Documentary News Letter (1941)

DOC I NU;M AKV NKWS LKFIKR J L 1 .^ 1941 iiiiiiiiLvnii) \m mm MONim.^ SlMMNCK \()l.2 NIMBI R 7 l)()f IMKNTARY NEWS LKITER is issued only to private subscribers and continues the policy and purpose of World Film News by expressing the documentary idea towards everyday living. DOCUMENTARY NEWS EETFER is produced under the auspices of Film Centre, London, in association with American Film Center, New York. EDII OKI \I IK) \KI) lidgar Anstcy John Grierson Donald Taylor John Taylor Basil Wright I I) II ou Ronald llorlon Outside contributions will be welcomed but no fees will be paid. We are prepared to deliver from 3—50 copies in bulk to Schools, Film Societies and other organisations. Osvncil and published hv I I I M ( 1. N I K I II I). M SOIfO S()| ARi; LONDON W.I (.1 RK \Ki> 4:^; Tin: S( IKNTIl TC FFLM 1 pulilishcd b> the .S.uMii/u ii/msCoi o/ .SciVnti/ic WnrkcTs ul liu Mil I MM IS the nu)\t compelling medium for LAplaining facts (instruction) and for showing new relationships heiwccn known facts (interpretation). The lilm presents reality in a readily received form, hecause. especially with the help o\ sound, it can concentrate audience attention to the fullest. It can he screened in many places. a large number of times. The film can also take Its audience to any place or objcxt and show relations difllcult to convey otherwise: it can give to the space and time dimensions whatever values are best for the particular kind of exposition in hand. Further, the film can pick out the essential items of a process, and range over the field to give an integrated view. Where a dynamic process needs to be illustrated or taught, the moving film is essential: no blackboard diagram, no lantern slide can take its place adequately. Books, newspapers, radio, and the theatre each have some but not all of these qualities. The film can teach the facts and methods of science in an easily acceptable way and to the best elTtx-t. Many films by no means develop these possibilities. If the film is to be used effectively as a medium for exposition, the way it works must K" understood. F irst, the film is. and cannot be other than pictures in motion. Therefore, the film must express Its ideas through motion. Unless there is movement, either of the picture on the screen, or by cutting from one shot to another as the idea of the film is developed, the eye and mind btxome iired and attention flags. One may think it ought not to flag if the subject is interesting: but the tact remains that attention is lost unless the treatment of the subject is interesting. 1 he film must show what it is discussing. This obvious though it is often forgotten. .\ process >'i experiment cannot be shown in mid-shot only : .1 close shot of every relevant detail is ntvess;ir>. Mid-shot or long shot may t>e needed to relate the details to the whole. Contiguous details may be linked by moving the camera from one to the other (panning). The point of view of the camera must be carefullv selected to show just what is w.mted. clearly, without irrelevant intrusions. This means simpiv that good photography and circful lighting is not an artist's luxury but a necessity for good exposition. The film must refer by title or commentary, with the utmost clarity, to what is on the screen, when this is not self-evident. Titles and com"Hiitary must be lucid, sparing of words and > i^\ to read or hear. They must call a sp;ide a rule, and that when the spade is on the screen. Most important is a unified theme. The film must be in one picvc. coherent. It must a\so be I sen in treatment, and must not cover one section m elementary detail and another section of the ^.mic category onlv in brief outline The technique of manv of the scientific fil:viewed by the Scientific Films Committee i bad btccausc they do not follow these principle . RANGE OF TRE.\TME.NT Certain special techniques of the film technics arc possible in a scientific film. Some of them c.i be particularly useful in making research filn^ (a) Speeded up or slowed down motion, c .l examination of cloud movement, plant growth, and forms of airflow. (b) Enlargement or reduction of dimensions. (c) Diagrammatic explanation of phenomena not normally visible. (d) Increase of the colour range by a shifting of the spectrum. This, as far as we know, has not yet been used in film work. (c) Reversal of processes. (f) Supcrimposition or split screen work. (g) Stroboscopic technique. (The cine camera docs its own "stroboscoping", i.e.. a high speed c"yclic movement, when seen intermittently, as the cine-camera sees ii, becomes visible as it is slowed down.) The script and the production of the film should be in the hands of a competent film producer rather than in those of the specialist whose subject is being translated into film terms. The specialist advises the producer: it is not the other way round. Being a specialist in his own science it is not to tx expected that he is a specialist also in film presentation At the same time, the film producer should have a scientific outlook and a good knowledge of the subject being portrayed. CATEGORIES OF SCIENTIFIC RLMS While there arc many ways in which scientific films can be classified, we find it useful to consider them in three categories: instructional, interpretive, and research. It is obvious that there will be overlap between these categories, and th.<' any one film may fall into more than one ca\ gory. From the practical standpoint, howcxer. building up a programme or choosing a sin^;. film for a particular purpose, the Scientific Films Committee has found this classification very useful. Here we are concerned mainly with interpretive and adult instructional films. School teaching films are adequately dealt with elsewhere : we especially recommend the publications of the British 1 ilm Institute (which was formed as the result of a conference called by the A.S.W in 1929). and the book, "The Film and Radio as Educational Media," by J. A. Lauwerys. The instructional film presents facts to people of all ages. The most imporiant aim is to portray general principles of sciencx. the so-called laws of nature. Instructional films should be used to