In December of 1933, Ray “Swede” Fernstrom of Paramount News wrote an article exalting his fellow news cameramen to go off the beaten path and find interesting subjects for their stories rather than turn the same dull stories day in and day out that look identical to the other newsreels.  As well to try something that strikes fear into the hearts of some photogs today…not just shoot their stories, but to write and voice them as well.

As I sit here at the end of another year, I cannot keep from contemplating the newsreel of the future, especially the shooting of news through this medium during 1934.

Is the old element of surprise going to return?

Is newsreel material going to be more colorfully reproduced on the screen? That seems to me to be the next logical step in newsreel progress. Sound came and slowed up the coverage of news from both the portability angle and novelty of coverage, with but one or two exceptions.

The popularity of Fox Magic Carpets proves that more kinds of news could be shown with pleasant results.

What is News?

Look at your daily paper. It is a NEWS-paper yet what do you find? Articles on cooking, articles on the care of children, advice to the lovelorn, travel articles, music news, etc. Doesn’t that indicate that newsreels could spread out much more in coverage of interesting happenings throughout the world?

The fact that newspapers feature the personalities that “write up” the news indicates that people would be interested in the men that shoot the newsreels. Why not feature a trip made by Geiskop or Alexander or Oliver, on a tour to various and out-of-the-way corners of the globe, letting each cameraman throw his personality into each story. Each will give his personal angle on coverage, manner of build-up and supply his own voice in many instances.

Almost anywhere in the world laboratories are to be found. Let the boys shoot a wide range of subjects, finish them alone after their own ideas and let them mail in the finished film. I’ll just bet you would see a world of excellent entertainment filled with the surprises always found OFF THE BEATEN PATH.

Some day we will have a new kind of newsreel instead of five newsreels practically all alike. What would happen if news-stands sold newspapers and magazines all ALIKE in coverage, personalities and subjects?

What are the differences in various newspapers published in your town?

Personalities, who write the news, I’ll wager. Yes, there are a couple personalities talking in the newsreels and those boys stand out and make those reels better.

But no newspaper personality writes the entire paper; why should one name talk an entire newsreel? It is granted, and an accepted fact that newsreels are a most popular feature of every movie program, but are the newsreels holding their fans as they should? No! The Silly Symphonies, the Magic Carpets are cutting into the popularity more each day. Shorts are getting better, but are the newsreels?

Look at several issues of any newsreel made at various times during the last six years or more and I’ll foretell that you will get a surprise as you look back. I tell you the newsreels have been standing still while other shorts have been going ahead rapidly adding novelty, surprise and applied elementary psychology.

With but a little effort our newsreels of tomorrow can be here today or at least 1934.