Movie Makers (Jun-Dec 1928)

EDUCATIONAL and SCIENTIFIC News of Visual Education in Homes and Schools Clearing the Air OUTLINING three chief reasons why motion pictures have not yet come into general use for classroom purposes, Dr. Thomas E. Finegan, Educational Director of the Teaching Film Department of the Eastman Kodak Company, in an address delivered before the Society of Motion Picture Engineers recently stated that the unfamiliarity of teachers with the use of both apparatus and film has held back the development of this branch of visual instruction; that so far few motion pictures designed primarily for classroom use have been produced, and that cost of equipment, production and distribution until recently has led to the lack of interest on the part of educators. In the course of his address Dr. Finegan said: "The general use, therefore, of classroom films resolves itself into the solution of these questions: Is it possible to produce the character of films which will yield measurable results in classroom work of sufficient value to make their use a profitable investment? If such films can be produced and this result can be achieved, is it possible to produce them at a cost which will make it practical and feasible for the schools to provide them? May teachers be trained to use motionpicture apparatus and to evaluate film service?" It was to try and solve these problems, he stated, that the Eastman educational film experiments, the outcome of which is reported elsewhere in these columns, were undertaken. Film Marvels MICRO-CINEMA for the study of living cells has opened up new fields for research, according to Dr. Heinz Rosenberger, physicist at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, where films of this type have been in use for four years. The eye looking through the microscope perceives only the apparently motionless images of microscopic phenomena while the motion pictures are magnified almost 50,000 times. In pictures shown recently by Dr. Rosenberger at a meeting of the American Chemical Society there were micro-cinematic views of the blood coursing in a rabbits ear, the cells in a culture of a still-living chicken Edited by Ruth Hamilton Kerr ■w heart, and cell division and activity in rat fibreblasts. In recent pictures Dr. Rosenberger states there is a still higher magnification and that these micro-cinematic productions are the most detailed yet recorded. FilmRatings? VJ77RLTING of the use of films for ^* educational purposes, Louis A. Astell, of the Natural Science departments of West Chicago Community High School, says there should be ratings of films available for class room use. "My experience with 35mm film has led me to the idea that if educators were given ratings of rental and loan material these would serve a most beneficial purpose in all directions," he adds, pointing out that "these ratings could be based on expert opinions, with films suggested for primary, elementary, secondary and collegiate work. If applied to the 16mm field it would serve to eliminate unsuitable material that is now listed for educational use." Newspaper Film THE first showing of the newspaper motion picture, "A Day With the Sun," produced by the Fox Film Corporation, was given before students of Journalism at New York University recently. The film was produced primarily as a historical record of twentieth century newspaper production, and presents an accurate picture of every process in the gathering and printing of news. The Fox Film Corporation filmed the picture in different departments of the New York Sun. German Educational A FILM of educational value for advanced schools and universities has been produced by Ufa's Department for Cultural Productions, depicting the development of life and illustrating the evolution of man. It is called "Nature and Love" and was filmed under the direction of eminent scientists of Germany. The film has been sanctioned by the approval of critics, school and church authorities in Germany, but at present it is not determined if it will be shown in this country. Filmo Educationals rT"lHREE groups of films with defi■*• nite educational value are included in the Filmo Library offerings. These are: the Pillsbury "Explorations in Plant and Flower Life", the Ditmars "Living Natural History Series" and the Tolhurst "Popular Science Series". These films are said to have that rare quality of educational value plus absorbing interest for every age group. Educating Trade STARTLING evidence of the mo^ tion picture's influence upon trade in American goods throughout the world is received daily, it is declared editorially in The Motion Picture, published by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America. "For every foot of film exported from this country, the Department of Commerce estimates, American business secures a return of at least $1.00 in trade," the editorial continues. "The film has become an 'animated catalogue' for American goods. People the world over are turning to the screen for direction in their purchases of goods, with the result that millions of dollars are being poured annually into the pockets of business men, whether they deal in soap, automobiles, harness, dressgoods, cosmetics, or what not. "Last year foreign exports of film from this country amounted to 231,995,018 feet, for distribution in the 30,000 motion picture theatres outside of this country. "Because of motion pictures, a certain type of California bungalow has come into wide use in South American countries. Because they have formed a pleasant background for so many pictures, swimming pools at private houses have come into very general use. Because they were being forced to install new machinery to make shoes like those the American movie queens wear, shoe manufacturers of Great Britain protested not long ago. Because stenographers of Paris saw the well lighted and well ventilated, roomy offices as shown in American films, Dr. Toulouse, a distinguished French psychologist, says they demanded, and are getting, similar comforts." 404