The following is meant to be used as support material related to a library instruction session conducted by a library instructor and a BHCC English Department course instructor.
Among the resources that will help the most with this assignment, watch for resources like...
- Film encyclopedias, dictionaries & handbooks
- Bibliographies / reading lists for film studies
- Film criticism
-
Film reviews
APPLYING CRITICAL ANALYSIS SKILLS
As part of your writing course you've been exploring the processes behind critically analyzing a work of art. You've already covered subjects like the stages of research, web site evaluation, and summarizing in ENG 111.
For a quick review, take a look at these general tips for writing a Critical Analysis: http://kcweb.nhmccd.edu/employee/jsamuels/critanal.htm
And this site from Duke Libraries on citation format:
http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/works_cited.htm
CRITICALLY STUDYING FILM
Start with learning some background about film
It's important not to forget the reference sources available in the library. Try a keyword search for the words in your topic in the online book catalog or try the Library of Congress subject heading motion pictures.
Browse both Reference and Circulating shelves and look for the call numbers REF PN 1980+ and PN 1980+. Those call numbers represent the film section of the library where you'll find everything from New York Times Film Reviews to books by Roger Ebert. Try some of the following selected film-related Reference Collection titles:
Don't forget to investigate the context of the movie
This can be particularly important for older titles. What were the politics of the time? How was the economy doing? What were some of the cultural stereotypes of the time? Try some of the following selected history-related Reference Collection titles:
Consider the particulars of writing a film analysis
To frame your work within the area of film studies, as you research and begin writing ask yourself things like: What is the theme of the piece? What colors and sounds are used throughout the piece? What effect does the casting have? How does the audience react? Don't forget that writing about film can be particularly interesting because it may include a consideration of the technical aspects specific to film. Try the following two resources to explore the processes of writing about film:
Prewriting Questions for Book, Movie, or Play Reviews
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/bookrevpre.html
Writing About Film
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/index.htm
ALONE ON THE WEB: WHAT DO YOU DO?
First, ask yourself: What type of information are you looking for?
If you need some suggestions on where to begin, start with a good pathfinder -- these are pre-selected Web resources that will give you a list of sites with some quality.
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ent50.00.00/
Next, look for reliable web sites that have the features you need
To check out a movie in detail, including full cast and production information, look for site extras like Plot Summaries, External Reviews, and Literature; the IMDb (Internet Movie Database) has those sorts of extras ...
Look for specialized search engines and databases
Try a film review search engine such as MRQE: Movie Review Query Engine or Rotten Tomatoes, to locate reviews from major and lesser known publications.
http://www.mrqe.com/ http://www.rottentomatoes.com
ALWAYS evaluate your information source
Movie Reviews by Joan Ellis and epinions ... do you know who's actually writing these reviews?
PLEASE NOTE: If you're interested in following the links to movie review in the websites of newspapers like the New York Times, you'll often need to register. It's usually free and works from anywhere, but each newspaper's website may have different rules.
SELECTED ONLINE RESOURCES FOR FILM STUDIES
Here's a few library reference guide sheets to get you started ... pay particular attention to the sections on Internet resources.
- Internet Public Library Movie Resources
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ent50.00.00/ -
Cook Library Research Guides: Film Reviews
http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/refHowTo/filmReviews.cfm - UNC-Chapel Hill Library: Film Review Resources
http://www.lib.unc.edu/reference/hum/filmreviews.html - Film Studies at Yale
http://www.library.yale.edu/humanities/film/
Don't forget -- there are a number of electronic databases that are available for free to Bunker Hill Community College students and employees. As long as you have a Bunker Hill library card, you can access these databases from on-campus or off-campus; you just have to remember to choose the right link.
Go to http://www.noblenet.org/bhcc/databases.htm and start with the following recommended databases:
- Lexis-Nexis -- try the News section which has access to regional, national and international newspapers in English, some non-English newspapers, and legal, medical, and business news.
- EBSCO Academic Search Premier -- once you're into the general EBSCO database, select Academic Search Premier, which has selected full text for more than 200 regional (U.S.) newspapers as well as 23 national (U.S.) and international newspapers.
- InfoTrac Expanded Academic ASAP -- once you're into the general InfoTrac database, select Expanded Academic ASAP, which has full-text access to scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers.
- Ethnic Newswatch -- gives access to over 200 titles of the ethnic, minority, and native press.
- FACTS.com -- a great source for current events, contains information, including statistics, about key events, people, and issues of the last 20 years. See particularly the Issues and Controversies section.
On the World Wide Web, start with the following selected resources
- Librarian's Index to the Internet -- Movies -- an index of reliable websites focused on both popular entertainment aspects of film as well as academic studies of film.
- Internet Public Library Movie Resources -- another index of reliable websites on subjects such as film awards, film festivals, and film making.
- The Internet Movie Database -- an extensive, searchable collection of information about movie standings and release information; particularly good for information on production information and marketing.
- The Greatest Films -- This site is devoted to classic Hollywood films: the stars, greatest moments, memorable quotes, and vintage film posters.
- Movie Review Query Engine -- links to many reviews from newspapers, magazines and online zines. Also lists the most popular titles of the week, biggest moneymakers as well as the AFI's list of greatest American movies and funniest movies.
- Rotten Tomatoes -- focused on current film and DVD releases, includes extensive reviews and message board.