Introduction to Film Studies

Research Sources & Tips

I. Course Reserves

Check out the Course Reserves.

II. A Few Titles at Tisch and Web Sites

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers

The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. / David Thomson. Ref. PN1998.2 .T49 2002

Film Art: an Introduction. / David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson.
PN1995 .B617 2008 ; DVD at Circulation.

Dictionary of Film Terms: the Aesthetic Companion to Film Art. / Frank Eugene Beaver. Ref. PN1993.45 .B33 2006

Cinema Studies: the key Concepts. / Susan Hayward. PN1993.45 H36 2006

Becoming Film Literate: the Art and Craft of Motion Pictures.PN1994 .L595 2005

How to Read a Film: the World of Movies, Media, and Multimedia: Language, History, Theory. PN1994 .M59 2008

Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. PN1994 .M364 2004

Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory. edited by Roberta E Pearson and Philip Simpson.

A World History of Film. Oversize: PN1993.5.A1 S555 2002

Encyclopedia of Film Themes, Settings, and Series . Oversize: PN1993.5.A1 S555 2002

Blockbusters: a Reference Guide to Film Genres. PN1995 .G663 2006

Filmakers Library Online (streaming video of award-winning documentaries)

UCLA Film & Television Archive

III. Film Studies -- History and Criticism

A. Use Library Catalogs to find Monographs and Essays

1. Tufts Libraries Catalog

2. WorldCat (beyond Tufts)

B. Searches & Results

(note the search pattern; modify to your own needs)

1. By Country

motion pictures Iran

2. Regional and Geopolitical

Motion pictures Arab (a region)

Motion pictures -- Developing countries. (geopolitical)

Motion pictures -- Middle East.

3. Filmmaker

Bunuel Luis

4. A Movement

New Wave Films

5. Plots and Themes

motion pictures plots themes

6. Genres

film genres

fantasy films

documentary films

Documentary-style films

animated films

biographical films

historical films

film adaptations

road films

and more .

Tip: find your movie in the Catalog, and learn the special language for genres/themes.

7. Topics

love in motion pictures

Intercultural communication in motion pictures

Emigration and immigration in motion pictures.

8. Advance Keyword Search

On the topic of diaspora/exile and cinema:

Material Type:

Tips: 1. Or and ( ) to search any or all of the words; 2. film* searches film, films, etc.

Appendix I. Writing and Citing

Movie Reviews vs Film Criticism (Timothy J. Corrigan.)

Writing About Film (Dartmouth Writing Program)

MLA Style (for citing sources)

Appendix II. Sample Film Courses

CMS -- Film Topics (included production related materials)

Cinema of Apocalypse

Post Colonial Cinemas

African American and Pan-African Films

Arabic and Middle Eastern Cinema

Post Colonial Cinemas

Chinese Cinema (Mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong)

Rural & Urban China through Cinema (Mainland)

The Andes and the Amazon in Film and Literature

Latin American Cinema

Mapping the Latin American Metropolis

Japanese Film

The World of Hayao Miyazaki

French Cinema

Film and Nation: Russia, Central Asia

German Films

Spanish Films

IV. More Specific and Current Discussions

A. Use the subject databases to find journal articles.

1 & 2. JSTOR and Project Muse

JSTOR is a favorite with its full texts in core journals of all disciplines. Project Muse does not include exactly the same JSTOR journals, but it has more recent and current articles on many topics.

Expand your search into more databases and from various perspectives

3. Academic OneFile
All subjects; a convenient Quick Start.

4. Film & Television and Mass Media

Limit Your Results

Peer Reviewed

5. When use GoogleScholar, set your Library Links to access Tufts full texts.

B. A few core journals:

C. Finding Full Text

1. Click on the button in your search results screen to a window of three sequential options:

a. link to the digital full text when available;

b. link to a Library Catalog search for the print journal;

c. link to ILliad for requesting the article when the above two options are negative.

2. Search for a journal directly here:

a. Tufts Library Catalog (including e-journals)

b. Electronic journals list

c. Use ILliad to request your article, if Tufts does not have your journal.

D. Requesting Articles/Books

Set up for your ILliad account

Use ILLiad, our Interlibrary Loan Service, to request articles, books and other materials that are not available at Tufts.

V. Popular Press

Book, Movie, Music, Play, And Video Reviews (in LexisNexis)

Factiva (many more foreign sources)

Alt-PressWatch

Ethnic NewsWatch 1960 -

New York Times Online Archive
(1851 - 3 years before current date)

Times Digital Archive (1785 - 1985)

British Humanities Index (1962- )

Art Index Retrospective (1929- 1982)

Readers' Guide Retrospective (1890-1982)

American Periodicals (1740-1940)

British Periodicals (1680s - 1930s)

British Humanities Index (1962- )