University Libraries > Research Resources  > Research & Subject Guides >
 

Brief Description: Combining the liberal arts tradition of cultural, historical, and formal analysis with investigations of the filmmaking arts.

This guide provides an introduction to some of the resources in Film Studies.  Below you will find a list of print, online, and internet resources with descriptions as to the type of information each contains.

CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Remote access information.

Research strategies / resources for film

The resources below list only a fraction of the information available. For additional help, please contact Reference & Instructional Services or Skip Hamilton or use the Chinook Online Catalog.

 

In searching for information about a particular film, you will need (1) its title, (2) the director's full name and (3) the year it was produced. If the film is foreign, it is useful to have its foreign title.

Dictionaries, directories and encyclopedias: selected introductory sources
For film resources in Norlin's Reference Department, browse the PN1993 - PN1999 range. These resources can go from the sublime to the ridiculous but will still have valuable information.

International dictionary of films and filmmakers (four volumes)
REF DEPT STACKS PN1997.8 .I58 1997 LIB USE ONLY
Good for major directors, films, writers and actors. Excellent beginning filmographies and bibliographies.

 

Biography and Genealogy Master Index
To verify the credentials of reviewers or find biographical resources on individuals of interest.
Chinook > A-Z List > B > Biography and Genealogy Master Index

 

100 years of American film
REF DEPT STACKS PN1993.5.U6 A59 2000 LIB USE ONLY

 

Art on screen on CD-ROM
ARTARC REF N367 .A78 1995 LIB USE ONLY

 

Critical dictionary of film and television theory
REF DEPT STACKS PN1993.45 .C75 2001 LIB USE ONLY

 

Encyclopedia of Film Themes, Settings and Series
REF DEPT STACKS PN1997.8 .A76 2001 LIB USE ONLY

 

Encyclopedia of Novels into Film
REF DEPT STACKS PN1997.85 .T54 1998 LIB USE ONLY

 

Film encyclopedia, 4th ed
REF DEPT STACKS PN1993.45 .K34 2001 LIB USE ONLY

 

Filmmaker's dictionary
REF DEPT STACKS PN1993.45 .S56 2000 LIB USE ONLY

 

Films by genre : 775 categories, styles, trends and movements defined
REF DEPT STACKS PN1998 .L63 1993 LIB USE ONLY

 

Glossary of Film / Video Terms, Kodak
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/glossary/glossary.shtml

 

IMDb Film Glossary
http://us.imdb.com/Glossary/

 

International dictionary of broadcasting and film
REF DEPT STACKS PN1990.4 .B64 2000

 

International film, television and video acronyms
REF DEPT STACKS PN1993.45 .I58 1993 LIB USE ONLY

 

International motion picture almanac
REF DEPT STACKS PN1993 .I55 latest volume LIB USE ONLY

 

International television and video almanac
REF DEPT STACKS HE8698 .I55 latest volume LIB USE ONLY

 

Language of cinema
REF DEPT STACKS PN1993.45 .J23 1998 LIB USE ONLY

 

Reel Women Pioneers Of The Cinema 1896 To The Present
REF DEPT STACKS PN1998.2 .A24 1991 LIB USE ONLY

 

Variety Power Players 2000 : movers and shakers, power brokers and career makers in Hollywood
REF DEPT STACKS PN1998.2 .V35 1999 LIB USE ONLY

 

Women's companion to international film
REF DEPT STACKS PN1993.45 .W6 1994 LIB USE ONLY

Books and Films: Chinook

A. Using Chinook, do a word search using the name of the director (best) or do a title search using the film's title. Remember to use the book's index to look for information about a specific film.

B. To see if the Libraries has a media copy of a film do a title search in Chinook.

C. Searching in Chinook using the following terms may also be useful.

cinematography

film

films

motion picture

motion pictures

movies

Articles: Abstracts and Indexes
The following are indexes to journals with film articles, reviews and news. Please remember, to find out if the Libraries own a specific journal, use Chinook and do a periodical title search.

Full film reviews

Film Review Annual
1981 - present (1999 latest published)
REF INDEX PN1995 .F4593

 

New York Times Film Reviews
1913 - present (1999/2000 latest published)
REF INDEX PN 1995 N4

 

Variety Film Review
1907 - 1995/1996. The bound annual set concludes with this date, but we still receive the weekly and keep back issues on microfilm in the Media Library.
REF INDEX PN1995 .V34
Use Index to motion pictures reviewed by Variety, 1907-1980, by Max Joseph Alvarez. It is shelved by the Variety Film Review.

Printed indexes to reviews or articles on film

Film Review Index
v.1 1882 - 1949; v.2 1950 - 1985. Edited by Patricia King Hanson and Stephen Hanson.
REF INDEX PN1995 .F4594

 

Film Literature Index
1970- present. (2001, pt. 2 latest published)
REF DEPT INDEX PN1993 .F634 LIB USE ONLY
The major index for articles or reviews of films found in film journals and periodicals. 

Selected online indexes related to film

The most comprehensive index to academic articles, news and reviews on film is The Film Literature Index (see above).

 

In addition the following databases, available via Chinook, are generally arranged in order of usefulness. Under e-Resources, click on the A-Z List to locate the following.

Critical articles / reviews

 

CU Humanities Abstracts (WilsonWeb)
This database provides references for periodical information in the humanities subject area. Coverage: February 1984-present.

 

CU Expanded Academic ASAP (InfoTrac)
Expanded Academic Index includes abstracts, references, and full text articles from more than 1,500 scholarly, trade and general-interest publications. Coverage: 1980 - present.

 

CU A&H Search (Arts and Humanities Citation Search)
Indexes articles, bibliographies, editorials, letters, reviews, and more from the world's leading arts and humanities journals. Coverage: 1980 to present.

 

CU ArticleFirst
Articles from journals in all fields. Coverage: 1990 - present
Chinook > A-Z List > A > ArticleFirst

 

CU MLA Directory of Periodicals (EBSCOhost)
MLA International Bibliography is produced by the Modern Language Association. Index to articles in literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore from several thousand journals and series published worldwide. Coverage: 1963-present.

 

CU Art Index (OCLC FirstSearch)
CU Art Index (Wilson Web)
Index of leading publications in the world of arts. Coverage: 1984-present.

 

CU RILM Music Abstracts (OCLC FirstSearch)
Articles, books, bibliographies, catalogues, conference proceedings, discographies, dissertations, ethnographic recordings. Festschriften, films, iconographies, and videos are all covered by RILM. Coverage: 1969 to present.

Popular reviews and news items

 

CU Readers' Guide FullText (WilsonWeb)
1983 - present
Reviews and articles in popular magazines.
Chinook > A-Z List > R > ReadGuideAbs > limit by Form Review

 

CU Readers' Guide Retrospective (WilsonWeb)
1963 - 1982
Same as above but for years listed
Chinook > A-Z List > R > Readers' Guide Retrospective > limit by Form Review

 

CU LexisNexis Academic
Late 1970(selective) - present
Full-text newspaper articles. For fullest coverage, choose guided search.
Chinook > A-Z List > L > Lexis-Nexus Academic

  Internet Links
It is recommended that you seek information from nationally recognized sources. These are selected sites providing access to information. Citing electronic information correctly is very important in research.

Voice of the Shuttle
A major academic resource for links to relevant websites. From the left-hand column, select Media studies, then Film/video. Using the search engine accesses other interesting areas.
http://vos.ucsb.edu/

 

Academic Info Film Studies
"An annotated directory of internet resources. The primary focus of this page is the critical study and appreciation of cinema in all its forms and functions."

 

CineWomen
"A nonprofit organization of professionals in the entertainment industry whose purpose is to support the advancement of women and their career goals in a noncompetitive environment."
http://www.cinewomen.org/

 

Cinema Sites
Links to major, minor and independent filmmakers
http://www.cinema-sites.com/

 

CineMedia
"The internet's largest film and media directory." Includes popular, directory, and academic resources for all media forms.
http://www.cinemedia.org/

 

Digital Librarian
"A librarian's choice of the best of the web." Useful notes on many of the numerous links listed.
http://www.digital-librarian.com/movies.html

 

Internet Movie Database -- IMDb
A commercial site crowded with advertisements, good for basic information on films to the present day.
http://www.imdb.com/

 

Movie Review Query Engine
http://www.mrqe.com/
An excellent website with over 28,000 titles and over 250,000 reviews.

 

ScreenSite
Though from the University of Alabama, this site's "... primary purpose is to facilitate the study of film/tv as opposed to some websites that take more of a fan's approach." Has a national approach.
http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite/

 

U.S. National Film Registry
A directory of films Selected to The National Film Registry, Library of Congress
http://lcweb.loc.gov/film/titles.html

 

Women Make Movies
"Multicultural, multiracial, non-profit media arts organization which facilitates the production, promotion, distribution and exhibition of independent films and videotapes by and about women."
http://www.wmm.com/

Associations and Societies

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
http://www.oscars.org/

 

American Film Association
http://www.afi.com/

 

Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers
"Established by a group of independent filmmakers to offer support and resources to independent artists."
http://www.aivf.org/

 

British Film Institute
http://www.bfi.org.uk/

 

Canadian Film Institute
http://www.cfi-icf.ca/

 

Institut Lumière
http://www.institut-lumiere.org/english/frames.html

 

Women in Film
"An organization to help women in the industry. Presents two awards, the Crystal and the Lucy."

Journals
Do a search in Chinook: word search: "motion pictures" and "periodicals". Also try "cinematography" and "periodicals".

The Libraries has over 200 serials related to film. The following are available in online format:

Camera Obscura

 

Cinema Journal

 

Colorado Production Resources Guide

 

Film Quarterly

 

Film Score Monthly

 

Films in Review

 

Historical Journal of Film Radio, and Television

 

The Independent Film & Video Monthly

 

Quarterly Review of Film and Video: QRFV

 

Visual Anthropology

 

Wide Angle

For comments or suggestions, please contact Skip.Hamilton@colorado.edu.

Compiled by John Dziadecki and Skip Hamilton 11/02. Rev 1/03, 9/03.