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Media & Communications: Screen Production

Reference Sources for Film & Video

Reference resources provide quick information, brief histories and explanations, and even overviews of a field.  You can quickly discover keywords, synonyms and related terms. In addition, they may briefly introduce a topic by themes or main points.

Subject Terms & Call Numbers

Use Subject Terms to find a wider range of items by looking at your topic from a different subject perspective. These are just a few of the main subject terms the library uses for film and video materials. 

The Dewey Shelf Numbers listed help you browse nearby items in the Library on the same subject. This can be a very powerful way to find research material.

Hint! If the item you want isn't in, browse the shelves around its number for similar items.

Call # Subject Heading Call # Subject Heading
791.433 Animated Films 791.430994 Motion Picture Industry Australia
791.4375 Children's Films 791.43023 Motion Picture Production and Direction - Handbooks, manuals
778.53 Cinematography 770 Photography
791.435 Documentary Films 791.43615 Science Fiction Films
791.43611 Experimental Films 808.2 Screenwriting
791.43 Feature Films 791.45023 Television Production and direction
791.436 Film Adaptations 778.5 Video Art
791.43655 Film Noir 791.43658 War Films
791.43616 Horror Films 791.43090932 Western Films
791.4309 Independent film 791.4309093520 Women in Motion Pictures
808.2 Motion Picture Authorship

Searching outside the Box

Databases

An index or article database is a good place to start your research. It will assist in locating articles and chapters published in magazines, scholarly journals, books or trade publications. Indexes are useful as they present a range of resources from a variety of sources including books, chapters, articles and dissertations and each entry will list subject headings and an abstract - all useful in assisting you with your research.

Many researchers go direct to subject specific databases to search for articles on their topic.  Have a mind map of keywords and combinations of keywords planned for your topic before you begin searching on any database.You can access databases from the library Databases A-Z list.

ECU Library's collections of Film Industry publications, and Academic Journals:

This list of individual journals is a guide to select key publications, and is not comprehensive:

Cinémas is a specialty journal primarily concerned with cinematographic studies and theoretical or analytical projects that embrace different approaches, methods and disciplines (aesthetics, semiotics, history, communications, human sciences, art history, etc.) likely to stimulate reflection. Particular attention is given to research into the changes underway with regard both to creative practices and theoretical discourse.
Australian
Inside Film delivers a 'who, what, where and how' guide to success in screen content creation. It's the bible for Australia's filmmakers - essential reading for anyone working in the film and TV industry. Inside Film features exclusive interviews with the creative personalities behind today's most entertaining and stimulating screen content, as well as detailed info about new productions and technologies.
Australian

Media & Education Magazine, Australian Teachers of Media Inc.

Welcomes manuscripts on film as language and literature; acting; film music; film as visual art (painting and cinematic style, set design, costuming); film and photography; film history; aesthetics; the response of film nd the humanities to technology; interdisciplinary studies in theme and genre; film and American Studies; reappraisals of seminal essays; book reviews and interview

Finding Film Reviews

The following sources will help you locate film reviews and criticism. In order to find a film review, you need to know the film title and film release date. If you do not have this information, use the Internet.

What are the differences between film reviews and film criticism?

Film criticism is the study, interpretation and evaluation of a film with regard to issues such as historical context, theory or technical analysis. Film criticism is written by academics and is published in books or scholarly journals. It may sometimes address a specific asspect of a film or focus on the work of a particular director or genre. Critical reviews may be published many years after a film is released.

Film reviews are written for the general public by usually journalists or other non-academics and appear in newspapers, magazines or online around the time the film is released in theatres. Their purpose is to describe the plot, characters, director, etc in order to help determine whether or not a film should be seen.

Web Resources

There are many websites devoted to the study and enjoyment of film. This is a list of portals will help you find many of them and other resources.

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  • Last Updated: Dec 18, 2024 3:58 PM
  • URL: https://ecu.au.libguides.com/media-comms
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