How to Format Movie Titles in an Essay

Writing an academic essay often requires referencing books, articles, websites, and sometimes films. Movies can be powerful sources of examples, evidence, or analysis, especially in English, media studies, and history classes. However, many students struggle with one simple but important detail: how to correctly format movie titles in their writing. Using proper formatting shows that you understand academic conventions and helps keep your work clear, consistent, and professional.

This guide explains everything a high school student needs to know about formatting movie titles in an essay, when to use italics, how to reference films in different citation styles, and which common mistakes to avoid.

Why formatting movie titles matters

Academic writing relies on consistency. When a teacher or reader looks at your essay, they need to understand exactly what is being discussed. Movie titles that are not formatted properly can cause confusion or look unprofessional. For example, writing Frozen, “Frozen,” or FROZEN all communicate the title differently. Having one standard style keeps your writing clean and understandable.

Also, most citation styles, including MLA, APA, and Chicago, have clear rules about how titles of full works should appear. Movies fall into this category, just like books or TV series. Even if your teacher isn’t strict about formatting, learning these rules helps prepare you for more advanced academic writing in the future.

The basic rule: use italics for movie titles

In nearly all academic writing and citation styles, movie titles should be written in italics.

Example:

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Black Panther
• The Social Network

Italics are used because movies are considered long, standalone works. The same rule applies to books, albums, plays, and TV series.

When NOT to use italics:

• In handwritten essays (since you can’t italicize), underline the title instead. Example: Inception (underlined).
• When a movie title appears inside text that is already italicized, adjust formatting to avoid double italics (for example, remove italics from the surrounding text or use quotation marks for clarity).

What about quotation marks?

Quotation marks are used for short works, not long ones. Short works include poems, articles, short films, and episodes of a TV show. So you do not put movie titles in quotation marks.

Incorrect: “Titanic” — Correct: Titanic

Use quotation marks only if you are referring to a titled short feature inside a larger work (for example, the title of a short film that appears within an anthology). Otherwise, use italics.

Capitalization rules for movie titles

Whether you are writing the movie title in italics or underlining it, capitalize it correctly. English title capitalization follows these rules:

• Capitalize: the first and last words; all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs); important words like “With” or “Between”.
• Do NOT capitalize: short articles (a, an, the) unless they are the first word; short conjunctions (and, but, or); short prepositions (in, on, at, to, for).

Examples:

• The Fault in Our Stars
• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Formatting movie titles in different citation styles

If your essay requires a Works Cited or Reference page, follow the rules of the citation style your teacher assigns. Different styles use slightly different structures.

MLA style (commonly used in high school English classes)

MLA follows simple title formatting rules:

• Italicize the movie title.
• Use title case.
• Include the director and release year in the Works Cited entry.

In-text example: In Interstellar, the characters face extreme time dilation near a black hole.

Works Cited entry:
Interstellar. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Paramount Pictures, 2014.

APA style (often used in social sciences)

APA also italicizes the movie title, but uses sentence case in the reference list.

In-text example: Inside Out explores how emotions influence memory.

Reference entry:
Doctor, P. (Director). (2015). Inside Out [Film]. Pixar.

Chicago style

Chicago style uses italics and title case for movies.

In-text example: The Matrix introduced groundbreaking visual effects.

Bibliography entry:
The Matrix. 1999. Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Warner Bros.

Mentioning movie titles within sentences

When writing your essay, movie titles should flow naturally within your sentences. Examples of correct usage:

• In The Lion King, Simba learns about responsibility.
• The opening scene of La La Land uses vibrant colors and choreography.
• Many students relate to the characters in The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Notice how the title stays italicized regardless of where it appears in the sentence.

Formatting titles of movies in foreign languages

If the movie is originally in another language, you should still italicize the title. You can either use the most commonly known English title or provide the original title in parentheses on first mention.

Example: Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (Gisaengchung) became the first non-English film to win Best Picture.

Common mistakes students make

Here are the errors teachers see most often, and how to avoid them:

• Mistake 1: Using quotation marks instead of italics. Fix: Always italicize, unless writing by hand (then underline).
• Mistake 2: Capitalizing every word. Fix: Only capitalize major words and the first/last words.
• Mistake 3: Forgetting punctuation around movie titles. Fix: Add commas and periods outside the italicized title as needed (e.g., In the movie Coco, the theme of family is central.).
• Mistake 4: Mixing formatting styles (e.g., “The Dark Knight”). Fix: Pick one consistent style—italics for full works.
• Mistake 5: Italicizing quotes about movies.

Tip: If typing, always italicize movie titles; if handwriting, underline them. When in doubt, check an official style guide (MLA, APA, Chicago).

Quick comparison table (At-a-glance)

 

Final tips for success

• If typing: always italicize movie titles.
• If handwriting: underline them.
• Keep capitalization consistent and follow your assigned citation style.
• When you reference a film in a bibliography, include the director and year if required by the style.

By applying these rules, your essay will appear polished, accurate, and academically sound, helping you earn a stronger grade and communicate your ideas more clearly.