Documentary News Letter (1940)

DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER FEBRUARY 1940 m rivrr ill i 1 ij MONTHLY THREEPENCE NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY 1940 DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER is issued only to private subscribers and continues the policy and purpose of World Film News by expressing the documentary idea towards everyday living. DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER is produced under the auspices of Film Centre, London, in association with American Film Center, New York. EDITORIAL BOARD Thomas Baird Arthur Elton John Grierson Paul Rotha Basil Wright Outside contributions will be welcomed but no fees will be paid. We are prepared to deliver from 3 — 50 copies in bulk to Schools, Film Societies and other organisations. Owned and published by FILM CENTRE LTD. 34 SOHO SQUARE LONDON W.l GERRARD 4253 NON-THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION IN GREAT BRITAIN This article is a digest of a much longer statement of the war-time situation in the field of non-theatrical film distribution. Copies of the fuller text can be obtained on application to Film Centre Ltd., 34 Soho Square, London, W.I. Please enclose threepence with your request to cover postage and dispatch. UK WHEN WAR broke out much of the nontheatrical woric of films vanished overnight. Audiences were disbanded in schools, in workers' institutes, in Adult Education bodies, and in film societies and study groups. It looked as though a period of stagnation was going to undo the value of the significant and rapidly growing distribution of educational and documentary films. But the enquiring cultural life of a nation cannot be put on a shelf, and before long evacuated teachers were organising shows both instructional and entertaining for their evacuated pupils. The projectors used were soon pressed into the service of local schools, and in the evenings the villages and evacuated adults gathered round for a third session. Hundreds of adult groups and societies have been formed. Soon, the adult groups and societies revived and their postponed programmes were once more put into effect. The demand for 16mm. films greatly increased. All the national film libraries report an increase in traflic and the 1938 figure of 29,000 dispatches from the Empire Film Library went up to 37,000 in 1939, and that period includes the one dead month of September. Reports from the Provinces A teacher from the North of England writes : "The film has been a boon in our school since evacuation has meant the shift system. Here, in , half the day we are obliged to use a building with four rooms suitable as classrooms, but we have a good sized hall. Weekly film programmes have enabled us to instruct and amuse a big crowd of youngsters at the same time. We have therefore organised background shows independent of the ordinary curricular limits. This successful venture has proved that regular background shows are worthwhile and valuable as a humanising influence. We should like to continue them in peace-time, and in school hours. A good wartime slogan would be 'A sound projector for every village hall, community centre and cooperative hair." An observer in Manchester says: "The sound projector owned by the city education authority has been taken round to various reception areas and used for school and evening shows, and lent to certain areas for use in the schools. Silent projectors have been distributed to various evacuated Manchester schools, and have also been made available to all the schools in these reception areas. These projectors have been particularly useful where there have been double shifts. Some projectors have been used to a limited extent for small groups of non-evacuated children ini Manchester. All films for this purpose have been supplied from the Manchester Education Committee's library, through the same organisation, and in the same way, as books." In Scotland, the teachers organised, on their own initiative, a non-theatrical scheme operating on twenty travelling projectors in twenty areas— (a report of this appeared in our last issue). This voluntary scheme was supported for two months by the Scottish Ministry of Information. Now future plans depend largely on what attitude is taken by the Scottish Office. An interesting development has also been seen in districts where teachers organised themselves into committees and approached the local cinema managers for the use of their theatres The Odeon circuit reports that it has organised about forty shows of this kind. Their local managers co-operated with local reception or teachers committees. Sometimes these committees wen ready to hand, in such cases as the Bath Chil dren's Cinema Council. At other times, thi education authority took the initiative am organised the shows with the assistance of th' local managers. A Glorious Makeshift The whole situation reflects the continuin bravery of the teachers and the informal educa tors. Their effort is magnificent. It is a glorioi makeshift. Sometimes makeshifts get by i peace-time, but in war-time we are apt to si: them for what they are. Today a national noi theatrical plan is necessary, and this plan mu: be based on the needs of the war-time con munity. A prominent educationist said: "Two thin{ are specially needed. The first is the provision ( more sound projectors obtainable on loan or hu at reasonably low rates. The other is, simpi more films. As to projectors, I hope that Loc Education Authorities in particular, will nt consider that the provision of this necessa' piece of equipment for their Senior Schools is luxury in war-time. An educational project' should be a valuable aid to teachers in receptic areas and the fact that it could also be used provide social and educational amenities for t older population is an additional merit. T Board of Education is encouraging Educatit Authorities to help voluntary services concern with youth : and this is one of the services th can render. In the matter of films, the question supply is equally urgent. A new standard w set when the Post Office Film Unit began , work; and the films which have since been spo sored by other organisations show further pos 0 ia m mil ■St t \