1. What is your all-time favorite film? Choose one, and search the Web for references to it. Prepare a brief history of this film, based solely on information found on the Web.
Weekly Update Archives
2. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 5. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click Weekly Update Archives. On the next screen, under the topic of Movies, read 01-08-01, "Going to the Movies." How has movie attendance changed since film’s golden age? Use information from this article in answering this question.
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
Industry
Web Excursion
3. Can you tell when a movie uses digital effects? Special effects are not always as obvious as you might think. Directors often make changes to a movie in postproduction, after the cameras have stopped rolling. Go to the website of Custom Film Effects at http://customfilmeffects.com/.* Click the Demos link and view some "before" and "after" shots of subtle changes made to motion pictures that you might not have noticed. How does this capability change the planning and process that goes into making a film?
PowerWeb Articles
4. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 5. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click PowerWeb Articles. On the next screen, under the topic of Movies, read the article, "The Disc That Saved Hollywood." How will DVDs change the movie industry? Use information from this article in answering this question.
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
Controversies
Web Excursion
5. Do movie critics take violence and stereotyping into consideration when reviewing a film? Search the Web for reviews of recent movies you have seen or go directly to a site specializing in reviews such as Roger Ebert’s Reviews at www.suntimes.com/ebert. Prepare a statement discussing how these controversies do or do not affect the review.
Media World CD-ROM Excursion
6. View track 12, Are Movie Ratings Effective? (from NBC’s Today Show).
Jack Valenti, President of the Motion Picture Association of America, and Matthew Felling, Director of the Center for Media and Public Relations, discuss the merit of film ratings. Do you think ratings should change as society’s tolerance for sex and violence changes? In regards to keeping inappropriate content away from minors, how much responsibility should lie in the hands of the MPAA and how much with parents? Why do you think parents and conservative groups are more sensitive to sexual content than violence? Do you believe ratings and box office revenue are mutually exclusive?
PowerWeb Articles
7. Go to the Student portion of the Online Learning Center and choose Chapter 5. In the left navigation bar under News, Articles & Links, click PowerWeb Articles. On the next screen, under the topic of Children and Media, read the article, "Washington to Hollywood: Oh, Behave." Write a brief argument for why (or why not) the government should censor movie content. Back up your argument with quotations from this article.
In addition, scan the list for other articles of interest pertaining to this chapter.
