Film & Video Sources

[Entries marked with an asterisk (*) are highly recommended.]

BIOGRAPHIES  

Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. REF PN2285 .C58.

A biographical guide featuring performers, directors, writers, and others associated with the film industry in the U.S. and Great Britain. Primary emphasis is on people currently active in the industry.

Who’s Who in Hollywood. REF PN1998.2 .R34 1992.

Alphabetical entries for both living and deceased actors. Cryptic descriptions are followed by filmographies that highlight the player’s career.

DICTIONARIES AND ENCYCLOPEDIAS

Biographical Dictionary of Film. REF PN1998.2 .T49 1994.

Critical profiles of over 1,000 international actors, directors, etc., accompanied by filmographies. Biographical data is sparse.

Dictionary of Teleliteracy. REF PN1992.3. U5B5 1996.

Subtitled “television’s 500 biggest hits, misses, and events,” this volume is a subjective listing of the “most memorable events and programs from the first fifty years of postwar television history: 1945 to 1995.” Each entry is given an extensive description; an appendix contains a lengthy bibliography.

Disney A to Z. REF PN1999. W27S6 1996.

Compiled by the archival director of the Walt Disney Company, this book includes information on anything relating to the Disney empire, such as film and television, the theme parks, music, cartoon characters, the Disney channel, and key company personnel.

The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups In Hollywood . REF PN1995.9.M56 M85 2003

A concise, detailed, and helpful general reference source for anyone researching ethnicity in the major films, television shows and performers of the past century.

Encyclopedia of television news .  REF PN4888.T4 E53 1999

The forces and individuals of television news are thoroughly and authoritatively examined.

New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry . REF PN1993.5.U6 S539 1998

More than 750 entries document the history of studios, production companies and distributors, and provide information on industry terms.

Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film. REF PN1997.85 .T54 1998.

Signed entries give a plot summary and a critique of the film, followed by a list of references. This volume deals only with motion picture adaptations; made-for-TV works are not included. (For a list of those works, see Movies Made for Television, below.) Appendices include sketches of novelists, a bibliography, and an index.

*Film Encyclopedia. REF PN1993.45 .K34 1994.

Composed mostly of lengthy biographical sketches of filmmaking personalities, this encyclopedia also includes definitions of terms, studio profiles, and related topics.

Filmmaker’s Dictionary. REF PN1993.45 .S56 2000.

Alphabetical list of over 5,000 technical terms used in film production.

Film Studies Dictionary. REF PN1993.45. B53 2001

Includes bibliographical references.

International Dictionary of Broadcasting and Film. REF PN1990.4. B64 2000.

“This book aims to fill the need for a professional language and terminology guide to international radio, television, and film production.” Appendices include a list of worldwide television systems, a table of frequencies, and a film emulsion speed conversion table, among others.

Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia. REF PN1998.2 .M34 1994.

Actually a list of actors and directors with biographical entries and a filmography.

Les Brown’s Encyclopedia of Television. REF PN1992.18 .B7 1992.

Entries include notable people, programs, and companies from the birth of the industry to the present. Legal, regulatory, and technological issues are touched upon, as well. Gives useful information on genres (game shows, news, soap operas, etc.) and international developments.

Movies Made for Television: The Telefeature and the Mini-Series, 1964-1986. REF PN1992.8. F5M35 1987.

Entries include list of actors and production staff plus a short plot summary. Indexes of producers, directors, writers, and actors at the back followed by a chronology of titles.

Women and American Television. REF ON1992.8. W65L69 1999.

Descriptive entries for television personalities and shows that highlighted female characters. Sidebars feature short articles on important events and developments. Lists of writers, directors, and Emmy winners at the back, followed by a bibliography and an index.

Women in Film. REF PN1995.9. W6W658 1991.

Signed articles, written from a feminist perspective, on film personalities, movements, theories, etc., around the world. Entries concentrate on women directors, producers, and screenwriters. Some male directors whose work is associated with women’s themes are included.

DIRECTORIES

*AV Marketplace. Annual. REF LB1043. A817.

A complete business directory of products and services for the audio/video industry. Services and suppliers in the U.S. and Canada are included.

*Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-Present. REF PN1992.18. B68 1992.

Entries on “every regular series ever carried on the commercial broadcast networks during ‘prime time’ -- roughly 7:30 - 11:00 p.m., EST.” Appendices include prime-time schedules 1946-1991, Emmy award winners, and a list of hit theme songs from series.

International Directory of Films and Filmmakers. 4 v. REF PN1997.8 .I58 1997.

V.1: Films; v.2: Directors; v.3: Actors and Actresses; v.4: Writers and Production Artists.

International and historical in scope, includes films and personalities of all periods and countries. Inclusion is based on the recommendations of a panel of advisors; choices are “intended to reflect the current concerns of film scholarship and criticism.”

*Video Source Book. 2 v. Annual. REF PN1998 .V52.

Compiled from video and film catalogs and lists furnished by wholesale distributors. Gives a full range of programs from entertainment to educational and special interest. Carries one of the best lists of distributors available.

HANDBOOKS AND GUIDES

*Halliwell’s Film and Video Guide. REF PN1993.45 .H27 1997.

Title listings of English-language and selected foreign-language feature films. Over 23,000 entries include information on the film's cast members; writers, directors and producers; a plot synopsis and critical evaluations; videocassette, DVD, and laser disc availability; quotes from contemporary reviews. Especially useful for the inclusion of British films seldom or never seen in the U.S.

*The motion picture guide: index with alternate title index, series index, awards index. REF PN1995. N346 1985 Index

Data and evaluations on more than 40,000 films released in the U.S. Extensive critical and anecdotal material is given for especially popular or noteworthy films.

On the Screen: A Film, Television, and Video Research Guide. REF PN1994 .F48 1986.

Annotated list of references sources for film and television, listed by type of source. Concluding chapters list core periodicals, research centers, and professional associations.

INDEXES

*Bowker’s Complete Video Directory. Annual. REF PN1992.95 .V29. V.1 & 2: Entertainment; v. 3 & 4: Education and Special Interest.

An expansion of Variety’s entertainment source directory, this set includes descriptive and ordering information for almost 56,000 entertainment videos and 94,000 special interest and educational videos. Extensive indexes include an excellent list of manufacturers and distributors.

* Expanded Academic ASAP . 1980 to date. USF Libraries

Citations and abstracts are available for film and video reviews. Many of the more recent entries are available full-text on-screen. Use the title as the search term.

Film and Video Finder. 3 v. REF LB1044. Z9F58.

Produced by the National Information Center for Educational Media, this edition lists 111,000 educational and special interest video and film titles. The entire first volume is a detailed subject index; volumes 2 and 3 list entries alphabetically with short annotations.

Film Review Index. REF PN1995. F513 1986. V.1: 1882-1949; v.2: 1950-1985.

Provides citations to criticism of “those pictures that have established themselves as being of continuing importance to film researchers.

Guide to Critical Reviews: The Screenplay from the Jazz Singer to Dr. Strangelove. 3 v. REF Z5782 .S34 Pt. 4, v.1-2; Supp. 1: 1963-1980.

Provides citations to reviews of motion pictures released from 1927 to 1980. Entries are by title; an appendix lists the academy award winners for each year.  

*Media Review Digest. USF Libraries

Provides reviews of educational and entertainment media. Covers over 100,000 items from over 200 review sources. Coverage is from 1989 to the present with updates every three months.

New York Times see LexisNexis Academic. From June 1, 1980 through current; the Final New York City Edition (full text); From January 1, 1969 - May 31, 1980 (abstracts). USF Libraries

Movie reviews and television reviews.

Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition . 1982-Indexing; 1994-Fulltext/ Some Full text. USF Libraries Web Site

Gives film and video reviews full-text online. Use the title as the search term.  

MISCELLANEOUS 

70 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. REF PN1993.92 .O82 1999.

Each year (1927-1997) is covered separately with a list of the nominees in all major categories. An asterisk denotes the winner. Illustrations from nominated films appear throughout. A list of Academy facts and records is at the back followed by an index.

American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. REF PN1998. A57. Library has: F1: Feature Films, 1911-1920 F4: Feature Films, 1941-1950. F2: Feature Films, 1921-1930 F6: Feature Films, 1961-1970. F3: Feature Films, 1931-1940.

This set “aims to provide complete cataloging of every feature, short, and newsreel produced by the American film community since 1893.” Films are listed alphabetically by title; descriptive and critical information, some of it extensive, is given for each entry.

Blacks in Black and White. REF PN1995.9. N4S2 1995.

A source book on black film, this volume’s basic objective “is to present relatively little known facts concerning the all-Black cast films that were independently produced in the United States between 1910 and 1950.” Film synopses and actor biographies are included.

Dictionary of Film Quotations. REF PN1994.9 .C67 1995.

Subtitled “6,000 provocative movie quotes from 1,000 movies.” Entries are arranged by film title with a speaker index following.

Magill’s Survey of Cinema: English Language Films. First Series, 1980, 4 v.; Second Series, 1981, 6 v. REF PN1993.45 .M3.

These two sets cover almost 1,300 American, British, Canadian, and Australian films from 1927 to 1981. Entries are alphabetical by film title and contain a signed essay giving a plot summary and a critical evaluation.

*New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made. REF PN1995. C343 1999.

Reprints the Times review of each film, including the initials of the reviewer and the date of the review. A list of the ten best films for each year from 1931-1998 is at the back followed by a category list and a foreign films by country of origin list.

Silent Films, 1877-1996: A Critical Guide to 646 Movies. REF PN1995.75 .K57 1999.

Arranged by year, each entry gives a cast list, a short plot synopsis, and a critique of the production, plus, in some cases, a career history of the major players. Bibliography and index at the back.

TimeOut Film Guide. REF PN1998 .T46 1999.

Compilation of thirty years of film reviews from London’s TimeOut Magazine with a short plot summary and critique. Includes “many reviews from eras not covered in the magazine and a significant number of feature films released straight to video.” Introductory material includes two lists of the 100 best films, one compiled by TimeOut readers and one by a host of film producers, directors, actors, and critics. Appendices include a list of film subject categories, an index of actors, an index of directors, and a general subject index.

VideoHounds’s Independent Film Guide. REF PN1998 .S84 1999.

Alphabetical list of independently produced films with a short plot summary and critique. Sidebars salute individual actors and directors. There is a list of alternative titles at the back, plus indexes of cast members, directors, and subject categories.

PERIODICALS (with good film reviews)

Broadcasting and Cable. Print: 1993 to date.
Formerly: Broadcasting. Print: 1980-1993.

Library Journal. Print: 1960 to date. Online: 1997 to date.

New York . Print: Latest year only.

New Yorker. Print: 1960 to date.

Newsweek. Print: 1960 to date. Online: 1994 to date.

Rolling Stone. Print: Latest year only. Online: 1984 to date.

Time. Print: 1960 to date. Online: 1983 to date.

*Variety [the best single source]. Print: Latest year only. Online: 1993 to date

Video Librarian. Print: 1990 to date.

Village Voice. Print: Latest year only. Online: 1994 to date.

SUGGESTED INTERNET SITES  

Educational Media Reviews Online. < libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/emro/search.html >.

Reviews can be searched in a variety of ways. Many of the materials included are either educational or outside the mainstream of entertainment films. Entries go back to 1995 with some earlier dates. Reviews are lengthy and scholarly.

*All-Movie Guide. <http://www.allmovie.com>.

Searchable by film title or actor’s name, this guide offers links to browse by mood, time, genre, and more. An excellent site for film and video information.

Greatest Films of All Time. <http://www.filmsite.org>.

Contains a master film index as well as a variety of other material. Includes a useful “major film search engines” link and a references and sources list.

*Internet Movie Database. <http://us.imdb.com>.

A database of over 117,000 films with daily updates. Each title screen has a variety of links dealing with such topics as the screenplay, awards, reviews, goofs, actors, etc., each with further links. Informative and detailed.

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