Cinemagazines
Cinemagazines and the Projection of Britain (2004-2007) was a research project, funded by the Arts Humanities and Research Council, to build on the work of the British Universities Newsreel Database (BUND). Cinemagazines were closely related to the newsreels, sharing the same issue style format and topical content and regularly shown in the pre-feature slot of the cinema programme from 1918. However, ‘news’ as delivered by the cinemagazines was likely to look behind the headlines and relate its stories in a less formal, even conversational way. This format was popular and flexible enough to encompass both the serious and frivolous, a characteristic which enabled it to re-emerge in the era of television as the magazine programme. The project aimed to tell the story of this forgotten genre which provided a unique record of British social history of the twentieth century.
Read more about the project and its aims (Viewfinder Article 538Kb PDF)
Explore the history of the cinemagazine on News on Screen
Discover cinemagazines such as London Line (1964-1978) produced by the Central Office of Information as well as more familiar series like Look at Life (1959-1969) and Mining Review (1947-1983) through searching the database.
Ann Forsyth was a reporter for This Week In Britain (1959-1980). Find out more about her, and all the people and companies who worked on cinemagazines, through the biographical database.
Jenny Hammerton has written one of the only books on cinemagazines. Read more about it and consult our bibliographic guide.
