The Writer's Guild of America's (WGA) walkout on contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) topped the list of seven "Moments of Significance" affecting the changing world of the moving image, according to an American Film Institute (AFI) announcement today.

The WGA's concern over royalties connected with emerging media was noted as "part of a larger paradigm shift" in the way movies are distributed and viewed. Another entry on the list -- the birth of the iPhone -- pointed to the same trend.

Rounding out the list, according to AFI, were:

• The deaths of legendary filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni, both on July 30 of this year.
• The Planet Earth series, produced by the BBC, which ran on cable's The Discover Channel earlier this year.
• The large number of films dealing with the War on Terror and war-related issues, such as In the Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs, A Mighty Heart, Charlie Wilson's War, The Kite Runner, etc.
• The increasing number of TV shows debuting in the summer on basic cable, challenging the traditional fall season premieres.
• The increasingly tabloid nature of TV news.
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