A more complicated concept, that in addition can be used to increase the artistic value of a film, is a shot that is used to create an emotion or idea. For instance a shot with an off-centered angle can create a feeling of uneasiness in the veiwer. A child's ability to understand these techniques depends on the stage of development of the child. These techniques are obviously mastered by the time a child reaches adolescents. All forms of media and especially film have become ingrained in todays society.
Movies are so much a part of American culture that actors become gods for a secular society.
Teenagers can readily quote from movies like a priest from the bible. An example of the effects of film on racial attitudes was tested fifty years ago. A group of white children from small midwestern towns were shown The Birth of a Nation, a movie that shows blacks in a very bad light. The children's attitudes toward blacks dropped thirty five percent after watching the film. But despite these changes in the meaning of reality, the belief that entertainment programming represents social reality does not seem to change much with greater life experience or exposure to television.