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Film Industry Research Guide

When to Use This Guide

Use this guide when you need information about the business of making films. This guide covers the creation, production, and distribution of motion pictures.

Finding General or Background Information on the Film Industry

The following general and subject encyclopedias and reference works will help you find background information on the film industry, as well as help you refine your topic.

• Encyclopedia Britannica - online resource
• GVRL Film Collection - a searchable collection of electronic reference books about film and the film industry
• The New York Times Encyclopedia of Film - R PN1993.N465 1984 vol. 1-10
• Key Concepts in Cinema Studies - PN1993.45.H36 1996

Subject Headings for Finding Film Industry Information in the Book and Media Catalog

• Cinematography
• Documentary films
• Motion pictures censorship
• Motion pictures history
• Motion pictures production and direction
• Women in motion pictures

Finding Articles About the Film Industry Using Research Databases

Business Source Complete
Journal, magazine, trade journal, and newspaper articles. Includes subjects such as the motion picture industry, documentary films, and directors and producers.

Historical New York Times
Contains the full text of The New York Times from 1851-2005 and is especially useful for historical information on movies and the early days of the film industry.

LexisNexis Academic
Contains magazine and newspaper articles on many subjects, including the film industry.

Business Insights: Essentials (formerly Business and Company Resource Center)
Use the "Industries" tab to search for "Motion picture" to find market information, industry snapshots, organization and structure, industry leaders, and background information on the film industry.

Selected Web Sites

The Internet Public Library Film Making Page
Lists web sites on many aspects of the film industry, including how motion pictures are made and the history of cinematography.

The Internet Movie Database
It bills itself as "Earth's Biggest Movie Database," and this is the place to find all the details about casts, crews, production details, and plots.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
This is the place to go to look up who won what and when in Hollywood.

Box Office Guru
This database contains comprehensive box office data on motion pictures released between 1997 and the present. Figures are updated weekly using data published in the magazine Variety.

The Movie Times
Box office grosses for films, actors, actresses, and more are tracked here.

Earlycinema.com
This site provides an introduction to the first decade of cinema and its effects on modern filmmaking. It includes a timeline, as well as information on early film pioneers and technology.

Page Last Updated: February 14 2013