A Communications primer

This visually beautiful film was a first in a lot of ways: the Eameses’ first film scored by Elmer Bernstein, their first to deal with specific intellectual content, and the film that introduced their work to IBM. The elegant and clear statement remains essential viewing for the Media Age. The film deals with the ways in which human beings obtain their essential knowledge of the outside world. It has not always been recognised that communications consist of something more than the transmission of facts or symbols, and a mere facility for handling certain devices. What is required is an understanding of the human attributes and processes which control the passage of information from one person to another. The film will help discourage a limited view of communications. There are a number of philosophical implications, and some good illustrative samples on the concept of noise in a communication system, and provocative photographic symbolism about the power of words to add or detract to human knowledge. Music by Elmer Bernstein, sound by Barry Eddy.