research project proposal: an example

Research Proposal
Film Theory & Criticism Assignment

Presented to:
Cheryl Simon



Matt Rancourt
(student number)


From its inspiration, André Bazin’s Cahiers Du Cinéma, through Truffaut and Godard to Varda, the French New Wave branch of cinema known as Nouvelle Vague has shaped the way we interact with film. La Nouvelle Vague has had as much of an impact on the way we make films as the way we watch them. For instance, the jump cut was developed, albeit serendipitous, during the 60’s new-wave period. Furthermore, the French New Wave of cinema forced viewers of the time to abandon their pre-conceived notions of how a character should develop and how a story should be told. These changes have endured the test of time and are thus still very much present in the film industry of today. Just how much of an impact has the Nouvelle Vague had on filmmaking of today? The research paper I am proposing would attempt to trace cinematographic characteristics of today back to the French New Wave period of the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Through research and analysis, I would like to pinpoint many of the changes brought about by such a prolific period in cinema. I have not done very extensive research, but using Google Scholar, I have determined that the necessary readings do in fact exist and are most likely accessible through Dawson. So far, I have studied a period-relevant 1965 article by Stephen Taylor from an issue of Film Quarterly, Green Cine.com’s overview of the Nouvelle Vague, as well as a history of the New Wave from A Short History Of The Movies by Gerald Mast and Bruce F. Kawin. The following is a list of the URLs for the two electronic sources I have studied so far.

Film Quarterly: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0015-1386%28196521%2918%3A3%3C5%3AATNV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O&size=SMALL


Green Cine: http://www.greencine.com/static/primers/fnwave1.jsp