Inside the Living Cell 2004
Distributed by BioMEDIA Associates, PO Box 1234, Beaufort, SC 29901-1234; 877-661-5355
Produced by Bruce Russell and Eric Russell
Directed by Bruce Russell and Eric Russell
DVD or VHS. For DVD, Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or later, Windows ’98, Windows XP or Macintosh OS 9.2 through OS X, color, 57 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Science, Biology
Date Entered: 10/25/2005
Reviewed by Christy Caldwell, Science Librarian, University of California, Santa CruzThe extremely complex subject of cell biology is covered in an efficient 60 minutes in the video Inside the Living Cell.
The film is presented in five programs. The first, The Cell – Unit of Life is a useful overview. The other programs are organized by cell function: The Outer Envelope, How Cells Obtain Energy, How Cells are Controlled, and How Cells Reproduce. These functions, of course, are actually quite integrated and the creators deal with the overlapping information without creating confusion. Each program is broken down into helpful chapters. Extensive study guides are available for free on the BioMEDIA Web site.
The scope is appropriate for middle school students, and the content is linked to national science standards. The pace, however, may be too fast for some. I would not recommend showing even a single program all the way through without preliminary class work on the subject, or by stopping the film momentarily to allow questions or digestion of the information.
For older students, including college, this series still provides a useful overview or review of cell biology topics. The production values are extremely high. The animations and graphics make some processes, such as the ATP cycle, clearer than any other description or graphic this reviewer has seen. The music supports the content and lends interest, and the narration is provided by several voices, giving the series a more dynamic pace.
The weakness of this film is that the recommended age range is too narrow for the complex content. Unfortunately, high school students may find the introductory scripts of each program childish, even though the content is still challenging.
Another weakness is the 60 minute running time. This is an impressive feat, but some explanations may oversimplify an issue or process to make it fit a category or analogy.
These weaknesses are fairly minor, however, and this film is highly recommended for junior high through college audiences.