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Question about versions for school use[]

I teach geography to 7th graders and I'd love to use "The World According to Sesame Street" as part of a lesson. My problem is that the video's rating is "Not for children under 13" (most kids in the 7th grade are 12). Does anyone know whether there's an edited version suitable for showing in schools? I think the "not for kids under 13" rating stems from the language in one or two of the scenes (mostly when the Sesame Street crew is stopped by soldiers or police in Kosovo). Can anyone help me find a version that would work for kids (or maybe how to edit down the DVD)? Goggin 16:28, November 10, 2009 (UTC)

Couldn't you just fast-forward over that segment? Or does the school need to approve video materials as they are intended to be shown? -- Zanimum 17:51, November 11, 2009 (UTC)
Maybe you could contact Sesame Workshop. I know they have made other videos in the past that were only for school use, and not for sale in retail stores. They might have a school version for this one. -- Ken (talk) 01:52, November 12, 2009 (UTC)

Synopsis from the production company's website:[]

I'm putting this here while I rewrite the article, in case I need to refer to it: --

The World According to Sesame Street is a feature-length documentary, in cooperation with Sesame Street, that explores the drama and complexities behind producing international versions of the world’s most-watched children’s television program. Produced and directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton—whose credits include Whale Rider (2003), The Shipping News (2001), and Mumford (1999)—and Linda Hawkins Costigan, who has directed and produced for CBS, Fox, Animal Planet, and Oxygen, among others. The documentary shows that social impact and change can come from the most unlikely sources, including a team of Muppets.

-- Ken (talk) 02:43, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

Questions[]

Are we treating this as a video or a film? The reason I'm asking is that PBS showed a cut that was approximately 90 minutes (I didn't time it, but it ran in a 90-minute time slot as an episode of "Independent Lens"), but the actual DVD is 99 minutes. To complicate things, it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival, but I don't think it ran in regular theaters. (There's no rating on the box.) And from watching it, the whole thing was shot on videotape, so I don't even know if they just showed a DVD at Sundance, or if there is a film transfer. Because if they just showed the DVD, this is the same situation where they showed the Dinosaurs DVD in some theaters, and called that a theatrical release. I don't mean to overanalyze this, but I have 2 main questions: 1) Should we mention the shortened PBS version, and 2) Should I put a movie infobox or a video infobox at the top? I really love this documentary, and I want to write a really in-depth article. Thanks! -- Ken (talk) 05:47, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Even if it was shot on video (common practice for documentaries these days), it was definitely intended as a film. There's articles and such about the Sundance screening (and quite a few movies tend to make the rounds of the festival circuit without getting a mainstream theater release, but it's not the equivalent of the Dinosaurs thing being used to promote the DVD) and I suspect it may not have been the only film festival screening, though it's fairly major (there were articles about World According to in film journals; next time I'm at UTEP, I'll make copies and see what can be added). However, for Wiki purposes, we're using the same page to cover the production itself and the DVD release. Essentially, PBS just seems to have trimmed the production somewhat (also to make room for the "Independent Lens" bookends and such) but the full documentary was released on DVD. So 1) definitely a note that it was trimmed and 2) I'm not sure, actually, just because we tend to save the movie infobox for projects actually made by Sesame Workshop/Henson/etc., not about them, despite the authorization (but then again, the DVD release was via Sony Wonder and essentially handled like other Sesame DVDs, just with notes that it was geared more toward adults than kids). So probably movie box. -- Andrew Leal (talk) 15:52, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Kosovo version[]

The Kosovo version hasn't aired, has it? What was it called? What was the third Sesame? I left my notes at home. -- Zanimum 19:47, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

This might help: [1] -- Brad D. (talk) 07:09, 31 October 2006 (UTC)