International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1934)

28 THE CINEMA IN TEACHING in films has a monotonous cadence, which smothers the sound of the individual instruments. Strong sounds should be produced naturally, but a little toned down, so as not to cause shock or nervous disturbances among the public. The more one hears and appreciates the music, the greater can its exalting and purifying influence become. Reason and the psychic ego will become more perfect and united if the music and the word are joined in such a way as to form a complete and harmonious whole, the object of which is to educate the mind, the spirit and the artistic sense of the young spectator. The Teacher and the Cinema Lesson. — We must ask ourselves what part will the teacher have to take in this department of teaching? How, and when is his assistance to be called into play ? It is obvious that he must first of all have a through acquaintance with the subject of the film. He must also know which are the difficult points and where he may have to stress sections in view of the special mentality or characteristics of the pupils. He must be able to consider the intellectual level of the film in relation with the intellectual level of his scholars. He must be quick to observe what is being grasped, and what missed as the film is projected. It is always wise to introduce the picture with a verbal explanatory lesson on the subject being treated. Then the film can be run off in its entirety, followed by a second projection, which should clear up doubtful or difficult points which the pupil finds it hard to understand. The teacher ought to be supplied with the mechanism for stopping the film at any moment, so that he can clarify, and illustrate — possibly with the use of the slow motion projection — points and episodes which seem to require repetition in order to secure their retention by the pupil's memory. A lesson given along these lines will never be forgotten by the children, who will remember it perfectly in a way to surprise the teacher himself, even if the pupils are not gifted with good memories. The Two Methods : a Comparison. — Both sound and talking films have magnificent possibilities and can both be used advantageously for teaching. The sound films, as distinguished from the sound and talking film, has this advantage over the latter, that it is international in character and cheaper to produce. The use of dubbed talking films, which would become necessary if internationally standardized didactic talkies were to become common, must be considered out of the question. The pupils would at once perceive the trick, for they are very quick at observing changes and alterations from what they are accustomed to expect. We have spoken already of the bad effects of an unsatisfactory synchronization on the nerves and mentalities of the pupils. The pupils themselves have pointed it out in the various symposia organised by the I. I. E. C. Sounds, noises, cries and acoustic effects in general can be understood by all the peoples of the world, while the talking film is limited to the nation which produces the picture, or under the best circumstances to a limited number of pedagogues and scientists accustomed to international discussions and versed in languages. The sound film allows the distribution of didactic films with evident economic advantages. If pedagogues want to insist on using the talking film for didactic purposes, we must not fail to recognize that we shall create antipathies and contrasts between nations, owing to the greater prevalence of this or that tongue. The use of the sound film eliminates this question entirely, though through it we can see the peculiar characteristics of a people, its culture, its material progress and its type of civilization. This is a factor not to be despised in moments of spiritual crisis of peoples like the present one, for it can help us to know one another better, to appreciate our different qualities — by means of a much to be desired exchange of cultural films — and mark the beginning of an era of loyal friendship and consequently of peace. The sound film has therefore before it a task of pressing timeliness and universal character : that is, to become a marvellous instrument of intercourse among nations. Music, which has no frontiers, can approach all, unite and make brothers of all through the universality and identity of the emotions awakened by divine melody of genius. A picture is worth a hundred thousand words. Cld Chinese Saying.