General Texts:
Couch, Richards and Hunt, Thomas. "The Rise and Fall of the United States Film Service." International Journal of Instructional Media 21.3 (1994): 239-53.
This article details how FDR set up the United States Film Service and the internal battle he fought by trying to get the government to create films that supported the New Deal. It talks about the conflict raised by using "relief" funds for filmmaking and Pare Lorentz's struggle to obtain footage from Hollywood, where producers blocked his requests once they learned that the federal government was funding the film. At the time, Hollywood was irate with the idea of having to compete with the government for audiences.
It goes on to describe the end of the New Deal, the financial problems, and the accusations of being "propaganda" that led to the eventual end of the US Film Service.
Couch, Richards and Hunt, Thomas. "The Rise and Fall of the United States Film Service." International Journal of Instructional Media 21.3 (1994): 239-53.
This article details how FDR set up the United States Film Service and the internal battle he fought by trying to get the government to create films that supported the New Deal. It talks about the conflict raised by using "relief" funds for filmmaking and Pare Lorentz's struggle to obtain footage from Hollywood, where producers blocked his requests once they learned that the federal government was funding the film. At the time, Hollywood was irate with the idea of having to compete with the government for audiences.
It goes on to describe the end of the New Deal, the financial problems, and the accusations of being "propaganda" that led to the eventual end of the US Film Service.
MacCann, Richard Dyer. The People’s Films: A Political History of U.S. Government Motion Pictures. New York: Hastings House Daytrip Publishers, 1973.
This book traces the rise of government-produced motion pictures, touching on major directors like Pare Lorentz that made films for the federal government.
Gershon, Robert. "State Humanities Councils as Patrons of Film and Video Production" Journal of Film and Video 38(1): Winter 1986.
Farmer, Richard “Exploiting a Universal Nostalgia for Steak and Onions: The Ministry of Information and the Promotion of World of Plenty.” Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television 30(2): Jun. 2010.
This article discusses 'World of Plenty' a film made by Paramount Films for the British Ministry of Information. The film advocates for global controls to be put on basic food staples, and Farmer's article talks about how this was perceived as radical at the time, and the difficulties that the British government found in trying to get theaters to screen the movie.
Murphy, William T. “Film at the National Archives: A Reference Article.” Film and History 2(3): Sept. 1972.
Hearon, Fanning. "The Motion-Picture Program and the Policy of the United States Government." Journal of Educational Sociology 12(3): Nov. 1938. p.147-62
Popple, S. (1996). Group three - A lesson in state intervention? Film History, 8(2), 131-131-142. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2193126?accountid=8285
Stewart, M. (2004). Alternative media in the classroom. Transformations, XV(2), 114-114. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220358214?accountid=8285
Michell, M. (2006). Teaching for critical literacy: An ongoing necessity to look deeper and beyond. English Journal, 96(2), 41-46. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/237298501?accountid=8285
General Film
www.public.resource.org (government film Youtube channel)
Anti-Drug Films
"Marijuana" Online video clip. Youtube. 20 April 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsxxBdl8n40&feature=related
Lichtblau, Eric. "White House tries to get anti-drug lines into films." Los Angeles Times 11 Jul. 2000: Web.<http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20000711&slug=4031149>
This book traces the rise of government-produced motion pictures, touching on major directors like Pare Lorentz that made films for the federal government.
Gershon, Robert. "State Humanities Councils as Patrons of Film and Video Production" Journal of Film and Video 38(1): Winter 1986.
Murphy, William T. “John Ford and the Wartime Documentary” Film and History 6(1): Feb. 1986.
This articles talks about Ford's World War Two film and how they were used to both build support for the war and helped to justify the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans.
This articles talks about Ford's World War Two film and how they were used to both build support for the war and helped to justify the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans.
Brownell, Kathryn Kramer “It’s Entertainment and it will Sell Bonds: 16 mm Film and the World War II Bond Campaign.” Moving Image 10(2): 2010
This article deals with how the Office of War Information took the films it produced on the road during World War Two, interspersing footage taken in combat with appeals for moviegoers to buy War Bonds.
This article deals with how the Office of War Information took the films it produced on the road during World War Two, interspersing footage taken in combat with appeals for moviegoers to buy War Bonds.
Smith, David A. “American Nightmare:Images of Brainwashing, Thought Control, and Terror in Soviet Russia” Journal of American Culture 33(3) Sept. 2010
Sharrett, Christopher “9/11, the Useful Incident, and the Legacy of the Creel Committee.” Cinema Journal 43(4): Summer 2004
Fox, Jo “John Grierson, his ‘documentary boys’ and the BritishMinistry of Information, 1939-42.” Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television 25(3): Aug. 2005.
Farmer, Richard “Exploiting a Universal Nostalgia for Steak and Onions: The Ministry of Information and the Promotion of World of Plenty.” Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television 30(2): Jun. 2010.
This article discusses 'World of Plenty' a film made by Paramount Films for the British Ministry of Information. The film advocates for global controls to be put on basic food staples, and Farmer's article talks about how this was perceived as radical at the time, and the difficulties that the British government found in trying to get theaters to screen the movie.
Nowell-Smith, Jeffrey “Diamonds are Forever” Sight and Sound 18(10): Oct. 2008.
Murphy, William T. “Film at the National Archives: A Reference Article.” Film and History 2(3): Sept. 1972.
Zweig, Noah “Foregrounding public cinema and rural audiences: The USDA Motion Picture Service as Cinematic Modernism, 1903-1938” Journal of Popular Film and Television 37(3): Fall 2009.
This article talks about the history of the USDA Motion Picture Service, which was the first government filmmaking department, having started in 1912. It traces its collaborations with the Creel Commission during WWI, the Forest Service, and its attempts at outreach on soil conservations and farming techniques. The article also highlights how the USDA's portrayal of African-Americans in its films reinforced the status quo of the Jim Crow era.
Hearon, Fanning. "The Motion-Picture Program and the Policy of the United States Government." Journal of Educational Sociology 12(3): Nov. 1938. p.147-62
Popple, S. (1996). Group three - A lesson in state intervention? Film History, 8(2), 131-131-142. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2193126?accountid=8285
Stewart, M. (2004). Alternative media in the classroom. Transformations, XV(2), 114-114. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220358214?accountid=8285
Michell, M. (2006). Teaching for critical literacy: An ongoing necessity to look deeper and beyond. English Journal, 96(2), 41-46. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/237298501?accountid=8285
General Film
www.public.resource.org (government film Youtube channel)
Anti-Drug Films
"Marijuana" Online video clip. Youtube. 20 April 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsxxBdl8n40&feature=related
Lichtblau, Eric. "White House tries to get anti-drug lines into films." Los Angeles Times 11 Jul. 2000: Web.<http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20000711&slug=4031149>
Bridis, Ted. "U.S. uploads anti-drug videos to Youtube." USA Today 18 Sept. 2006: Web.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-09-18-youtube-drugs_x.htm
"Hemp for Victory (Full Version)" Online video clip. Youtube. 20 January 2009.
Public Health
The Public Health Film Goes to War: The Films
U.S. National Library of Medicine: National Institute of Health
"Pay Your Income Tax: 1943 Disney Propaganda" Online video clip. Youtube. 9 August 2008.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00u6qUelp6c>
This is animated feature produced for the U.S. government by Disney in which Donald Duck convinces Americans to pay their income taxes.
"The New Sprit" Online video clip. Youtube. 28 November 2007.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5CKHLlwA7U>
This is animated feature produced for the U.S. government by Disney in which Donald Duck convinces Americans to pay their income taxes.
"The New Sprit" Online video clip. Youtube. 28 November 2007.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5CKHLlwA7U>
"Our Friend the Atom" Online video clip. Youtube. 20 October 2010.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByZ1AyDEGSk>This is a 1957 live action film produced for the U.S. government by Disney. The film was designed to be shown in classrooms and sell the benefits of nuclear power to the American public.
"Thrifty Pig" Online video clip. Youtube. 7 November 2009.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh54bfvR3Rk>
This is a 1941 Disney film commissioned by the Canadian government. It features the Three Little Pigs and was aimed at convincing Canadians to invest in war bonds.
"Stop That Tank" Online video clip. Youtube. 8 May 2008.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kx4UgeNHfs>
This is a 1942 film Disney made for the Candadian Directorate of Military Training to sell the WW2 war effort to the Canadian public.
"VD Attack Plan"
http://www.oncevid.com/videos.aspx?watch=/anime/VD_Attack_Plan.flv
One of the stranger government films produced by Disney, this 1973 animated feature portrays syphilis as a cartoon monster and was meant to teach soldiers how to prevent venereal diseases.
NASA
"On the Shoulders of Giants" Online video clip. Internet Archive.
NASA TV
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
This is an online television channel produced by NASA.
Exploring Our Universe: Official NASA Films Documenting the U.S. in Space (VHS)
A VHS collection of NASA films.
Eyes on the Solar System
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eyes/index.html
This is an online television channel produced by NASA.
Exploring Our Universe: Official NASA Films Documenting the U.S. in Space (VHS)
A VHS collection of NASA films.
Eyes on the Solar System
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eyes/index.html
This is a multimedia online computer simulation that allows users to navigate the solar system from a variety of viewpoints.
JPL Video Catalog
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/vidcat.pdf
JPL Video Catalog
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/vidcat.pdf
This is a catalog of all the available videos from Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) which works with NASA.
FEMA
FEMA Instructional Videos
http://www.ready.gov/america/about/instructional_index.html
FEMA
FEMA Instructional Videos
http://www.ready.gov/america/about/instructional_index.html
DC Public Safety TV Shows
http://media.csosa.gov/podcast/video/TECHNICAL COMPONENTS
"Live from Africa, Using the Barest of Video Tools" Government Video Magazine 13 Jul. 2009.
http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/84598
This article details how a VOA video producer made do in rugged conditions in Africa and how he shot footage with minimal electricity and equipment.
Horan, Lisa "Working for the White House" Government Video Magazine 12 Dec. 2003.
http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/30210
This article talks about Skehan Communications, the company that works as the media outreach provider for the White House.
Census Bureau
"Know Your U.S.A." Online video clip. Youtube. 21 Jan. 2011
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-dUW592Nlw>
This is a film produced by the Census Bureau to promote the 1940 census.
http://www.youtube.com/user/uscensusbureau
The Census Bureau's Youtube channel.
National Parks Service:
This is where much of the NPS in-house production takes place in Harper's Ferry.
A selection of online films produced by the NPS
Oral History Resources-"Directory of Oral History in the National Parks Service"
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/oh/index.htm
This is a Word Document listing the many oral history projects that have been sponsored by the NPS in National Parks. While the majority of them are audio, there are video projects interspersed with them.
Contacts:
Bob Sutton-NPS Chief Historian
robert_sutton@nps.gov
202-354-2214
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
Oral History Resources-"Directory of Oral History in the National Parks Service"
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/oh/index.htm
This is a Word Document listing the many oral history projects that have been sponsored by the NPS in National Parks. While the majority of them are audio, there are video projects interspersed with them.
Contacts:
Bob Sutton-NPS Chief Historian
robert_sutton@nps.gov
202-354-2214
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
An online listing of all of the available b-roll footage from NOAA that can be purchased at cost.
A searchable online database of videos produced at the National Marine Sanctuaries Media Library
The National Ocean Service Youtube Channel
The World Ocean Trashed (10:11)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBOlzTeyTZg
Henry Wood Elliot: Defender of the Fur Seal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALIFLHwyfsA
This is an NOAA film that won the "Best Government Agency Film Award" at the 2006 International Wildlife Film Festival.
Contact:
Mark Kagan
Producer/Director-NOAA Communications Studio
Marc.Kagan@noaa.gov
(301)713-1479
US Fish and Wildlife Service
America's Wildest Refuge
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/7498/America-s-Wildest-Refuge--Discovering-the-Arctic-National-Wildlife-Refuge
This is a film produced by Artery Industries for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is about the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Fish and Wildlife Service Digital Library
http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/
Film production companies that work with the federal government
Artery Industries
http://arteryindustries.com/
Produced "America's Wildest Refuge" for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Maslow Media Group (DC)
http://www.maslowmedia.com/content.asp?contentid=144
Public Nature Media (South Africa)
EDP Productions
http://www.edpvideo.com/aboutus.html
EFX Media (Arlington)
http://www.efxmedia.com/work/case_studies/?cs=aed_bus
Braun Film and Video
http://www.braunfilm.com/Government-Video-Company.asp
RaffertyWeiss Media (Silver Spring)
http://www.raffertyweiss.com/government-video-production/index.html
Henninger Media Services (Arlington)
http://www.henninger.com/customers/customer_list
eImage
http://www.eimage.com/home.html
SunStar Productions
http://www.sunstarprods.com/index.htm
Flying Colors (DC)
http://www.fc-tv.com/web/vp_nps.htm
Smithsonian Films:
Military Film
U.S. Army Signal Corps
Thompson, George Raynor, "Overview: the Signal Corps in World War II," Army Communicator, Special Edition: The Signal Corps in World War II, 20.4
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22U.S.%20Army%2C%20Signal%20Corps%22
U.K. Government Films
GPO Film Unit
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/464254/index.html
This is a film unit set up by the U.K.'s General Post office from 1933-1946. It mainly produced films supporting the war effort and the post service.
Colonial Film Unit
http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/production-company/colonial-film-unitThis organization produced over 200 short films for the British government from 1939-1955. The films were mainly intended to promote the goals of the British empire to an African audience.
Federal Communicators Network
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FederalCommunicatorsNetwork/National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers (NATOA)
Government Programming Awards
http://www.natoa.org/peg/government-programming-awards.html
"Getting Government Contracts for the Small Video Production Company" (PDF) www.videouniversity.com
http://www.videouniversity.com/shop/getting-government-contracts-for-the-small-video-production-company
UNITS FOR CLASS
Joris Ivens
Power and the Land (38:09)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZchKXFpaDg
This story tells the story of hte Rural Electrification Commission (REA) during the 1930's and highlights the benefits that electricity would bring to farmers.
Scenes:
Lighting lamps/washing: 11:42-13:05
Eating by lamp light/cleaning lamps 23:30-27:10
Questions for discussion:
-What do you think about the omniscient narration style that is used throughout the film?
-What do you think about the director's choice to follow only one family, the Parkinson's, rather than a wide range of people affected by the problem, such as in "Let there be Light?"
-Is the narrator advocating for rural electrification or is he presenting the facts and letting the viewers decide?
-Do you think the music the director chose helps the film or hinders it?
-Can you imagine a film like this being convincing if it was made today for a similar purpose, like setting up a rural broadband network? What would have to change about it?
Related readings:
Kline, Ronald R. "Ideology and the New Deal 'fact film' Power and the Land." Public Understanding of Science, 6, p.19-30.
Macnab, G. (2000, 'New deal documentaries'. Sight and Sound, 10(1), 66-66. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/237095766?accountid=8285
John Huston
The Battle of San Pietro (1945)-32 min.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcAY67v94PE
This is the second of the trilogy of films that John Huston produced for the U.S. Army. It covers the Batle of San Pietro Afine in Italy during WWII. The film was controversial because of it's graphic portrayal of wounded American soldiers and casualties of troops under fire from the Italian forces.
Let There Be Light (1946)-58 min.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIkVbZvwn0A
This is the last in the trilogy of movies that John Huston produced for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. It deals with service members that came home with nervous conditions following World War II and the psychiatric methods that were used to rehabilitate them. It was considered controversial because it was thought that its footage showing the prevalence of "shell-shock" amongst soldiers would put a damper on recruitment, so it was seized and banned until the 1980's, when it was re-released.
Questions for discussion:
-Why do you think this film was banned? What would have happened if it was released in its day?
-How is the tone of the narration different from other government films like Power and the Land?
-Do you think a similar government film about one of today's wars taking place could ever be produced? How might the film have been directed differently if it was shot today?
-Do you think this is an anti-war film?
-Which of the films do you think would have caused more controversy if it was released in its day?
Related Readings:
Jarvis, C. (2009). "If he comes home nervous": U.S. world war II neuropsychiatric casualties and postwar masculinities. Journal of Men's Studies, 17(2), 97-115. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222631586?accountid=8285
This article talks about the view of American masculinity with post WW2 context and how soldiers that returned with psychiatric conditions challenged this consensus. It talks about the rhetorical strategies that were used to normalize men who were publicly displaying extreme emotions for the first time and how this conflicts with the identity of the soldier that had been built up over the war period.
Mackenzie, M. (1998, Oct 23). Screen: Huston, we have a problem the legendary director's war documentaries were so sensitive the US government banned and ultimately lost them. film-maker midge mackenzie made it her mission to find them. The Guardian, pp. T.004-T004. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/245306078?accountid=8285
This article follows a woman who speaks to Houston about his films and gets his thoughts on why they were banned and what he was trying to say with the work.
CIVIL DEFENSE FILMS
Duck and Cover (1951) 9:15
http://www.archive.org/details/DuckandC1951The House in the Middle (1954) 10:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t_5wthG0Wc
This film claims that by painting your home and removing litter from your yard your house will be more likely to withstand nuclear attack.
Related readings:
Jacobs, Bo “Atomic Kids: Duck and Cover and Atomic Alert Teach American Children How to Survive Atomic Attack.” Film and History 40(1): 2010
This article looks at films, particularly the U.S. government -produced "Duck and Cover" and "Atomic Alert", that have shaped children's psychology during the Cold War and the effects these movies had on the children.
Langer, Mark. "Disney's Atomic Fleet." Animation World Magazine 3.1 (1998)
http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.1/3.1pages/3.1langerdisney.html
Langer is a film instructor at Carleton University in Ottawa. His article deals with the relationship between Disney and the U.S. government and how Disney produced films to promote the WW2 war effort and nuclear power.
Public Health
All my Babies: A Midwife's Story (1952)-54:00
http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/all_my_babies_a_midwifes_own_story
This article looks at films, particularly the U.S. government -produced "Duck and Cover" and "Atomic Alert", that have shaped children's psychology during the Cold War and the effects these movies had on the children.
Langer, Mark. "Disney's Atomic Fleet." Animation World Magazine 3.1 (1998)
http://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.1/3.1pages/3.1langerdisney.html
Langer is a film instructor at Carleton University in Ottawa. His article deals with the relationship between Disney and the U.S. government and how Disney produced films to promote the WW2 war effort and nuclear power.
Public Health
All my Babies: A Midwife's Story (1952)-54:00
http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/all_my_babies_a_midwifes_own_story
Produced by the Georgia Department of Public Health in 1953, this movie tells the story of Mary Francis Hill Coley, an African-American midwife that helped deliver over 3,000 babies. In 2002 it was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.
USIA FILMS
The March (1964)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jidABYf_nLU
Czechoslovakia 1968 (1969)
Related Readings:
Cull, Nicholas J. "Auteurs of Ideology: USIA Documentary Film Propaganda in the Kennedy Era as Seen in Bruce Herschensohn's "The Five Cities of June" (1963) and James Blue's "The March" (1964)." Film History 10(3), 1998.
Culbert, David “Public Diplomacy and The International History of Mass Media: The USIA, The Kennedy Assassination, and The World.” Historical Journal of Film, Radio & Television 30 (3): Sept. 2010.
This article talks about "John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums" a 1964 film that the author calls "the most successful example of public diplomacy ever created by the USIA." This movie was the first of the handful of USIA films that were distributed within the United States. The author desribes the controversy over certain aspects of Kennedy's life (the Bay of Pigs) and the circumstances surrounding his death and how the film may have glossed over them.
USIA FILMS
The March (1964)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jidABYf_nLU
Czechoslovakia 1968 (1969)
Related Readings:
Cull, Nicholas J. "Auteurs of Ideology: USIA Documentary Film Propaganda in the Kennedy Era as Seen in Bruce Herschensohn's "The Five Cities of June" (1963) and James Blue's "The March" (1964)." Film History 10(3), 1998.
Culbert, David “Public Diplomacy and The International History of Mass Media: The USIA, The Kennedy Assassination, and The World.” Historical Journal of Film, Radio & Television 30 (3): Sept. 2010.
This article talks about "John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums" a 1964 film that the author calls "the most successful example of public diplomacy ever created by the USIA." This movie was the first of the handful of USIA films that were distributed within the United States. The author desribes the controversy over certain aspects of Kennedy's life (the Bay of Pigs) and the circumstances surrounding his death and how the film may have glossed over them.
Heffelfinger, Elizabeth. “Foreign Policy, Domestic Fiction: Government-Sponsored Documentaries And Network Television Promote The Marshall Plan At Home.” Historical Journal of Film, Radio & Television 28(1): Mar. 2008.
This article talks about a series of movies that were made by the U.S. to sell Cold War ideology to European countries during the years of the Marshall Plan. The films promoted U.S. intervention in countries like Vietnam, re-casting it as part of the larger Marshall Plan mission of ensuring prosperity around the world.
Rosen, Peter “USIA Films: Why Can’t We Use Them?” Film News 37: Spring 1980 p.8-12
This article talks about the United States Information Agency (USIA) which is now called the International Communication Agency (ICA). The author points out the ironies in the fact that, while the USIA is the world's largest film distributor, Americans are unable to see USIA films because of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. This law dates back to the Cold War, and was meant to avoid charges that the U.S. was disseminating propaganda to its citizens through the use of film.
The author, who has produced films for USIA discusses the various films the agency has produced and gives a bibliography of the few films that have been made available to the public through legal loopholes.
Sigler, Ronald F. "The Bullfrog/USIA Case: A Success Story Pending"
This article talks about an ironic legal battle in which a U.S. federal agency claimed that a private film company's films were propaganda in order to deny them federal benefits that their films would normally be entitled to.
It has to do with the Beirut Agreement, an international agreement that the U.S. was a member of which allowed educational films to circulate abroad and be exempt from certain customs duties and taxes. Films are approved to fall under these guidelines by the United States Information Agency (USIA). USIA, which itself is a filmmaking agency, has to issue a certificate saying that films meet certain standards in order for them to qualify for these benefits.
In the case of Bullfrog Films, the USIA ruled that several of their films, which dealt with U.S. military interventions, the environment, and nuclear power, wouldn't qualify for these standards. Bullfrog sued the USIA, and the article is about this legal battle.
This article talks about a series of movies that were made by the U.S. to sell Cold War ideology to European countries during the years of the Marshall Plan. The films promoted U.S. intervention in countries like Vietnam, re-casting it as part of the larger Marshall Plan mission of ensuring prosperity around the world.
Rosen, Peter “USIA Films: Why Can’t We Use Them?” Film News 37: Spring 1980 p.8-12
This article talks about the United States Information Agency (USIA) which is now called the International Communication Agency (ICA). The author points out the ironies in the fact that, while the USIA is the world's largest film distributor, Americans are unable to see USIA films because of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. This law dates back to the Cold War, and was meant to avoid charges that the U.S. was disseminating propaganda to its citizens through the use of film.
The author, who has produced films for USIA discusses the various films the agency has produced and gives a bibliography of the few films that have been made available to the public through legal loopholes.
Sigler, Ronald F. "The Bullfrog/USIA Case: A Success Story Pending"
This article talks about an ironic legal battle in which a U.S. federal agency claimed that a private film company's films were propaganda in order to deny them federal benefits that their films would normally be entitled to.
It has to do with the Beirut Agreement, an international agreement that the U.S. was a member of which allowed educational films to circulate abroad and be exempt from certain customs duties and taxes. Films are approved to fall under these guidelines by the United States Information Agency (USIA). USIA, which itself is a filmmaking agency, has to issue a certificate saying that films meet certain standards in order for them to qualify for these benefits.
In the case of Bullfrog Films, the USIA ruled that several of their films, which dealt with U.S. military interventions, the environment, and nuclear power, wouldn't qualify for these standards. Bullfrog sued the USIA, and the article is about this legal battle.
USDA Films
The Charge of the Tick Brigade (1919)
Helping Negroes to Become Better Farmers and Homemakers (1921)
http://www.amazon.com/HELPING-NEGROES-BECOME-FARMERS-HOMEMAKERS/dp/B000UWTMCU
The Charge of the Tick Brigade (1919)
Helping Negroes to Become Better Farmers and Homemakers (1921)
http://www.amazon.com/HELPING-NEGROES-BECOME-FARMERS-HOMEMAKERS/dp/B000UWTMCU
This early USDA film helps put the current charges of racism in the USDA in a historical context. It was issued to help black farmers learn to eradicate boll weevils and maintain fruit trees.
Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (01:16)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnKStKpjVwM This short USDA film is a good example of the use of computer graphics in government filmmaking.
Related Readings:
Zwarich, Jennifer. "The bureaucratic activist: Federal filmmakers and social change in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's tick eradication campaign." The Moving Image (9)1, 2009.
Zweig, Noah “Foregrounding public cinema and rural audiences: The USDA Motion Picture Service as Cinematic Modernism, 1903-1938” Journal of Popular Film and Television 37(3): Fall 2009.
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