Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Resources
The resources department of the Films WikiProject provides a guide to finding information for sourcing articles, whether through online/print sources or members' personal libraries. Articles related to films need sources like any other Wikipedia article. Content must be verifiable. Editors writing articles in the scope of this project, may encounter some problems when finding sources, or citing them. This department aims to point out some possible resources that can be used to gather information.
In articles about films, citing the home video itself is often attractive. Wikipedia favors secondary sources, and the use of primary sources should be minimized. Films are primary sources in articles about themselves, especially for plot summaries. For a reader, who may not own or have access to the film, we should provide inline citations wherever possible, and enable readers to check the facts themselves when they do have access.
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[edit] Researching a topic
Approaches to researching a film-related topic will vary by topic. For individual films, films released in the twenty-first century are more likely to have resources available online than earlier films. For example, there will be more online resources for a 2005 film than for a 1965 film. Films in general receive coverage from a wide range of publications. Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, etc.) are more contemporary in their coverage, and for films released around the turn of the twentieth century and beyond, periodicals sometimes make the coverage available on their websites. Books about films or containing chapters about films are published more in retrospect, though exceptions may include books about films' production published in conjunction with their theatrical releases. For example, the book The Spider-Man Chronicles: The Art and Making of Spider-Man 3 was published with the release of the 2007 film Spider-Man 3.
Films that are significant to the history of cinema or that have achieved a milestone in the film industry are more likely to have comprehensive coverage in print publications. The best resources to use are academic and peer-reviewed publications, which analyze films more comprehensively than most contemporary coverage. The resources are also best to use for film-related topics broader than individual films, such as film genres or film history. Resources used for individual films can also be used for broader film-related topics. For example, the article The Matrix should mention how the film was a milestone in the science fiction genre, and the article science fiction film should say the same in the most suitable capacity.
Editors can prepare a list of resources on the article's talk page or on a sub-page in their userspace, depending if they want to work on the article directly or work on a draft in their sandbox to import into the article later. Online resources can be accessed quickly; for websites that are subscription-based, use the BugMeNot Internet service to bypass registration. Print sources can be located in libraries or book stores. Editors may find it easier to access some periodicals through library databases rather than seek out physical copies.
[edit] List of potential resources
It is often difficult to gauge whether a source is reliable or not in the area of films. The following is a list of sources that have been established as reliable in the field of films per past consensus, except where otherwise noted. Please bring up all new additions on the talk page before posting them below.
Note: "Online access" refers to the publication's principal means of content delivery.
[edit] General
| Name | Online access | Type | Notes and limitations | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | link | General information on films | Go to News archives become patchier deeper into the past | Reed Business Information |
| The Hollywood Reporter | link | General information on films | Requires paid subscription | Prometheus Global Media |
| Entertainment Weekly | link | General information on films and DVDs | All articles from publication's inception from 1990 | Time Inc. |
| Deadline.com | link (Hollywood) link (New York) link (London) |
General information on films | Mail.com Media | |
| Empire | link | General information on films and DVDs | Online site is primarily advert and forum for magazine | Bauer Media Group |
| Total Film | link | General information on films and DVDs | Future Publishing | |
| indieWire | link | News, interviews, and reviews of independent films | Snagfilms | |
| Filmmaker Magazine | link | News, interviews, and reviews of independent films | Independent Feature Project | |
| Cineaste | link | Articles, interviews, and reviews of films/DVDs | Cineaste Publishers, Inc. | |
| Bright Lights Film Journal | link | Articles, interviews, and reviews of films | ||
| Film Journal International | link | Articles and reviews of films | Prometheus Global Media |
[edit] Genres
[edit] Horror
| Name | Online access | Type | Notes and limitations | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinefantastique | link | Articles and reviews on fantasy, science fiction and horror films and DVDs | Online archive limited | |
| Fangoria | link | General information on horror films and DVDs | The Brooklyn Company | |
| Bloody Disgusting | link | News for horror films and interviews | The Collective | |
| DreadCentral | link | News for horror films and interviews | CraveOnline | |
| ShockTilYouDrop | link | News for horror films and interviews | CraveOnline |
[edit] Production
| Name | Online access | Type | Notes and limitations | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Cinematographer | link | Articles on cinematography | Articles from 2001 issues missing from archive | American Society of Cinematographers |
| Camera Operator | link | Articles on camera operating, camera crew, equipment, and film production | Archives only contain selected articles from each issue | Society of Camera Operators |
| CgSociety.org | link | Articles and interviews about productions and visual effects. | ||
| Cinefex | link | Articles on visual effects | Requires payment to read print articles; see films covered by Cinefex | |
| Film and Digital Times | link | Articles on equipment | Jon Fauer | |
| FXGuide | link | Articles on visual effects, news | fxguide, LLC | |
| GBCT Techs | link | Articles on British camera crews and production | Guild of British Camera Technicians | |
| ICG Magazine | link | Articles on camera crew, production, and equipment | Selected articles online; also contains some online-exclusive material | Local 600 International Cinematographers' Guild |
| VFX World | link | Articles on visual effects, news | Animation World Network | |
| Ontario Film Commission | link | Productions (filming dates) currently ongoing in Ontario | Also productions from 1998-2008 Updated every few weeks |
Ontario Media Development Corporation |
| Toronto Film & Television Office | link | Productions (filming dates) currently ongoing in Toronto | Updated every few weeks (PDF file) |
|
| British Columbia Film Commission | link | Productions (filming dates) currently ongoing in Vancouver, British Columbia | Updated every few weeks |
[edit] Box office
| Name | Online access | Type | Notes and limitations | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box Office Mojo | link | Box office performance, home video sales, news, budget figures | Amazon.com | |
| The Numbers | link | Box office performance, home video sales, news, budget figures | Nash Information Services, LLC. |
[edit] Reception
| Name | Online access | Type | Notes and limitations | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | link | Critic's reviews, news, budget figures | See Wikipedia:Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic | Flixster |
| Metacritic | link | Critic's reviews on films and DVDs | CBS Interactive | |
| Academy Awards | link | Awards database | URL is dynamic; include parameters in notes | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |
[edit] Non-English resources
| Name | Online access | Type | Notes and limitations | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kritiker.se (Swedish) | link | Aggregate ratings, links to reviews and quotes | Very few reviews for older films, somewhat irregular updates | Marcus Hansson |
[edit] Soundtracks and video games
| Name | Online access | Type | Notes and limitations | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoundtrackNet | link | Interviews, reviews, news, track listings | CraveOnline | |
| Allmusic | link | Reviews, track listings | Rovi Corporation | |
| IGN | link | Interviews, video game information, | News archive goes up to 2000 | News Corporation |
| Film Music Magazine | link | News and CD reviews | Global Media Online, Inc. |
[edit] Repository of resources
[edit] Databases
| Name | Online access | Coverage | Notes and limitations | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures | link | American films | American Film Institute | |
| Film Index International | link | Reference database for media coverage of individual films | Subscription-only, but many public libraries have access | British Film Institute |
| Film Literature Index | link | Index of references by subject headings, person names, production titles, and corporate names | Most recent films listed are from 2003 | Indiana University |
| FilmReference.com | link | Books and articles about films |
|
Advameg, Inc. |
| International Index to Film Periodicals | link | List of film periodicals in multiple languages and territories | Suggestion: Choose "English" under Language and choose "Core Film" under coverage | |
| Media Resources Center Movie Database | link | Print and DVD sources for films | University of California, Berkley | |
| Screenonline | link | British films and television shows | Free; subscription required for media downloads | British Film Institute |
[edit] Books
| Series name | Website | Coverage | Notes and limitations | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BFI Filmstore Books & Magazines | Link | Books and magazines about film | Use books' details to find books at local libraries or book stores Click on "BFI Classics" for list of books about specific films (e.g., The Godfather) |
British Film Institute |
| Directors' Cuts | Link | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films | Wallflower Press |
| Contemporary Film Directors | Link | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films | University of Illinois Press |
| Philosophers on Film | Link | Books about specific films | Routledge Philosophy | |
| Directors on Directors | Link | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films | Faber & Faber |
| Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series) | Link | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films | University Press of Mississippi |
| The Scarecrow Filmmakers | Link | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films | The Scarecrow Press |
| Rutgers Films in Print | Link | Books about films | Rutgers University Press | |
| BFI Film Classics | Link | Classic films | Macmillan | |
| BFI Screen Guides | Link | Top 100 films under different genres | ||
| British Film Makers | Link | Self-explanatory | ||
| Cinema and Society | Link | Self-explanatory | Examples: Shooting the Civil War, Hollywood's History Films, Film Propaganda | |
| Film – General | Link | |||
| Film History & Criticism | Link | |||
| Film Reference | Link | |||
| French Film Directors | Link | Self-explanatory | ||
| Inside Popular Film | Link | Examples: Interpreting Rock Movies, Defining Cult Movies, Realism and Popular Cinema | ||
| KINOfile | Link | European films | ||
| Spanish and Latin American Film | Link | Self-explanatory | ||
| Tauris World Cinema | Link | World cinema | Published by I.B. Tauris | |
| Turner Classic Movies British Film Guides | Link | Books about British films | ||
| Books in Film Studies | Link | Various film-related topics | University of Chicago Press | |
| Film & Drama | Link | Various film-related topics | Cambridge University Press |
[edit] Members' libraries
In addition to the vast array of sources available above that can be used for improving an article you are working on, below is a list of member's home video and print libraries. Members who have posted their libraries are willing to provide information about plot summaries, special features, print screenshots, and/or look up information to assist you. Keep in mind that members' lists may not always be accurate and to be polite in requesting assistance for information on an article. Send requests to the members' talk pages. Borrowing materials is entirely up to the editors, and discretion should be used. If you would like to add your library below make sure to mention any exclusions or areas you can help out with. For listing your libraries, either use external databases or create a subpage listing the media you own.
- Nehrams2020 (talk · contribs) Requests may take a while, depending on the task.
- DVD/Blu-ray Disc library – Over 290 DVDs on mostly action/drama/comedy ranging from mainly 1980-2000s. Willing to help with questions on special features, plot summaries, requested screenshots, or possibly anything else.
- Print library – I have copies of Entertainment Weekly from April 2007 to present (I may be missing a few issues). I also have access to a university database, which can help find older articles.
- Kollision (talk · contribs)
- Movie library – Over 1,300 films. Willing to help with checking plot details, checking films credits, and anything else.
- Access to digital version of International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (4th edition, 2001). – A book which contains some information (including Production information) on each of the 683 films on this list.
[edit] Questionable resources
[edit] IMDb
The IMDb should be regarded as a questionable source, especially for future films. Its content is user-submitted and often subject to incorrect speculation and rumor. The use of the IMDb on Wikipedia for referencing is considered unacceptable and strongly discouraged. Reliable sourcing from established publications cannot be stressed enough. Anonymous or pseudonymous sources from online fansites are generally not acceptable.
