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

A-V In the Church Field by William S. Hockman Notes And Comments We believe that the churches, all denominations, can get a lot of good use out of the 13 films which were used on the Methodist "Talk Back" TV series. Now released to all churches, these films cover such subjects as the pressure of modem living, guilt, knowing God's will, life's good and bad breaks, prayer. Christian business principles, suffering, civic responsibility, anxieties and fears, belonging and acceptance insecurity, the rearing of children, etc. Here is material for youth and adult groups, in and out of church. To get the most juice out of them, try the discussion process. Book them through your A-V library, or the Methodist Pubhshing House, Nashville, Tenn. • It is just possible that Mr. Alan N. Camp, secretary of the Audio Visual Aids committee of the Trinity Baptist Church, Bexleyheath, Kent, England, would have an extra copy of the committee's annual report for 1958 on hand. If so, he would, I am certain, be glad to send it to those who would like to see how and why films and other media are used in this parish. In turn, he might like to hear from you and have your report— if you have one to send along. • We have already made note of two films which we will use the next time we teach a course— at the college or university level— in A-V communication and use. "Facts About Film" says a lot and shows more; and "Facts About Projection" wraps up that subject interestingly and well. Come to think of it, these two would be equally useful in institutes, seminars and conferences with the people who actually use films in the various programs of the church. They speak to the needs of this group, too. From International Film Bureau, 57 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago 4, 111. • We would like to see the Methodist Church (Board of Temperance, 100 Maryland Ave., Washington 2, D.C.) try putting the commentary of the 656 film "What You Ought To Want" on either tape or records, or both, and offering Bishop Oxnam's penetrating discussion in this medium. We found the film tiring, but liked mighty well most of what the Bishop said. I think that in this case a good audio would have been better than a poor film. Dynamic as the Bishop is, 14 minutes is a long time to look at him via film. (Fihn rents for $5.00.) • Family Films, Inc., has been getting into some tough subjects of late, tough enough to stump any producer. Think of a film that shows Christian youth helping another young person to get headed in the right direction! Yet "Teenage Witness" is good enough to be accepted by youth and their leaders, and is thus a useful film. "Teenage Code" deals with cheating, a subject not quite so hard to bring off. Yet it's no easy matter to make the Christian point of view acceptable in a film for young people. We think this film succeeds. If the young people of a high school respect one of their fellows for his scholarship and manly character, can he influence them in the direction of Christian ideals and ideas? "Teenage Challenge" says yes to this question and in such a way that young people of Junior and Senior Hi age will accept it. Each is 30 minutes; B&W, $9.00 per day; and just the thing for fellowship groups and especially for the "Y" clubs in high schools and the community. Teenager Filmstrips Years ago Paul Kidd (now with Family Films, Inc.) produced a series of filmstrips on the teenager and his world and its problems. Many of us used this material. We wore it outusing it! It was that good and useful. Now Family Filmstrips, Inc., has produced a battery of good and useful filmstrips that go way beyond the old Church Screen set in quality and usefulness as well as in coverage of the general subject. These filmstrips are divided into two groups: Younger Teens and Older Teens— roughly Jun ior Hi and Senior Hi plus. In the "Young Teens and Their Families" there are four filmstrips, all good in content treatment and pictorial and technical qualities. They are: Learning To Live With Parents Getting Along With Brothers and Sisters Sharing Responsibilities At Home Allotoances Young teens also have 'popularity problems' and we have four aspects of this problem taken up in as many titles: I Overcoming Awkwardness and Shyness Making and Keeping Friends Trying To Be Popular What About Smoking? The treatment in each instance is that of good sense, solid psychological facts and good religion. They will do as much for many parents as for the young people themselves. Let us use them! Dating, and all this implies for youth, is a tough area in which to talk sense— sense that gets accepted by the adolescent and his parents and advisors and teachers. Yet the four titles here cover the subject well, hitting the crucial questions right on the button. First Dates (guidance ideas) Whom Do 1 date? (standard for choosing) How To Act On A Date? (what to do and not do) Is It Love? (the meaning of mutual attraction ) When you move to the Older Teens bracket (15-19) these subjects don't get any less ticklish. Older teens still live in their families. Thus a series on Older Teens and Their Families. The treatment is down to earth with a deep respect for Christian principles; and the titles are: I'm Not A Child Any Longer You And The Car Families Come In Handy Money Problems Older teens have popularity problems just like their younger siblings. Status and growing relationships are complex and often painful, and being Christian is not as easy as we sometimes think. Listen to these titles: The Crowd Smoking and Drinking My Loyalty Test Influencing Others For Cood Educational Screen and Audiovisual Guide— December, I9.')9