Film Studies

Print Collection
The Film Studies collection supports teaching and research in the Film Studies Department, the Mass Communications Program, the Graduate School of Journalism, and the exceptionally wide group of other humanities and social sciences disciplines interested in film as as art form and a cultural artifact. The Library collects at a research level in nearly every language of the world. Concentration of the Film Studies collection is in the areas of film history, film theory, and film aesthetics. Less comprehensive are the collections dealing with the economic aspects of film production and distribution, with film technologies and production techniques, and with the craft of film acting. Popular biographies of individual actors, directors, or film industry personalities, and popular works dealing with individual films are also collected sparingly. The major part of the collection is located in the Gardner (MAIN) Stacks, with additional materials in the Moffitt.

Media Resources Center
The UCB Library's Media Resources Center is one of the strongest collections of video and DVD materials in a US academic library. The MRC collection includes a study-level collection of international cinema works, with particular strengths in contemporary and historical cinematic representations of race, ethnicity, and gender. The MRC non-fiction video collection covers all academic disciplines. The non-fiction collection includes one of the strongest collections of independently produced and/or distributed documentary works in the United States. More information about MRC...

Purchase Recommendations
If you'd like to recommend an item to be added to the collection, please use the Purchase Recommendation Form.

A listing of Moving Image Search Engines and Databases maintained by the Media Resources Center.

A listing of Movie Credit Databases maintained by the Media Resources Center.

The following databases are limited to UCB users and require special steps to connect from off campus.

FIAF: International Index to Film Periodicals
Indexes scholarly and popular journals, books, book reviews, and proceedings worldwide on a wide range of topics within the fields of film and television studies. Includes complete data from all volumes of the International Index to Film Periodicals (1972 to the present), the TV-related companion (1979 to the present), the annual volumes of the International Index to Film.
Film and Television Literature Index with Full Text
Indexes 150 scholarly and popular periodicals from 30 countries cover-to-cover and 300 other periodicals selectively for reviews and articles on the topic film and television. Search by keyword, production title and more or browse by some 2000 subject headings.
International Index to Performing Arts (IIPA)
Indexes over 200 scholarly and popular performing arts periodicals, documents, biographical profiles, conference papers, obituaries, interviews, discographies, and reviews. Covers a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry including dance, film, television, drama, theater, stagecraft, musical theater, broadcast arts, circus performance, comedy, storytelling, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic and more.
MLA International Bibliography
Indexes journal articles, series, monographs, dissertations, bibliographies, proceedings and other materials supporting critical scholarship on literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. Sponsored by the Modern Language Association.
America: History and Life
Indexes over 2,000 journals published worldwide on the history of the US and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes all key English-language historical journals; selected historical journals from major countries, state, and local history journals; and a targeted selection of hundreds of journals in the social sciences and humanities.
Art Full Text
Indexes over 300 international publications, including journals, yearbooks, museum bulletins, film reviews, bibliographies, conference reports, review articles, interviews and exhibition listings, in a variety of languages. Covers the fields of archaeology, architecture, art history, city planning, computer applications and graphics, crafts, film, folk art, graphic arts, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, museology, painting, photography, sculpture, television, textiles, and video.
Art Index Retrospective
Indexes publications in the fields of archaeology, architecture, art history, city planning, computer applications and graphics, crafts, film, folk art, graphic arts, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, museology, painting, photography, sculpture, television, textiles, and video. Includes citations to art reproductions. Provides citations from Volumes 1-32 of the print counterpart, Art Index.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index (Web of Knowledge)
Indexes over 1,000 of the leading arts and humanities journals, and provides searching of footnoted citations. Use the link above, then under Current Limits, specify Arts and Humanities Citation Index. For more guidance on using this database see the following tutorials: Creating Alerts and Creating an RSS Feed.
CineFiles (Pacific Film Archive)
Indexes reviews, press kits, festival and showcase program notes, newspaper articles, and other documents from the PFA Library's clipping files. The files contain documents from a broad range of sources covering world cinema, past and present.
Film Index International
Indexes almost 100,000 international feature films and shorts, Hollywood entertainment shorts, documentaries, and television movies from all over the world. Includes references to critical and industry articles on films, articles on personalities from approximately 260 international film/TV journals, information about film awards and prizes, and searchable plot summaries with cast and crew lists. This database is produced in collaboration with the British Film Institute.
Historical Abstracts
Indexes over 2,000 journals, as well as historical book reviews and dissertations, published worldwide about all aspects of world history (excluding US and Canada) from 1450 to the present. Articles covered were written from 1954 to thepresent
LexisNexis Academic
Includes over 6,000 individual titles of international, national and local newspapers and wire services; radio and television transcripts; and business, medical, industry, and legislative magazines, journals, and newsletters. Wide geographic coverage and translations from foreign-language sources, as well as news services like the Associated Press, Agence France Press, El Pais and Xinhua (New China) News Agency.
Periodicals Archive Online (formerly PCI Full Text)
An online periodical archive that provides access to some 475 digitized journals in the humanities and social sciences. A sister database, Periodicals Index Online, provides additional indexing for articles in over 4,700 periodicals.
Periodicals Index Online (formerly PCI)
Indexes millions of articles published in over 4,700 periodicals in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. A sister database, Periodicals Archive Online, provides a full-text archive of some 475 journals published between 1802 and 1995.

Film Reference Sources : A Selective Guide, by the Media Resources Center.

Great Directors - a Critical Database
Critical essays on the life of work of notable international film directors (part of the electronic journal Senses of Cinema). Essays include filmographies and bibliographies, links to related web resources, and numerous still images from works of the director profiled.
Internet Movie Database
A database of more than 120,000 movies. Includes biographical records (including complete filmographies) for close to 200,000 individuals involved in international film and television industries. The Glossary includes definitions of terms and phrases frequently used in the world of movies, film, acting, and cinema-going. The Box Office Summary lists the weekly summary of top-grossing US films and also includes a year-to-date archive of top-grossing US films and listings of top-grossing international films. The database also provides links to Top-Grossing Rentals.

Doyle, Billy H. The Ultimate Directory of Film Technicians: a Necrology of Dates and Places of Births and Deaths of More Than 9,000 Producers, screenwriters, Composers, Cinematographers, Art Directors, Costume Designers, Choreographers, Executives, and Publicists. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1999. Main Stack PN1998.2.D688 1999

Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies. Leslie Halliwell; edited by John Walker. 14th ed. New York: Harper Resource, c2001. Brief entries cover personal names of actors, directors, writers, and cinematographers, plus a few screen characters. Entries include film themes, styles, technique, and subjects. Use this for short-fact reference and biographical material. Media Center PN1993.45 .H3 2001

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 4th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, c2000.Doe Reference PN1997.8.I58 2000

Thomson, David. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. 4th ed. New York: Knopf, 2002. Media Center PN1998.2.T49 2002

Tibbetts, John C. The Encyclopedia of Filmmakers. New York : Facts on File, c2002. Doe Reference PN1998.2.T53 2002

Box Office Guru
Box office data on over 25,000 motion pictures released between 1989 and the present. Also includes tables of all-time top-grossing films.
Internet Movie Database
A database of more than 120,000 movies. Includes biographical records (including complete filmographies) for close to 200,000 individuals involved in international film and television industries. The Glossary includes definitions of terms and phrases frequently used in the world of movies, film, acting, and cinema-going. The Box Office Summary lists the weekly summary of top-grossing US films and also includes a year-to-date archive of top-grossing US films and listings of top-grossing international films. The database also provides links to Top-Grossing Rentals.
The Numbers
Yearly, daily, and weekly charts of top-grossing films in the U.S. and abroad. Also includes tables of all-time top-grossing films.
Worldwide Box Office
International box office statistics for selected films 1899-2004. Statistics are for gross movie ticket sales only (they do not include video, television, or merchandising).

Film Glossary
Glossary of terms related to films, filmmaking, and the motion picture industry.
Film Terms (via GlossArtist)
A basic glossary of film production and cinematography terms.
Internet Movie Database
A database of more than 120,000 movies. Includes biographical records (including complete filmographies) for close to 200,000 individuals involved in international film and television industries. The Glossary includes definitions of terms and phrases frequently used in the world of movies, film, acting, and cinema-going. The Box Office Summary lists the weekly summary of top-grossing US films and also includes a year-to-date archive of top-grossing US films and listings of top-grossing international films. The database also provides links to Top-Grossing Rentals.

Internet Movie Database
A database of more than 120,000 movies. Includes biographical records (including complete filmographies) for close to 200,000 individuals involved in international film and television industries. The Glossary includes definitions of terms and phrases frequently used in the world of movies, film, acting, and cinema-going. The Box Office Summary lists the weekly summary of top-grossing US films and also includes a year-to-date archive of top-grossing US films and listings of top-grossing international films. The database also provides links to Top-Grossing Rentals.

Encyclopedia of Film Directors in the United States of America and Europe. Edited by Alfred Krautz. Munchen; New Providence : K.G. Saur, 1993 Main Stack PN1998.E49 1993

Encyclopedia of Film Themes, Settings, and Series. Richar B. Armstrong and Mary Willems Armstrong. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001. Doe Reference PN1997.8 .A762 2001

Fernett, Gene American Film Studios: An Historical Encyclopedia Main PN1993.5.U6 F45 1988 Moffitt PN1993.5.U6 F45 1988

Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: Harper Perennial, c2001. Doe Reference PN1993.45 .K34 2001 Media Center PN1993.45 .K34 2001

Magills' Survey of Cinema.
Provides essay-length reviews of roughly 3,000 films. "Consists of several distinct parts: English language films are covered in two A-Z series, the first of four volumes published in 1980 and the second in six volumes published in 1981; silent films comprise three volumes (1982), foreign language films eight volumes (1985), and current films are covered in Magill's Cinema Annual, which began in 1982 and serves as a continuing update to the set. Articles on each film include a plot summary, critical notes on directing, acting, screen writing, cinematography, and the film's place in the history of its genre.

English Language Film:
Media Center PN1995.M3 Library has: 1-4
Doe Reference PN1995.M3 V.1-4 (C1980); second series PN1995.M32 V.1-6 (1981)
Foreign Language Film:
Media Center PN1995.M335 1985 Library has: v. 1-8
Doe Reference PN1993.45.M34 1985 Library has: v. 1-8 (c1985)
Silent Film:
Media Center PN1995.M34 1982 Library has: v.1-3
Doe Reference PN1997.8.M3 Library has: V.1-3 (1982)

The New York Times Encyclopedia of Film.
Media Center PN1993.45.N4 1984 Library has: v. 1-13 (c1984)Index: vol. 13.
Facsimiles of articles appearing in the New York Times 1896-1979 dealing with motion pictures, the motion picture industry, and motion picture personalities. An invaluable source of primary source material on the history of American film.

Slide, Anthony. The American Film Industry: A Historical Dictionary. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986. Main Stack PN1993.5.U6.S5391 1986

Vincendeau, Ginette. Encyclopedia of European Cinema. New York, NY : Facts on File, c1995.
Doe Reference PN1993.5.E8 V56 1995
Media Resources Center PN1993.5.E8 V56 1995
Main Reference PN1993.5.E8 V56 1995

Some of these resources may be limited to UCB users only and may require special steps to connect from off campus.

AFI Catalog
Provides authoritative film credit and production information for American films made from 1893 to 1972. Also includes selective citations to trade and review publications for the individual films indexed in the database.
Asian Educational Media Service
A database of films and videos related to the peoples and cultures of Asia created and maintained by the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Includes documentary films, feature films, CD-ROMs, and photographic slides.
BUND: British Universities Newsreel Database
Contains 170,000 records of British newsreel and cinemagazine production and a large collection of digitized documents related to newsreel productions.
Film Index International
Indexes almost 100,000 international feature films and shorts, Hollywood entertainment shorts, documentaries, and television movies from all over the world. Includes references to critical and industry articles on films, articles on personalities from approximately 260 international film/TV journals, information about film awards and prizes, and searchable plot summaries with cast and crew lists. This database is produced in collaboration with the British Film Institute.
Internet Movie Database
A database of more than 120,000 movies. Includes biographical records (including complete filmographies) for close to 200,000 individuals involved in international film and television industries. The Glossary includes definitions of terms and phrases frequently used in the world of movies, film, acting, and cinema-going. The Box Office Summary lists the weekly summary of top-grossing US films and also includes a year-to-date archive of top-grossing US films and listings of top-grossing international films. The database also provides links to Top-Grossing Rentals.
Latin American Video Archives
A searchable database and ordering service which includes thousands of Latin American film and video titles and unites the collections of hundreds of U.S. and foreign distributors and individual film/video makers into a central, on-line location. Includes feature films and documentary works.
Margaret Herrick Library (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
One of the most extensive research collections on the subject of motion pictures. The online catalog includes bibliographic records for the library's holdings of books, periodicals and scripts in the general collection, as well as part of the poster collection and some graphic art materials.
National Film Registry
A roster of American films (features and shorts, documentaries, animated, etc.) that are at least 10 years old and "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." List was initiated in 1989; new selections annually. Sponsored by The Library of Congress and the National Film Preservation Board.

Basic Film Terms: A Visual Dictionary. [Videotape] Santa Monica, Calif.: Pyramid Films, 1970.
Media Resources Center VIDEO/C 2094

Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory. Edited by Roberta E. Pearson and Philip Simpson. London; New York: Routledge, 2001. Doe Reference PN1993.45 .C75 2001 Media Center PN1993.45 .C75 2001

Case, Christopher. The Ultimate Movie Thesaurus. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1996.
Media Center PN1998 .C323 1996

Dictionary of Film Terms: The Aesthetic Companion to Film Analysis. Beaver, Frank Eugene. New York: Twayne Publishers; Toronto : Maxwell Macmillan Canada ; New York : Maxwell Macmillan International, 1994. Doe Reference TR847 .B43 1994

Blandford, Steven, et al.The Film Studies Dictionary. London: Arnold; New York: Co-published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press, 2001. Doe Reference PN1993.45 .B49 2001 Media Center PN1993.45 .B49 2001

Konigsberg, Ira. The Complete Film Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin Reference, 1997.
Doe Reference PN1993.45 .K66 1997

Mercer, John Glossary of Film Terms. Houston: University Film Association, 1979. Series title: Monograph / University Film Association; no. 2. Doe Reference TR886 .M4 1979