https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2019/there-are-a-surprising-amount-of-great-journalism-movies-here-are-our-top-25/ (Links to an external site.)
Before covid hit, I assigned a written exercise in this class about the movie theater experience. Now, I’m not comfortable requiring students to go to a theater, so this is your alternative option. Read through the assignment information BEFORE you watch a movie.
Watch one of the journalism movies on the list provided by the Poynter Institute. Please select a movie you have not seen before. Answer the questions below for your assignment. I am incorporating some of the ideas from the in-person movie theater experience assignment since our textbook discusses movies from the theater perspective, not so much home movies or streaming.
When is the last time you went to the theater? What movie did you see? How often do you go to movies in the theater? Do you go for general entertainment or a special occasion? Why?
BEFORE YOU WATCH THE JOURNALISM MOVIE: Check the advertising for it (movie trailers, reviews, movie websites). BEFORE YOU WATCH THE JOURNALISM MOVIE: write down what you think the movie will be about from watching trailers and reading reviews.
After you watch the movie, write down what it was actually about, compared with what you assumed it was about from watching trailers and reviews.
How would you rate the movie if you were a reviewer? Find some reviews about it and report what others say about it.
What is the Bechdel Test (See chapter 8)? Does the movie pass the test? Do you think it’s a valid test?
How were the journalists portrayed in the movie, in a positive light or negative? Do you have any stereotypes about what you think a typical journalist looks like or behaves? Did this movie reinforce that typecasting?
Was the movie fictional, based on a true story, or documentary? How did you decide which movie to watch?
Do you think the movie experience would have been different if you had seen it in the theater?
Minimum 500 words, maximum 1500 words
