Even Fictional Films Teach Cultural Expectations

I have abducted a new noun/verb: annotation/annotating.

In the Film and Writing class I am currently teaching, I use the verb to describe the following process:

Annotation--the written practice of articulating the precise work of the camera's positioning and the frame's mise-en-scene during a single shot or brief sequence, used to speculate on the significance of each director's choice as related to key themes and elements found in the film.

A bit jarbled, I know. 9:33; one, thick cup of nasty-*ss joe down the pipes.

My students relish the concept that films/movies become a part of our "learned experiences."
Their narratives exploring which films have worked to establish cultural "norms" are exciting.
The pre-writing they do about their expectations of certain films is astonishing;
for example one student said she expected a "ghetto" film when viewing _Bamboozled_,
and another student expected a film about prostitution when _Run Lola Run_ was introduced.
Facinating.