Many other libraries have developed their own guides to film research. Rather than including all the resources they mention that ours leaves out, here are links to some of the best guides out there. Their databases, of course, will not be accessible at SBU.
Do you still watch films on VHS cassette tapes?
Film studies is in trouble, a victim of America's general disdain for history. In most schools not specializing in it, the study of film focuses on the recent past, trends, or thematic content. Research on the film corpus is based on a literary model: narrative is all. The history and evolution of the medium, its craft and production, its roles in society, its global reach and output, and its economics and semiotics are rarely dealt with, resulting in an over-valuation of current technology and a dimmed awareness of what film is all about. Is entertainment its primary or secondary function? How is a movie made, and who makes it? This Guide hopes to rectify this situation by providing sources for the investigation of all aspects of film study. Criticism, biography, reviews, history, production, screenplays, music, distribution, technology, actors, directors, foreign films, statistics, awards, fan sites, theory, technology, television and streams - a familiarity with all of these factors contributes to sophisticated research and creates a "film literacy" as pervasive and necessary as any text-based one. The serious student of film, however, should take note: some of the best study resources are not in libraries and databases but are found by watching movies, again and again, by talking to filmmakers, by going to festivals, and by searching websites, Youtube, blogs and listservs. It takes time to find them. We'll try and give you a fair sampling of all that exists out there, and a tutorial, to start you on your way.
Search dozens of specific web sites, free databases, blogs, magazines, libraries, institutes, museums, universities and associations for film-related topics - names, titles, criticism, history, etc. This is possibly the most comprehensive film search engine you're likely to find.
This is the most authoritative filmographic database on the web, and includes extensive entries on over 32,000 American feature-length and 17,000 short films produced from 1893-1974.
The AFI Catalog provides comprehensive details on every feature-length film produced in America or financed by American production companies. Information on cast, crew, plot summaries, subjects, genres and historical notes are included for each film.
Until recently, access to the complete AFI Catalog was available only to AFI members. Full, free access is being offered for a limited period of time.
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