How the production value of a film only seems relevant to those in the film program and how the actors of a film do not seem relevant to anyone...

The appreciation or lack of appreciation for the production value of a film is an interesting and often critical factor in film viewing choices for some. In almost all cases so far, film students and professors have stressed the importance of the filmmakers and personnel that make the actual film. These students and professors are studying and teaching in the realm of film; therefore, those who work so hard to make a film possible are the very people that hold the positions these students are looking to someday be in themselves. The students and professors within the film program hold a higher view of those involved in the film because they understand the effort and countless sleepless nights and hours of work that go into each film. I am currently taking a class focused on cinematography and my professor explained that he only watches movies that are made by specific film companies. Usually he won’t watch a movie unless it has a filmmaker that he respects or already knows a lot about. During the summer months, my cinematography professor works on a feature length film, so he knows how much work it takes to make a successful film.

Non-film students and professors usually only look at the outcome of the film and usually don’t stress or even realize the importance of those individual talents working behind the scene. Very few non-film students and professors expressed their desire to watch a film based on who actually produced and made the film possible. Non-film students and professors tend to look at the talent in the shining light instead of those who are behind the scenes. Such people tend to look toward the actors and actresses starring in the film instead of the directors or writers; however, I was surprised that the importance of actors was not relevant to all of my interviewees. Before starting the interviewing process, I was sure that everyone would rely heavily on the actors in the film. I had the chance to interview a music major at Titania Midwestern who expressed that he will still see a film with an actor or actress that he may dislike if the genre of that particular film is a genre that he was comfortable with. It surprised me that he demonstrated a lack of importance of actors and actresses, even those that are disliked by the viewer, contrary to my original thoughts. Both film and non-film students and professors did not display a strong pattern of actor importance; nevertheless, those who did show a large reliance on the actors in a film generally fell into the non-film program category.