Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

OH TROUBLE TROUBLE TRO UBLE TROUBLE TROUBLE (FIRST INSTALLMENT) While talking to a film producer, have you noticed his tear filled eye, his depression, his slight facial tic? This is a little understood disorder known as PCN, or Production Cost Neurosis. Think back. You were probably complaining to him about your own problems, perhaps the cost of prints, the price of rentals. This you must not do. It brings on his symptoms immediately. The malady , arises from the producer's conviction that no one understands his cost problems. So; We explain costs. You develop sympathetic understanding. Neuroses disappear. Simple? Before exploring classroom films proper, you might be interested in knowing that the big, razzle-dazzle free loan industrial films that you get usually cost the sponsor from $30,000 to $100,000. No PCN there. True, production costs are high. There may be three to five more crew members than listed below. Writing, shooting, editing and client relations may be interminable. However, the budget is raised accordingly and the sponsor more or less gracefully foots the bill. Classroom films are a different story. Most of them probably cost the producer from $4,000 to $10,000 to make. They can cost as little as $2,000. Few exceed $20,000. It depends. Let's conjure up a rough budget (with a warning that costs vary greatly depending on place and circumstances). Let's imagine a fairly complex film: 16mm color, 1 '/2 reels, four speaking parts, five days shooting in studio and on location. writer (3 weeks) „ director (2 weeks) crew ( 1 week ) director of photography camera operator sound mixer ... $ 750.00 700.00 337.50 225.00 270.00 sound boom operator chief electrician electricians (2 @ $112.50) grip ... 168.75 213.75 225.00 157 50 actors (4 @ $285.00) studio rental „ , set and location costs equipment rental ... transportation 1,140.00 500.00 350.00 300.00 100.00 raw stock (film).. work print _. .. 192.00 120.00 magnetic film 1 50.00 editor (3 weeks).. . . narrator 675.00 100 00 recording studio .. titles 160.00 75 00 miscellaneous 1st completed print_ plus (let's say!) 15% overhead. 250.00 90.00 $7,249.50 1,087.43 $8,336.93 How many prints does the producer have to sell before he begins to make a profit? Will the tears well up in old Sy Wexler's eyes? Will old Bob Churchill reach for the barbiturates? Don't miss the enthralling sequel in next month's issue. No room for adv't tliis tinic. CHURCH I LL-WEXLER FILM PRODUCTIONS SOI .V. Seimrtt SI. I..A. S8, Calif. uutstanding precedent set by the other fihiis in the Bell System Science Series by having an interesting attentionholding treatment, accurate content, clear presentation, coupled witii excellent color, sound, and acting. Dr. Frank Baxter again excellently performs his role as narrator and guide. The two broad purposes of the film may be stated as follows: (1) to present factual information concerning the senses resulting in a more understanding and deeper appreciation of the senses and motivating further study concerning them, and (2) to create a feeling of respect for the work of the scientist and consequently serve to attract students to the field of science. It appears that the film does an admirable job of fulfilling both of these purposes. Even though many of the concepts presented are difficult to visualize, the film, through animated drawings and other means, does a very good job of showing such ideas as "all knowledge is ultimately dependent on the senses"; "there are many more than five senses"; "the senses code information electrically"; and "what is perceived is dependent on past experiences." Also, the setting of the Hollywood soundstage adds interest and makes logically available various types of equipment and materials which are used to clarify certain points in the film. The casual approach, appealing visuals and personalities, slow pacing, and interesting content make the film suited to a general television audience. However, evaluators of the film agree that it also has much curriculum value. In classes, such as high school biology, health, and general science, the film would be useful in presenting certain factual information, promoting discussion, and helping to create certain attitudes. In addition it would have some use in college and university classes of biology, health, and psychology and in the elementary school as well. — George Vuhe PARAGUAY: A NEW FRONTIER (Paul Hoefler Productions, 1122 Kline Street, La Jolla, California) 17 minutes, sound, color, 1957. §150. Description Narration, musical background, and actual photographic views of life in the Chaco district of Paraguay show people of many nationalities helping to bring civilization to this wild country — one of the world's last frontiers. .\ film map locates the small South .Vmerican country of Paraguay while the narrator points out that although .Asuncion, the capital city, was settled less than fifty years after Columbus discovered .America, this region hasi been slow to develop !)ecause of itsi isolated position — its only outside contact being through the Rio Paraguay. Business and commerce center around! the waterfront. On the Rio Paraguay r are seen small boats from upstream docked beside large steamers from Buenos .Aires loading and unloading bales of cotton, hides, oil, food, machinery, and clothing. Another map depicts a detail of Paraguay, showing how the river divides it into two regions. The western region called Eli Chaco is the subject of the rest of the film. The camera pictures El Chaco as a strange wild land populated by a few scattered Indian tribes and pioneer immigrants. Saddle horses and ox carts creak across the scrubby terrain, ford shallow lagoons in the swampy areas, and furnish the only modes of transportation for people and supplies. Comparisons of life in three districts of El Chaco reveal striking differences. In the north men are cutting down, quebracho trees, loading the logs with the help of oxen onto Hat cars where they will be carried on a narrow gauge railway to a sawmill near the river, unloaded, and crushed to extract the tannin. In the heart of the territory lies the comminiity of Filadelfia, settled in the 1930's by a group of Mennonites from Germany and the Russian Ukraine who were seeking religious freedom. Given land by the Paraguayan government, they have built houses and developed a civilization similar to that known to them in their homeland. .A view of the main street shows trucks, horses, teams and wagons, people, and cows all sharing the thoroughfare. In true pioneer fashion the settlement is self-sustaining as illustrated by such scenes as a cobbler and wagon-maker ' at work, women doing the family wash > with hand-powered machines or on washboards, and men hulling peanuts in hullcrs made entirely of timber Irom nearby forests. A glimpse is also caught of the sawmill where the lumber is cut. A visit to an experimental farm shows that cabbage, dates, castor beans, bananas, papayas and grapes as well as peanuts will grow in this area. .Vn airplane landing in a pasture reveals a kind of a pioneer to be an enterprising American, the owner of a large cattle ranch to which he Hies olten from his home is .Asuncion. .Activities shown of the ranch include the branding of the calves and inspection of the herd. .After pointing out thai two of the hazards of cattle-raising are jaguars and cattle-rustlers, the film shows steers being taken to market at .Asuncion. The film closes with a view 34 EdScreen & AV GuicJe — January, 1959