We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
io86
Distribution of Films.
At the present moment educational films circulate badly or not at all. In the first place cinema managers fear that these films leave the spectators indifferent or bored; they therefore do not introduce them into their programmes unless forced to by some government regulation. If special presentations are organised to show the films, they do not attract a large public and therefore the receipts are small. And yet, transport and customs tarifs are the same for educational as for ordinary theatrical pictures although the latter cover largely all expenses. In the matter of customs duty payable on educational films; an international diplomatic conference will meet in January 1933 in order to try and arrange the elimination or reduction of these payments. This is the direct result of a suggestion on the part of the I. C. E., approved by the council of the League of Nations. As for transport tarifs; the I. C. E. has likewise undertaken the study of this problem.
Additionally it has often been noted that through faulty organisation those who wish to obtain films on a given subject do not know to whom to address their applications. It is therefore a matter of urgence to create centers everywhere for the distribution and circulation of educational films without lucrative ambitions. Finally even when there exists a centre of distribution, numerous schools are unable to take advantage of the fact because they have no projectors or because, having them, they have no one at hand to operate them. But the whole question of the circulation of educational films is tightly bound up with that of catalogues (1)
Catalogues.
Up till now the only catalogues of educational and instructional films have been those issued by the great film libraries already mentioned But in January 1932 the extensive catalogues published by the I. C. E., compiled
(1) As Mme Tommasi has very rightly remarked, the question of film libraries is bound up with that of catalogues. It is impossible to think of the constitution of a film library whithoutknowing and appreciating those cultural films already in existence.
It is with this end in view that the I. I. E. C. is compiling a catalogue of educational and cultural films of a strictly international character. The problem is to distinguish between those films which, from an educational point of view have only a national interest and those which, dealing with elementary scientific and cultural factors, can contribute universally to the popularisation of science and education
The Institute was therefore unable simply to compile a general catalogue from those supplied by the various piodudng rompanies. It was essential to apply directly to various authorised governmental and cultural institutions in order to find out which films could be considered as up to date from technical, scientific and artistic points of view. Thus the responsability lies with the various official departments concerned."
The catalogue which is being prepared by the I. I. E. C. will be kept constantly up to date and will constitute a necessary guide for all those who are making up libraries of general culture and instructional films.