Collaborative Writing: Reviewing Inception

AshELT
May 25
2 min read

Hello!

For this week’s task we were assigned to write a collaborative film review using Google Docs. The review had to follow a specific structure, introducing the film, summarizing the plot without spoilers, analyzing two or three elements, and finally offering opinion and recommendation all within around 400 words. We decided to write a review for Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan.

the hallway scene

Our group consisted of Perihan, Şeyma and Beyza. I worked closely with my usual partner Beyza, and we supported each other throughout the task to ensure it was completed successfully, which was hard. We divided the work by assigning one paragraph to each group member. I was responsible for the third paragraph, where I talked about the film’s cinematography, its practical effect uses like in the rotating hallway scene with shifting gravity, instead of using CGI like most film makers do. Also, the film’s use of color palettes to distinguish dream layers from each other. I also discussed how Inception was influenced by Satoshi Kon’s Paprika (2006).

Google Docs as a collaborative writing tool is useful with its various features. Using the tool was not challenging, the difficult part was different people with different skills and ideas coming together to create something. There is deciding on which movie to review, how to split the work, and coordinating while writing our parts. These aspects of collaboration were more challenging than the technical side, and they required clear communication and compromise. Collaboration relies on communication among group members and everyone working together through the platform.

After completing the review, we shared it with another group by giving them “commenter” access. They provided feedback, praising our analysis of the visual elements and suggested improving the plot summary by making it more detailed and correcting a few grammar issues. That concluded our collaborative review experience. Despite the challenges, we completed the task and the experience taught us something about working with people who have different perspectives.

You can watch the official trailer for Inception here:

Inception (2010) Official Trailer #1 - Christopher Nolan Movie HD