Documentary Film and Video: Some Basic Strategies for Research

Documentary Film and Video : Basic Strategies for Research Gary Handman Director Media Resources Center Moffitt Library

Writing About Film/Video: The Basic Questions What types of writing about film are out there? What types of writing about film are out there? What types of publications contain writing about film? What types of publications contain writing about film? Where do you find the stuff? Where do you find the stuff?

Writing About Film…  Reviews  Critical analysis  Biography Scholarly  Gossip  Fantasy & fetish  General weirdness Fan  Box office and market info  Production info  gossip Industry  Reviews  Pop talk  Biography Pop

Writing on Docfilm: What’s Out There? Scholarly writing Pop and fan writing Documentary film Scholarly writing

Writing on Docfilm: What’s Out There? Documentary film  Reviews (mostly for more popular and theatrically-released titles): (very few serious articles on doc film before 1980)  Festival information (periodicals)  Scholarly critical analysis:  Books  Journal/periodical articles

Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff? Reviews:  Found in popular periodicals, film periodicals, and (less often) in more scholarly journals  Assessment of aesthetic and content merits of a particular film  Usually cover current releases, more pop theatrical releases  Tend to be relatively short and relatively superficial (with some exceptions and depending on the publication and who’s doing the writing)

Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff? Critical analysis:  Found in books and scholarly and film-related journals  Discuss films in:  broader historical, cultural, political, artistic context and/or  Focus on a specific aspect of a film, film genre, or filmmaker  Tend to be longer, more substantive than reviews (with some exceptions and depending on the publication and who’s doing the writing)  Often include notes, bibliographies, other scholarly apparatus

Found in: Film studies journals (print & online)Film studies journals (print & online) Journals in various disciplinesJournals in various disciplines (print & online) (print & online) e.g. women’s studies; gay lesbian studies; ethnic studies; area studies, anthropology… Web sites (occasionally… academic and commercial databases)Web sites (occasionally… academic and commercial databases) Journal Articles/Reviews

Pathfinder Inventory of what the Library owns: Books Books Media Media Manuscripts, documents, maps…etc. etc. etc. etc.) Manuscripts, documents, maps…etc. etc. etc. etc.) How do you locate this stuff? Journals the library subscribes to: Journals the library subscribes to: WHOLE JOURNALS, NOT NOT NOT what’s inside of them WHOLE JOURNALS, NOT NOT NOT what’s inside of them

Books etc. in Books etc. in Pathfinder How do you locate this stuff?  Search by:  Director’s name  Title of book or video or…  Subject keywords…

Indexes & Abstracts How do you locate this stuff? Journal Articles

How do you locate this stuff? Journal Articles/Reviews Film-related (not many exist) Film-related (not many exist) General news General news Arts & Humanities Arts & Humanities Other disciplines: e.g. Women’s Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, History…etc. Other disciplines: e.g. Women’s Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, History…etc. Jumping Off point for Finding Online Indexes: FIND INFORMATION / Articles /Articles by Subject Online & Print Indexes and Abstracts

How to Look em’ Up in the Indexes Search index using title of work (as a phrase, if the option is available) and/orSearch index using title of work (as a phrase, if the option is available) and/or DirectorDirector You can also use keywords to search by broad subjectYou can also use keywords to search by broad subject If you’re looking for reviews, try using and reviewIf you’re looking for reviews, try using and review e.g. Dark Days and review or Dark Days and Marc Singer and review

The Information Universe (Now) LibraryLand The Net Google Rocks!

Once You Find a Citation, How Do You Find the Article? Some indexes provide holdings info [UC eLinks]Some indexes provide holdings info [UC eLinks] Some indexes link to full-textSome indexes link to full-text If neither…use Pathfinder to look up the JOURNAL

Tweak your topic: Broaden it / select a different angle Select different key words or terms If: Chang = 0 Merian Cooper = 0 Then maybe: Ethnographic Film Documentary Film – History If: film literature indexes = 0 Then: Maybe Anthropology? South/Southeast Asian Studies? What to do if nothing is turning up

Film Reviews and Criticism edu/MRC/FilmBibMenu.html Bibliographies on various film topics and individual films compiled by MRC (includes bibs for genres, filmmakers, national cinemas, and individual film).

Off campus: Use PROXY Server