Noel Cassidy

Ms. McKoy

English II

28 February 2013

Movie Previews: Dangerous

Hypothesis:

Most people think that only a movie causes a negative effect on someone, but I believe that a movie preview shown on TV can have that same effect. In my survey I think adults will start to realize that this is an issue and it will make them think of these previews as a problem appose to harmless.

Context:

My target audience is adults because I want to prove to them that this is a problem and make them realize it is happening. I discovered that some people had the exact epiphany that I hope for and for others it did not come across to them. I discovered from pilot testing that some of my questions needed to be reworded and my demographic questions do not provide a purpose. The results are valid because the answers are not biased and the questions do not give the predicted answer in them.

Data:

Question	Yes	No	I’m not sure	R or PG 13	Variety
Do you like scary movies?	17	5	NA	NA	NA
Have you ever seen a movie preview on TV that scared you?	17	5	NA	NA	NA
What was the movie ranking for the featured movie?	NA	NA	5	17	NA

 

What other shows play on that channel?	NA	NA	NA	NA	MTV, USA, ABC Family,  sci-fi, criminal minds, adult swim, etc.
Should all movie previews be shown on every TV channel?	8	14	NA	NA	NA

 

Data Analysis:

Most people that responded both like scary movies and have seen a movie preview on TV that scared them. The same amount said that the said movie was rated R or PG 13. This is alarming considering what other shows are played on those channels. A list of different shows were given but the one most frequent was MTV. TV shows have ratings too and most MTV shows are rated PG. This supports my hypothesis and people showed they started to realize the point I was trying to make based on the next question. 64% of people said they did not think it was okay for all movie previews to be shown on all TV channels. I wanted people to come to this epiphany with minimal assistance and most did. With further explanation I believe that I could convince the other 36% of the dangers.      

Conclusion:

The biggest point I was trying to make was the rating system has fallen in on itself. When watching a TV show that is rated PG, such as a show on MTV, I can be eight or older and watch the show. Although, if a movie preview comes on that is rated R, if I am eight, then technically I am not allowed to watch the preview. You can watch the show but not the commercials. I do not think that the commercials should limit the viewing of the show. The purpose for watch TV is the show not the commercials. There should only be limited access because of the show not the commercials.

Follow Up:

I have learned through my surveys that most people do know about this, but have not realized it for themselves yet. Once they think about it they understand. My goal is to reach more people and convince others of this issue. I will continue to research the rules of movie rating and the essential information that has made things how they are today. I would also like to know if this issue has been presented to people in higher power before. Or has anyone else tried to solve this problem. If so, I would like to explore their work and research. I will do this as a continuation of my current research on the essential question: Should all movie previews be allowed to be shown on all TV shows?