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

local church leaders down. So have the local coiincils. So has the National Council of Churches. Not one of these has a record of achievement when it comes to helping the local churches fruitfully employ these fine new media in the ongoing programs of the church. The general level of know-what and know-how is little higher, if any, than a decade ago. Total usage shows a poor ratio to new productions. Setting AV materials of all kinds in a context of utilization requires educational imagination, and we have too little of it. This is the bottleneck restricting usage today. In closing: Producers, do more than sell the local distributor; explain what it is good for. Distributor, know your goods and your customer's needs. Churches, it is later than you think, and while the status quo may be a comfortable bed to snooze on, it is a poor place to be when the Lord of The Harvest declares the fields are ripe into the harvest. Wind-Up O.K. The wind-up for the 20-some minute b&w film Should You Drink? wsls good but the pitch didn't get over the plate. It didn't miss the plate; it just did not get there at all. A certain young woman is slicking up for a dinner party. Her fiance is trying via alcohol to put over a real estate deal. He drinks so he can do a bang up selling job; then he drinks because his alcohol-saturated brain fluffs the deal. Finally he arrives at the party, which has gone slowly through the cocktails phase. As they do, some one brings up the question, "Should you drink?" Now this deep probing is conducted by brains wet with ethyl, and they decide that just about everybody can and should. One male, sipping his coke, says he just doesn't like the stuff, but his wife does, and how! Now these five couples are charming people, weD-maimered, well-dressed, prosperous and well-adjusted. Well, not quitel Down imdemeath there is in each of them that httle maladjustment that calls for alcohol and the compensations alcohol can give (so delightfully). Valerie Pictures "FOUR LITTLE NAVAJOS" Navajo children walk with beauty in Monument Valley PRIMARY — INTERMEDIATE 18 min. color $110 P.O. Box 3 1 1 4 Cleveland 1 7, O. Now this may be recognized as layman's reaction to the pseudo-science and neo-psycholog\ of that film. That's the way it came out on my screen and in my cortex. I can't think of a time or place I'd use this film. Sorry. If you want to see for yourself, get it from McGraw-Hill, New York 36, N. Y. Works of Mercy Son of Ahmad, a 75-frame, 15minute b&w filmstrip, was produced by the Broadcasting and Film Commission of the NCC for Church World Service and its cooperating denominations. Its first use was in connection with the 1960 One Great Hour of Sharing. After that it helped church people, young and old, see and understand the need of disaster refugees for food, housing, medicines and constructive work projects. Through the eyes of a typical village boy of about 14 years we see the relief and rehabilitation programs which the churches of the world support and we come to understand the impact which these works of mercy and help make upon the people who are assisted. Fine and useful production; a good buy for your library; user's guide; LP recorded commentary; $3.50 from Church World Service. 475 Riverside Dr., New York 27. The User Designs A Projector Let me put together the things that the lay worker in the church wants in a filmstrip-shde projector: E^ase in threading. They don't like units that combine the insertion of the filmstrip with the engagement of the propelling sprockets. Thus, inserting should be kept separate from sprocket engagement. Ease of framing. Whether push or pull it must be positive, and the "handle" for it ought to be easily found by the fingers in the dark. Ease in elevation. They don't like a machine where the center of gravity changes when the projector lens is elevated, nor those with front legs close together. They tip too easily. They prefer not to turn nuts or unlock and re-lock legs that kick out. They like the base to stay put when elevating the image. Ease in focusing. They don't hke objective lens assembhes that fit sloppily and wobble. If focusing is of the push-puU kind, let it sUp easily and stay put If of the rotating variety, they want it firm and positive. The kind that jumps a groove and goes completely out of focus drives therr nuts. Heat and Light. They wonder \\\\\ the ventilation louvers above the laiiii can't tut forward so light won't leal into their faces; why some projector get too hot; and why there can't be ; way provided for some fight to leal out onto the reading script. We have four projectors: \Veen' Tiny, a midget from some distant pas for use on a table with a class; Finge Masher, older vintage which is hated Easy Willie, which everyone want and sigjis up for; Clumsy Clim, whicl no one wants to use. Oh, yes, we havi a new one. Cool Clarence, who i already making and keeping friend because he is so positive and well ad justed! Coming Films As a rule this department does no announce films, but this month wi shall make an exception. The Broad casting and Film Commission of th< NCC (475 Riverside Dr., N. Y. 27 has in production and soon read\ fo i release several important titles yoti may want to know about. They will be reviewed here as soon as possible Treasure at Bethany is a 33-minut«i drama on stewardship in terms o ■ time, ability and money. The ecumen ical church has become a missionar>sending church and Household o Faith, 30-minutes and in color, wa. shot in India and tells of the sendinj; of a missionary to Thailand by th«' United Church of India. One of the first acts of the followers of The Waj was to share and they have been at i ever since those early days and nov comes the 30-minute film Sounds o;> the Earth to show why and how it Li still a basic human act. CROP spon. sors this one. All who have to do with pre-mar riage counselling, and this certainl) includes parents, will be glad to know that tsvo films— dramatic in formatare being produced in this field. The) are / Do and Flight Through Dark ness. For further information on thes« and the others above, write to BFC If you want information on the fol lowing titles see your .W librar>' o» dealer or wxite to Family Films, Inc. 5823 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywoo< 38, Calif.: Shepherd Life, a visualiza tion of the 23rd Psalm and other pastoral elements; Life and Customs village Ufe, tent life and work; Wherv Jesus Lived, places related to His boy hood and ministr)'; Jerusalem, Tha Sacred City, sites and buildings anc'^ places with Bibfical associations; anc< A Pictorial Geography, Exploring An' dent Cities and Dead Sea Scrolls' Each is 14 minutes; available in colox and B&W. 288 Educatioival Screen and Audiovisual Guide — June, 1960