Gary Handman Doing Law in the Dark, Or: Popcorn and Hot Buttered Torts

Gary Handman Doing Law in the Dark, Or: Popcorn and Hot Buttered Torts

1.Describe the types of writing about film booksjournal articles 2.Introduce selected online sources for finding books and journal articles about film in film studies & other disciplines 3.Discuss strategies for doing research

Ingrid, my dear, it’s only a movie! …but a movie is never “only a movie” All films are “documentary” in one way or another (Bill Nichols) Records of the pro-film event (the event going on in real time before the camera lens) Documentaries of “wish fulfillment”: All films are social constructs and cultural “texts”

The law and the administration of justice: One of the earliest Focuses of film melodrama (and comedy) Who Killed Cock Robbin (Walt Disney, 1935)

The earliest law “docu-drama”? Georges Méliès. Dreyfus: The Court Martial at Rennes (1899) The law and the administration of justice: One of the earliest Focuses of film melodrama (and comedy)

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

Reviews: Assessment of aesthetic and content merits of a film  Found in popular periodicals, film periodicals, and (less often) in more scholarly journals  In pop periodicals: Current and Historical (older)  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)  Interesting sources of info about audience reception and “current think” Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the diff?

Periodical Articles: Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff? Critical analysis:  Discuss films in:  broader historical, cultural, political, artistic context and/or  Focus on a specific aspect of a film, film genre, or filmmaker  Found in books and scholarly or film-related journals  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

Scholarly/Critical Writing Found In: Scholarly journals (print and online); film and media journals Online: film ejournals and other e-scholarship

Reviews – Found In: Popular magazines Newspapers Scholarly journals (generally only if the film relates to the interests of a particular discipline and merits serious discussion) Online…everywhere

Books: From schlocky to scholarly BiographyBiography HistoricalHistorical Topical (e.g. Women in Film; movies and race, etc)Topical (e.g. Women in Film; movies and race, etc) National CinemasNational Cinemas Genre writingGenre writing Individual filmsIndividual films Individual directorsIndividual directors

…But how do you locate this stuff?

The Information Universe 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 Search by Author, Title, Subject Whole books and print and electronic journals, NOT what’s inside of those publications

The Information Universe: Books Black, David A. Law in film: resonance and representation / David A. Black. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, c1999. UCB Main PN J8.B Get da Book in da Stax Call # Look it Up in Pathfinder or MELVYL by Author, Title, or Subject Look it Up in Pathfinder or MELVYL by Author, Title, or Subject :

Finding Articles Article Databases (Indexes/Abstracts) Allow subject/author searching in a group of journals in a particular discipline or topical area. Produced by different commercial publishers; often look/act differently from one another. Some indexes also offer: Abstracts Full-Text!!!!Full-Text!!!!

Articles/Reviews (how do you find this stuff?) Film/media-related Film/media-related General news General news Literary and Arts Literary and Arts Other disciplines: e.g. Women’s Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, History and Other disciplines: e.g. Women’s Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, History and LAW LAW Article databases (aka Indexes)

Choosing an Articles database (index) Look at the listings of article databases available via the library FIND INFORMATION / ARTICLES / ARTICLE DATABASES BY SUBJECTFIND INFORMATION / ARTICLES / ARTICLE DATABASES BY SUBJECT General Databases are often good places to start

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

GH Desert Island Index/Article Database List No Now Playing EBSCO Databases Academic Search Complete Film & Television Literature Index MLA (Modern Language Assn. Bibliography) For law and film: Legaltrac Index to Legal Periodicals and Books

All databases are not created equal (or by the same company)… All databases are not created equal (or by the same company)…

Keyword Search Subject terms Directors names Film titles (hint): use and motion picture eg The Verdict and motion picture Some Databases allow limits to academic/peer reviewed journals

Two possibilities: Links you to full-text in ANOTHER article databaseLinks you to full-text in ANOTHER article database ANOTHER 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

But Remember: Not everything is online!!!!!: Article Databases: Generally only go back yrs online (some exceptions – e.g. JStor; Historical Newspapers; PCI) Online is Cool

The Information Universe Remember Also: Not every topic has lots written about it, either in books or journal lit. --Research on very current topics --Research on radically specific topics --Research on topics off the beaten academic track or off the pop culture radar

The Information Universe What to do if nothing is turning up: 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

How to Begin? Before you click: THINK Formulate a concise, concrete statement of the research problem Formulate your search in terms of keywords and key phrases: The impact of television advertising and television violence on school performance and pre-adolesecent social interaction.

How to Begin? Before you click: THINK Think of synonyms for key words/phrases The impact of television advertising and television violence on school performance and pre-adolesecent social interaction. Children Youth Adolescents …etc. Commercials Ads …etc. Academic achievement Grades …etc. Media TV…etc Socialization, relationships, peer interaction…etc.

A few cautionary words about research on the Net LibraryLand The Net Google Rocks! GooooogleGooooogle Scholar???

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). Check out in particular Lawyers and the Legal Process in the Movies also Law/Film videography

Connecting from off-campus

…being driven over the edge by your research? Call me: Gary Handman