News on Screen

Find out what made 20th century news through 185,000 cinemagazine & newsreel stories (1910-83) linked to production documents & films.

Oral Histories

Hear the inside story of news production from five camera & soundmen

The Inside Story of Lives in Newsreels Production

How did you pinch a story? Was there political bias in the newsreels? How did censorship work during the Second World War? These are just some of the many questions answered in these oral histories conducted with newsreel cameramen and sound recordists. These testimonies help us piece together some of the intangibles of the past such as the working culture within newsreel production, how it changed over time and the role of that the union played in this.

Whether it’s talking about faked footage or the four Fs, ‘fashion, football and furry friends’, these five interviews from the BECTU History Project provide a unique insight into all aspects of newsreel production and beyond.

No use may be made of any interview material without the permission of the BECTU History Project. Copyright in all interviews is vested in the BECTU History Project and the right to publish some excerpts may not be allowed.

BECTU

 

 

Edward A. Candy

Cameraman; Production head; General manager

Norman Fisher

Cameraman

Reginald C. Sutton

Sound engineer; Commentator

Alfred A. Tunwell

Cameraman

Phil John Turner

Cameraman; Production manager; News editor