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Get Out Your Handkerchiefs: Get Out Your Handkerchiefs: Researching Film MelodramaResearching Film Melodrama
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs: Get Out Your Handkerchiefs: Researching Film MelodramaResearching Film Melodrama
Gary HandmanGary Handmanghandman@library.berkeley.edu3-86663-8666
1. Describe the types of writing and research about film
2. Introduce selected sources for finding books and journal articles in film studies & related fields
3. Discuss how to select article databases (and determine what’s in them)
4. Discuss how to develop search strategies5. Practice using these skills (if there’s time)
CurrentCurrent
HistoricalHistorical
ScholarlScholarly/y/In-depthIn-depth
IndustryIndustry
Pop and Pop and fanfan
Writing About Writing About Film…Film…
1950’s1950’s1960’s1960’sFilm StudiesFilm StudiesFilm ScholarshipFilm Scholarship
Film Scholarship & Film Criticism
Movies = 100+ YearsMovies = 100+ YearsFilm Scholarship = 50 yearsFilm Scholarship = 50 years
18951895
Brothers Auguste & Louis Lumiere stage 1st public film screening, Paris
Writing about film = fan and industry perspectives from the beginningWriting about film = fan and industry perspectives from the beginning
William Dickson (Edison labs)invents The Kinetoscope
18891889
•Periodicals (aka magazines, Periodicals (aka magazines, journals, serials…)journals, serials…)•NewspapersNewspapers
•ReviewsReviews•Critical/Scholarly Articles Critical/Scholarly Articles
•BooksBooks
•From schlocky to scholarlyFrom schlocky to scholarly•Biography, genre writing, Biography, genre writing, individual films, individual individual films, individual directorsdirectors
•Web Sites (more about this Web Sites (more about this later…)later…)
•Other online databasesOther online databases
Sources for Film & Scholarship and Sources for Film & Scholarship and ResearchResearch
Reviews:
•Assessment of aesthetic and content merits of a film
Found in popular periodicals, film periodicals, and (less often) in more scholarly journals (not to mention EVERYWHERE on the Web)
In pop periodicals: Current and Historical (older)
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)
An important source for determining audience and critical reception at time movie was released.
Reviews? Critical Reviews? Critical Writing? Writing? What’s the diff? What’s the diff?
Periodical Articles:Periodical Articles:
Periodical Articles:Periodical Articles:
Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff?Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff? Critical analysis: Discuss films in:
broader historical, cultural, political, artistic context and/orFocus on a specific aspect of a film, film genre, or filmmaker
Found in books and scholarly or film-related journalsTend 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
BooksBooks•Scholarly/authoritative worksScholarly/authoritative works
•Pop schlock and fan worksPop schlock and fan works
How Do You Tell em’ How Do You Tell em’ apart?apart?
• Author’s credentials/affiliationsAuthor’s credentials/affiliations
• Publisher (e.g. BFI, AFI, University Publisher (e.g. BFI, AFI, University Presses vs pop press)Presses vs pop press)
• Scholarly apparatus and sources: Scholarly apparatus and sources: notes, bibliographies, other notes, bibliographies, other documentationdocumentation
• If they’ve been widely cited by other If they’ve been widely cited by other scholarsscholars
……But how do you locate this stuff?But how do you locate this stuff?
Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
The Information UniverseThe Information Universe
Library Catalog(s)
Journal/NewspaperIndexes (article databases)
Library Catalog(s)
oPathfinder: UCB Library holdings only
oMELVYL (CDL cat): All 9 UC Campuses
•An inventory of what the library owns
•Search by Author, Title, Subject
•Whole books and print and electronic journals, NOT what’s inside of those publications
The Information Universe: Books
Cavell, Stanley, 1926-.Contesting tears : the Hollywood melodrama of the unknown woman / Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1996.
UCB Main PN1995.9.W6.C38 1996
Get da Book in da Stax
Call #
Look it Up in Pathfinder or MELVYL by Author, Title, or Subject :
The Information Universe: Finding ArticlesArticle Databases (Indexes/Abstracts)
• Allow subject/author searching in a group of journals in a particular discipline or topical area.
• Produced by different commercial publishers; often look/act differently from one another.
Articles/Reviews Articles/Reviews (how do you find this (how do you find this
stuff?)stuff?)
Film-related (not many exist) Film-related (not many exist) General news General news Literary and ArtsLiterary and ArtsOther disciplines: e.g. Other disciplines: e.g. Women’s Studies, American Women’s Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Studies, Ethnic Studies, History…etc.History…etc.
Article databases Article databases (aka Indexes)(aka Indexes)
Once You Find a Citation, Once You Find a Citation, How Do You Find the Journal/Article?How Do You Find the Journal/Article?
•Some indexes provide Some indexes provide holdings info [UC eLinks]holdings info [UC eLinks]
•Some indexes Some indexes link tolink to full-textfull-text
If neither…use If neither…use Pathfinder to look up Pathfinder to look up the JOURNALthe JOURNAL
Choosing an Articles database (index)•Look at the listings of article databases available via the library www.lib.berkeley.edu: includes listings by SUBJECT, NAME, etc.
•General Databases are often good places to start (particularly for newsy/topical issues)
•Film Studies web site: www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/filmstudies
All databases are not created equal (or by the same company)…All databases are not created equal (or by the same company)…
GH Desert Island Index/Article Database List
NoNow Playing
•MLA Bibliography
•Academic Search Complete
•FIAF Index
•Art Index / Art Index Retro
The Information Universe (Now)
But Remember: Not everything is online!!!!!:
•Article Databases: Generally only go back 10-20 yrs online (some exceptions – e.g. Historical Newspapers)
•Not every publication is indexed
•Fairly small (but rapidly growing) subset of the books and journal universe is currently available in full-text
Online is Cool
The Information Universe
Remember Also:
•Not every topic has lots written about it, either in books or journal lit.
--Research on very current topics--Research on radically specific topics--Research on topics off the beaten
academic track or off the pop culture radar
The Information Universe
What to do if nothing is turning up:
•Tweak your topic: Broaden it / select a different angle•Rethink your search strategy (new keywords, new concepts, etc.)•Bail out completely and choose another topic
How to Begin? Before you click: THINK
•Formulate a concise, concrete statement of
the research problem•Formulate your search in terms of
keywords and key phrases:
The impact of television advertising and television violence on school performance and pre-adolesecent social interaction.
How to Begin? Before you click: THINK
•Think of synonyms for key words/phrases
The impact of television advertising and television violence on school performance and pre-adolesecent social interaction.
ChildrenYouthAdolescents…etc.
CommercialsAds…etc.Academic achievement
Grades…etc.
MediaTV…etc
Socialization, relationships,peer interaction…etc.
A few cautionary words about research on the Net
LibraryLand
The NetGoogle Rocks!
Gooooogle Scholar???
Common Search Features:
•Basic and Advanced Search Screens
•Trunction: “wild card” that allows you to scoop up broader results:* # or ? Depending on db
--e.g.: Advertis* will give you:advertise, advertising, advertisers, advertisements
•Search by keyword or by phrase•Search specific fields (e.g., SUBJECT, TITLE)•Use of AND, OR, NOT
<Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson>< Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen>< Bob Dylan not Bruce Springsteen >
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/FilmBibMenu.html
a growing listing of bibliographies on various film topics and individual films compiled by MRC (includes bibs for genres, filmmakers, national cinemas, and individual film).
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