Documentary News Letter (1947-1949)

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48 DOCUMENTARY FILM NEWS CORRESPONDENCE— contd. several in country towns. A federation of NSW societies has been formed, with a view to getting more documentary and educational films into the country. There are dozens of excellent films on 16 mm stock available to UK audiences which are not in our libraries. At the moment there seem to be as many 16 mm projectors in Sydney as there are films. In the Department of Education the ratio is 2| films per projector, and with more schools putting in machines, the position is getting worse. A heavy blow to the 16 mm users is the closing of the Canadian Film Board library of 200 films. This is being done as an economy measure by the Canadian Government. What will happen to the films is the burning question? Probably they will go the same way as the US films when that library was closed last year; they went to the National Film Library at Canberra and are rarely seen now. Getting films out of the Canberra library is, to put it mildly, not easy. The only films available now in Sydney are the Documentary Film Council, UK local tourist offices and sponsored films from oil companies, etc. The position for the enthusiast is pretty grim. To give an idea of the type of film society we have in Sydney, here are a few details of the Independent Film Group, to which I belong : membership 300, annual subscription 10s. Two screenings per month, usual attendance 150180. Using two similar Australian-built Harmour and Heath projectors; members at least have no complaints on the technical quality of the screenings. All films are previewed by a programme committee — a highly necessary procedure. Yours faithfully, J. CLARKE Visual Units sir : In the article 'Open Letter from a Schoolteacher' (your January issue) we noted the following criticisms of Houses in History, one of the films shown at the Conference of Visual Units in Manchester. 'Someone in the discussion said that it wasn't a subject which was really suitable for a film and I must say I didn't like it very much — I wouldn't use it because I think my children would find it hard to follow and a bit dull.' As the film unit responsible for making Houses in History we feel we should like to reply to these observations. 1. No clear educational briefing was forthcoming from either the Ministry of Education or Ministry of Information at the time of commissioning. January 1st. 1945. 2. The film was designed as part of a visual unit without its producers having any working knowledge of, or say in, the remainder of that unit. 3. Alhough the subject expert, appointed by the Ministry of Education, and the producer and director agreed on the purpose and general scope of the film, they seemed always to be at variance with the Ministry of Information (and later the Central Office of Information). 4. The final commentary of the film was written by COI after a commentary had been carefully prepared by the film's makers, the subject expert and a practising teacher. The COI consistently refused to call in the Ministry of Education until the final rough-cut stage with a completed commentary. Technically the film suffered from the changes that had to be made at that stage to meet the needs of the Ministry of Education. Obviously they should have been in from the start so that the original form of the film, once agreed, could be adhered to. 5. The Associate Producer was not appointed to the film until after it had been started. 6. Up to the date of this letter, the makers of the film have been given no opportunity of seeing (let alone commenting on) the complete visual unit, of which the film was only one part. 7. All during production, the COI and the Ministry of Education stressed the experimental nature of the project. We agree. An experiment of how not to commission an educational film or a visual unit. It is particularly discouraging for units interested in such experimental work to find that the films we work so hard to produce in such difficult circumstances are so useless to the people who are eventually expected to use them. Yours, etc., HANS M. NEITER CLASSIFIED ADS We are now in a position to accept classified advertisements. Charges for insertion: one guinea for the first three lines, 5 a line above three. COURSES UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, HOLLY RO YDE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE, 30 Palatine Road, Withington, Manchester, 20 — A short residential course on ' The Art and Power of the Cinema' will be held from May \0th to May 14th Talks on aesthetic and sociological aspects of the cinema will be given by film society representatives. University lecturers, a psychologist and a cinema manager. Films to be shown: 'The Battleship Potemkin, 'Film and Reality' and 'The Italian Straw Hat'. Further particulars and detailed programmes can be obtained from Holly Royde College. SITUATIONS WANTED INDUSTRIAL FILMS: Engineer (college) with lifelong relevant experience, seeks position with scope. Write box 691, CO dawsons, 129 Cannon Street, EC4. ORGANIZING SECRETARY WITH KNOWLEDGE OF FILM PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION. What offers? box 123, dfn. EQUIPMENT OF INTEREST TO SOCIETIES, PRODUCTION UNITS, etc. Pair of ZEISS 'Phonobox' 35 mm PORTABLE sound projectors. Totally enclosed and complete with amplifier, dualchannel speaker, etc. Exceptional order and condition, £275. One GB 'N' complete, amplifier, stand, main and monitor speakers, etc. Overhauled, £130. Pair Kalee No. 6 mechanisms, fitted new parts where needed. Complete, refinished spool boxes. Never run sound speed, £30. Other 35 mm and 16 mm bargains including EYEMO camera: SOUND-FILM SERVICES, 27 Charles Street, Cardiff Phone 1615. CAMERA HIRE SERVICE PHONE : GER. 1365-6-7-8 All Inquiries. NEWMAN SINCLAIR MODELS 'A' & 'E' WITH FULL RANGE OF EQUIPMENT AND TRIPODS ALSO NEWMAN HIGH-SPEED CAMERA S.F.L. LTD.. 71 IM\\ STREET, LONDON. W.1