Teachers have long used the media--and particularly film--to accomplish various instructional objectives such as building background for particular topics or motivating student reaction and analysis. The appeal of visual media continues to make film, video, and television educational tools with high potential impact; and (because of videocassette recorders) they are now considerably more accessible and less cumbersome to use. Film can be used as an adjunct to almost any discipline and is particularly effective in teaching different kinds of learners. Film can link disciplinary perspectives, can serve very specific courses and units, and can target and motivate writing. The mass media are an integral part of the environment in which today's students learn to read, write, listen, speak, and make meaning of their lives. This is a major reason that a properly designed course of instruction can use film to channel a student's enthusiasm and route it to an academically useful goal. (MS)