Teach it with Films
Page 35
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Says R. N. Paterson THE use of films by the Road Haulage Association to propagate its anti-nationalization campaign, and the more commercial adaptations of the industrial film by such well-known concerns as Vauxhall, Ford, Austin and Rootes, point to the growing value of films in all sections of the road transport world.
Although it is only during the past 12 months that the industrial film, in its present form, has made its presence felt in commercial-motor circles, films were used early in the war years to instruct recruits to the various transport sections of the three Services. The Ministry of Transport has also made good use of the film technique to emphasize the need for devices to ensure passenger safety in public service vehicles.
War Experience The training films made during the war years covered a wide range of subjects, ranging from short films dealing with the maintenance of certain parts of commercial vehicles, to complete courses of instruction on the care and maintenance of transport vehicles under all conditions.
It was as a direct result of the use of films by the Services that the industrial and instructional film became, almost automatically, a part of post-war industry. Vehicle makers saw in it a valuable form of publicity for their products, and motoring schools and technical colleges realized that films could do much to teach the student road transport engineer the link between theory and practice.
On the manufacturing side of the road transport industry, most companies are concentrating on the use of films to build up their export sales campaigns. The four concerns already mentioned, and Dunlop, Joseph Lucas and Exide, among the makers of accessories, have already sponsored long films dealing with the activities of their organizations.
Ford Films
The Ford concern has always been interested in the use of films for instructional purposes, its latest eftort being a film called "Tools for the Job," which deals with repairs and maintenance.
Most of the films intended for showing to specialized industries are not made in the normal 35 mm. size, which is the type used in public cinemas, but on 16 mm. non-inflammable film, which can be shown on portable projectors to fairly large audiences. The R.H.A., for instance, made use of mobile 16 mm. film units to show its film, "A Matter of Opinion," to thousands of people in all parts of the country, and almost every industrial organization has a projector available for showing films to employees.
By utilizing 16 mm. films it is thus possible to give a show in any room or hall that is sufficiently blackedout and has electricity installed. It is because of the portability of the apparatus, and the ease with which 16 mm. stock can be sent through the post, that films have a particular appeal to road transport operators who wish to instruct their operatives in road safety methods, engine maintenance, and other matters vital to the efficient running of their organizations.
Dramatic Appeal
A film can demonstrate road dangers, and the right and wrong methods of driving, in a far more lucid manner than can a lecturer using blackboard illustrations.
A recent example of film technique as used to give drivers of all types of vehicle a clear picture of what road safety means, is a special film sponsored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Central Office of Information, and is aptly called, "Calling All Drivers."
When an operator plans to employ films, he should bear in mind the objective behind such film shows. They are, obviously, intended to explain difficult facts and to illustrate technical feature in such a way that an element of entertainment is present and interest is not allowed to be lost because the subject is of a technical nature.
Most films made for showing to industrial workers combine this entertainment aspect with the general instructional theme, so that the film impresses its facts on the mind because it is interesting as well as instructive. Whilst there is quite a number of films available, from both official and industrial film libraries dealing with subjects of interest to road transport concerns, the full value of the 16 mm. film as an instructional medium can be achieved only by the production of films dealing with the problems associated directly with the industry and the companies concerned
Railway Enterprise
Several of the railway companies have solved the problem of the supply of suitable films by developing their own small film-production units composed of a 16 mm cameraman, a script writer, and a projectionist who operates and maintains the projectors. The films are shown to employees in specially constructed mobile coaches.
Much the same principle could be used by road transport organizations. A van or truck, carrying a portable projector and ancillary equipment, could be made available for showing films to operatives in various key centres, and its cost met by contributions from all concerns needing its use The subjects most suitable for instruction and demonstration by the use of films are those dealing with the efficient running of transport services, problems relating to road difficulties, prevention of accidents, repairs on the road, and the general maintenance of commercial vehicles of all types. With a silent 16 mm. film camera it is possible to make films that, by keeping the action in order of sequence, can clearly demonstrate the subject filmed without the need for a sound commentary.
Sources of Supply One of the principal sources of industrial and instructional films for showing on 16 mm. projectors, is the Central Film Library, Imperial Institute, London, S.W.7, from which most of the films made for the Services and Government departments can be borrowed. Other sources likely to be of use to the transport industry are the Petroleum Films Bureau, 46 St. James's Place, London, WA, a body which has sponsored a .great many well-produced films dealing with lubrication and internal-combustion engines, and the Ford Motor Co., Ltd., Film Library, which has a number of instructional films available, all of which deal with the motor industry.