Researching Film
One of the key elements of film study is research.
As the world's most popular form of media, it is no surprise that the is a vast range of sources with which to read more about study films, directors and key moments in film history.
Using critical thinking to understand what makes a valuable academic source is part of your work. Carefully consider the reliability and academic value of sources.
Presenting sources well and using citations / bibliographies are also important.
How to Research
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A sample Amazon search for books about director Christopher Nolan:
A Google search for academic journals on Chinese cinema:
JSTOR login:
PULITZER PRIZE WINNING FILM CRITICS:
Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times) Stephen Hunter (Washington Post) Joe Morgenstein (Wall Street Journal) Mark Feeney (Boston Globe) Welsey Morris (Boston Globe) Emily Nassbaum (New Yorker, for TV reviews) Manohla Dargis (New York Times) has never won, but has been shortlisted five times! An excellent radio interview discussing the visual language and social context of Paul Greengrass's 22 JULY
NYT's Anatomy of a Scene - excellent example from Whiplash
Vanity Fair: Director Rian Johnson breaks down one of his scenes from Knives Out.
One of my favourite podcast episodes - a hugely insightful talk with Guillermo del Toro about The Shape of Water, its context and use of film language:
REK's favourite film podcasts:
1. Filmspotting 2. Kermode & Mayo's Film Reviews 3. The Last Thing I Saw 4. Writers on Film 5. The Director's Cut 6. The Business 7. Team Deakins 8. The Next Picture Show 9. Art of the Score 10. IndieWire Screen Talk Documentaries about Film master list:
Some of my favourite video essays:
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Using Sources: Top Tips
-Never end a section with a quotation. This gives you no chance to explain what it shows and makes it seem like you can't summarise things in your own words.
-Use a quotation as a starting point, then build upon it.
-Consider a quotation as the first E in PEE (point, evidence, explanation). So use quotes to support your points, but always spend time developing your point after, as well as explaining why the quote is useful.
-You can also use a quote to begin an opposite argument. Example: While John Smith called the film "lazy and boring" (Smith, 2020) in his New York Times review, I feel it is a masterpiece of modern cinema.
- Quotes are always helpful in establishing cultural contexts, but can be particularly helpful in understanding director's intention and film language. Many students don't use this latter type of quote often enough.
-Don't use a quotation in a Conclusion.
Citing Sources
One you have found and selected a useful quotation (remember: you can also pick a quotation to argue against!), use quotation marks when placing it in your writing to ensure that the quote is clear. Not doing this risks accusations of plagiarism.
Introduce a quote by briefly explaining the reliability of the source, if possible.
Following each quote, write the author's name and year of publication. Later, this can be cross-referenced with your bibliography.
EXAMPLE:
As Sight & Sound's Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns points out, "In the Mood for Love is Wong Kar-wai's masterful study of missed opportunity and the pain of regret" (Rayns, 2007). This elegantly summarises the key themes of the film.
Use the documents below for reference on how to correctly cite video sources, podcasts, online interviews, etc.
Microsoft Word has a bibliography & citations generator in its menu options, though you can also utilise websites like citethisforme.com to generate your List of Sources
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