Film & Film Criticism

Choosing a topic

When choosing a topic for your research paper, think about the following:

• Unless your instructor assigns a topic, try to select a topic that interests you.
• Make sure your topic is not too broad, or too narrow. You will find too much information when searching for a broad topic; and not enough information when searching for a narrow topic.
• If you already have a general topic, try searching the library's catalog or the library's databases for ideas on how to narrow that topic down.
• Visit the library's Reference Desk and request to view the following book: 10,000 ideas for term papers, projects, reports and speeches: Intriguing, original research topics for every student's need.
• For current events and issues in the news, try searching the library's database: CQ Researcher.
• For debatable or controversial issues, ask one of the librarians about the Opposing Viewpoints Series, the Taking Sides Series, Issues in Focus Series and/or the Current Controversies Series.
• Visit the Social Issues Research Guide. There you will find a list of current social issues to choose from.

Reference Collection

The Reference Collection will provide an excellent starting point for your research in the field of Film & Film Criticism. Reference books often give you background information and a general overview on your topic so that you can proceed with greater understanding to a more detailed treatment of your subject in other books and periodicals. Reference books may include specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, atlases and/or statistical reports. The librarian at the Reference Desk can help in locating an appropriate source. Listed below are the titles and call numbers of some of the Film & Film Criticism books in the library's reference collection. The reference collection is located on the main level of the library. Books within the reference collection cannot be checked out of the library.

Library Catalog

The library catalog is used to locate books both at RVCC, as well as from other libraries in the Somerset County Library System. Books will provide in-depth information not found in reference sources.

Quick Tips:

• Start with a Keyword search. Once you find one or two books about your topic, check the book's record to see what Subjects are being used. Once you find the appropriate Subject Heading, repeat your search using those headings. Generally, the results from a Subject search will always be more accurate than the results from a Keyword search.
• If you know the title of the book you are looking for, do a Title search.
• If you are looking for a book with a specific author, do an Author search (last name first).

Suggested Subject Headings for Film & Film Criticism:

• Cinematography
• Film criticism
• Film noir
• Historical films
• Indians in motion pictures
• Motion pictures
• Motion pictures -- History
• Motion pictures -- Production and direction
• Motion pictures -- Reviews
• Motion pictures -- United States
• Motion picture actors and actresses
• Politics in motion pictures
• Western films

Consult with the reference librarian to find the term best suited to your needs.

Browse the Collection:

Most of the books can be found in the following areas:

• PN1993 - 1999 -- Motion picture
• PN1997 - 1997.85 -- Plays, scenarios, etc.
• PN2000 - 3307 -- Dramatic representation

All of the library's circulating books are located on the upper level of the library.

For additional library catalogs, including libraries in Hunterdon and Middlesex counties, consult the Additional Library Catalogs page. If you find a book in one of these catalogs that the library does not own, request the book using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

Research Databases - Finding Articles

The Evelyn S. Field Library has access to thousands of periodicals. (Periodicals can be magazines, scholarly journals, or newspapers.) Some periodicals are in the library's print (or hard copy) collection. However, the majority of periodicals are available in the Research Databases. These databases provide access to articles. This information is generally more current than material found in books.

Search for periodical articles on Film & Film Criticism using the databases listed below. They can be accessed from the Library Database Page. (If you are using these databases from an off-campus location, you will be asked to identify yourself by logging in with your Username and Password. This is the same login you use on campus. The Research Databases are available only to registered RVCC students.)

• Academic Search Premier is a large general/multidisciplinary index designed for academic institutions, covering social science, humanities, education, computer science, engineering, language, linguistics, art, literature medical science, and ethnic issues. It contains many articles in full-text.
• Communications & Mass Media
• Literature Resource Center contains information about authors of screenplays/scripts.
• ProQuest Research Library is an excellent general-pupose periodical database. Indexes and summarizes articles from over 1,800 periodicals and newspapers. Many articles are available in full text.
• WilsonWeb OmniFile contains many scholarly journal articles, some of which are in full text.

After finding an article on your research topic, the database will either provide a citation and summary of the article, or it will provide the full-text (the complete article). If you are only given a citation and summary of the article, you can check the Periodical Locator to determine if the periodical you are looking for is available in another database. (The Periodical Locator is an alphabetical list of all the journals the library has access to. Feel free to talk with a librarian for assistance.) If the article is not available in any of the library's research databases, request the article using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

If, for your assignment, you are required to have sources from scholarly journals, use the Magazine vs. Journal guide to help you determine if your source is a magazine article or a scholarly article.

NOTE: Film review sources cover films released over specific periods. Therefore, you need to know the year of a film's release in order to find a review; this information can be found in the reference books listed at the beginning of this guide.

Internet Resources

Film Reviews can be found at the World Wide Web sites listed below:

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  http://www.oscars.org/
  Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• Britfilms.com
  http://www.britfilms.com/
  Source: The British Council -- Access to the British Film Catalog provides information on recent features, shorts, and documentaries. Also information on international film festivals.
• CineMedia
  http://www.cinemedia.org/welcomes/you.html
  Source: American Film Institute -- Internet's largest film and media directory. Links to actors, TV, cinema, video, organizations, production, research.
• Classic Movies
  http://classicfilm.about.com/msubmenu26.htm?once=true&
  Source: About.com -- Links to genre films, cult films and history of film.
• earlycinema.com
  http://www.earlycinema.com/
  Source: Earlycinema.com -- An introduction to the first decade of cinema. Includes a timeline, pioneers in the field and info about the early technology.
• Film Noir
  http://www.filmsite.org/filmnoir.html
  Source: Tim Dirks -- Explores the "film noir" style of film making, including details about specific films.
• Greatest Films
  http://www.filmsite.org/
  Source: Tim Dirks, filmsite.org -- A site concentrating on classic Hollywood/American film. Includes commentary, historical background, reference materials, reviews and extensive information about film genres.
• Images: A Journal of Film and Popular Culture
  http://www.imagesjournal.com/index.html
  Source: Gary Johnson -- A quarterly electronic journal about movies, TV, videos, and other popular visual arts. Includes current and past films.
• IMDb -- Internet Movie Database
  http://www.imdb.com/
  Source: IMDb is part of the Amazon.com companies -- An international organization aiming to provide useful information on movies from around the world from the earliest cinema to the latest releases and including movies in production. Includes filmographies, plot summaries, character names, movie ratings, technical data, reviews, and box office grosses.
• Metacritic film
  http://www.metacritic.com/film/
  Source: Metacritic, Inc. -- Reviews movies based on a survey of critics nationwide. Emphasizes movies since 1999, but has scores for some older releases.
• MovieFlix.com
  http://www.movieflix.com/
  Source: MovieFlix.com -- Movies that are in the public domain are available for free from this site. Viewing requires RealPlayer. 28 categories of film are available.
• MRQE: Movie Review Query Engine
  http://www.mrqe.com/
  Source: Stewart M. Clamen -- Wonderful site for finding movie reviews. It includes more than 37,000 titles.
• Tom Valasek's American Film Course Websites
  http://www.raritanval.edu/
  Source: Thomas Valasek, Faculty in Humanities Department, Raritan Valley Community College -- Websites recommended by Prof. Valasek for use by students in his American Film course. From the RVCC homepage, open RVCC Shortcuts window, select Academic Departments, then Communication and Languages, then Thomas Valasek (under Full-time Faculty), then American Film Course Websites.
• Top 100 American Films of the 20th Century
  http://www.ravecentral.com/afi.html
  Source: American Film Institute -- Information about the top 100 films as well as the 100 funniest and the 100 top box office hits.
• Voice of the Shuttle: Media Studies Page
  http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=917
  Source: Alan Liu, Professor of English, University of California, Santa Barbara -- Select Film/Video to link to a rich selection of resources in this area.

Additional Help

• Call or visit the Reference Desk to speak to one of the librarians. The Reference Desk is located on the main floor of the library. The phone number is 908-526-1200 x8350.
• Email your question to one of the librarians using the Ask-A-Librarian Service.

For further information about this guide, please contact Julie Maginn
Last Updated - November, 2007