A Shot in the Dark: Researching Film Noir Gary Handman The Big Combo Dir. Joseph L. Lewis, 1955

A Shot in the Dark: Researching Film Noir The Killers Dir. Robert Siodmak, 1946

1. 1.Describe the types and sources of information available related to film studies and other media research 2. 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.

Current Scholarly/In-depth Pop and fan Historical Writing About Film… Industry

Journals, Magazines, NewspapersJournals, Magazines, Newspapers ReviewsReviews Critical/ScholarlyArticlesCritical/ScholarlyArticles BooksBooks Web Sites (more about this later…)Web Sites (more about this later…) Other online databasesOther online databases Sources for Film & TV Scholarship and Research Scarlet Street, Dir. Fritz Lang, 1945

Journal Articles: Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff? Reviews:   Found in popular periodicals, film periodicals, and (less often) in more scholarly journals   Web sites (fan, commercial, academic)   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) Double Indemnity Dir. Billy Wilder, 1944

Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff? Critical analysis:   Found in books and scholarly or 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

Who’s Writing About Noir?: Film studies & scholarly journals in other disciplines—eg:Film studies & scholarly journals in other disciplines—eg: Language & LitLanguage & Lit Women’s studies (representations of women and issues of gender)Women’s studies (representations of women and issues of gender) Gay/Lesbian studies (issues of masculinity and gender)Gay/Lesbian studies (issues of masculinity and gender) Area studies…etc. (noir from other countries)Area studies…etc. (noir from other countries) Critical/Scholarly Articles Key Largo Dir. John Huston, 1948

Books Scholarly/authoritative worksScholarly/authoritative works Pop schlock and fan worksPop schlock and fan works How Do You Tell em’ apart? Author’s credentials/affiliationsAuthor’s credentials/affiliations Publisher (e.g. BFI, AFI, University Presses vs pop press)Publisher (e.g. BFI, AFI, University Presses vs pop press) Scholarly apparatus and sources: notes, bibliographies, other documentationScholarly apparatus and sources: notes, bibliographies, other documentation If they’ve been widely cited by other scholarsIf they’ve been widely cited by other scholars

…But how do you locate this stuff? Library Catalog(s) Journal/Newspaper Indexes (article databases)

Library Catalog(s) OskiCat: UCB Library holdings only MELVYL (CDL cat): All 9 UC Campuses An inventory of what the library owns (books, journals, newspapers, media, maps, manuscripts, govt documents…etc. etc. etc. etc. Search by Author, Title, Subject Whole books and print and electronic journals, NOT what’s inside of those publications The Locket Dir. John Brahm, 1946

A Hitchcock reader / edited by Marshall Deutelbaum and Leland Poague Chichester, U.K. ; Malden, MA : Wiley- Blackwell, Location(s)Location(s): PN H58 H PN H58 H Get da Book in da Stax Call #

Articles/Reviews (how do you find this stuff?) Article databases (aka Indexes) Library subscribes to hundreds of them in all disciplinesLibrary subscribes to hundreds of them in all disciplines Can’t find what’s in the by using GoogleCan’t find what’s in the by using Google Often look/feel/behave differently from each other (proprietary products from diff commercial vendors)Often look/feel/behave differently from each other (proprietary products from diff commercial vendors) Need to come in from berkeley.edu account or use Proxy Server (more later)Need to come in from berkeley.edu account or use Proxy Server (more later)

Articles/Reviews (how do you find this stuff?) Article Database (aka Indexes) T-Men Dir. Anthony Man, 1947 Jumping Off point for Finding Online Indexes: Find Information / Articles / General Databases are often good places to start – Multidisciplinary (lots of film)

Gary’s Desert Island Index/Article Database List No Now Playing

GH Desert Island Index/Article Database List No Now Playing EBSCO dbs: Academic Search Complete and others MLA Bibliography FIAF Index International Index to the Performing Arts (IIPA)

Try it out, Sweetheart

Two possibilities: Links you to full-text in ANOTHER article databaseLinks you to full-text in ANOTHER article databaseANOTHER Or Flips you over to MELVYL so you can locate a physical copy of the journal at UCB or elsewhere.Flips you over to MELVYL so you can locate a physical copy of the journal at UCB or elsewhere.MELVYL

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 [women, love, relationships] and Death [dying, mortality, fate] in the films [cinema, movie*] of Robert Siodmak and Edward Dmytryk. The representation [reflect* portray*] of gender [sex*] and masculinity [masculin*, male, men] in film noir **** Truncation varies from db to db: * # ? emigra* = emigrant, emigrants, emigrate, emigration

Whatta ya do if nuthin’ ain’t turning up? …Or too Much?

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). The Lady from Shanghai Dir. Orson Welles, 1948

Chinatown

…being driven totally over the edge by your research? Call me: Gary Handman This Gun for Hire Dir. Frank Tuttle, 1942