Viewers’ Advisory

1. Viewers’ Advisory Ontario Library Association Conference February 27, 2010

2. Agenda • Viewers’ Advisory Appeal Factors - Features • Documentaries • Awards and Film Festivals • Classifications • Viewers’ Advisory Interview • Movie and Television Viewers’ Advisory Resources • Lists and Viewing Map • Collection Development Policy • Programming • Staff Attitudes and Training

3. Introduction • Public Libraries have traditionally offered selected audio visual resources – 16mm, audio cassettes, etc. • Over the past 5 years or so, the libraries have responded to increased customer demand for DVDs. • DVD/VHS circulation has increased to 35% to 50% of a library’s total. • Economic downturn has increased demand. • Formal advisory service resources for movies are few.

4. Appeal Factors • Many of the appeal factors in Readers’ Advisory also apply to Viewers’ Advisory when considering feature films: • Character • Plot • Setting • Language • Genre • Time frame • Pacing • Mood • Relationships • Ideas • Authenticity • Sexuality • Violence

5. Appeal Factors in Detail • We will look at the first five factors in detail: • Characters: Ensemble casts, e.g. Woody Allen movies such as Hannah and Her Sisters • Plot: Dramas such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Revolutionary Road

6. Appeal Factors in Detail • Setting: A stronger factor in movies than in books. Directors will also use setting to create a specific mood. With the development of high definition films, setting will continue to be a dominant factor. Examples: Laurence of Arabia, Titanic, Color Purple.

7. Appeal Factors in Detail • Language: May have a different effect in a movie since it is heard rather than read. Can be used to convey an elegance in costume /period movie or a degradation of setting, situation or position in gangster movies. Cult classics Metropolitan and Barcelona directed by Wilt Stillman use language as a device to move the plot along.

8. Appeal Factors in Detail • Genres: Like books, movies are classified into genres. There is no definitive list. • 1. Action – Spy, Martial Arts, Disaster • 2. Adventure – Swatchbucklers, Jungle or Desert Locales, Treasure Hunts, Historical Spectacles • 3. Comedies – Slapstick, Screwball, Spoofs and Parodies, Romantic Comedies, Black Comedies

9. Appeal Factors in Detail • 4. Crime and Gangsters – Film Noir, Detectives/Mysteries, Serial Killers • 5. Dramas – Serious, plot-driven presentations portraying realistic characters with intense development and interaction, settings and life situations - Biopics, Melodramas

10. Appeal Factors in Detail • 6. Epics/Historical Films - Costume Dramas, plot set in a historical period • 7. Horror Films – Slasher, Teen Terror, Serial Killers, Satanic • 8. Musicals – Film adaptations of Stage Musicals, Musical Comedy

11. Appeal Factors in Detail 9. Science Fiction– Space, Futuristic Worlds, Aliens, Time Travel 10. War – Often paired with other genres such as Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Black Comedy, Suspense, Epics and Westerns 11. Westerns - Spaghetti Westerns, Revisionist Westerns, Contemporary Westerns

12. Other Appeal Factors • Director – There are some Directors who bring a unique quality to a film. Some appeal factors for a director: - Type of movie – action, horror, etc. - Use of special effects - Award winner - Use of cinematography - Level of violence or action Examples: Quentin Tarrentino, The Cohen Brothers, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg

13. Other Appeal Factors • Remakes Unlike books, there are remakes of the same movie plot. Some customers may want to view them to make comparisons. Example: Pride and Prejudice - 1940 – Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier - 1995 - BBC miniseries – Colin Firth - 2006 – Kiera Knightly

14. Documentaries • A non-fiction film which enlightens, informs, educates, persuades and provides insight into the world in which we live.

15. Documentaries - Categories • Historical Films – can cover topics such as war, social history and politics. -Example: Jazz, Baseball and American Civil War series by Ken Burns

16. Documentaries - Categories • Biographies – Can be considered a subcategory of historical films for profiles of historical personalities or can highlight current newsmakers. - Example: Bird, a look at the life of jazz great Charlie Parker by Clint Eastwood

17. Documentaries - Categories • Concert – an extended live performance or concert by a musician, musical group or, more recently, by a comedian. -Examples: The Last Waltz (The Band), Gimme Shelter (Rolling Stones), It’s Bad for Ya (George Carlin)

18. Documentaries - Categories • Travelogues – a form of virtual tourism; the advent of cable television channels such as the Discovery Channel, and the availability of small, high quality, digital video equipment have renewed their popularity. -Examples: Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Palin

19. Documentaries - Categories • Issues - Profile current issues such as obesity, global warming and the automobile industry; also benefited from the availability of low-cost quality video equipment and distribution straight to DVD. -Examples: Supersize Me, An Inconvenient Truth, Roger and Me

20. Documentaries - Categories • How-to and Self-Help - Popular with those who are visual learners. -Cover topics such as exercise, health, home improvement, cooking and crafts

21. Award Nominees and Winners • Golden Globes and Academy Award nominees and winners highly anticipated each year. • Libraries should acquire as many as possible due to customer demand. • Lists should be available for staff and customer use. - Academy Award Best Picture www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/ oscarlegacy/bestpictures/index.htm -Golden Globes Nominees and Winners www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/

22. Film Festivals • Sundance (January) • Cannes (May) • Venice (August) • Toronto (September) Customers may request previous feature films and documentaries from directors or producers highlighted in the latest festival.

23. Movie Classifications • Unlike books, movies receive a classification. DVDs designed for home use in Canada can have one of three classifications on the case, and they may not all agree.

24. Movie Classifications • Motion Picture Association of America (MPPA) All movies of U.S. origin are rated by the MPPA. Some DVDs distributed in Canada may have this American classification printed on the cover.

25. Movie Classifications • MPPA G – General Audiences. All ages admitted. PG – Parental Guidance Suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. PG13 – Parents strongly cautioned. Some materials may be inappropriate foe children under 13. R – Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 – No one 17 and under admitted.

26. Movie Classifications • Ontario Film Review Board General – Film appropriate for viewing by a person of any age Parental Guidance – Parents should exercise discretion in permitting a child to view the film Adult Accompaniment (14A) - Persons younger than 14 years of age must be accompanied by an adult Adult Accompaniment (18A) - Persons younger than 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult Restricted – Film restricted to persons 18 years of age or older.

27. Movie Classifications • 7 classification boards in Canada. • DVDs released in a province that does not require the provincial rating (Ontario for one) will have the Canadian Rating System for Home Videos which averages all the provincial ratings. These ratings may be more lenient than the provincial one required for theatrical releases.

28. Television Classifications • E - Exempt • C - Children • C8+ - Children eight years and older • G - General programming, suitable for all audiences • PG - Parental guidance • 14+ - Viewers 14 years and older • 18+ - Adult programming

29. Classifications • Classifications can only be used as guidelines. • Knowledge of the movie/television show contents is the best tool for advising on age appropriateness for parents and guardians. • Parents are the final arbiter.

30. Public Libraries and Movie Classifications • Cinemas are required by law to apply the movie classifications and restrict admittance to films with age limits. • Home use DVDs do not have the same legal requirements. • Libraries are not compelled to restrict films. • Libraries can create policies that restrict circulation – no R movies in collection or age limits on check out.

31. Viewers’ Advisory Interview The Viewers’ Advisory Interview is similar to the Readers’ Advisory one. • What other movies have you recently watched and enjoyed? • What made this movie especially enjoyable? • What movies have you recently seen and not enjoyed? • Why do you dislike that movie? • What kind of movie are you in the mood for today? Romantic Comedy, Action, etc. • Is violence or sexual content an issue? Who is going to watch the movie?

32. Viewers’ Advisory Interview • Documentaries: - Would you like to watch how (woodworking project, ballroom dancing, etc.) is done? • - Would you like to view a travelogue before your trip? • -Would you like to watch DVDs for more information on World War II battles?

33. Readers’ vs. Viewers’ Factors of Appeal • Customers' appeal factors can relate to both books and movies. • A discussion of book interests can help determine movies of interest. • Movie interests can also affect the types of books that the customer may enjoy.

34. Movie Resources - Online • Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com -Provides information on new releases, forthcoming releases, independent film, reviews; offers discussion boards and list generators.

35. Movie Resources - Online • Movie Review Query Engine: www.mrqe.com -Claims to be the largest search engine for movie reviews from newspapers, television stations and movie publications; contains information on forthcoming releases, box office results, film festivals and best of lists.

36. Movie Resources - Online • Roger Ebert: www.rogerebert.suntimes.com -Offers reviews, answers to questions on movies, great movie highlights, film festival information, movie glossary and blogs.

37. Movie Resources - Online • All Movie Guide: www.allmovie.com -Comprehensive database of movies featuring a movie blog, film synopses and reviews and concise actor biographies.

38. Movie Resources - Online • Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com -labelled as the ultimate movie reaction site. There are reviews, news, trailers and celebrity information.

39. Movie Resources - Print • Video Hound’s Golden Movie Retriever: -Touted as the complete guide to movies. Published by Thomson Gale. -Indexes: Alternate Title, Videos A-Z, Category Index (subjects), Kibble and Series (adaptations, quality check, recurring characters, successful screen partnerships), cast, director, writer, cinematographer, composer, video sources guide, website guide

40. Movie Resources - Print • Halliwell's Film Guide: -Longest running movie guide; includes cast and credit information, pithy commentary on classics, latest blockbusters, plot synopses, award winners and nominees and evaluations.

41. Movie Resources - Print • Leonard Maltin's 2010 Film Guide: -Reviews of nearly 17,000 films, index of leading actors and directors and Leonard’s personal favourite films.

42. Movie Resources - Print • Video Librarian -Video Newsbriefs, Books into Movies, Mixed Media, Video Movies, Classic Films/TV on DVD, Video Reviews, Series Update, Japanese Anime, Music/Dance

43. Television Series • A wide selection of television series, both current and past, are now available on DVD from U.S., Canadian and British networks in English. • Availability varies in public libraries from none to a broad range.

44. Television Series • Customer demand will increase, so they should be purchased. The library’s Collection Development Policy can be used to identify series that will fit your community. • ’Niche’ collection development, e.g. a broad selection British television series, will attract customers.

45. Television Series - Resources • Metacritic: www.metacritic.com/tv -Reviews television series from 2005 to present. • See also: Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com for television series reviews.

46. If You Like... • If you like Little House on the Prairie, you will like..... Christy Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Road to Avonlea 7th Heaven Waltons Wind at my back

47. If You Like... You will like The Princess Bride, you will like..... Ella Enchanted Robin Hood: Men in Tights Stardust Terry Jones' Medieval Times (Credit: Lisa Winkelaar, UBC Viewers' Advisory Course)

48. Viewing Map – Bend it like Beckham • Female Bonding -Calendar Girls -First Wives Club -Thelma and Louise - Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood • Culture Clash -The Namesake -My Beautiful Laundrette -My Big Fat Greek Wedding -Bride and Prejudice

49. Movie Lists – Lost in Austen • Lost in Austen (Movies related to Jane Austen) Jane Austen Theme in Feature Films Bridget Jones' Diary Bridget Jones, Edge of Reason Jane Austen Book Club Bride and Prejudice Documentaries Jane Austen's Society Jane Austen's Life

50. Library Lists • Skokie Public Library: www.skokie.lib.il.us/s_audiovisual/av_lists/av_ls_Movies/index.asp Compilations on a number of themes: Award Winners, Books, Authors and Writing, Comedy, Cultural Interest, Family, Horror, In Memoriam, Location, location, location, Music and Dance, Mystery and Crime, Romance, Series, Sequels and Remakes, Special Interest, Special Occasions and holidays, Thrillers, Action and Adventure, View-a-likes and Women.