Long live newsreels. The dissemination of actuality films in online archives

Abstract

For some decades, the recognition of the value of actuality films and its discussion as a record of the past was limited to the archival, historical and audiovisual production fields. Arousing interest mainly for their memorial or curious nature, thanks to digitalisation, these films reach new audiences through their dissemination on websites and social networks, of different natures and for various purposes. Taking as our starting point an interest in discussing these new online contexts, we propose a reflection on the forms of presentation and assessment of these images in public and commercial archives. Based on a descriptive sheet and a series of indicators on access to information, interaction, the use of social networks and the contextualisation of contents, we analyse the websites of Gaumont Pathé Archives, British Pathé, Archivo Histórico NO-DO and Archivio Luce. We assume that the extinct newsreels, as a precursor genre of audiovisual infotainment, survive in the light of new readings, strategies and uses, with implications for memory and media literacy.