Viewers

1
Viewers Advisory

• Ontario Library Association Conference
• January 31, 2009

2
Agenda

• Viewers Advisory Appeal Factors
• Documentaries
• Awards and Film Festivals
• Classifications
• Viewers Advisory Interview
• Movie and Television Viewers Advisory Resources
• Lists and Viewing Map
• 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 librarys total.
• Economic downturn will only increase 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
• 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 Whos Afraid of Virginia
  Woolf, Guess Whos Coming to Dinner,
  Revolutionary Road

6
Appeal Factors in Detail

• Setting A stronger factor in movies than in
  books. Directors will also use setting a 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 ganster 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. Drama 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.
• - Example Bird, a look a 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), Its 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 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 and VHS movies designed for home use in
  Canada can have one of three classifications on
  the box, 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 movies distributed in Canada may have this
  American classification printed on the cover.

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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 that 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 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 or age limits.

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 DVD 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
  also has information on television shows.

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.

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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 Hounds 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

• Halliwells 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 Maltins 2009 Film Guide
• -Reviews of nearly 17,000 films, index of leading
  actors and directors and Leonards personal
  favourite films.

42
Movie Resources - Print

• Video Librarian (periodical)
  
  -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 librarys 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
Movie/Television Series Lists

• 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
Movie Lists

• 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
  

48
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.

49
Library Lists

• Nashville Public Library
  http//www.library.nashville.org/bmm/bmm_movies_li
  stsjs.asp
  -25 Essential Horror Films
  -Broadway Musicals
  -Coming
  of Age Films
  -Essential Films Presented in Glorious Black and
  White
  -Essential Romance Films
  -Middle-aged Adults as
  Characters in Films

50
Books into Movies Lists

• Books into movies have been part of readers
  advisory
• Some lists
• -Mid-Continent Public Library
• www.mcpl.libr.mo.us/readers/movies
• 1250 books, short stories, etc.
• -Edmonton Public Library
• www.epl.ca/EPLMaster.cfm?idBOOKMOVIES

51
Books into Movies Lists

• Movies that are better than the Books
• Godfather, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Return of the
  King, Shawshank Redemption, Princess Bride, Blade
  Runner, Forrest Gump, The Shining, Frankenstein
• (Some selections from CTV.ca list
• www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080
  528/ENT_moviebetterthanbook_2_godfather/20080528/)

52
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

53
Library Movie Blogs

• Regina Public Library
  www.reginalibrary.ca/findsstuff/dvdblog/aboutblog.
  html
  This blog
  will help you stay current with new and coming
  DVDs that will be available at the Library, film
  awards, fun Hollywood gossip, trivia and more.

54
Collection Development Policies

• Separate policy for audio-visual materials or
  movies in particular?
  -If yes, when was it last revised?
  -Does it need to be more detailed? i.e.
  features, television shows, documentaries
  -Does it reflect what is
  actually been purchased now?

55
Collection Development Budget

• Is there a separate amount for DVDS?
• Does the budget amount reflect the demand and
  circulation rates?
• Does the budget break out Features vs.
  Documentaries?

56
Programming

• Programmes are a good way to create interest in
  films and to bring like-minded patrons together.

57
Movie and Book Clubs

• A good way to link movies and books together.
  
• Club members will read the book, then meet to
  view the film.
• A discussion of both ends the program.
  
  

58
Based on a Book Movie Club

• Galesburg, Illinois Public Library
  
• -Club meets once a month at the local cinema
  to watch a movie based on a book. They have a
  discussion afterwards at a local restaurant.

59
Toronto Film Festival Series

• Toronto Film Festival has a travelling collection
  of a selection of its last festival's offerings
  available to groups.
• Burlington Public Library and the Friends of the
  Ajax Public Library offer the series.

60
Staff Attitudes and Training

• Readers' Advisory staff would not consider not
  reading widely to provide excellent service.
• However, the same cannot be said for movies and
  television shows.
• There still exists the attitude that libraries
  are just books.
• If the library's mission is to provide
  recreational materials, movies and television
  shows are part of the mix.

61
Staff Attitudes and Training

• Encourage staff to develop a viewing list with a
  brief review.
• Have staff meet on a regular basis to discuss
  movies and viewers' advisory opportunities.
• Develop a blog for staff to post reviews,
  observations, etc. for both internal and external
  use.

62
Conclusion

• Like Readers' Advisory, collection knowledge is
  the key in Viewers Advisory.
• Movies are here to stay. Providing entertainment
  media is part of the public libraries mandate.
• View, View, View!!!

63
Contact Information

• Jill Nicholson
  Lincoln Public Library
  905-563-7014
  nicholson_at_lincoln.library.on.ca