"Pre-Crime" - Worksheets

Exercise 1: Introduction to the Film

Subjects: English, Philosophy, Politics (senior classes)

Before going to the cinema:

a) Watch the starting Zum Inhalt: sequence of the film "Pre-Crime" . Then describe the atmosphere and other details that you found particularly striking.

b) What Zum Inhalt: genre might the film belong to? Explain your reasoning.

c) Watch the sequence again with Zum Inhalt: sound. Have your suspicions been confirmed? Formulate the topic of the film in a clear sentence.

While at the cinema:

d) Keep a close eye on the cinematic means used ( Zum Inhalt: camera movements and Zum Inhalt: angles, Zum Inhalt: captions etc.). Write down your observations in bullet points immediately after the film.

After going to the cinema:

e) Compare your results from tasks c) and d)

f) Many of the visual elements come in the form of augmented reality. Research the meaning of this term. As a starting point for your research, use the Zum externen Inhalt: collection of links (öffnet im neuen Tab) from the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb).

g) Discuss the extent to which elements of augmented reality emphasize the subject matter of the film.

Optional:

h) Explore the advantages and disadvantages of using augmented reality and reenactment in Zum Inhalt: documentary films.

Exercise 2: From Science to Technological Innovation

Subjects: English, Philosophy, Politics, Information Technology (senior classes)

The cinematic and literary Zum Inhalt: genre Zum Inhalt: science fiction is characterized by scientific/technological speculation. One example is the short story "The Minority Report", published in 1956 by the American writer Philip K. Dick. In 2002, Steven Spielberg Zum Inhalt: adapted the material for the cinema. In the story, a police department works with psychics known as "precogs" who can practically foresee a crime before it happens.

Before going to the cinema:

a) Clairvoyance is not a scientific method. In the film Zum Filmarchiv: "Pre-Crime", a Bavarian policewoman says police work is about, above all, "seeing and feeling". Once could use "intuition" as a synonym for "feeling". What is your understanding of the term? Do a brainstorming session to share ideas.

b) In his philosophical novel "Z.E.N. and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"(1974), the American writer Robert M. Pirsig defined the term "intuition" as "the preintellectual cutting edge of reality". He argues that because of individual experience, people get premonitions of how certain situations pan out. Discuss in class how this assumption could be reproduced in a model that uses technological innovations. The aim is crime prevention.

While at the cinema:

c) Note which technologies are introduced by the film "Pre-Crime" and how they work. Write down your observations in bullet points immediately after the film.

After going to the cinema:

d) Summarize the basis for the software presented in the film. Discuss your results in class.

e) Watch the following Zum Inhalt: scene from the starting of the film in which the filmmaker Matthias Heeder explains his approach to the subject matter. Observe the details in his notebook.

f) Many people in your group have smartphones. Based on this, how would you define the term "smart police" in the filmmaker's notebook? Add the definition to your existing list of terms.

g) Split up into three groups (A, B and C). Each group explores the meaning of the following keywords.
Group A: Big Data (Starting point for research:Zum externen Inhalt: www.bpb.de/lernen/digitale-bildung/medienpaedagogik/228949/was-ist-big-data (öffnet im neuen Tab)
Group B: Algorithm (Starting point for research: Zum externen Inhalt: ww.bpb.de/lernen/digitale-bildung/medienpaedagogik/245571/hat-ein-algorithmus-immer-recht (öffnet im neuen Tab)
Group C: Smart Police (Starting point for research: Zum externen Inhalt: www.bpb.de/apuz/202244/von-big-zu-smart-zu-sustainable (öffnet im neuen Tab)
All three groups also refer to the Zum Inhalt: interview with Ilja Schneider in the edition of "Film of the Month" referring to "Pre-Crime" .

h) In class, explain the terms "big data", "algorithm" and "smart police" and explain how they are related. In the process, complete the model from exercise b)

i) Watch the scene with Matthias Heeder again. What might the filmmaker mean when he says Hollywood has fused with real life?

Optional:

j) Present to your class science fiction films such as , and . For your presentation, select scenes that address the subject of technologies that have become a reality in "Pre-Crime" .

Exercise 3: Predictive Policing – Security versus Freedom

Subjects: English, Philosophy, Politics (senior classes)

There is heated debate about state surveillance. Advocates say it leads to improved security while opponents criticize the restrictions it imposes on freedom.

a) Read the Zum Inhalt: background articles by Anna Biselli and Rainer Wendt. Work out which point of view is represented by the authors and how they back it up with arguments. Write down arguments and examples in bullet points.

b) Watch the following scenes, in which police chief Jerry P. Dyer and lawyer Mark W. King explain their view of software-aided police work. Add their arguments and examples to your list.

c) Working with a partner, add your own arguments and examples to the list.

d) Split up into three groups (A, B and C).
Group A: You are proponents of predictive policing. Decide who you are playing (for example, a police officer) and compose an appropriate short biography for your role.
Group B: You are critical of predictive policing. Decide who you are playing (for example, an employee of an NGO) and compose an appropriate short biography for your role.
Group C: You are the host of a talk show. You will receive an index card with the opening question.

e) In a chat show role play, you act the parts from exercise d). After a brief introduction to the guests, a short excerpt from the film "Pre-Crime" is played. In it, the lawyer and writer Yvonne Hofstetter puts forward the theory that the introduction of predictive policing software serves mainly commercial interests. After the short film, the discussion begins with the opening question on the index card. Those not involved in the conversation follow it closely and give feedback at the end:

• How convincing were the arguments?
  

• Were the arguments backed up with examples or explanations?
  

• Was the etiquette of conversation and negotiation respected?