World Film News and Television Progress (Apr 1936-Mar 1937)

A Coiiij)lete Regional Geography of the World EDUCATIONAL AND GENERAL SERVICES haVe isSUed their first full dress catalogue. In one respect it makes a welcome deviation in educational policy. The main emphasis is on the short silent film for classroom use as opposed to the longer film which is more suitable for the school hall. Teachers will welcome these films which are primarily classroom implements. Some 40 of these silent shorts are the product of the Glasgow group of teachers who, under the supervision of the Director of Education for Glasgow, have been tackling the problem of providing specific illustrations to the curricular work of the schools. E.G.S. plan to concentrate on the teacher-made films. They are willing to consider films made by teachers or teachers" film groups with a view to their inclusion in their library. An Advisory Council composed mainly of practising teachers vet all films for school use and are anxious to advise teachers about to produce classroom films. This advice, if sought and taken, should do much to avoid needless duplication at a time when every foot of film is valuable, and this co-operation between teacher and distributor opens up a possible market for the school producer. This may solve some of the financial problems of amateur film production. E.G.S. are to be congratulated on this attitude for, too often, in the enthusiasms for the new possibilities which cinema offers to education, the fimdamental job of the teacher is forgotten. Managing Director Commander Hunt aims to make available a complete regional geography of the world. But on this point he is diffident, for he realises that it is a huge undertaking. It may take a year or two, he said, or it may take a generation or two, but it is worth doing. The first experimental step has been made by securing the rights on the material shot on the Elder-Dalrymple Expedition. The teachers' verdict on this will decide the next step. Other aspects of the E.G.S. policy are even more comprehensive. They aim to function as a clearing house for aU information on educational films and also as a complete supply service. As well as answer all your queries they will supply you with any catalogue or any apparatus. They will arrange your programmes even if your choice of films is from the libraries of different producers. E.G.S. is not a producing company but will co-ordinate for the teacher the main sources of supply. This should offer a solution to many of the problems which beset the teacher who uses films regularly either in connection with school lessons or as a recreational activity. NOTES: L.C.C., Film Institute, Children's F.S. For the second year the L.C.C. Education Committee in collaboration with producers and distributors, have organised a film experiment. In spite of the fact that results of last year's experiment are not yet to hand, this year's work has been arranged according to a definite plan. Eight cinemas are being used and four programmes are being shown to mass audiences of children. Each programme has a definite theme. Programme I, AUSTRALIA, includes This is Australia and Sydney Bridge. Programme II is titled WEATHER AND COAST, and includes Weather Forecast and Coast Erosion. A third programme is MAN'S WORK and comprises Water Power, Coal, Granton Trawler, and Night Mail. PAST AND PRESENT is the final theme, and is represented by Medieval Village, Life in the Highlands, and the hawking and cooking scenes from The Private Life of Henry VHL An attractive booklet which gives a synopsis of each film has been issued to all teachers taking part. Specially devised tests will be given to the children after the displays. * * * That someone should attempt to link education by film with the broadcast to schools was inevitable. Whispers and rumours have taken their first concrete shape in a Film Institute list of films suitable for use with the Broadcast to Schools 1936-37. The arrangement has been done by the Central Council for School Broadcasting and is in their best vein, being monumental and hypercomprehensive. The main job for teachers will be to sift out the useable and most appropriate films from this mass of good, bad, and indifferent. If B.B.C. teachers make reference to the films they will have little time for anything else ; if they don't refer to them — well, what ? The British Film Institute now offers help to the teacher both before and after purchase of a projector for use in his school. The teacher requires information as to the types of projectors which exist, how many and what kind of films are available for each type of projector, where he can buy projectors and what are the prices of them, information on the various types of screens and on the problem of darkening a room, at the same time providing adequate ventilation. These matters and a number of others are dealt with in the Institute's Leaflet No. 5 on projectors and films for schools. 12,000 copies of previous editions of this Leaflet were distributed and the revised edition is now available (price 7id., including postage). * * * A leaflet on the manipulation and maintenance of projectors for teachers is being prepared, and it is hoped to arrange classes for teachers in the handling of projectors on the lines of the course carried out at the recent London Film School. Articles on the use of educational films in the school and on many other related subjects are published in the Education Section of Sight and Sound, the Institute's quarterly journal. The National Film Library set up by the Institute now possesses a number of films which can be hired at a nominal fee by teachers and education authorities who are associated in membership with the Institute. A catalogue of these films is now available and may be obtained from the Institute, price Is. 2d. including postage. Programmes for the Hampstead Children's Film Society this year will include a film from three groups of films entitled How the World's Work is Done, How People Live in Other Lands, and Modern Heroes, and a special newsreel, nature film, comedy and Disney cartoon. Experiment at Brentwood To ascertain how educational clneraa may be organised in the school an experimental scheme has been instituted at Brentwood School, Essex. A large room has been fitted out as a Projection Theatre. It has adequate ventilation, seating in tiers, dark blinds, a good screen, blackboard, demonstration bench, an epidiascope and a 16 mm. sound projector capable of showing both D.I.N, and S.M.P.E. films. The opportunity to use films is open to all members of the staff. To this end a catalogue of nearly 900 films, embracing some thirteen commercial libraries, has been prepared and the interested masters have been given lists of available films on their special subjects. Subjects which will be concentrated upon are Nature Study, Biology, Physics, Geography and to some extent Chemistry and History. Later on in the year, films may be used for the illustration of Mathematics, Physical Training and other subjects. The Projection Theatre and the apparatus will, in out-of-school hours, be available for film exhibition by the Field Club, Science Society, and other school organisations. Film demonstrations will also be given at times to members of the various elevens and school teams. The school sports, on which there are several fihns available, include football, cricket, tennis, swimming and physical training. During the Winter and Easter terms, weekly exhibitions of entertainment films will be given for boarders and all day-boys who wish to attend. The scheme is in the care of an Organiser who is responsible for the maintenance of the apparatus, the booking and care of films. A subsidiary experiment will show, in the course of the year, what value is obtained from the use of films. A course of study in Natural History has been worked out and will be given to the three classes in the first form. The upper and lower classes will have the lessons illustrated by means of films, the middle class will not have films. By comparing the rates of progress of the classes in Nature Study with the rates of progress in other subjects it will be possible to ascertain whether the introduction of films is worth while. AMERICAN EQUIPMENT SURVEY A recent survey of visual and radio equipment in the schools of the United States yields the following figures: — 16,940 lantern slide projectors 3,035 still film attachments 2,825 film strip projectors 2,203 micro-slide projectors 2,616 opaque projectors 6,006 16 mm. silent projectors 449 16 mm. sound projectors 3,154 35 mm. silent projectors 309 35 mm. sound projectors 11,190 radio receiving sets 848 centralised radio sound systems This data includes 95 per cent of the schools in cities having a population of 5,000 and over, and a great many of the smaller schools. It is, therefore, fairly complete. 37