International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1931)

Information INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL INSTRUCTION AND EDUCATION THROUGH CINEMATOGRAPHY AND BROADCASTING Plenary Meeting of the Committee held on March 14th, 1931. Present: Dr. Rene Sand, Chairman; M. L. Gallie, Canon Reymond:, ViceChairmen; Madame Dreyfus-Barney, Treasurer; M. Royon, Secretary-General; M. de Feo, Director of the International Educational Cinematographic Institute; M. Bonnet, Director of the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation; and M. Billaz, Dr. de Courtry, MM. Beltette, Viborel, Foundoukidis, Lebrun, Barrier, Benoit-Levy, Coissac, Cornelissen. Miss Butts, M. Dufour-Ference, M. Duvillard and M. Giinther were unable to attend. The Chairman, in opening the meeting, expressed the Committee's pleasure at welcoming the presence of Dr. de Feo, Director of the International Educational Cinematographic Institute and of M. Bonnet, Director of the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation. He then called upon the Secretary-General to give a short account of the work of the Bureau since the last meeting M. Royon said that, since the last plenary meeting, when Mr. A. W. Burrows had made a detailed report on the present possibilities of broadcasting, the Bureau had met three times and, while in no way neglecting cinematographic questions, had specially dealt with problems of broadcasting. He reminded the Committee of its recommendation that messages should be broadcast from national stations through the good services of the International Broadcasting Union. The Bureau had considered the matter and was of opinion that the first message to be sent out by the Committee should be in the nature of an appeal to listeners specifying the principles and conditions necessary for the broadcasting of educational communications. Before this message could be issued, information was required concerning the experience of certain specific countries. The Secretary-General had therefore been instructed to make these enquiries and had received some interesting replies, such as the Swedish report on school broadcasting experiments, of which copies had recently been sent to members of the Committee. M. Royon mentioned that the Bureau had lately been called upon to deal with the question of the free international exchange of educational films, which was still on the agenda and on which Canon Reymond would shortly be addressing the Committee. , The Secretary also mentioned a request for co-operation received from Bulgaria with a view to the possibility of a film on the work of the League of Nations, which would make known in the Balkans M. Briand's endeavours to create a federation of European States. In conclusion, he referred to the visit of M. Duvillard from Geneva. M. de Feo said that the Rome Institute could not but be interested in the work of independent national and international bodies and that it was its duty to ascertain the point of view of these organs and to follow their work. He was very glad to have been able to accept the Bureau's invitation to take part in the work of the Committee. M. de Feo then outlined the various measures taken by the Rome Institute in the field of educational cinematography, more particularly, the enquiries made of teachers in a number of countries. Twelve countries had submitted 60,000 replies to a questionnaire containing 100 questions; the speaker referred to the valuable support to the Institute given by Roumania, who alone supplied 8000 answers to 8000 copies of the questionnaire. The main object of this enquiry was to establish a system of teaching by film. He said that he was proposing to furnish the Committee with the data forthcoming