1.      How did the advent of home video technologies change the American film industry?  In what ways did the studios—who in 1976 regarded home video as a competitor—exploit these technologies to their advantage?

2.      How did the policies of “synergy” and “high concept” transform American film industry structure in the 1980s and 1990s?  What kinds of films resulted from these policies, and in what ways did distributors and exhibitors try to profit from such films?

3.      What is “intensified continuity”?  In what ways does this system of formal conventions depart from the classical continuity style of Hollywood filmmaking?

4.      What factors enabled independent films to proliferate from the 1980s to the 2000s?  Identify the various support systems that emerged to support independent production, and identify and describe the four major trends of independent filmmaking.

5.      In what sense has the digital revolution actually preserved the viability of shooting films on film?  How have filmmakers managed to integrate the options provided by digital video with a technological apparatus that dates back more than a century?

6.      What is at stake with the ongoing move toward digital forms of exhibition?  Identify the benefits of digital projection for both theaters and studios, and explain why the rollout of d-cinema in the United States has taken so long, despite early optimism for a quick conversion.

7.      What does “convergence” mean in relation to digital media?  What does it mean to experience a film via several different “platforms”?  Evaluate the effectiveness of the studios’ efforts in the new century to incorporate innovations in DVD, Internet, and videogame technology into their business.