Narrative Elements
Opening Sequence
How is the story/characters introduced? What issues are raised? Possibilities introduced (e.g. Swordfish begins with the car crash/shootout thing)
Closing Sequence
How have the possibilities/issues raised in the opening been realised/resolved, if they have at all. Have the characters changed?
Structure of Time
Think of the structure of time not just as the passing of time, but the appearance of time. Is the time frame linear, or non-linear. How are some scenes given importance by their duration.
Point of View
NOT THE CAMERA ANGLE! This means who is the audience sympathetic to, who's point of view is the story told from.
Cause and Effect
Character's motivations, what drives the plot, what causes a character to commit an action. What event sparks another.
Character Development
How the characters grow, change, experience. Can refer to their relationships, their looks, actions.
Setting
Does the setting effect the way you view the storyline?
Production Elements
Camera
Distance of shots, focus, angle, movement of camera, even could involve colour, film treatment (e.g. Three Kings used a certain type of film treatment to create a 'desert' look)
Lighting
Type of lighting (e.g. under, top, side, back), natural (e.g. sunlight), artificial, realistic/expressive - what kind of feeling is the lighting trying to create
Editing
placement, rhythm, style, techniques, pace
Sound
Can be diagetic (within the film's world) or non-diagetic (outside the film - film score), dialogue, sfx, background music
Visual Composition
Mise en scene, everything you can see in the frame. What is the audience's reaction to the mise en scene - the set, costume, prop and also the relation (i.e. space, interreaction) of these parts.
Acting
The actors performance.