See and hear : the journal on audio-visual learning (1945)

The Film in Intergroup Relations by Leo Shapiro Director, Department of Education, Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith AN ARTICLE which attempts to examine the subject suggested in the above title usually makes . its examination in a general way. Its experiences are set forth as fairly universal experiences; its conclusions tend to be stated as universal or at least quasi-universal. The purpose here is rather to describe the inter-relationship of audio-visual and human relations materials, techniques, values, problems, in tenns of the experiences of one of the agencies (but let it be understood, just one of them) which have done consid. erable work in this field. I have chosen, as my agency, the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, for obvious reasons of first-hand familiarity. I might just as \alidly ha\e chosen any number of other organizations with similar purposes and related audio-visual activities. Real Interest in the Audio-Visual Field It should be made clear at the outset that the ADL has had a deep and abiding interest in the audio-visual field for a considerable number of years. Our interest can be inferred from the kind of financial commitment which we have made to this field, a financial commitment which ranges from $3,000 to $4,000 for a single filmstrip, to some $30,000 for a sound film. We. have been interested in various types of the film medium — filmstrips, sound slidefilms, one-reel productions, graphics, etc. In the area of production, we have tried .genuinely to get the most competent counsel and assistance; and we have not felt the slightest bit inhibited about utilizing the best services in this regard from coast to coast — literally. We have even set up a national audio-visual department, with offices in New York City. Perhaps the facts and figures of our distribution can tell the story briefly of how we have hammered away at the role of audio-xisual in this field. These figures, by ihe way, are as of November 22, 1949. Our earliest film Anitnaled carloon in a recent ADL color filmstrip. was One People; we ha\e sold seventy-three prints of this film, a fair number for a first effort. But consider the figmes on some of our other materials. Our sound slidefilm. None So Blind — some 300 prints sold; None So Blind in the silent strip version — 885 prints; About People filmstrip — 800; Little Songs on Big Subjects — 300; Sing A Song of Friendship — about 250 prints sold. Considerable Activity in Film Distribution In addition, we have begun to do a rather large distribution of two other films. Prejudice (done in cooperation with the Protestant Film Commission) , and Your Neighbor Celebrates Jewish Holidays, which is being circulated through Religious Films Associates; but it is still a little too early to tell on these. I have not mentioned here the large circulation that has been done of other materials ^which are not actually produced by the ADL — films like Boundary Lines, Brotherhood of Man, House I Live In, Intergroup Relations filmsnip series, Make Way for Youth, Labor's Challenge, and so on. AVe are interested in other aspects of audio-visual education — say, the precise kind of utilization of our materials. For example, some months ago our Atlanta office made an estimate of which kinds of films are used for which groups throughout the Southern area over which the office has supervision. It found that by far the largest users of our films in the South were the church groups, easily half of the showings being for such groups. Approximately 20% of our showings were for Jewish groups, and about another 20% for schools, although it was suggested that this last figure would jmnp 10% or 15% over certain periods. The remaining \0% of the showings were before civic groups and labor organizations. These Are the Films Which Our Groups Like This office found that the most popular film seemed to be Sing a Song of Friendship, about one-third of the showings being Qf this film; next came Boundary Lines, accoimting for about 18% of the showings; Don't Be a Sucker 13%; The House I Live In — 12%; One People —8%; Brotherhood of Man— 5%; Americans All— 4%. The films most popular with Jewish groups were Sing a So7ig of FriendsJiip, Boundary Lines, Don't Be a ■ Sucker. The most popular films with church groups were Sing a Song of Friendship, Boundary Lines, Don't Be a Sucker, The House I Live hi, One People. The films most popidar with schools were Sing a Song of Friendship, The House I Live In, Don't Be a Sucker. I give these statistics not because I am so impressed with their objective validity or their general implications — although quite possibly, there may be both valid 14 SEE and HEAR