Choosing a Classroom Film (1963)

[Music] the lens of a Motion Picture projector is a brilliant penetrating eye an eye which can cut through many barriers on the screen the barrier of size can be surmounted as students see microscopic subjects enlarged to the point of easy visibility the barrier of time is circumvented as an extended process appears to be speeded up through the use of time lapse photography or as the past is recreated and brought vividly to life for your students barriers to understanding are removed as complex subjects unfold in simplified detail through the use of Animation which can diagram happenings that often cannot be seen in any other way the eye of the motion picture projector cuts through the barrier of distance to let students observe people and places half a world away to witness the drama while they consider the problems of our times and finally students can see through the use of classroom films what they need to understand as they develop their skills for the future the lens of emotion picture projector is an eye that can help you stimulate motivate educate your students but like any eye it must be pointed in the right direction its wise use demands selectivity behind the eye there must be a brain your brain making the selection choosing the perspective that serves your goals that implements whatever Behavior changes you may want to affect in your students films made for the classroom have several purposes it helps when you're choosing a film to know that there is a connection between the purpose of that film and the techniques used to achieve that purpose now we'll consider the first of various purposes for which classroom films are designed to communicate information now what techniques are most often employed in information films well one technique obviously is a factual presentation with the camera documenting actual events so that they become visual experiences let's look at excerpts from two films which illustrate distinctive techniques for imparting vividness and immediacy to factual material the first film documents life in a [Music] woodlot [Music] [Music] a in unchecked Supremacy it was the hawk that got the snake The Twist which brought death to the snake brought a reprieve to the gross chick but a gross fell prey to a fox the Predator's action will pluck out the Surplus the unfit and the [Music] foolish in this story of life in a wood lot the filmmaker took his camera to the scene of the action he documented facts carefully and accurately at the moment when they occurred in this film students see the real thing but let's take a look at another excerpt from a film in which the subject matter required the substitution of an actual event for one as nearly like it as possible this example is from a film called Children of the Wagon Train everybody's interested in learning I guess sometimes after a day of traveling it's hard to keep your mind on it we all like the part where Mrs Crawford reads to us from the book and I know everybody would like to be able to read from the book too [Music] someday tonight we have a real treat Paul has shot us a prairie chicken and we have fresh meat for supper it sure tastes good compared to Dy beef sometimes there's dancing and singing after supper but today has been long and tonight most of us are ready for bed at sundown in Children of the Wagon Train historical material was reenacted in its original setting what the students see is not the real thing it is factual information documented as carefully and accurately as the filmmaker can recreate it as you work to develop your skill in assessing films remember that the characteristic of the film to communicate information is quite often the result of using the documentary technique showing action as it occurs or an event which has been reenacted so the student can look back into the past the documentary technique in its two variations is the technique most often used in films designed primarily to communicate information but keep in mind that there is also a hardly a classroom film in existence which does not in some way impart information now some of the other techniques you will see later in this film may also be used in informational films now let's consider a second purpose for Which films are designed to change attitudes such films provide common experiences through which your students can more easily gain a new appreciation of themselves and the factors which shape their lives let's take a look at some screen examples the first is from understanding others it deals with us social situation let's go back back to the moment when Ben entered the room let's look at this incident again from his Viewpoint are they laughing at me I'm sure they make jokes behind my back they think I'm odd because my clothes are old and worn and because I have to spend all my spare time working instead of horsing around like they do my whole whole life is different from theirs I couldn't even begin to fit into their group I wish they did like me maybe I could just walk over there and let them know that I want to be friendly no I'd better not why ask for trouble that Ernie Davis he'd probably make fun of me better stay away from them stuck a bunch of snobs before we comment on this type of attitude film let's examine a segment from another one a citizen participates we waited quite a while and we still don't have a doctor we need one pretty bad and we're willing to do almost anything to get one it's problem all right we've got over 40 applications from towns in this state that don't have doctors we're doing everything we can to find the man but it's a tough job well how about these young Fells coming out of the medical schools we'd be satisfied with one of them yes most communities would like to get one of those young doctors but there's even a problem connected with that the film understanding others presents a look at a social situation in such a way that students can easily put themselves in the place of the film participants they can observe the facts yes but over and above this they tend to have some feelings about those facts being able to identify with several different reactions helps awaken more mature student attitudes towards problems in human relations as our screen examples Illustrated a common technique used in films to change attitudes is dramatization it may be a dramatization in which an ideal reaction is stressed as in a citizen participates a film which helps shape Attitudes by suggesting a suitable course of action or it may be the dramatization of a social situation which provides evidence of several different attitudes these two dramatic techniques are somewhat different but their aims are identical to create an atmosphere an emotionalized experience to which students can relate a third purpose for Which films are designed is to develop skills as we observe how skill films are constructed notice that the camera is usually focused on the work at hand giving the student watching the film a front row seat often the actual operator's Viewpoint from which to observe the stepbystep process without extraneous or distracting details a clip from the film on the technique of woodworking joining and gluing verifies this principle of the film designed to develop skills using the tri Square to guide you extend these lines across both edges of the piece so that the D will be straight and true use a marking gauge to Mark the depth of the dato this distance is usually 1/2 the thickness of the stock using a block guide and back saw carefully cut the sides of the D to the proper depth be sure the saw curf lies in the waist stock or the dato will be too large for the pie piece that must fit into it use the Chisel with a mallet to remove the waste stock chisel from both sides leaving the cut high in the center smooth the bottom of the Dayo with a chisel or a router the piece should fit snugly but not so tightly that it has to be pounded in in a film to develop skills the technique most often used is one of presenting step bystep close-ups of the process to be learned we come now to the fourth purpose for Which films are designed to develop interest now these films May impart information they may even help change attitudes but they are primarily designed to arouse interest so they make use generally of interesting and unusual techniques the film manners in school employs fantasy plus a combination of live action and anim to arouse [Music] interest Larry Larry Carson yeah it's almost time for recess Larry I just wanted to remind you it's your turn to clean the chalkboard a Miss ran we were going to play ball at recess honest you better get somebody else some girl I'm sorry Larry it's your return class dismissed hi Larry my name is chalky gosh you can talk sure and I can walk and run and even jump gosh Ah that's nothing what's important Larry I'm here for a purpose to do something about your manners what do you mean my manners the use of Interest catching devices is not limited to films designed to develop interest but where that is the primary purpose of a film you will often find that the use of unusual camera techniques special music and non-technical sometimes even poetical narration contribute to the film's purpose the fifth purpose purp for which classroom films may be designed is to raise problems such films are used for the specific purpose of initiating and stimulating a class discussion in an area which students can explore and analyze if not resolve very often such films make use of dramatization but they have a special technique all their own as we shall see on this excerpt from the snob are you satisfied I don't know what your talking about you really froze him out didn't you I don't know what business it is of yours if I don't want to dance well I think you did want to dance you wanted to dance all right but you just couldn't pass up the chance to be a [Music] snob what happened what's the matter Sarah Sarah come back I can't why not what's the matter can I do anything no oh R they're so mean and hateful they don't understand anybody who isn't one of their gang and doesn't do all the silly things they do they don't understand didn't mean it is there something I can the snob hurting everyone herself her parents her friends other people what makes Sarah act the way she does is it a cover up for some lack she feels in herself can a friend like Ron help her in any [Music] way is the group justified in judging everything Sarah does as [Music] snobbery what do you think the special technique of the dramatic film designed to raise problems is the open-end technique the unresolved situation or the unanswered question that grows out of a dramatization something to provoke discussion and an exchange of thoughtful opinion on problems which affect your students 1 2 3 4 five purposes for which classroom films are designed you've seen examples of of the close relationship between the techniques used in films and the purposes of those films you may also have noticed some overlapping in techniques the film to change attitudes and the film to raise problems for example both employed dramatization in the one it was a primary characteristic in the other it was secondary to the open-end characteristic now let's return to your goals to the behavior changes you want to affect when you show a film to your students as you probably have already realized your goals are often almost identical with the purposes for which the films are designed now here again overlapping is common your primary goal may be to develop interest although you also may want to communicate information the point is there is generally a great deal of flexibility in the ways you can use films now some of this flexibility is the result of overlap purposes and techniques in the films themselves but there is even more flexibility possible in your adaptation of those films to meet your particular teaching needs you may choose a film designed primarily to help develop a skill such as the joining and gluing film and emphasize some special element in it such as asking students to watch for examples of safety practices now when you do you're using a skill film as an attitude film consider your students and your teaching goals to obtain Clues as to how you should use any film what you want the film to accomplish will usually determine what you ask your students to look for as they view the film it will also suggest the type of follow-up activities which are going to be needed you will develop your own skill in evaluating films by learning to recognize some of the film Tech techniques we have demonstrated here the documentary technique the dramatic technique the step-by-step closeup technique the unusual effects technique and the open-end technique now each of these serve an essential purpose but remember too that any one of them may serve a secondary purpose which may be very important in relation to your teaching goals proper use of film heightens the importance of the teacher and and makes his contribution all the more necessary when you turn on the projector the quality of the film experience ahead for your students should be predictable and it can be predicted if you develop your skill in both choosing and using the classroom [Music] film