Documentary News Letter (1940)

DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER APRIL 1940 '!« : 4 no now sluu Plans for such an emergency as this had already been jrked out and those that could be undertaken with the stitute's own limited funds were immediately put into eration. Over a long period the Institute had been booking d arranging programmes of films for prisons and Borstal Bstitutions ; this service was now extended to cover all schools "^^ lich cared to take advantage of it. The result was overtiming: from all over the country pleas came in for proammes, for advice, for help, a flood of enquiries which grew ;adily as the advantages of a central booking service became lly realised. At the same time the Institute endeavoured to e best of its power to secure the removal of projectors from e empty schools in the evacuated areas to those places where ey could be of best use. This service, of course, only touched the fringe of the ^™ oblem, but for more to be done additional money was eded. In the South a comprehensive scheme which would, ■ ^'^ rhaps, have solved the whole problem of the educational film schools and set this branch of the industry on its feet was bmitted to the Board of Education. Although approved in inciple, it was not considered that the expense was justifiable a time of national emergency. A very modified version of is original scheme has, however, just been approved in the ape of an "educational films campaign" which will be )l«lo* scribed more fully later in this article. Meanwhile in the North the Institute's Branch in Scotland, e Scottish Film Council, secured from the Ministry of lOllil formation a small grant of £1 ,200 spread over three months. ith this it organised at a moment's notice, with the co a/wi^'li)eration of the Scottish Educational Film Association, a sere of travelling film shows for evacuated school children. In e three months the scheme lasted, in spite of appalling ispf^ father conditions, lack of electric current and other diffiIties, nearly 1,500 shows were given to some quarter of a thepe^^llion children. In this short period it is safe to say that the ucational film movement in Scotland had been given a tonic effects of which will be evident for years to come. All this !ne\ifcrk could not have been achieved without the willing assist iiiteri ice of the Glasgow, Edinburgh and other Education Authoriwho seconded teachers and lent apparatus, and the lenaiiflrtunate existence of the British Film Institute's Scottish ntral Educational Film Library set up last year with a grant n liij^bm the Carnegie Trustees. In the South the modified version of the Institute's original leme (mentioned above) came into being when on March 7th i official circular from the Board of Education to Local lucation Authorities announced that the Board had "ap'oved a proposal made by the British Film Institute that an tensive film campaign, extending over about six months, ould be conducted by the Institute with the advice and istance of the Board." It is too early yet to judge the results of this scheme, which yolves the employment of four teachers on the Institute's jiff, all of whom have had years of experience in the use of lucational films. Their job is to approach Directors of ucation, teachers and others in order to demonstrate the iue of this new aid to instruction, to give courses in sub evenl make he CO' ubie s" [80 i0 quiet standard projection and in general to "preach the gospel". The present arrangements are flexible and can be adjusted to meet any given circumstances, but the sum at the disposal of the Institute for the carrying on of the campaign is very limited, being merely an additional grant from the Privy Council out of the Sunday Cinematograph Fund. Any comments or help which readers of documentary nev/s letter who are interested in educational films can give will be welcomed. Well before even the 1938 crisis the Governors of the British Film Institute were pressing for the recognition of the film — and particularly the short film and newsreel — as one of the best possible means of "putting Britain across" in the eyes of the world. Only too well aware of the astonishingly potent work being done by Germany in this connection, they gave private demonstrations of foreign propaganda films to high Government officials on more than one occasion in the early months of 1939, while the Director himself visited Berlin to gain first-hand information. And ever since the beginning of the war the Institute has fought behind the scenes for more facilities for cameramen, for greater imagination in high quarters and for greater distribution of what films Britain's long suffering producers were allowed to make. Officially, the Governors have submitted a Memorandum to the Films Council pointing out the urgent value of the short film, while they have also approached the principal Government Departments asking that a lead should be given to British producers as to the type of entertainment film the Government would like to see made. In addition the vital necessity of seeing that Britain is adequately represented on Dominion and Colonial screens and vice versa has not been lost sight of, and as a result of certain representations that have been made on behalf of the Institute it is possible that some action may be taken towards setting up what might be described as an "Imperial Films Committee" as a step towards settling this problem. On the cultural side, the activities of the Institute are being well maintained. Probably the most important of these is the continued encouragement of the International Federation of Film Archives which, war or no war, continues to form an ideal means for the interchange of cultural or historic films between the United States, Great Britain, France and Switzerland. It is also interesting to note that Germany, since America and Switzerland are neutrals, also remains a member, although naturally no contact is now possible between the National Film Library and the Reichsfilmarchiv in Berlin. The Secretary of the British Film Institute is Treasurer and Vice-President of the Federation. In addition, the International Convention for the Circulation of films of an educational character has been ratified by the British Government at the Institute's request. New vaults have been built for the National Film Library, and new films of a cuhural or historical character are being steadily added. The Institute's periodical. Sight and Sound — which has a very large circulation abroad — is being continued not only because of its interest to intelligent filmgoers but also because it helps to show neutral countries that the United Kingdom, war or no war, can maintain its interest in the film as an art.