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Today we use videos
just about everywhere
in our worship and ministry.
But did you know that Jehovah’s people
started using
film and video to preach and teach
more than a hundred years ago?
Let’s see how and why
in this episode of Our History in Motion.
When the early Bible Students
first began preaching in the late 1800’s,
the motion picture industry
was in its infancy.
But even then,
C. T. Russell and his associates
recognized the power of this new medium.
Film could be used
not only to reach wider audiences
but to touch hearts with Bible truth.
At a convention in June 1913,
the Bible Students passed a bold resolution
supporting the use of motion pictures
as a new tool for preaching and teaching.
Less than a year later, in January 1914,
the brothers debuted
the “Photo-Drama of Creation.”
The eight-hour production
included color slides
and motion picture film,
most of it footage
that Russell purchased from other studios.
Imagine sitting in a packed auditorium
and seeing, possibly for the first time,
moving pictures of events
described in the Bible.
And there was something else
in the “Photo-Drama”
that really took audiences by surprise.
“‘The Photo-Drama of Creation’ is presented
“by the I.B.S.A.,
the International
Bible Students Association.”
Synchronized dialogue!
The “Photo-Drama” played
in theaters and auditoriums around the world.
But what if film
could be used to teach the truth
not just in big theaters
but right in a person’s own living room?
That was the idea behind
a series of short films
released in the 1920’s.
These silent films,
chronicling the travels
of J. F. Rutherford in the Bible lands,
were designed to be shown at home.
They required the use
of the Kinemo Projection Machine,
a portable, low-cost movie projector
made just for this purpose.
Interested ones who viewed these films
were given a glimpse
of the Bible lands
and were introduced to many prophecies.
Over the next two decades,
the organization
used radio and the phonograph
rather than film to reach more people
with the Kingdom message.
But in the 1950’s,
the Governing Body recognized the need
for interested ones to see for themselves
the international scope of the organization.
So they again turned to film
with the release of
The New World Society in Action.
This one-hour—and-twenty-minute film
transported viewers to our Bethel facilities
and international conventions.
It gave them a taste of what it’s like
to preach in some of the remotest parts
of the world.
Additional films
released over the next several years
further highlighted the work of God’s people
and the fulfillment of Bible prophecies.
Then, in 1966,
we released Heritage.
This 28-minute feature was unflinching
in its portrayal of the real-world problems
young people face.
Within the next sixty seconds,
another family somewhere in the United States
will be strained to the breaking point.
What’s this?
Just a family quarrel?
No.
It is far more serious than that.
What is it doing to this family?
Following Bible principles
builds a solid family foundation.
Heritage was presented at circuit assemblies
and other large gatherings.
It was also shown on more than
150 television stations in the United States.
After 1966,
the organization shifted away from film
and began presenting modern
and Biblical dramas
live on stage at conventions.
These dramas brought Bible accounts to life
for young and old
and were one of the highlights
of large conventions for many years.
But as the 1990’s approached,
new technologies emerged
that prompted our brothers
to revisit motion pictures yet again.
Videocassette players
could be found in more and more homes.
And so in 1990,
we released our very first video,
Jehovah’s Witnesses
—The Organization Behind the Name.
It took viewers behind the scenes
and built appreciation
for how our literature is produced
and used in the global preaching work.
“The faithful and discreet slave”
has made extensive use of video ever since.
Motion picture technology
has changed dramatically in 100 years,
but the objective of Jehovah’s organization
in using it has always been the same:
to touch the hearts of people everywhere
with Bible truth.

Our History in Motion—Teaching Through Film and Video