Comedy, Race & GenderComedy, Race & GenderSome Strategies for Some Strategies for

ResearchResearch

Comedy, Race & Gender :

Some Strategies for Research

Gary HandmanDirectorMedia Resources CenterMoffitt Library

Babbalooo, Lucy! I’m Babbalooo, Lucy! I’m so essited! We gonna so essited! We gonna learn ‘bout library learn ‘bout library researchresearch

1. Describe the types and sources of information available related to film studies and other media research

2. Discuss how to find this stuff in the library, using print and online resources

3. Introduce a group of basic moves and features common to many online catalogs and indexes.

4. Practice using these features in selected databases.

ScholarlScholarly/y/In-depthIn-depth

Pop and Pop and fanfan

HistoricalHistoricalIndustryIndustry

Writing About Writing About Film…Film…

CurrentCurrent

•Journals, Magazines, NewspapersJournals, Magazines, Newspapers•ReviewsReviews•Critical/Scholarly Articles Critical/Scholarly Articles

•BooksBooks

•Web Sites (more about this Web Sites (more about this later…)later…)

•Other online databasesOther online databases

Sources for Film & Sources for Film & TV Scholarship TV Scholarship and Researchand Research

Journal Articles:Journal Articles:Reviews? Critical Writing? Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff?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 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)

Journal Articles:Journal Articles: Reviews? Reviews?

Critical Writing? What’s the Diff?Critical Writing? What’s the Diff? Critical analysis: Found in books and scholarly or film-related journalsDiscuss films in:

broader historical, cultural, political, artistic context and/orFocus 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

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

William Dickson (Edison labs)invents The Kinetoscope

18891889

Writing about film = fan and industry perspectives until Writing about film = fan and industry perspectives until 1950’s/60’s1950’s/60’s

Found in:Found in:•Popular & fan journals and Popular & fan journals and newspapersnewspapers•Film studies & scholarly journalsFilm studies & scholarly journals•Web sites Web sites

•Fan and enthusiast sitesFan and enthusiast sites•Commercial sites (e.g., studio Commercial sites (e.g., studio

sites, video sites, video distributors)distributors)•Academic sites Academic sites

REVIEWSREVIEWS•CurrentCurrent•Historical (older)Historical (older)

Found in:Found in:•Film studies Film studies

& scholarly journals in & scholarly journals in other other disciplines—eg:disciplines—eg:

•Language & LitLanguage & Lit•Women’s studiesWomen’s studies•Gay/Lesbian studiesGay/Lesbian studies•Area studies…etc.Area studies…etc.

•Web sites (even lessWeb sites (even less occasionally…except for occasionally…except for academic and commercial academic and commercial databases)databases)

Critical/Scholarly ArticlesCritical/Scholarly Articles•CurrentCurrent•Historical (scholarly Historical (scholarly writing about film: writing about film: 1950’s--1950’s--

Scholarly Articles and ReviewsScholarly Articles and Reviews

Ansen, David. Ansen, David. "Boyz N the Hood." (movie reviews) "Boyz N the Hood." (movie reviews) NewsweekNewsweek v118, n3 (July 15, 1991):56. v118, n3 (July 15, 1991):56.

ReviewsReviews

Massood, Paula. Massood, Paula. "Mapping the Hood, The Genealogy of City "Mapping the Hood, The Genealogy of City Space in Boyz-n-the-Hood and Menace-II-Space in Boyz-n-the-Hood and Menace-II-Society. Society. Cinema JournalCinema Journal, 1996 winter, v35 n2:85-, 1996 winter, v35 n2:85-97. )97. )

Critical/ScholarlyArticlesCritical/ScholarlyArticles

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

Inventory of what the Inventory of what the Library owns:Library owns:BooksBooksJournals (Journals (BUT NOT what’s BUT NOT what’s inside of them!!!!!!inside of them!!!!!!) ) MediaMediaManuscripts, documents, Manuscripts, documents, maps…etc. etc. etc. etc.)maps…etc. etc. etc. etc.)

……But how do you locate this stuff?But how do you locate this stuff?

PathfinderPathfinder

Search by:Search by:•AuthorAuthor•TitleTitle•Subject (keywords)Subject (keywords)

Articles/Reviews Articles/Reviews (how (how do you find this 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. Women’s Other disciplines: e.g. Women’s Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, History…etc.Studies, History…etc.

Article databases andArticle databases andPrint IndexesPrint Indexes

Article Databases Article Databases (how do you know (how do you know which ones to use?)which ones to use?)

Jumping Off point for Finding Online Indexes:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/filmstudies/index.html

Subject specialty LibraryWeb page

Example: Doe/Moffitt Example: Doe/Moffitt for Humanities & Social for Humanities & Social

SciencesSciences

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-full-texttext

If neither…use If neither…use PathfinderPathfinder to look up to look up the JOURNAL by titlethe JOURNAL by title

How to Begin? Before you click: THINK

Formulate your search in terms of:

•KEY WORDS and SYNOMYMS: --Looks for words anywhere in record: title, subject, abstract and full-text (if avail)

•PHRASES:--Looks for words in the exact order entered

How to Begin? Before you click: THINK

Formulate your search in terms of keyword and key phrases:

Sex and Death in the films of Woody Allen.

The representation of gender and masculinity in the films of Jim Jarmusch.

How to Begin? Before you click: THINK

Formulate your search in terms of keyword and key phrases:

Sex [women, love, relationships] and Death [dying, mortality, fate] in the films [cinema, movie*] of Woody Allen.

The representation [reflect* portray*] of gender [sex*] and masculinity [masculin*, male, men] in the films [cinema, movie*] of Jim Jarmusch.

****Truncation varies from db to db: * # ?emigra* = emigrant, emigrants, emigrate, emigration

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).

……being driven totally bananas by being driven totally bananas by your research?your research?Call me:Call me:

Gary HandmanGary Handman643-8566643-8566

ghandman@library.berkeley.edughandman@library.berkeley.edu