Final exam review, CEQ evals, tearful goodbyes, etc. Few Basic Assumptions Underlying the Study of Film 1. Recognizing the impact these social forces have on both filmmakers and film audiences helps us understand in more depth what films mean and how they mean within our culture. Films influence our manners, attitudes, and behaviors. Films tell us what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad, what deeds should go rewarded and what deeds must be punished.
Films define our problems as a culture and offer solutions.
They help us understand ourselves as individuals and as a culture. We explain ourselves to ourselves by the stories we tell about ourselves and about others. Instead, meaning arises from the interaction between the film's images and soundtrack and the viewer's interests, values, past experiences, etc. Moreover, the meaning of any particular is NOT determined by the director's intentions. Films are worth studying .