Movie Industry Information Resources Key Terms

Shine the spotlight on key terms for movie industry information

By Gail_Roberts

Many reasons exist to look for movie industry information resources. Screenplay writers, directors, students, businesses in the movie industry and many others depend on information resources to keep up-to-date with happenings in the film industry.

Such resources can include newspapers and magazines, websites, organizations and associations like the MPAA and CARA, journals, forums and staffing agencies, to name a few. Movie industry information includes film charts, anti-piracy issues, statistics, staffing resources for movie productions and more.

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is one of the most thorough resources of movie industry information. It began as a trade association to influence people to enjoy films more. It is now an advocate for every position within the industry including directors, producers, writers, distributors and others.
Try: Get the full scoop on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from the website.

Classification and Rating Administration (CARA)

The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) is a board of parents that reviews movies and assigns a rating so that parents have the necessary information to determine whether kids should be watching the film. Such ratings include G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. Movie makers voluntarily pay a fee to have their movies reviewed by CARA. Movie ratings are one of the many bits of information you get from movie industry information resources.
Try: The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) defines movie ratings and provides questions and answers about the rating system.

Film charts

Movie industry information resources usually provide film charts to interested readers. Film charts are usually a list of popular films in certain categories or a list provided by different reviewers. Some examples are the Top All Time Openers and Weekend Box Office Chart.
Try: See many other film charts from Variety, a movie industry resource.

Movie staffing

Some specialized movie industry resources concentrate on providing information for staffing in the movie industry. This can include classifieds for posting jobs within the industry such as directors, acting coaches and script writers, and resources for training in the industry such as workshops and training schools.
Try: MovieStaff.com is a industry resource that specializes in movie staffing information.

Copyright theft, piracy

Most film industry resources provide enormous amounts of information regarding copyright theft and piracy of movies. This refers to the selling or distributing of any copyrighted films without the consent of the copyright holder. This occurs in many ways, such as illegal downloading from the Internet and copying and distributing discs.
Try: NZFA©T provides more information on piracy and the movie industry.

Movie industry statistics

Movie industry information resources also present statistics, such as box office gross, predictions of success, theater business, movie attendance, ticket prices and more.
Try: Check out some theater statistics from the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO).