Year book of motion pictures (1951)

ing Film Custodians has coniributed are the following: The Motion Picture Research Project, Institute of Human Relations, Yale University; the Commission on Motion Pictures, American Council on Education; The Visual Education Division, National Education Association; and the Research Project in Film Evaluation, University of Wisconsin. In conjunction with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Teaching Film Custodians has been co-sponsor of the Curriculum Enrichment Program in Rural High Schools, State Department of Education, Nebraska, and The Evaluation of Teacher Training Activities in Audio-Visual Education, State College of Washington. The authorization by the member companies of the Motion Picture Association to excerpt non-current feature pictures has resulted in the expansion of the educational services program in the preparation of films to meet specific educational objectives. Natural organizations of teachers in specialized subject-matter areas seek the cooperation of the Educational Services Department, and appoint collaborating committees to assist in preparing useful materials excerpted from feature picture footage. In 1946, the National Council for the Social Studies appointed the following committee: Dr. William H. Hartley, Chairman, Associate Editor for Social Education; Dr. W. Kenneth Fulkerson, Director of Social Studies, Rochester City Schools; Dr. Frederick H. Stutz, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.; Dr. Lewis Paul Todd, Editor, "Social Education," Washington, D. C; and Dr. Richard E. Thursfield. Chairman of the Department of Education, University of Rochester. This committee, working closely with the staff of Teaching Film Custodians, and with the Educational Services Department of the Motion Picture Association, has prepared four subjects for use in world history classes, a similar series for use in classes on the problems on democracy. The costs of this excerpting program are paid by Teaching Film Custodians, and the films when completed and approved are distributed by Teaching Film Custodians. Teaching Film Custodians also sponsors and collaborates with audio-visual committees representing national associations of educators in preparing excerpted versions of feature pictures for classroom use. Among the organizations participating in this program are the Music Educators National Conference, the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Council of Teachers of English. This committee is developing a series of music education films from excerpted footage. Four films of the series are now completed and in distribution. A committee of the National Council of Teachers of English is now in the process of developing a program to expand the series of excerpted films in the field of English literature. Other subject matter area interests are in the process of negotiation with the Exlucational Services Department for participation in the excerpting program. This program has made the motion picture industry a very useful ally to education, and has developed common interests between the industry and educational leaders which results in a clearer understanding of the problems of both groups. The Educational Services Department is active also in cooperating with various national and international groups in developing the educational usefulness of motion pictures and particularly those which are produced by the member companies of the Motion Picture Association of America. These cooperative agencies include many cooperative projects with Government agencies, with professional organizations in the visual education field throughout the United States, and with such international organizations as UNESCO, the American Friends Service Committee, and the Departments of Education of various foreign countries. Since its inception, the services of the members of Teaching Film Custodians and each of the cooperating committees have been rendered on a volunteer basis. The negatives from which the prints are made have been made available by the members of the Motion Picture .'Vssociation without compensation. Sets of stills have been assembled, suitably selected for school and library display, from about 50 photoplays which are based on standard works of literature and other similarly important productions. These stills are providecl at $1.00 per set on request of librarians and teachers of photoplay appreciation classes. list of pictures on which sets of stills are available may be had on request. TITLE REGISTRATION BUREAU IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED by motion picture executives and theater managers that an appropriate and intriguing title that arouses public curiosity, or a title that has achieved fame and wide popularity as a book or play, has a profound influence on the success or popularity of a motion picture. Numerous examples of distinctive and unusual titles on widely popular pictures sup port the theory. For this reason more and more attention is being given to titles by the producers and distributors of modern motion pictures. The difficulty of protecting valuable property rights in motion picture titles in the absence of copyright protection on the title itself and the expense and delays of litigation, to establish usage rights brought about 842