Film & Digital Media Research Guide

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Note: Off-campus access to some online sources is restricted to current UCF students, faculty, and staff via Pegasus or Proxy connection

Books and Multimedia

http://library.ucf.edu

Use the online catalog to locate books and multimedia in the UCF Libraries. You can search by author, title, keyword, or subject.

• To search for a person, as AUTHOR or SUBJECT, search by last name, first name without punctuation; for example:
  • Griffith D W
  • Hitchcock Alfred
• SUBJECT searching requires use of Library of Congress subject headings. Here are some example subject headings:
  • Digital media
  • Film adaptations
  • Motion picture actors and actresses
  • Motion picture industry
  • Motion picture music
  • Motion picture plays
  • Motion picture sequels
  • Motion picture studios
  • Antisemitism in motion pictures
  • Homosexuality in motion pictures
  • Realism in motion pictures
  • Violence in motion pictures

• If you are unsure of the exact title or unsure of the correct Library of Congress subject heading, try an ANYWHERE search using two or three of the most significant words from the title or subject you are trying to find.

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Periodical Articles

Use the following electronic and print indexes to find articles about film topics. Once you have found the articles you want, in some instances you will need to check the UCF Library Catalog to determine if we own the periodicals you need.

Art Full Text (1984+)

Art Index Retrospective (1929-84)

Covers 222 leading art publications from around the world, including several that deal with film. Both databases preceded by the print index Art Index (1929+).

Art Index

Index NX 1 .A1 A88 (1929+)

Covers selected periodicals that have an emphasis on film studies. Continued by the electronic database Art Full Text (1984+).

Film Literature Index

Index PN 1993 .F54 (1973+)

Lists articles from over 300 film journals and specialized publications. Includes some selective indexing of English-language scholarly journals and general-interest magazines.

Expanded Academic ASAP (1980+)

Provides full text for articles appearing in over 500 periodicals covering business, education, humanities, science, and the social sciences.

Humanities Full Text (1984+)

An electronic database of citations to articles appearing in more than 400 English-language periodicals dealing with the humanities, including film. Preceded by the print index Humanities Index (1974+).

Humanities Index

Index AI 3 .R493 (1974+)

Lists by subject and author articles from approximately 350 English-language journals. Continued by the electronic database Humanities Full Text (1984+).

Project MUSE

An electronic database of over 100 scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics from a variety of university presses.

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Key Journals

The following journals are devoted exclusively to film studies. Please note, however, that many other journals not listed here will contain articles about film; thus, the need to consult a periodical database or index. Current print issues of periodicals to which the UCF Libraries subscribe are arranged by title on the third floor; print back issues are shelved in the general collection by call number, while microform back issues are arranged by call number on the third floor.

American Cinematographer

Microfilm TR 845 .A447 (1921-70)
General Collection TR 845 .A447 (1958-64, 1971-88, 1990+)

The official magazine of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), each issue contains detailed articles on film production.

Cinema Journal

Online version (1999+)
Microfilm PN 1993 .S62 (1983-90)
General Collection PN 1993 .S62 (1990+)

Published under the auspices of the Society of Cinema Studies, each quarterly issue features scholarly articles on the history and aesthetics of film.

Film Comment

General Collection PN 1993 .F438 (1962+)

Articles cover film history, major U.S. actors and directors, and new mainstream and independent productions.

Film Criticism

General Collection PN 1993 .F4183 (1989+)

An academic journal dealing with the theoretical and aesthetic aspects of cinema.

Film Culture

Online version (1992-96)
Microfilm PN 1993 .F44 (1955-96)

A journal devoted to avant-garde, independent, and experimental film. Ceased publication in 1996.

Film History

General Collection PN 1993 >f56 (1972, 1974, 1979, 1992+)

Publishes essay-length articles, primarily by European scholars, on cinematographic history.

Film Journal International

General Collection PN 1993 .F613 (1991+)

An excellent source of industry news, box office data, production updates, and technical information on new technologies.

Film Quarterly

Microfilm PN 1993 .H457 (1958-63)
General Collection PN 1993 .H457 (1958+)

Regularly runs lengthy film reviews and interviews with major figures in the film industry.

Film Review

General Collection PN 1993 .F625 (1991+)

Britain's longest-running monthly film magazine features detailed coverage of upcoming releases, reviews of new releases, and interviews with people in the industry.

Filmmaker Magazine

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com

The magazine of independent filmmaking, each issue contains interviews with independent directors, articles on production techniques, and coverage of the independent film festival scene

Indiewire

http://www.indiewire.com

Another online source for independent filmmaking.

Journal of Film and Video

Online version (2000+)
Microfilm PN 1993 .U63 (1984-89)
General Collection PN 1993 .U63 (1990+)

Features scholarship on the history, aesthetics, and criticism of film.

Journal of Popular Film and Television

Online version (1990+)
General Collection PN 1993 .J6 (1978/80+)

A scholarly journal dealing with U.S. popular movies from a variety of socio-cultural perspectives.

Literature Film Quarterly

Online version (1973+)
Microfilm PN 1995.3 .L57 (1973-89)
General Collection PN 1995.3 .L57 (1990+)

Focuses on problems of adapting and transforming fiction and drama into film. It also has covered film genre, theory, and criticism and has featured interviews with screenwriters and directors.

Sight and Sound

Microfilm PN 1993 .S56 (1932-69)
General Collection PN 1993 .S56 (1969+)

A monthly publication of the British Film Institute (BFI), with feature articles on new releases, retrospectives of major film directors, and film history.

Variety

Online version (1994+)
Microfilm PN 2000 .V3 (1964+)

Contains extensive information on the entertainment business, especially film, television, and theatre. Many reviews of theatre, film, and television.

Wide Angle

Online version (1996+)
General Collection PN 1993 .W48 (1976+)

A quarterly academic journal "devoted to investigating historical questions that illuminate the understanding of film and other media" (publisher's note).

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Definitions, Summaries, and Facts

Sources such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks are good starting points for obtaining basic information about issues, people, organizations, events, etc.

American Film Industry: A Historical Dictionary

Reference PN 1993.5 .U6 S539 1986

Lists over 600 entries for American film producing and releasing companies, technological innovations, film series, industry terms, studios, genres, and organizations.

Cinema: A Critical Dictionary

Reference PN 1993.45 .C5

A collection of signed articles by an international roster of film critics. Most entries are devoted to directors, but there are some entries for individual actors and topics such as "American Film Noir" and "Polish Cinema Since the War."

Complete Film Dictionary

Reference PN 1993.45 .K66

A comprehensive lexicon of the motion picture, including aesthetic, technical, and business terms.

Facts on File Dictionary of Film and Broadcast Terms

Reference P 87.5 .P43

Contains 3,000 short definitions.

Film and Video Lighting Terms and Concepts

Reference TR 891 .F472

Defines (and in some instances, illustrates) more than 1,000 terms and phrases used by cinematographers, lighting directors, camera operators, gaffers, electricians, and grips.

Film Encyclopedia

Reference PN 1993.45 .K34

While the emphasis is on individual film stars and film makers (along with complete or selective filmography), also includes definitions of terms, historical articles on countries, profiles of studios and other film organizations.

IMDb Film Glossary

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

Definitions of terms and phrases frequently used in film production, from the International Movie Database (IMDb) Web site.

International Motion Picture Almanac

Reference PN 1993.3 .I55

Provides a wealth of information on films, actors, and film companies. Includes statistics and lists of award winners.

Key Concepts in Cinema Studies

Reference PN 1993.45 .H36

A glossary of 142 key terms in film theory and history, indexed by film title, names, and subjects.

Language of Visual Effects

Reference TR 858 .M325 1993

A glossary of approximately 1,500 special effects terms.

Movie Quote Book

Reference PN 6083 .M75 1980

A collection of memorable lines from films, classified by topic, with category cross-references.

The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry

Reference PN 1993.5 .U6 S539 1998

The emphasis of the approximately 800 entries is on companies and chains, studios, genres, technical innovations, and general subjects (e.g., blacks in film), with brief bibliographies appended to most.

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Biographies

There are countless biographical sources; listed below are a selected few that provide brief information.

American Screenwriters

Reference PS 21 .D5 v. 26

American Screenwriters: Second Series

Reference PS 21 .D5 v. 44

Both volumes are part of the Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) series, and each contains rather lengthy essays on the careers of 65 significant motion-picture writers, accompanied by lists of screenplays and other writings, photographs, and bibliographic references. Generally, writers in other media who wrote for the screen only occasionally and those whose film careers consisted mainly of adapting their own works for the screen are omitted. These biographies also are available online through the Advanced Search feature of the database Literature Resource Center by selecting, under "Limit," Dictionary of Literary Biography and combining that with the keyword "screenwriters."

Biography Resource Center

Contains biographical information on over one million individuals from all time periods, geographical locations, and fields of endeavor. The "Biographical Facts Search" allows searching for people based on one or more personal facts, such as occupation (which includes the categories "Actor," "Actress," "Director," "Producer," etc.).

Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television

Reference PN 2012 .W5

An ongoing biographical reference series providing brief biographical information and credits of performers, directors, writers, producers, designers, technicians, composers, executives, and critics in the United States and Great Britain. The biographies in this set are available online in the Biography Resource Center database.

Dictionary of Film Makers

Reference PN 1993.45 .S313

International in scope, includes biographies of producers, directors, scenarists, cinematographers, and designers from the beginnings of film through the 1960s.

The Great Movie Stars: The Golden Years

Reference PN 1998 .A2 S54

The Great Movie Stars: The International Years

Reference PN 1998 .A2 S55

Presents generally lengthy profiles, incorporating biographical data and critical comment on the films and performances.

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers

Reference PN 1997.8 .I58

Volume 1 profiles approximately 600 major or representative films; volumes 2-4 provide short biographical sketches, complete with filmographies, bibliographies, and evaluative essays for more than 1,600 directors, performers, producers, cinematographers, screenwriters, art directors, etc.

Reel Women: Pioneers of the Cinema, 1896 to the Present

Reference PN 1998.2 .A24

Sketches devoted to women's behind-the-scenes contributions to film, divided into 13 main sections.

Variety Obituaries, 1905-1986: An Eleven-Volume Set, Including a Comprehensive Index

Reference PN 1583 .V35 1988

Reprints in chronological order from Variety news stories, editorials, and obituary columns the death notices of individuals connected with the entertainment industry.

Who's Who in Entertainment

Reference PN 1583 .W47

Contains approximately 20,000 biographical sketches of prominent individuals in the entertainment industry.

Women Filmmakers and Their Films

Reference PN 1998.2 .W66

Comprises more than 250 entries, 190 of which are devoted to women filmmakers; the remaining articles deal with specific films directed by women. Includes chronology. Indexed by nationality, occupation, awards, and film titles.

World Film Directors

Reference PN 1998.2 .W67

Provides introductions to the work and lives of about 400 of the world's best-known film directors, from 1890 to 1988.

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Filmographies

Filmographies are simply lists of films, often on a specific topic or by a specific director, that also usually give basic information such as characters and players, technical credits, and a brief plot synopsis.

American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures

Online version (1893-1930)
Reference 1998 .A57

A monumental, multivolume reference set (and online database) that provides comprehensive information on every feature, short, and newsreel produced by the American film community since 1893 -- in other words, a catalog of over 45,000 films to date. Includes approximately one million personal name entries. Each film title entry includes a plot summary.

British Film Catalogue, 1895-1985: A Reference Guide

Reference PN 1998 .G543 1986

A comprehensive chronological listing of the British "entertainment film," but excludes newsreels, documentaries, and mad-for-television films. Brief plot summaries.

Filming Florida: Images of the Sunshine State

http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/catalog.cfm
Florida Documents SS.D2:F45

A list of films produced between 1917 and the 1980s that have been donated to the Florida State Archives. Most were produced by the Florida Development Commission, but also contains features by WFSU-TV, the state highway patrol, the Florida Department of Natural Resources, and a number of individuals and corporations.

Guide to American Screenwriters: The Sound Era, 1929-1982

Reference PN 1998 .L24

Volume 1 is an alphabetical list of around 5,000 screenwriters, with names of films in chronological order and co-authors noted. Volume 2 lists films by title and writers' names for each.

Halliwell's Film Guide

Reference PN 1993.45 .H27

The latest edition provides brief credit information and pithy critical notes on 18,000 English-language and selected foreign-language feature films. Short excerpts from the critics accompany many entries.

International Film Index, 1895-1990

Reference PN 1998 .I52 1991

Seeks to provide "a comprehensive index to films by title and director on a worldwide basis" (preface). Volume 1 lists approximately 175,000 films of both the silent and sound eras and includes full-length, short, documentary, animated, serial, and made-for-television features. Volume 2 lists films by 25,000 directors.

Internet Movie Database

http://us.imdb.com

Touted as the largest international movie database on the Internet, containing thousands of films and film credits.

Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide

Reference PN 1992.8 .F5 L36

Currently includes approximately 19,000 entries, with short notes on plot and narrative assessments.

Motion Picture Guide and Annual

Reference PN 1993 .M4334

The first ten volumes of this set offer data on over 40,000 films released in the United States through 1984, along with plot summary and evaluations for most. Volumes 11-12 have variant title, series, and name indexes. Kept up-to-date after 1984 by the Annual, with extensive indexing in the back of each volume.

TVGuide.com: Movies

http://tvguide.com/movies/

From the TV Guide site, a searchable database of more than 40,000 film titles and biographies and over 750,000 filmographies. Most of the information is from the printed sources, Motion Picture Guide and Annual (Reference PN 1993 .M4334) and the Film Encyclopedia (Reference PN 1993.45 .K34)

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Film Reviews

Magill's Cinema Annual

Reference PN 1993.3 .M34

Each volume has signed essay-reviews of about 100 films of the previous year, with production credits, principal characters and players, length, review citations, etc. Another 200-300 productions are listed with basic credits and brief comments.

Magill's Survey of Cinema: English Language Films, First Series
Magill's Survey of Cinema: English Language Films, Second Series

Reference PN 1993.45 .M32

Both series cover 1,266 American, British, Canadian, Australian, and other English-language films of the sound era, 1927-81. Includes plot summary and critical evaluation. Cumulative indexes for both series are located in the back of the last volume of the second series.

Magill's Survey of Cinema: Foreign Language Films

Reference PN 1993.45 .M34

Evaluates 700 outstanding films from around the world produced in languages other than English. Multiple indexes in the final volume of the set, including country and subject indexes.

Magill's Survey of Cinema: Silent Films

Reference PN 1995.75 .M33

Profiles 308 films produced during the silent era, 1902-36, with essays also on important people and trends.

MRQE: Movie Review Query Engine

http://www.mrqe.com

An online, non-proprietary database providing, from a variety of sources (newspapers, magazines, Web zines, Web sites, discussion lists), full-text reviews of approximately 30,000 films.

The New York Times Film Reviews

Reference PN 1995 .N42

A reproduction of every film review that appeared in The New York Times since 1913. Online reviews of films that have appeared in the Times since 1983, and selected films prior to that date, are available at <http://movies.nytimes.com/ref/movies/reviews/index.html>; however, you must register (free of charge) before entering the site.

Readers' Guide Full Text (1983+)

Use the subject phrase "Motion picture review" in conjunction with the film's title as keyword to find both citations to and full text of articles in about 300 general-interest magazines. Preceded by the print index Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (1901+).

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature

Index AI 3 .R48 (1901+)

See the subject heading "Motion picture reviews" for citations to reviews in approximately 300 general-interest magazines. Especially useful for locating reviews of older films. Continued by the electronic database Readers' Guide Full Text (1983+).

Variety Film Reviews

Reference PN 1993 .V36

Volumes 1-15 reproduce about 40,000 reviews in chronological sequence as they appeared in Variety between 1907 and 1980; volume 16 is the title index to the previous volumes. Continued by biennial volumes with title indexes. Especially useful for coverage of international films and obscure U.S. films.

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Film Adaptations

The following sources are helpful in identifying films based on literary works.

Enser's Filmed Books and Plays: A List of Books and Plays From Which Films Have Been Made, 1928-1991

Reference PN 1997.85 .B385

A standard source, indexed by film title, author, and change of original title. Also has indexes for musical, made-for-television, and animated films based on literary works, and a list of production studios and distribution companies.

Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film

Reference PN 1997.85 .T54 1998

Includes over 300 entries, each of which provides a profile of the source novel, plot summary, major characters, and literary significance. Gives a helpful examination of how the film changed or preserved elements of the book, and why the changes occurred.

Short Stories on Film and Video

Reference PN 1997.85 .E45 1985

Identifies over 1,300 motion picture and television adaptations produced between 1920-84, of stories by American authors or authors well-known in America.

Theatre: Stage to Screen to Television

Reference PN 2189 .L44

Lists 327 plays which, following production on British or American stages, have been adapted both for film and television. Shakespeare, Gilbert and Sullivan, and the Greek classics are excluded.

Women Writers, From Page to Screen

Reference PN 1997.85 .W58

Identifies 2,200 English-language feature films and television movies released between 1913-88 that were inspired by women's writings. Listed by author, with indexes of film titles and literary sources.

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Film Scripts

To locate printed film scripts in the UCF Libraries' collection, use the subject heading "Motion picture plays" in the UCF Library Catalog. Additionally, the following online database is helpful in obtaining film scripts:

American Film Scripts Online

A searchable database that contains 265 scripts by 334 writers together with detailed, fielded information on the scenes, characters, and people related to the scripts. When complete, the collection will include more than 1,000 scripts and over 100,000 movie scenes.

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Internet Sources

The following selected Internet sites provide up-to-date information pertinent to the study of film.

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Ask a Librarian

If you have questions or need additional assistance, Ask a Librarian, call the Reference Department at (407) 823-2562, or e-mail the Department at askalibrarian@mail.ucf.edu. The library liaison for Film and Digital Media is Marcus Kilman, University Librarian, mkilman@mail.ucf.edu.

Last Updated: June 03, 2009