Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

suljjfd. and it certainly does the job whicli the makers of the film intended. But it has its limitations for a discussion program. Suppose somebody in the group believes that there is still a case for tariffs in some circumstances and that he is in a minority of one in his group on this. He may feel that the program is loaded against him. and he is forced into the position of having to pull together some arguments on the other side very quickly and to get out from under the powerful presentation of the film. A further problem is that it is not always easy to dig the issues out of a film after only one viewing. Even where a film hits the issues head-on. not everyone has the background to see at once the significance of each issue, how it relates to other issues, and what is relevant and what is not. The difficultv is increa.sed by virtue of the fact that most of the films we use were not made for discussion purposes and fiequently contain only passing or implicit references to issues for discussion. Yet in spite of all of these difficulties we have still found it very much worth while to use films in the .-Xmerican Heritage Project. They do ensure a common experience from which the dis cussion can start, whereas we cannot always be certain that everyone will lia\e done the suggested reading. They frecpiently convey ideas and information with a conciseness and clarity which helps many people who might not get very much from reading. They sometimes (as in Hii^li Wall) dramatize and relate to everyday experience ideas which might otherwise remain abstruse and remote. They also widen the appeal of the program. So even while experience was teaching us the difiiculties of using films for di.scussion, we did not put any less stress upon their use but rather looked for ways to overcome their shortcomings. In our leadership training we have tried to show the leaders that using films places a greater responsibility on them than does the use of books. Since others in the group have no chance to see the film before the meeting, the leader must do so. If there is information in the film that will be helpful to the group, the leader should be prepared to repeat it and perhaps put it on a blackfjoard. If the film puts a definite point of view acro.ss, he will be ready to remind the group that other approaches are possible, and he will encourage the expression of dissident opinions by group niembers. If the issues are not clearly slated, then the leader should help to clarify them. To help leaders who are using films, the Project has been producing film discussion guides. The most recent of these attempt not merely to provide a synopsis of the action and some possible questions for discussion, but also to point out .some difficulties which the film presents for discussion purposes and to suggest how the film might l)e analyzed to discover its issues and the relationships between them. Finally, since most groups use readings along with films, many of the difficulties which films present can be overcome by careful program planning which ensures that book and film complement each other. Thus with leadership training, especially prepared discussion guides, and intelligent selection of suitable film-reading combinations, we have found that, by and large, films are being reasonably well used in American Heritage discussions. Nevertheless it is clear that the use of film in this kind of program will continue to be limited and that some people will prefer not to bother with them at all uidess more films are available which more nearly meet the requirements of discussion. Many of the difficulties which films present can be overcome by careful program planning which ensures that book and film complement each other May, 1955 213