The definition of film attributes must bridge the gap between technical descriptions of the attributes (e.g., the arrangement of the visual material) and expected psychological effects of the attributes. Interaction effects between learner traits, learning objectives, and a film's attributes should be expected, since each attribute contributes to a different aspect of the film's message, thus creating an effect unique to that particular film. Attributes should be specified first in technical, or "structural," terms and then in functional terms. Functional terms limit the number of attributes to those expected to have psychological effects on the viewer and specify the task to be performed in response tothe film. There are two approaches to functional descriptions, one through information theory and one through psycholinguistics, and both are supported by research. However, the psycholinguistic approach assumes that different films share a commo language structure. This approach is logical in nature nd deals with the kinds of informat on presented, whereas the information theory approach is empirical in nature and deals mainly with the quantity of informat on presented. (LH)