Ralph E. Hanson, Second Edition
HomeWeblogChaptersCh. 1: Living in a Media WorldCh. 2: The Media Business: Consolidation, Globalization, and the Long TailCh. 3: Mass Communication Effects: How Society and Media InteractCh. 4: Books: The Birth of the Mass MediaCh. 5: Magazines: The Power of Words and ImagesCh. 6: Newspapers: Reflection of a Democratic SocietyCh. 7: Sound: Music and Talk Across MediaCh. 8: Movies: Mass-Producing EntertainmentCh. 9: Television: Broadcast, Cable and BeyondCh. 10: The Internet: Mass Communication Gets PersonalCh. 11: Advertising: Selling a MessageCh. 12: Public Relations: Manufacturing the NewsCh. 13: Media Law: Free Speech and FairnessCh. 14: Media Ethics: Truthfulness, Fairness, and Standards of DecencyCh. 15: Global Media: Communication Around the WorldAbout the BookAbout the AuthorHelp
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Chapter 8: Movies

Exercises

1. Chapter 8 discussed the significant advancements in the overall audience's movie experience, partly due to out of a necessity to compete with television and other popular media. Think about the earliest movie you can remember in a theater. How does that experience differ from the most recent movie you saw in a theater?


2. Jaws is credited with beginning the blockbuster movie era. Pick one of your favorite movies that falls under this classification and think of all of the ancillary items that were used in the marketing of the movie.

3. After its release, there was some controversy over Steven Spielberg's World War II film Saving Private Ryan. The film received an R rating, yet some critics believed it deserved the more strict NC-17 rating due to the amount of violence, especially in its opening scenes.

•  Source: What were Spike Lee and Jack Valentis' opinions on the movies? Who are these two men and what is their relation to the motion picture industry?

•  Analyze & Reflect: How powerful was the violence in the first hour of Saving Private Ryan? Is it something every teen should see? What values or messages will come from watching the film?

•  Examine: Is there a difference between a violent story that is depicting a historically significant event and a violent fictitious one, such as a “slasher” film.

•  Conclude: Does the current movie rating systems work? What modifications will need to be made for movies made in the twenty-first century? Should the films produced for the theater be the only ones that receive a rating? Is there a system to review and rate the numerous movies being produced and presented on the Internet?