The international photographer (Jan-Dec 1934)

Eight Th INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER November, 1934 PUBLIC WORKS MONEY FOR SCHOOL FILM United States Government Producing Series of Talking Pictures to Be Distributed to Schools by E. R. P. I. (Special to International Photographer from Its Own Bureau — at Washington ) The "New Deal" has gone "teacher" in a big way, Under allotments of money from Public Works Funds, by Secretary of the Interior Ickes, and funds appropriated for Emergency Conservation Work — a series of Talking Instructional Films is being produced by the Department of Interior. Production crews have been working in the field since last June. It is estimated that one \ear will be necessary to complete the first series of ten subjects, especially written by the University of Chicago teaching staff. The first series will demonstrate geologic phenomena and will be released by Erpi Picture Consultants Inc., of New York City, a subsidiary of Electrical Research Products Inc. Field Photography is being done by veteran Cameraman Walter Scott, of New York Local, International Photographer, and Paul Wilkerson, of the same local. It is estimated that it will be necessary for them to travel over 10,000 miles to cover assignments on the first series. Emergency Funds Used The National Parks Service, Interior Department, has been allotted funds by the Public Works Administration, of which Secretary of the Interior Harold C. Ickes is Director, and Robert N. Feckner, Director of Emergency Conservation Works, for production of the series, which it is estimated will, when completed, cost $50,000. The films will be scored with lectures written by the University of Chicago faculty and distributed in 16mm. size. Professor Carey Croenis, of the department of geology, of the University of Chicago, has written the scenarios, which have been checked by Erpi Picture Consultant experts. Such titles as these have been selected for the first series of teaching film subjects: "Running Water," "Ground Water," "Atmospheric Gradation," "Mountain Building," "Volcanoes," "Snow and Ice," "Formation of Soil," "Fossils," "Life of the Past," "Weather and Climate," etc. The addition of sound-lectures will be supervised by Richard F. Chapman and James A. Brill, of the Erpi Picture Consultants Inc. Directing of productions will be done by geologists furnished by the Department of Interior, who have already spent six months in the field on the work. Field work will be continued throughout the winter in order to get the necessary scenes without having to make them in the laboratory. Such scenes as geysers, glaciers, etc., will be made in National Parks. The Grand Canyon of Arizona will represent the outstanding example of erosion, while such scenes as the latest "cave-in" at Niagara Falls will be brought right into the classroom for students by means of the talking picture film. This represents probably the greatest advance that has been made in the production of educational talking picture films and is characteristic of the attitude of the New Deal to go ahead and do something instead of talking about it. Leading educators will add their voices to the films at the ERPI Studios, in New York City. The versatility of the talking picture as a medium of expression brings to the classroom the personalities of outstanding leaders in the educational field as well as difficult experiments, illustrations from life situations, and will be a tremendous enrichment of the school curriculum. C. C. C. Help Boys from the Civilian Conservation Corps have been assigned to help on this work by Robert N. Feckner, Director of Emergency Conservation Works. A corps of the C. C. C. boys have been assigned from Fort Hunt, near Washington, D. C, to work in the laboratory of the Interior Department at Washington, while other C. C. C. workers will assist in the field operations. A very complete system of editing and scoring has been organized by Herford Tynes Cowling, at the Washington, D. C, office of the Interior Department, for the government. Cowling has been on this work since last March, when he was called to Washington to install facilities for motion picture production in the National Parks Service. It will be remembered that for seven years Cowling was in charge of production and editing of Eastman Classroom films for the Eastman Kodak Company, at Rochester, prior to Mr. Eastman's death. He has probably had more experience in this class of work than any other man, and is recognized as an outstanding expert in educational film production. The value of these educational talking pictures in classroom teaching has been established by careful experimentation. The U. S. Bureau of Education has from time to time made surveys of the requirements of schools throughout the country to determine their needs in the line of visual-instruction; films. Mr. Elworth C. Dent, Visual Instruction Expert, and member of the staff of Educational Screen, a Chicago publication, has been engaged to assist in the work. Mr. Dent was for many years in charge of distribution of films for the University of Kansas, and has taught classes in visual-instruction. Radio Tie-Up No doubt this innovation by the U. S. Government will serve to promote the use of sound picture films in more public schools systems throughout the country. It has been suggested that the presentation of these films might be tied-in with nation wide radio-broadcasts on the same subjects to be picked up by the classroom radio. Slow motion photography, microphotography, animated drawings and reproduction of relevant sounds will be added. It is realized that it will be impossible to record the sounds of running water, geysers, rainfall, storms, etc., in the field operations — these sounds, as usual, will have to be incorporated by dubbing in the studio — in fact, very little use has been found for sound recording during field operations. While these films are intended primarily for classroom uses, they will also be of interest to adult groups in the University Extension courses. The films will be both sold direct to schools and rented through rental libraries and Extension Film Services of universities. The University of Chicago is sponsoring the series from an academic point of view. COMING IN DECEMBER In his interesting article "The Relationship Between Continuity and Cutting," by Paul E. Bowles, in the October International Photographer, it was announced that he would conclude it in this issue, but because of his absence on location. Part II of his article, will not appear until December. 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