How would you write an essay about the use of different cinematic techniques in La Haine?

Writing a French a level essay is difficult because it tests both your knowledge of the set film or book (films are especially difficult as most students have never studied them before) and your ability to express yourself eloquently in another language. A good, consistent structure is therefore very helpful to organise your thoughts and make writing in French less daunting. The structure of the essay should not be based on individual techniques but, as with most French a level essays, on the themes of the film. The student should organise their essay based on three or four key themes of the film: social divisions, violence, the role of authority and entrapment are examples of themes that could be used. I would suggest the student to make a list of particularly striking cinematic techniques such as zooms, slow motion shots, use of sound effects, voiceovers and interesting uses of colour (this is noteworthy particularly in La Haine because it is a black and white film made in the 1990s). With their structure based on several themes, I would advise the student simply to look at how each striking technique they have noticed helps the director to highlight these themes and comment on the relationship between interesting techniques and themes in the body of their essay. The most important question to keep asking yourself is: "so what?". Every comment the student makes in the essay should link back to the title of the essay question because the examiner wants to be sure that they know the film well but can also comment on why techniques are used rather than just noticing the techniques themselves.As far as language is concerned I would advise the student to value fluency and accuracy over trying to be flamboyant and using structures they are not comfortable with just to impress the examiner. It is always better to write simply but with attention to detail and few mistakes rather than using unnatural language and higher level jargon that they are not completely sure of. It is also important not to write a sentence in English and translate it into French as this can often sound unnatural. Start with a phrase in French to open the sentence or paragraph and add to it paying attention to accuracy. The examiner also wants to see that the student can use specific terminology so I would advise the student to take notes in French before writing the essay and use French terminology referring to cinema - these should be revised as much as possible so that the student is comfortable with them for the exam.