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

Educational Films in Sweden by Bertil Lauritzen Educational Director of Sx>ensk Filmindustri, Stockholm, Sweden IN 1921 Svensk Filmindustri start- ed an educational department which is still running at full speed as one of the world's oldest in the field. Since 1923 this agency has al- so edited a quarterly paper for vis- ual aids in education, the Svensk Skolfilm ocli Bildningsfilm. The ma- terial consisted, in the beginning, of all sorts of documentaries, mostly travel films, and others on geograph- ical and biological subjects. Others joined in, and before long a rather large number of films were available, that were rather well suited to fit in with the ordinary work of the school. More and more teachers became interested in this new and wonder- ful visual aid, and all over the land "skolfilm" became a well-known word. Only the Government did not show anything but a theoretical in- terest, an attitude that so far has not been changed. During the first fifteen years all educational films were in 35 mm, and the educational value of show- ing such films to great audiences of children in ordinary theaters can naturally be questioned. Very few of the schools had 35 mm projectors of their own. In 1936, 16 mm became the inter- national substandard size, and in 1938 the same Swedish pioneers in- stalled substandard laboratory equipment entirely for educational pur}X)ses. A new era had begun for the educational film both in schools and in all sorts of educational socie- ties and studying groups. Now, in 1947, two governmental committees, working out a new Swedish school system, are propos- ing official state financial help to all s<h<K)ls and educational societies who wish to use films. So we are looking forward to a very bright future. Today there are about 2,000 dif- ferent educational films circulating in this country and about 1,500 16 mm projectors, mostly silent. There is very, very much left to do before we can talk of a perfect system in work. What are the problems discussed in Swedish film education of today? Naturally, there is the question of distribution. Already in 1938 the first Swedish regional cooperative film library started to work. In such a library a number of school districts collabo- rate in buying prints and distribut- ing them to their own schools. It is an inexpensive way of handling the matter. The teachers manage it themselves, and they have the films close at hand. This is a step towards the future ideal of every chool— owning its own prints for teachers to use when and where they wish. Since 1938 this regional system has been at work in many districts and is still spreading throughout Sweden. Then there is the question of sound or silent, discussed in all countries but never a real problem in Sweden. The Swedish teachers have always been looking at educa- tional films as pure teaching mate- rial, quite different from the enter- tainment film. From that point of view, the educational film sets out to do a specific job, and it must be very carefully and psychologically planned for this very purpose. Swedish teaching is very individ- ualized, and the teachers know that one class is never quite like another, nor are there two pupils exactly alike. They find it quite natural that different classes, groups or pu- pils need different commentaries or preparation. Therefore, they do not like an unknown, mechanical teach- er to take over their job. They think that education should be carefully tiesigncd for each single class. Since pupils hear enough of spok- en words in school, the purpose of using film is to give a visual back- ground and associative basis to their knowledge. We must not split their mind between visual and sound when looking at films. Let them have the chance to concentrate upon the moving pictures, which certain- ly need concentration, and to gen- eralize upon what they see. This has been the Swedish point of view. Naturally, there have been other voices speaking, pointing at the English and American educa- tional sound film. We feel that the educational sound film (environ- mental sound only) of the future will be the non-dialogue one except, of course, for the language teaching. This is the face of Swedish educa- tional film work. The biggest pro- ducer, still the same as the first one, is distributing over a thousand films a week during the terms. We make our own films in every educational fild and import and re-edit the films that we cannot make ourselves; we send out film expeditions to all parts of the world. We have teach- ers' courses in film education—more than 1,700 have attended such courses during the last half year, and we are looking forward to the vis- ual school of the future with "oin- windows open wide to the world." • * * • A Note About Norway -k Pending receipt from Norway of a full article, we present these facts on visual education there: Due to war conditions, there are \ery few Norwegian up-to-date peacetime films in existence for in- formational purposes in the United States. 'I'here were a good many available during the war, but they are of no value for present day con- ditions. A few films are available and others will be available shortly through the Royal Norwegian In- formation Service, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 20, N.Y. There are in Norway today about 380 16 nmi projectors in 734 school districts; an additional 350 projec- tors owned by various lecturing so- cieties: and about 250 projectors owned by various official institu- tions, making the total about 1000. 30 SEE AND HEAR