Movietone updates online newsreel archive

British Movietonews Limited has selected TMR Digital to rejuvenate its massive online newsreel archive.
As part of the project TMR Digital has restored and digitised over 45,000 clips ranging from the Titanic through to the birth of Prince William. The online library source has been designed to provide researchers and producers throughout the world with easy access to high quality news clips dating as far back as the early 1900s.
Movietone.com , set to go live in February 2005, will allow users to search through the entire archive collection by date, name or topic, for the information required. Once found, clips can be viewed online and gathered in a personal folder for further review before orders are sent to Movietone.
“In the past, the complexity of news clip databases meant that researchers had to have a certain level of technical understanding to effectively search for footage,” said Barry Florin, Managing Director of Movietone. “We have now designed a user friendly site which allows those with either vast or little experience to search for clips. Film researchers who are used to the old ‘index card ’ filing system will find the format familiar. Newer researchers will benefit from the site’s user friendly features.”
Neil Lane, Managing Director of TMR, added: “The site gives Movietone a competitive edge as it acts as a one-stop shop for researchers. Its high resolution images and the fact that it is user friendly and regularly updated, makes the website a reliable source of information. This is very important for researchers who are often working to extremely tight deadlines.”
(GB)