Research

Online Database

Preliminary research of the archive can be conducted online and is currently available through our licensing partner, ITN Source. After a quick registration process, navigate to the advanced search page and select the Fox Movietone checkbox to filter for newsreel footage. The database encompasses material which is held on tape and is available for immediate access as well as footage which has not yet been transferred from the original film elements. As a general rule, items with a frame capture or thumbnail image matching the description exist on tape. Searches that produce shotlists without a thumbnail indicate the material is on 16mm most likely have not yet been transferred to tape. Please keep this general rule of thumbnail in mind when conducting research

In house Facilities

Filmmakers and researchers are welcome to visit our New York offices and view copies of the original hand written library card files and cameraman dope sheets, which are available on microfilm, as well as copies of the Continuity Sheets, which describe the stories comprising each and every newsreel distributed to the theatres between 1927 and 1963. Due to limited space, screenings and research at our Rockefeller Center location are available by appointment only. To make arrangements, please contact Peter.Bregman@foxnews.com

 

External Resources:

Portions of the Fox Movietone Newsreel are held both by The Library of Congress and the University of South Carolina's Newsfilm Library. For more about those collections, please visit their respective websites.

 

Film Transfers:

Cost:

A vast majority of the 16mm footage has not been viewed since it was shot over 40 years ago. Clients interested in licensing these rare and unseen film elements may do so at their own expense and are welcome to view the footage in our facilities.  All High Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD) transfers are managed by Movietone in conjunction with our film lab.  Lab work is assessed in half hour increments at $200 per 1/2 hour

 

Delivery Estimates:

Film elements must be first be delivered from a climate controlled storage facility in New Jersey before they can be prepared for the lab. An assessment of the length, content, and condition of the film is made to ensure the client is getting the footage they expect. After consulting with the client, an estimate of transfer costs is then provided.  While generally accurate, clients are reminded that this is only an estimate and that they must absorb the actual cost of transfer upon completion of the order.