Use the following guidelines to know when quotation marks versus italics are appropriate:
- Use italics for the titles of feature films and documentaries. Do not place these movie titles in quotation marks.
- Use quotation marks for the titles of short films, like short films you would watch on YouTube.
- Place quotation marks around movie titles used in a sentence where the title is not the main focus. Example: Many people feel “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” is Steven Spielberg’s most heartwarming film.
So quotation marks are appropriate when referring to a movie in context that’s not already in italics. But when directly citing the movie as the main title in your paper, always use italics.
How to Refer to a Movie Title in an Essay
Beyond the use of italics or underlining, how you refer to the movie in the body text varies between writing styles.
In MLA, you can refer to a movie in the body text by its abbreviated title instead of using the full title each time:
Benjamin Button depicts the unique phenomenon of a man who ages in reverse.
In APA, use the full movie title in the body text every time:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button depicts the unique phenomenon of a man who ages in reverse.
In Chicago style, after you mention the full movie title initially, abbreviate it for all subsequent mentions:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button depicts the unique phenomenon of a man who ages in reverse. Benjamin Button, released in 2008, was one of David Fincher’s most ambitious films.
Just be sure abbreviations are clear and consistent. You can abbreviate the movie title by removing articles (the, a, an), conjunctions, and prepositions—but keep the key nouns and verbs.
How to Incorporate Movie Titles into Specific Parts of an Essay
Where you place movie titles in an essay varies. Here are guidelines for incorporating movie titles into key parts of an essay:
In the Introduction
Refer to the movie title in the introduction if it offers context for the essay’s topic or argument. Use the full movie title in one of the formats described above (italics, underlining, quotation marks).
Example intro: The curious premise of David Fincher’s 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button provokes questions about aging, mortality, and the meaning of life stages.
In the Thesis Statement
You can mention the movie title in your thesis statement if the essay will analyze or critique the movie:
Example thesis: Through the unique narrative of Benjamin Button aging in reverse, David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button vividly explores the paradigm shifts one experiences in youth versus old age.
In Topic Sentences
Mention the movie title in a paragraph’s topic sentence if it drives the paragraph’s argument:
Example topic sentence: David Fincher uses evocative visual effects in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to depict the strangeness of Button aging backwards.
In the Conclusion
You can briefly reference the movie title in the conclusion to sum up how it has supported the essay’s main points:
Example conclusion: David Fincher’s Benjamin Button deftly chronicles the phenomena of aging and mortality through an imaginative reverse coming-of-age tale.
Citing a Movie Title in an Essay Correctly
In addition to including a movie title in the text of an essay, you’ll need to properly cite it in either MLA, APA, or Chicago format. Cite films in the familiar citation style as you would cite books or articles.
For example, in MLA format:
Fincher, David, director. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Paramount Pictures, 2008.
In APA format:
Fincher, D. (Director). (2008). The curious case of Benjamin Button [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.
In Chicago Notes and Bibliography:
Fincher, David, director. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Paramount Pictures, 2008.