The Influence of Films in Raising Awareness of Child Abuse

Yeo, Jazebelle (2019) The Influence of Films in Raising Awareness of Child Abuse. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

This research is to study the influence of film in raising awareness on child abuse. The objectives of this study are to investigate the importance of films in raising awareness about child abuse as well the effectiveness of visual communication through films in raising awareness to people in Malaysia. The methods that are used to conduct the research are both quantitative and qualitative research. In order to study the importance of films in people’s life and how significant it is to be one of the ways to raise awareness about child abuse, I have used survey questionnaire to find out mass audience opinions. I have also used content analysis as my qualitative research method to study how filmmakers influence audience with their films. The analysis outcome for the methods conducted have gave me the conclusion that film is a powerful medium that not only able to raise awareness and shaping people’s perceptions but also able to change the society, in other words, a motivation for people to take actions to overcome social issues. The respondents have shown the results that young people rely on films to gain knowledge, as watching movies is part of their daily basis activity. Films are also able to create empathy feelings and indeed, aware of child abuse issues around the world. As for the content analysis, I studied that there’s similar patterns in the six selected 2010’s films, it’s always about cause-and-effect. Highlighting child abuse crimes ability to affect everyone involved, the criminal got punishment for their abusive actions, parents and children got traumas from the incident and changed their perspectives in life. It is also shown that most respondents choose films to watch based on the storyline, and for that, they think Malaysian films should be more creative in story-telling in order to be more impactful and influencing. However, all elements or aspects in a film are equally important to make sure the message is conveyed clearly and setting the mood right to make audience feel relatable.