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In a report issued in September 2000, the Federal Trade Commission contended that the motion picture, music recording, and electronic game industries had engaged in widespread marketing of violent movies, music, and games to children inconsistent with their own parental advisories and undermining parents attempts to make informed decisions about their childrens exposure to violent content. This report responds to requests of the Congressional Committees on Appropriations and from 18 representatives by documenting progress regarding advertisement placement in popular teen media and disclosure of rating and labeling information in advertising. The report details findings that there were virtually no ads for R-rated movies in popular teen magazines, with only one ad for an R-rated video advertised in two teen-oriented magazines. Movie studios widely complied with industry commitments not to advertise R-rated movies in venues with at least a 35 percent audience share, but continue to advertise R-rated films on television programs popular with teens. Movie studios continue routinely to disclose ratings and reasons for ratings in television and print advertisements, although there are still many ads with unclear rating reasons. The music industry continues to place explicit-content music ads on television programs and in print magazines popular with teens. Although not widespread, there has been progress made in placing the Parental Advisory Label in music industry advertising. There has been widespread compliance within the electronic game industry with standards for limiting ads for M-rated games where children comprise 35 percent of the television audience or 45 percent of the print audience, although several examples of such ads could be found. The electronic game industry continues to provide rating information prominently in most advertising. The report concludes with suggestions for voluntary improvements. Information on the data collection methods and television and print demographics are appended. (Contains 126 endnotes.) (KB)

In a report issued in September 2000, the Federal Trade Commission reported that the motion picture, music recording, and electronic game segments of the entertainment industry intentionally promoted products to children that warranted parent cautions. This report responds to the request of the Senate Commerce Committee by focusing on advertising placement in popular teen media and disclosure of rating and labeling information in advertising. The report details commission findings indicating that the movie and electronic game industries have taken steps to better communicate rating information to parents, and that the game industry and a number of movie studios have placed some specific limits on ad placements to avoid targeting youth. The music industry is beginning to include the parental advisory in advertising, but has not taken steps to limit advertising to children. The report contends that all three industries continue to advertise violent R-rated movies, M-rated games, and explicit-content labeled recordings in media popular with teens. Although R-rated movies and M-rated games are less likely to be advertised in media with a large percentage of teens in the audience, they continue to be advertised in programs with a large number of teens in the audience. There is nearly universal disclosure of product ratings in ads for movies and games, and increasing disclosure of the parental advisory label in advertisements for explicit content music recordings. Disclosures of the reasons for movie and game ratings are now widespread, although not clear and prominent. The report provides suggestions for improving both areas, related to adoption of industry-wide standards and to imposition of meaningful sanctions for noncompliance with code provisions. It is noted that there has been almost no progress made by any of the three industries in improving their self-regulatory efforts to increase retail level compliance. The report's three appendices provide information on self-regulatory rating systems, the mystery shopper survey, the data collection methods, and demographics. (Contains 171 endnotes.) (KB)

In June of 1999, President Clinton empowered the Federal Trade Commission to study whether movie, music recording, and computer and video game industries were advertising products with violent content to youngsters. Specifically he raised two questions: Do these industries promote products they themselves acknowledge warrant parental caution in venues where children make up a substantial percentage of the audience? And are these advertisements intended to attract children and teenagers? The FTC designed a study to provide information to three groups of decision-makers: (1) elected officials and policymakers, (2) the entertainment media industries, and (3) parents. The report of this study is divided into seven sections. Section One is "Introduction." Section Two, "The Motion Picture Industry Self-Regulatory System," describes the rating process and advertising placement standards. Section Three, "Marketing Movies to Children," discusses the rating of films. Section Four, "The Music Recording Industry Parental Advisory Labeling Program," discusses labeling systems. Section Five, "Marketing Music Recordings to Children," addresses advertising. Section Six, "The Electronic Game Industry Self-Regulatory System," reviews game regulatory systems. Section Seven, "Marketing Electronic Games to Children," explains marketing of games. Section Eight, "Conclusion," argues whether the industry should expand codes that prohibit target marketing. The study found that members of the motion picture, music recording, and electronic game industries routinely target children under 17 as the audience for movies, music, and games that they themselves acknowledge are inappropriate for children or warrant parental caution due to their level of violence content. Three recommendations are made in the report: (1) the industries under review should establish or expand codes that prohibit target marketing and impose sanctions for violations; (2) the industries should improve self-regulatory system compliance at the retail level; and (3) the industries should increase parental awareness of the ratings and labels. A separate book includes 11 appendixes. (Author/JDM)

This study examines the frequency and nature of substance use in the most popular movie rentals and songs of 1996 and 1997. The intent was to determine the accuracy of public perceptions about extensive substance use in media popular among youth. Because teenagers are major consumers of movies and music, there is concern about the potential for media depictions of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs to encourage use. For instance, portrayals that tend to legitimize, normalize, trivialize, or glorify substances might suggest to young people that this behavior is without negative consequences. Findings reveal that 98 percent of movies studied depicted illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco or over-the-counter/prescription medicines. The major finding from the song analysis is the dramatic difference among music categories, with substance references being particularly common in Rap. Illicit drugs were mentioned in 63 percent of Rap songs versus about 10 percent of the lyrics in the other categories. Neither movies nor music provided much information about motives for substance use; however, the two media depicted the consequences quite differently, especially for illicit drugs. Study argues that careful examination of media content is a crucial first step in determining what role media may play in promoting substance use and abuse. (Contains 21 references and 4 appendixes.) (GCP)

This paper synthesizes speculation in the professional literature about the future impact of multimedia. Many experts believe that multimedia will soon become the major focus of entertainment dollars and time because its versatility gives it the potential to be a very powerful way to communicate ideas and search for information. In its current state multimedia's quality cannot always measure up to individual media at their best, but it does allow information to be experienced with the senses and emotions as well as the intellect. Multimedia is causing a revolution in instructional methods by making learning interactive and self-paced. The video game and entertainment industry is being changed by multimedia, too, albeit more slowly. Film history stretches back for a century, but only recently have there appeared a variety of ways to access films: in the cinema, on videotapes, on premium cable, or on broadcast television. Even though the financial market for multimedia seems poised to explode, this paper suggests that computer multimedia may not emerge as another significant choice in visual entertainment because the computer screen is not large enough to captivate large groups or offer social events in the same way that television and movie screens do. (Contains 12 references.) (BEW)

This 1993 study attempts to define the size and scope of state-wide economic activity generated by the arts in California. The analysis is based on data from surveys of nonprofit arts organization and five case studies. The case studies, which provided context for the core research, include examinations of: (1) artists in Los Angeles County; (2) the motion picture and television industry in California; (3) seven California festivals; (4) art and auto design in California; and (5) the manufacturing of musical instruments in California. Survey and case study findings indicate: (1) the economics of the nonprofit arts sector are robust, with $2.159 billion in economic activity and 115,153 jobs in 1993. (2) Los Angeles County artists are deeply involved in the community and arts as volunteers, contributors to charity, and participants in commercial and nonprofit art worlds, and have average incomes of $38,000 a year. (3) The motion picture and television industry employs a core staff of 50,000 Californians with average salaries of $80,000 in 1992. (4) Cultural tourism is a growth industry for the state with festivals being a strong attraction for tourism. For example, the Half Moon Bay Main Street Beautification Committee spent $70,000 on their Art and Pumpkin Festival and generated $10.5 million including $79,815 in local sales tax. (5) Art and auto design produces $47 million in business revenues and employs more than 400 people. (6) The manufacturing of musical instruments results in $75 million in wages and salaries by the $500 million industry. The arts are found to be a significant basis of California's economic strength. The report includes an "Executive Summary," charts, statistical tables, sample surveys, and acknowledgements. (MM)

The Central Florida Film Production Technology Training program provided training to prepare persons for employment in the motion picture industry. Students were trained in stagecraft, sound, set construction, camera/editing, and post production. The project also developed a curriculum model that could be used for establishing an Associate in Science degree in film production technology, unique in the nation. The project was conducted by a partnership of Universal Studios Florida and Valencia Community College. The course combined hands-on classroom instruction with participation in the production of a feature-length film. Curriculum development involved seminars with working professionals in the five subject areas, using the Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) process. Students were recruited for each of three 15-week classes. More than 2,000 people applied for the training, 163 were placed in the program, and 134 students (83 men, 51 women) completed course requirements. Program evaluation showed that the program met its goals of training film production personnel, forming college-industry linkages, and developing a curriculum. The curriculum will be distributed through information retrieval systems and the Florida State Department of Education. In addition, the student film will be distributed commercially or noncommercially. (Appendices, the bulk of this document, contain information on project staff and class participants, a sample syllabus and class schedule, data on the student film, pre/post test, and publicity articles.) (KC)

Personal interviews were conducted with drive-in theatre patrons in an attempt to paint an empirical portrait of a contemporary drive-in movie theatre audience. A total of 607 patrons of one Rochester, New York, drive-in were interviewed by trained college undergraduates using a prepared 33-item questionnaire consisting of open- and close-ended questions. Analysis of a question about frequency of attendance was used to divide the sample into 366 "occasional" drive-in goers (once a month or less) and 236 "frequent" attenders (twice a month or more). Further analysis produced among others, the following results: (1) there was no significant difference by attendance group as to type of film attended; (2) opposite sex friends were the most common companions of respondents; (3)"occasionals" were more likely to be employed in white collar and professional jobs and to be college students, while "frequents" were more likely to be unemployed or homemakers; (4) the mean response for education was "completed high school," with occasionals reporting a significantly higher level of education than frequents; (5) 89% of the sample was white, while only 8% was black; and (6) including attendance at "walk-in" theatres, the respondents were indeed heavy movie-goers, particularly the frequents. The results also indicate a decline in the use of drive-ins and their concession stands, not an encouraging sign for the drive-in movie industry. (JL)

The relation between revenues from motion pictures and the picture ratings (G, PG, R, X) by the Motion Picture Association of America was examined. Successful films were those listed by "Variety" magazine as the top revenue producers for the given year. Data were collected for the years 1969-1979. The analysis showed that years in which fewer films were produced had greater ratios of successful films, usually over 25%. An annual market saturation point of about 400 films was evident. The two central rating categories, PG and R, dominated the system, accounting for 78.5% of all films rated. Films with PG ratings enjoyed the highest average success ratio of the four categories. Of the 1,836 films rated PG from 1969 to 1979, 491 or 26.7% were considered successful. The PG category had the largest number of successful films for each year in the study. Close behind PG in overall success was the G category, belying the myth that G ratings were "box office poison." Pictures rated G enjoyed a 24.2% success ratio over the entire period. Although more films were rated R than any other category, their success ratio was only 13.7%. The number of films rated R each year varied greatly, but the number of million dollar revenue producing R films was quite stable from year to year. The success ratio for X-rated films was only 5%. (RL)

This paper argues that the conditions that have historically supported the regulation of the telecommunications industry in the United States have been reproduced around the world and exist most formidably within the developing nations. In support of this argument, the paper examines several key periods in United States regulatory history. It then discusses various rationales for regulation in the face of market failure or monopolization and examines the market for telefilm. Focusing on the market for television programs, it argues that American telefilm exporters, primarily members of the Motion Picture Export Association, act as discriminating monopolists and, through their ability to manage demand by setting standards and prices, maintain their domination of the world market. Using published estimates of program costs, population, and television set ownership statistics for 73 nations, the paper offers an analysis showing how the relationship between costs and set ownership lends support to the monopoly view. Contrary to the expectations of scale economies, the data suggest that as the number of television sets per capita increases, the cost of programs for those sets increases as well. (Author/FL)

A study was undertaken to design and implement an experimental instrument for testing the influence of the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) film rating system on movie attendance. Sixty-five high school students were given synopses of four different fictional films, each of which had been assigned an MPAA rating of G (approved for general audiences), PG (parental guidance suggested), R (restricted to viewers over 17, unless accompanied by an adult), and X (restricted to viewers over 17). The experimental manipulation consisted of varying the MPAA rating. Therefore, some subjects received a film that had been rated G while others received the same film with ratings of PG, R, or X. All subjects received one film synopsis for each category in the rating system. They then completed questionnaires concerning the likelihood of their attending each of the films. They were also asked to supply demographic information and information about their movie-going habits and to list the movies they had seen in the past six months. The results showed the experimental instrument to be valid. Results of the experimental manipulation were nonsignificant, indicating that for this group of subjects, the MPAA ratings did not affect likelihood of movie attendance. In addition, the findings showed that the subjects most often attended films rated either PG or R. (FL)

Arguing that the motion picture industry policies affecting audiences must be developed in terms of behavioral implications, this paper reviews the literature related to the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) film rating system to ascertain the degree to which the system has met its purposes. The first section of the paper offers a brief history of the development and purpose of the film rating system, while the second section presents a synopsis of two social psychological theories of human motivation--reactance theory and commodity theory--and discusses their relevance to the rating system. The third section provides a review of studies that have examined the credibility of the MPAA's assertion that it is providing information to the public, especially parents, and the methodology used by the MPAA to develop its rating system. The final section of the paper draws conclusions, based on the research reviewed, as to the rating system's effectiveness and appropriateness as a policy document. (FL)

Reactance theory predicts that when a behavioral freedom is restricted or eliminated an individual is motivationally aroused to restore that freedom. This theory served as the basis of a study that investigated whether motion picture ratings, specifically R and X ratings, acted as a source of reactance arousal for high school students. Subjects were 130 high school freshmen and seniors who were asked to indicate their likelihood of attending each of four different fictional films based on a film plot synopsis given to them on a single page. In addition to a plot summary, the page also provided information about the director, producer, screenwriter, and actors in the movie. Each also contained a notice of the film's rating. The experimental condition consisted of manipulating the rating over the four synopses. The students also completed self-report instruments and a questionnaire concerning their actual movie attendance patterns and eliciting demographic information. The results indicated only limited support for the reactance theory. Significant differences in likelihood of attendance were found for the sample as a whole and among students under 17 years of age. Data from the self-report measures and questionnaire showed that the subjects preferred movies with PG or R ratings. (FL)

This three-part report presents the recommendations of the California Postsecondary Education Commission on a proposal to grant official educational status to the Academy of Entertainment and Technology, a digital media training center operated by the Santa Monica Community College District (SMCCD). Part 1 provides the Commission's conclusions and recommendations, indicating that based on Commission guidelines the Academy should be granted official status. Part 2 offers background information on the proposal, including discussions of statutory requirements for new educational campuses; the origins and unique nature of the proposal, indicating that it resulted more from efforts to meet the training needs of the burgeoning digital media industry in Los Angeles than efforts to increase educational access; the physical layout of the facility; and procedures for reviewing proposals. Part 3 provides an analysis of the proposal, including an overview of the commission's findings related to the following criteria: sufficient enrollment projections, a consideration of programmatic and geographic alternatives, adequate plans to serve disadvantaged students and ensure access, sound academic planning, projected budgets, analyses of the environmental and social impacts, the likely effects on other educational institutions, and economic efficiency. Detailed guidelines for review of proposed educational institutions, a list of advisory board members, a tentative curriculum, and letters of support are appended. (HAA)

Contemporary media's racist, sexist representations of American Indians have devastating effects on Indian children and adolescents. Negative and self-serving stereotypes of the American Indian are deeply embedded in American life. Using the movie Pocahontas as an example, the misrepresentation of American Indians, particularly women, in mainstream media is analyzed, and strategies for educators are suggested. Contains 21 references. (TD)

Attempts a sociopolitical portrait of Russia's young people through an examination of their motion picture viewing habits combined with other survey responses. Discovers that most Russian youth are disinterested in politics, prefer violent Western movies, and remain concerned about crime although they are personally optimistic. Recommends production of positive message films. (MJP)

Locates and elaborates a postwar disassociation between films and the domestic audience in changing finance and marketing practices. Suggests that preselling unproduced films to worldwide territories (begun in the 1970s) eroded Hollywood's emphasis on American viewers. Suggests that this is why American films contribute so little to the social fabric. (SR)

This volume offers a full country study of the structure and content of the educational system of Denmark, together with a formal set of placement recommendations for Danish students wishing to study in the United States. Chapter 1 introduces the volume with descriptions of Denmark and its people, government, the government's role in education, and the Danish educational structure. Chapter 2 explains preschool, primary and lower secondary education. Chapter 3 covers upper secondary education including academic and vocational programs. Chapter 4 discusses advanced technical and vocational education and describes three sample programs. Chapter 5 is on tertiary education including universities, other tertiary institutions, degree structure, degrees offered, professional education, open universities, diplomas and practice, the academic year, language of instruction, admission, grading, transcripts, faculty titles, facilities, the Danish Research Academy, and five university profiles. Chapter 6 discusses specialized tertiary education by field of study. Chapter 7 describes medical training for 19 areas of specialization. Chapter 8 explains teacher education. Chapter 9 covers study abroad and internationalization in education. Chapter 10 contains the recommendations and guidelines for admissions officers on admitting and placing Danish students in institutions in the United States. Appendixes contain a list of approved vocational education courses, a list of engineering colleges offering degrees, a list of tertiary degrees, and information on the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational credentials. Includes a glossary and an index. (JB)