RESEARCH AND EXPERIENCE SHOW THAT FILM IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN FACTUAL LEARNING AND IN PERCEPTUAL MOTOR LEARNING THAN IN TEACHING RATIONAL ACTIVITIES. LANGUAGE AND FILM HAVE DIFFERENT STRUCTURES WHICH DETERMINE THEIR FUNCTIONS IN INSTRUCTIONAL SETTINGS. ESSENTIALLY, PICTURES ARE INDUCTIVE WHILE LANGUAGE IS DEDUCTIVE. LANGUAGE IS CAPABLE OF NUMBERLESS EXPLICIT STATEMENTS OF RELATIONSHIP. FILMIC EXPERIENCE, THOUGH NOT EQUIVALENT TO ACTUAL EXPERIENCE, CAN CONVEY AN UNDERSTANDING OF A PARTICULAR PHENOMENON BEYOND THE SCOPE OF LANGUAGE. IT CAN FACILITATE COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE PROCESSES IN CIRCUMSTANCES OF INADEQUATE INTERNAL CODING ABILITY OF STUDENTS. SINCE VISUAL IMAGES ARE INDUCTIVE, THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF FILMIC COMMUNICATION DEPENDS ON THE INFERENTIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOUND AND IMAGES, AND UPON THE AUDIENCE ABILITY FOR MAKING INFERENCES. IN EDUCATIONAL FILMS THE POTENTIAL FOR A VIEWER MAKING HIS OWN DISCOVERIES AND REACHING HIS OWN CONCLUSIONS IS OFTEN VITIATED BY THE ADDITION OF A FULLY CONCEPTUALIZED NARRATION. EDUCATIONAL FILMS SHOULD SHOW AN EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN TELL ABOUT IT. (JO)