By Zoë Agnew
The American Film Institute's website focuses on the institution
itself, whose goal is "Advancing and preserving the art of the
moving image." This is the company site for those who work within
the film industry - or for those who aspire to do so.
Because this is a company site this should not be a terribly flashy
site, nor is it. Its layout is clean and fights hard against information
clutter, though it does not always win this particular battle. Its
top navigation succeeds in reducing the number of clicks for a user
to find specific information, a goal that far too many sites still
neglect.
The film industry is a notoriously difficult industry to break into
and the AFI site does an admirable job in placing training and educational
opportunities prominently on the site within the top navigation.
But the site does touch up some of the needs of an avid film fan.
There is film information divided into themes such as the Hollywood
Tough Guys Online Gallery. There you can find some brief biographical
information on actors such as Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum. You
can also access a few select images of these actors.
A site like Eonline.com will give a user much more excitement and
greater detail if you are looking for specific films or actors. But
the AFI online is graced with a level of class of reliability appropriate
for this company site.