Film Studies Research Guide (Loudoun)

"Hollywood makes films for the money. Same reason McDonald's makes burgers. Sometimes McDonald's gets it right, but we don't speak of its contribution to the culinary arts. Sometimes Hollywood makes good films about the past, but that is incidental to the main purpose: money." - Mark C. Carnes, Professor of History at Barnard College, Columbia University

Search for books on your topic in the library catalog. 

• Search by broader terms to include the cultural and/or historical context of the film. 
• eBooks and streaming videos are accessible through the catalog. If you see any in your search results, click the 'Full-text available at' link to open.
• Select 'Request Item' to have books from other NOVA libraries sent to Loudoun for pick up.
• If your book is at Loudoun be sure to write down the call number in order to locate the book on the shelf.

Sample keywords include:

• film adaptations
• film criticism
• film genre and criticism (historical films or war films and criticism)
• film title or director (Flags of Our Fathers or Clint Eastwood)
• motion pictures and history
• historical event (Iwo Jima)

The best way to locate articles is through the library databases.  Go to Databases by Subject and look under Communication Studies, Film, & Theatre (CST) to find a list of relevant databases. Depending on the scope of your topic, you may also want to look in the subject listing History (HIS) to information on historical events. You can also perform a search in the databases below.

• Do not enter complete sentences in the search box. Search by keyword, film/book title and/or name of director/author. 
• Look for additional keywords or subjects offered.
• Look for toolbars that provide print, email, and citation options.