Movie Analysis CONTEXT We’ll focus on social change and social movements using a cultural level of analysis. Using a cultural level of analysis means evaluating culture. As a reminder, culture is comprised of customs (practices followed by most), traditions (customs passed down), norms (codes of expected behavior), knowledge (what we know), ideologies (sets of beliefs), values (collective judgments), symbols (representations), language (structural system of communication), and all the material objects in society. Our focus is on how one example of one medium reflects social change and/or social movements. Generally, you will choose a movie and develop an analysis to explain how it reflects social change or a social movement. You will basically be doing an abbreviated content analysis of a movie. Content analysis is one type of method; it’s usually considered a qualitative method, so you’re interpretation of the qualities in the movie will be MOST important. Why are we focusing on movies? If we critically think about movies, we can see that they are reflective of society. Movies both inform society and are informed by society. In this, movies construct culture by reflecting ideologies, values, symbols, and language. But, movies are also a huge part of culture, so they are constructed by society’s values, symbols, and language. This is a process that creates a product for which fictional life informs “real” life, and “real” life informs fiction INSTRUCTIONS Step One: Choose a movie to analyze that depicts what you consider to indicative of social change or that reflects a social movement. You don’t need to provide a link to the movie, but mention how you accessed it (DVD, Netflix, Youtube, TV, etc.). Some movies will lend themselves better for this assignment than others. You might want to read the questions you’ll need to address before choosing a movie, in other words. You may choose any type of movie such as an actionadventure, children’s film, comedy, documentary, horror, noir, romance, science-fiction, thriller, etc., however, please avoid movies with extremely graphic images/language. Use some professional discretion, please, and keep it clean. Movies with gratuitous violence, graphic sexual content, and/or offensive language are not appropriate for this assignment. Step Two: Analyze the content and context of the movie by responding to the prompts/questions listed below, and reference at least 5 of the following articles: 6, 32, 37, 33, 34, 31, 55, 58, and/or 60. 1) What movie are you analyzing, why did you choose it to analyze, when was it released, who directed/produced it, and what is the general premise, message, plot, narrative, etc. of the movie? • In your response to the above question, copy a link to the movie if you have one and/or provide a citation for how to access the movie (See the ASA Style Guide for how to cite movies). 2) What specifically does the movie reveal about social change or an important social movement, and how is this message conveyed using direct messages, metaphors, hyperbole, and/or allegory? 3) Explain the sociological significance of the movie using your sociological imagination, examples from the movie, your experiences, and references from the assigned articles.