Film Studies

Welcome! This page highlights key electronic resources for conducting effective research in film studies. If you need assistance identifying additional resources, search terms or strategies, please use the link above to schedule a research consultation with me.

Reference Sources

Film Indexes Online searches Film Index International (British Film Institute) and the AFI Catalog (American Film Institute) together.

Film Language Glossary provides multimedia definitions of essential terms used in basic and advanced film courses that are representative of all the major categories of film studies.

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers is a comprehensive resource that provides thorough coverage of films and filmmakers.

Recommended Databases for Journal Articles and Reviews

FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Plus provides in-depth coverage of the world's foremost academic and popular film journals from 1972 to the present day

Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text covers journal and magazine titles for film and television reviews, scholarly and critical analysis of cinema and television, and articles of popular interest about film and television

Humanities Full Text brings full text (starting 1995) plus abstracts and bibliographic indexes (starting 1984) of noted scholarly sources in the humanities, as well as lesser known specialized magazines.

International Index to the Performing Arts is a multidisciplinary index to the performing arts. Includes full-text.

Proquest Direct contains citations and fulltext articles from several thousand magazines, journals, newspapers, etc. covering many subjects in academic & professional disciplines

Or search multiple databases simultaneously:

Find Articles

Finding Books, Screenplays, and Media

Books
Browse the stacks using the film call number range:  PN1993-1999

CLIO - Online catalog of the Columbia University Libraries, including Barnard Library, but excluding Teachers College and the Law Library.

WorldCat searches libraries worldwide.

Screenplays
American Film Scripts Online is an electronic resource with over 700 accurate and authorized versions of copyrighted screenplays, formatted in the conventional screenplay format.

CLIO Search Tip: There isn't a perfect search method for locating screenplays. In many cases, you can search the film's title and browse the results for a screenplay. For popular titles, it may be more effective to conduct an advanced search and exclude the keyword videorecording.

Media
Media materials (DVDs, CDs) are available from the Media Collection on the 3rd floor of Wollman Library and from Butler Media Center.

CLIO Search Tip: Conduct an advanced search and limit results to format: Visual Materials (videos, dvds, etc.) or use videorecording as a keyword.