Production Report 11a

Here's a little rough content from the Intro section of my content outline, where I introduce the beginnings of my argument.

Audience questions

• I decided to just post the script I will be voicing over for the intro, so the form does not really apply. I've included what I'm planning on putting on the screen as videos and pictures to go along with my voice, and possibly some on screen text. I chose to keep my tone simple and dramatic, so as to allow the pictures and clips to be the focus and really reel the audience in from the start. 
• The production of this material wasn't too difficult, since it's not too detailed of an intro. I wanted to introduce the topic in a simple and visual way before I got into too many details, so most of the content I wrote from memory of my research. 

Here's the original little bit from my content outline: 

Opening Section:

• I would open with a very, very brief horror intro, and by that I mean probably just show the movie posters of a few popular films, or maybe just a few clips to get the audience’s attention.
• I would also want to introduce the MPAA, and if I can take a negative spin on it from the beginning
• I would need to summarize a few points, sort of like a thesis; what horror is defined as, how children view these films and are affected, then introduce the MPAA ratings as a possible solution.

Script for the intro section:

*Clip from Scream “Do you like scary movies?”

Scary movies. Either you love them, or you hate them, but almost everyone can agree that it’s one of the most unique and exciting genres in film.

Scary movies have been known to reflect the anxieties of our society and recreate our nightmares. (as clip from the exorcist of her head turning is playing)

The content in scary movies varies greatly, from zombies to vampires to gore to the post-apocalyptic. (include a few images to represent this such as various classic movie posters) The characters and the plots of the movies may differ but their goal is the same; to scare the audience. No other genre of film has such a common purpose across all it’s films.

Because of this, it’s not hard to imagine that the fears fabricated in these films can have a very real affect on the viewers. Horror films can affect people of any age group based on their sensitivities, but the group that often suffers the most is children. (a few pictures or clips of children in the movie theatre) We can all think back to something that we watched as a kid that we knew we shouldn’t have. Maybe we still remember how it affected us, maybe it didn’t affect us, but studies show that horror films tend to have a pretty gruesome affect. A study done by the University of Michigan on college students revealed that a fourth of the participants still experienced “fright effects” and “residual anxiety” caused by horror movies they watched in their childhood(DeGroat).

This is clearly a problem. How can these films, created to entertain its thrill-seeking audience with a few good scares, be negatively affecting children so drastically? A solution needed to be sought. (more shots of children scared)

That’s where the MPAA comes in. (MPAA logo comes up) The MPAA, or the Motion Picture Association of America, is the organization behind movie ratings and censorship. The organization was originally created in the 1920’s, as a part of the Puritan movement to develop a more “moral” world, along with the Prohibition(an old MPAA logo? If it exists). So the original purpose of the MPAA was to regulate the content in movies in general rather than create a strict ratings system in response to children, but they’re the sole party behind the ratings system and the guide for what parents allow their children to view. (a picture of the ratings screen that appears before trailers)

Ideally, the MPAA would be the solution and children wouldn’t be exposed to the violence and gruesomeness of the horror genre. The problem lies with how the MPAA goes about rating the movies. Critics call the ratings too subjective, unreliable, unfair, and damaging to the films. Directors want to stay in the PG-13 range for their films and reach a broader audience, censoring themselves, which critics believe “ruins” the movies.

So what is the MPAA really doing? Is it saving our children from the content that will hurt and haunt them, or oppressing the artistic freedom of one of the most unique genres of film?

I kept my intro short and basic to keep the audience's attention, but should I include more detail?