Documentary Film and Video: Some Basic Strategies for Research

Documentary Film and Video : Basic Strategies for Research Gary Handman Director Media Resources Center Moffitt Library

Writing About Film/Video: The Basic Questions What types of writing are out there? What types of writing are out there? What types of publications contain writing about film? What types of publications contain writing about film? How do you identify what’s out there and where do you find the stuff? How do you identify what’s out there and where do you find the stuff?

Writing About Film…  Reviews  Critical analysis  Biography  Box office and market info  Production info  gossip  Gossip  Fantasy & fetish  General weirdness  Reviews  Pop talk  Biography Scholarly Fan Industry Pop

Writing on Docfilm: What’s Out There? Scholarly writing Pop and fan writing Documentary film

Writing on Docfilm: What’s Out There? Documentary film  Reviews (mostly for more popular and theatrically-released titles): (very few serious articles on doc film before 1980)  Festival information (periodicals)  Scholarly critical analysis:  Books  Journal/periodical articles

Reviews? Critical Writing? 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 particular 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)

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

Journal Articles and Reviews Dark Days. (Review)_(movie review) Simeon Hutner. Cineaste Winter 2000 v26 i1 p72 (269 words) Reviews Social theory, the civic imagination and documentary film: a past-modern critique of the 'Bloody Bosnia' season's The Roots of War. (Re-Imaging Politics and the Civic Imagination). Rob Stones. Sociology May 2002 v36 i2 p355(22) Critical/ScholarlyArticles

Found in: Film studies journals (print & online)Film studies journals (print & online) Journals in various disciplinesJournals in various disciplines (print & online) (print & online) e.g. women’s studies; gay lesbian studies; ethnic studies; area studies, anthropology… Web sites (occasionally… academic and commercial databases)Web sites (occasionally… academic and commercial databases) Journal Articles/Reviews

Pathfinder Indexes & Abstracts Inventory of what the Library owns: Books Books Media Media Journals Journals Manuscripts, documents, maps…etc. etc. etc. etc.) Manuscripts, documents, maps…etc. etc. etc. etc.) How do you locate this stuff? Journal articles by discipline

Books etc. in Books etc. in Pathfinder How do you locate this stuff?  Search by:  Director’s name  Title of book or video or…  Subject keywords… (more about this later)

How do you locate this stuff? Journal Articles/Reviews Film-related (not many exist) Film-related (not many exist) General news General news Arts & Humanities Arts & Humanities Other disciplines: e.g. Women’s Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, History…etc. Other disciplines: e.g. Women’s Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, History…etc. Jumping Off point for Finding Online Indexes: Online & Print Indexes and Abstracts

The Information Universe (Now) LibraryLand The Net Google Rocks!

How to Look em’ Up in the Indexes Search index using title of work (as a phrase, if the option is available) and/orSearch index using title of work (as a phrase, if the option is available) and/or Director Director You can also use keywords to search by broad subjectYou can also use keywords to search by broad subject If you’re looking for reviews, try using and reviewIf you’re looking for reviews, try using and review e.g. Dark Days and review or Dark Days and Marc Singer and review

Once You Find a Citation, How Do You Find the Article? Some indexes provide holdings info [UC eLinks]Some indexes provide holdings info [UC eLinks] Some indexes link to full-textSome indexes link to full-text If neither…use Pathfinder to look up the JOURNAL

How to Begin searching for books and/or articles on a research topic? 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: The representation [reflect* portray* depict*] of gender [sex*] roles in the films films [cinema, movie*] of King Hu. **** Truncation varies from db to db: * # ? emigra* = emigrant, emigrants, emigrate, emigration

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 What to do if nothing is turning up

Film Reviews and Criticism edu/MRC/FilmBibMenu.html Bibliographies on various film topics and individual films compiled by MRC (includes bibs for genres, filmmakers, national cinemas, and individual film).

…being driven over the edge by your research? Call me: Gary Handman Review this presentation at: