Comedy & Community:Some Strategies for Research

Comedy & Community:Some Strategies for Research

Gary HandmanDirectorMedia Resources CenterMoffitt Library

Babbalooo, Lucy! I’m so essited!Babbalooo, Lucy! I’m so essited!We gonna learn about library We gonna learn about library

researchresearch

ScholarlScholarlyy

PoPopp

CurrenCurrentt

HistoricalHistorical

FanFan

Writing About Writing About Film…Film…

Comedy & Community : Some Strategies for Research

•Journals, Magazines, NewspapersJournals, Magazines, Newspapers•ReviewsReviews•Critical/ScholarlyArticles Critical/ScholarlyArticles

•BooksBooks

•Web SitesWeb Sites

•Other online databasesOther online databases

Sources for Film & Sources for Film & TV Scholarship TV Scholarship

and Researchand Research

Comedy & Community

BooksBooks•Scholarly/authoritative worksScholarly/authoritative works

•Pop schlock and fan worksPop schlock and fan works

How Do You Tell em’ apart?How Do You Tell em’ apart?

• Author’s credentials/affiliationsAuthor’s credentials/affiliations• Publisher (e.g. BFI, AFI, University Publisher (e.g. BFI, AFI, University

Presses vs pop press)Presses vs pop press)• Scholarly apparatus and sources: Scholarly apparatus and sources:

notes, notes, bibliographies, other bibliographies, other documentationdocumentation

• If they’ve been widely cited by other If they’ve been widely cited by other scholarsscholars

Comedy & Community

Found in:Found in:•Popular & fan journals and Popular & fan journals and newspapersnewspapers•Film studies & scholarly journalsFilm studies & scholarly journals•Web sites Web sites

•Fan and enthusiast sitesFan and enthusiast sites•Commercial sites (e.g., studio Commercial sites (e.g., studio sites, video distributors)sites, video distributors)•Academic sites Academic sites

REVIEWSREVIEWS•CurrentCurrent•HistoricalHistorical

Comedy & Community

Found in:Found in:•Film studies & scholarly Film studies & scholarly journalsjournals•Popular & fan journals and Popular & fan journals and newspapers (but newspapers (but onlyonly occasionallyoccasionally))•Web sites (even lessWeb sites (even less occasionally…except for occasionally…except for academic academic and commercial and commercial databases)databases)

Critical/Scholarly ArticlesCritical/Scholarly Articles

•CurrentCurrent•HistoricalHistorical

Reviews: CurrentReviews: CurrentUse:Use:

•Expanded Academic Index Expanded Academic Index (fair amount of full-text)(fair amount of full-text)•News IndexNews Index •ProQuestProQuest (some full-text)(some full-text)•Lexis/Nexis Lexis/Nexis •Movie Review Query Engine Movie Review Query Engine (web: full-text)(web: full-text)•Film Review AnnualFilm Review Annual

Comedy & Community

Comedy & Community

Reviews: HistoricalReviews: Historical

Use:Use:•Readers GuideReaders Guide•NY Times Index (or NY Times Index (or NYT Film Reviews NYT Film Reviews 1913-68) (in MRC)1913-68) (in MRC)•Film Review Index, Film Review Index, 1882-1985 (in MRC)1882-1985 (in MRC)•Film Index InternationalFilm Index International (CDROM in (CDROM in Main/Moffitt Only)Main/Moffitt Only)

Scholarly/Critical WritingScholarly/Critical Writing

Use:Use:

•Expanded Academic Index Expanded Academic Index (1980-present)(1980-present)•Modern Language Assn. Modern Language Assn. Bibliography (1963-present)Bibliography (1963-present)•Film Index International Film Index International (CD-(CD-ROM in Main and Moffitt) ROM in Main and Moffitt) •Film Literature Index Film Literature Index (Print Index (Print Index in Media Center) (1977-present)in Media Center) (1977-present)•Art Abstracts ( & AA Art Abstracts ( & AA Retrospective) (1920s-present)Retrospective) (1920s-present)•Periodicals Content Index (PCI)Periodicals Content Index (PCI)

Once You Find a Citation, How Do You Find the Article?Once You Find a Citation, How Do You Find the Article?

Yo!…Hey man, use Yo!…Hey man, use Pathfinder!

Or..Or..•Some indexes provide holdings Some indexes provide holdings infoinfo•Some indexes link to full-textSome indexes link to full-text

Satirist Nabs Movie Queen! John Waters takes all Satirist Nabs Movie Queen! John Waters takes all of Hollywood hostage in the jolly Cecil B. of Hollywood hostage in the jolly Cecil B. DeMented. (The Arts/Cinema)(Review) (movie DeMented. (The Arts/Cinema)(Review) (movie review) Richard Corliss.review) Richard Corliss.TimeTime August 14, 2000 v156 i7 p70 August 14, 2000 v156 i7 p70 View text and retrieval choices (287 words)View text and retrieval choices (287 words)

Comedy & Community

BooksBooks

Use Pathfinder

Search by Search by •Title and/or Subject KeywordTitle and/or Subject Keyword •Director Name (as subject)Director Name (as subject)•Movie TitleMovie Title (as(as Title and/or Title and/or

Subject KeywordSubject Keyword ))

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 Woody Allen.

The representation [reflect* portray*] of gender [sex*] and masculinity [masculin*, male, men] in the films films [cinema, movie*] of Jim Jarmusch.

****Truncation varies from db to db: * # ?emigra* = emigrant, emigrants, emigrate, emigration

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/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).

Comedy & Community

…being driven totally bananas by your research?Call me:

Gary Handman643-8566

ghandman@library.berkeley.edu