the lens of a motion picture projector is a brilliant penetrating high and eye which can cut through many barriers on the screen the barrier of size can be surmounted as students see microscopic subjects and large 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 the 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 it's 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 time 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 a motion picture projector is an eye that can help you stimulate motivate educate your students but lie any  it must be pointed in the right direction it's wise use demand selectivity the eye in 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 effect 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 the various purposes for which classroom films are designed to communicate information what techniques are most often employed in information films 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  story of life in a woodlot the filmmaker took his camera to the scene of the action he documented facts carefully and accurately at the moment when they occur 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 travelling it's hard to keep your mind on it we all like the park or mrs crawford reads to us from the book and i know everybody would like to be able to read the book to some day  and night we have a real treat hot shot of the prairie chicken and we have fresh meat for supper it's your tastes good compared to dr beach sometimes there's dancing and singing after supper but today has been wrong 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 of what the students see is not the real thing it is factual information documented as carefully and accurately as a filmmaker can recreate  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 you doing the documentary technique showing action as it occurs or an event which has been reenacted so the student can look back into the paths the documentary technique and 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 some of the other techniques you will see later in this film  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 to what your students can more easily gain a new appreciation of themselves and the factors which shape their lives a take a look at some screen examples the first is from understanding others it deals with the social situation let's go back back to the moment when ben entered the room let's look at this incident again from his viewpoints on the laugh at me her sure they make jokes behind my back micros are old and worn and because i have to spend all my spare time working instead of forcing around like they do my whole life is different from theirs i couldn't even begin to fit into their group i wish they did like me it's maybe i could just walk over there and let them know that i want to be friendly you know i'd better not try ask for trouble that ernie davis charlie make fun of  better stay away from them stuck up bunches 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 where willing to do almost anything to get one it's far from alright we've got over forty our creation from town to this place that don't have doctors we're doing everything we can to find  but it's a tough job for her about these young fellows coming out of the medical school would be satisfied with all of them yes most community would like to get one of those young doctor but there's even a problem connected with that the film understanding others present 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 a dent ify with several different reactions helps awaken more mature student attitudes towards problems in human relationships 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 in a film which helps shape attitudes by suggesting  suitable course of action or it may be the drama zation of a social situation which provides evidence of several different attitudes of these two dramatic techniques are somewhat different but there and are identical to create an atmosphere and emotionalized experience to which students can relate a third purpose for which films are designed as to develop skills as we observe how skilled 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 act so operators viewpoint from which to observe the step by step process without extraneous or distracting details a clip from the film on the technique of woodworking joining and viewing verifies this principle of the film design to develop skills using the tri square to guide you extend these lines across both edges of the piece so that the dado will be straight and tru use a marking gauge to mark the depth of the day do this distance is usually one half the thickness of the stock using a block guide and back saw carefully cut the sides of the dado to the proper depth be sure the saw kerf lies in the waste stock or the dado will be too large for the piece that must fit into it use the chairs all with a mallet to remove the waste stock chisel from both sides leaving the 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 by step close ups of the process to be learned we come now to the first purpose for which films are designed to develop interests of these films may impart information they may even help change attitudes but they are primarily designed to arouse interest so they make huge generally of interesting and unusual techniques the film manners in school implies fantasy plus a combination of live action and animal action to arouse interest you better get somebody else some girl i'm sorry mary it's your turn purpose to do something about your manners want to tell me ma and so 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 often find that the use of unusual camera techniques special music and non technical sometimes even poetical narration contribute to the film's purpose resolve a very often such films make use of drama zation but they have a special technique all their own as we shall see in this excerpt from the snob are you satisfied do the snob hurting everyone herself her parents her friends other people but to make 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 way is the group justified in judging everything sarah does snob the special technique of the dramatic film does signs of raised problems is the open end technique the unresolved situation or the unanswered question that grows out of a dramatization something to provoke discussion and exchange of thoughtful opinion on problems which affect your students one two three four five purposes but which classroom films are designed and you've seen examples 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 in the film to raise problems for example both imply drama zation in the one it was a primary characteristic in the other it was secondary to the open and 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 realize your goals are often almost identical with the purposes for which the films are designed i hear again overlapping is common your primary goal may be to develop interests 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 not some of this flexibility is the result of overlapping 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 the skills 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 so consider your students and your teaching goes to obtain clues as to how you should use any film that 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 techniques we have demonstrated here the documentary technique the dramatic technique the step by step close up technique the unusual effects technique and the open and technique now each of these two are going to central 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 the film heightens the importance of the teacher and make his contribution all the more necessary when you turn on the projector the quality of the film experience i had for your students should be predictable and it can be predicted if you develop your skill in both choosing and using the classroom