Documentary News Letter (1942-1943)

DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER JUNE 1942 NEWS LITTER MONTHLY SIXPENCE VOL. 3 NUMBER 6 JUNE 1942 DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER stands for the use of film as a medium of propaganda and instruction in the interests of the people of Great Britain and the Empire and in the interests of common people all over the world. DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER is produced under the auspices of Film Centre, London, in association with American Film Center, New York. EDITORIAL BOARD Edgar Anstey Alexander Shaw Donald Taylor John Taylor Basil Wright Outside contributions will be welcomed but no fees will be We are prepared to deliver from 3 — 50 copies in bulk to Schools, Film Societies and other organisations. Owned and published by FILM CENTRE LTD. 34 SOHO SQUARE LONDON W.l GERRARD 4253 FILMS AND SCIENCE The Scientific Films Committee of the Association of Scientific Workers has been engaged, since its foundation in 1937, in compiling information about scientific films available in Great Britain. The recommendations published below represent criteria for the collection of scientific films which have been drawn up for the guidance of the National Film Library. The Committee points out that ideally all scientific films should be preserved, but that, if this is not possible, the lists indicated below ensure at least a representative selection. Transfer of Power Distillation Malaria How Talkies Talk Petroleum Films Bureau Kodak Medical Film Library Central Council for Health Education National Film Library KtCnMMhNDATIONS TO THE NATIONAL FILM LIBRARY The stated objects of the National Film Library are to obtain a selection of films to (1) make the collection representative of the art of the film, (2) provide historians of the future with their raw material. To do this, its Selection Committee have had as their aim "to acquire for pie;ervation purposes copies of films both old and new, illustrating either the development of the art of the cinema or of contemporary history" (1939 report of the British Film Institute), and they bear in 3. There are a large number of amateur mind "the need to record the life and habits of scientific films in this country which are imthe present day, such as our taste in clothes, portant from the point of view of the growth, houses and foods, our mannerisms, our accents, use and position of the film. They are therefore our turns of speech, and in so doing to throw given a section to themselves. These films are light on our changing ideals and social outlook" generally made by individuals in teaching I (1941 report of the N.F.L.). establishments and research stations for a limited The Scientific Films Committee of the Asso use and distribution. Occasionally, more than ciation of Scientific Workers would like to one copy is made, and the film is then distributed interpret these objects of the National Film more wlde'y Library into criteria for the collection of scien Vitamins Educational & General tific films. It is the opinion of this committee Services Ltd. African Lungfish ,, „ Tomato Growing ,, ,, Galapagos „ „ ,, Colour Senses of Bees Dr. Use. 2 Copthall Close, E.C.2. Virus Diseases in Rothamsted ExperimentPlants al Station, Herts Rhythm of the Heart Prof. Davies, Dept. of Anatomy, Sheffield University . C. Barton Esq., The Ridgway, Hempstead Road, Watford, Herts 4. A selection of the best current instructional films for both child and adult audiences should be made periodically to illustrate the extent to which each subject is covered by existing films. If a subject, such as chemistry or psychologv . should have few films on it distributed in this country, a representative should be kept even if it is not a first class film. Agriculture: Protection of Fruit Petroleum Films Bureau Associated British Film Distributors that all scientific films should ideally be preserved because of the illustrations they afford of the varied uses to which the film is put and of developing film technique. If this is impossible under the present circumstances, a comprehensive selection should be made and the following examples are a contribution to that list. 1. Representative films which show the technical standard of scientific films during the previous decade should be preserved. Especially interesting and worthy of keeping would be Ocean Tides examples of very early scientific documentary films. The technical development of the film is already well covered by films in the N.F.L. except where the presentation of science is concerned. The Scientific Films Committee would like to know whether the National Films Library have examples of all the different colour processes. The following films are recommended. First Ten Years of Flying Shell Film Unit Exhibition Days Mouvements Vibratoires Film Centre Industrial Britain Central Film Library ClimbingPlants(andother Gaumont British early biological films) Equipments Ltd. 2. Films which illustrate any recent advance in film technique which is specially useful for or specially adapted for use in portraying science Coelenterata and thus increasing the scope and possibilities Annelid Worms of the scientific film should also be preserved. Arachnida A series of films showing the development of the Chemistry: moving diagram would be valuable. Slow and Colloids in Medi speeded-up motion films taken with infra-red cine light, cine-radiography, stroboscopic technique. Crystals can be illustrated by films in this category. Speed the Plough British Colloids Ltd. Gaumont British Equipments Ltd.