1. 2009-2012 HKDSE ELIT Portfolio

2. 1) What problems are there with the following portfolio titles? 1. Sideways Review 2. Can Wong kar-wai be the Hong Kong voice in the rest of the world? 3. Is Anna and the King merely a remake of The King and I? 4. Love at First Sight: A short story 5. Film Review on Rabbit-proof Fence 6. The Constant Gardener: A comparison of the book and film.

3. 2) Things to consider The scope – can you analyse the topic meaningfully in 1500-2000 words? (Don ’ t be TOO ambitious) The scope – can you analyse the topic meaningfully in 1500-2000 words? (Don ’ t be TOO ambitious) Is it an interesting area of research? (Remember that you have to conduct the research for 2-3 years) Is it an interesting area of research? (Remember that you have to conduct the research for 2-3 years) Can the title capture your reader ’ s attention? Can the title capture your reader ’ s attention? Do you want to focus on one theme/ work/ writer/ series or franchise? Do you want to focus on one theme/ work/ writer/ series or franchise?

4. 3) Scope of your research ‘ A discussion of Shakespearean plays ’  ‘ A discussion of Shakespearean tragedies ’  ‘ Jealousy in Shakespearean tragedies ’  ‘ Jealousy in Othello and Macbeth ’  ‘ The Green-eyed Monster: A study of the significance of Jealousy in Othello and Macbeth ’

5. 4) Some more hints 1. You must NOT talk about the same texts in the syllabus; 2. You must think about the texts used carefully. i) For example, if you want to do a research on Superhero films, why do you only focus on Iron Man and Batman? Is there a particular reason? Why not talk about all the superheroes? (You need to justify your choices) ii) If you want to focus on a particular time in history, then why have you chosen texts especially from that time frame? Is there a particular reason?; 3. If you work on a film or book, do some research to find out more about other films/ books in the same series or genre. Then decide whether you still want to focus on just one text, or you focus on a common theme or idea in different films or books in the same series or genre. 4. If you want to do a research on films, you need to look for 1. The analysis of the film genre (e.g. camera angle, mise en scene … ) 2. Reviews and analysis about the films chosen 3. Academic essays related to the themes to be discussed (feminism, psychoanalysis … )

6. 5) The research to be conducted Example: If you want to work on the idea of ‘ hero ’ in Batman films … Batman films: Just one film? Just the new franchise? Some old ones as well? Hero: What is the definition of ‘ hero ’ ? How does it change throughout history? (The idea of ‘ hero ’ originates in Greek mythology.) Film study: What are the jargons used in film analysis? Reviews of the Batman films. History of the Batman character: When and how was it created? Does reading some comics help?