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Film & Media

Background Information

Consult specialized encyclopedias or dictionaries to get a broad overview of a subject, a concise overview of a concept, school of thought or person. To find encyclopedias or dictionaries on your topic, search Omni using the keywords of your topic combined with "encyclopedia" or "dictionaries".
 

Terminology

 
This dictionary "explains the major theoretical approaches and definitions in the study of screen media. Entries range from longer overview essays to shorter definitions of key concepts and introductions to major influential figures.
 
 
Dictionary of Film Terms: the Aesthetic Companion to Film Art
REF PN1993.45 .B33 2006

General

Award Winning Films: A Viewer's Reference to 2700 Acclaimed Motion Pictures
REF PN1993.9 .M68 1994
 
Cinema: A Critical Dictionary
REF PN1993.45 .C5 1980t
The two volume set includes signed articles by noted critics on major directors, some individual actors and a few topics. "This highly recommended work covers 80 years of international film history".
 
Cinema Studies: the Key Concepts 2006 (3rd ed.)
REF PN1993.45 .H36 2013 (4th ed.)
An in-depth glossary that gives historical overviews of key genres, film theory and film movements.
 
Encyclopedia of Television
REF PN1992.18 .E53 2004
 
L'encyclopédie du cinéma
REF PN1993.45 .B6 1989
This three volume set is international in scope and gives information on "film personalities, important films, terms, genres, film companies, organizations, and the history of film...in individual countries".
 
The Film Encyclopedia
REF PN1993.45 .K34 2012
For each entry there is biographical information and a filmography for actors, directors, screenwriters, composers, producers, cinematographers, film editors, dance directors and heads of studios. It also has definitions for film terms and descriptions of film styles and genres.
 
Handbook of International Film, Television and Video Acronyms
PN1993.45 .H36 1993t
Lists over 3,400 acronyms and abbreviations for organizations, associations, societies, companies and technical terms. 
 
A History of Early Film
REF PN1993.5 .A1 H547 2000
Three volume set which comprises reprints of important and interesting writings on the subject from 1894 to 1917 from British journals.
 
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers
REF PN1997.8 .I58
A five volume comprehensive work. Volumes cover films, directors/filmmakers, actors and actresses, writers and production artists.
 
The International Film Industry: A Historical Dictionary
REF PN1993.45 .S57 1989t
Provides information on international production companies, studios, distributors, technical innovations, organizations, as well as brief historical essays on the cinema in various countries.
 
Mass Media: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Television, Radio, Motion Pictures, Magazines, Newspapers, and Books in the United States
P92 .U5 H77 1987t
Provides a single, comprehensive, detailed quick-reference source for historical facts about mass media in the United States from 1638 to 1985. Presented in a chronological format, each "period is divided into sections by medium, beginning with the earliest mass media (Books, Broadsides, Pamphlets) and ending with the latest mass media (Radio, Television, Film)".
 
The Movie List Book: A Reference Guide to Film Themes, Settings and Series
PN1997.8 .A76 1990
Brings together in one volume, similar films that deal with various themes, settings and series. "Each category's entry is briefly explained and differentiated". With no index, "a table of contents attemps to serve as a guide to the categorization".

Subject Specific

The Bent Lens : A World Guide to Gay & Lesbian Film
REF PN1995.9.H55 B45 2003
 
The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies : Films from the Fringes of Cinema
REF PN1995.9.E96 H35 2004
 
Encyclopedia of Westerns
REF PN1995.9.W4 F27 2003
 
Film Noir: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Reference to Movies, Terms and Persons
REF PN1995.9 .F54 S74 1995
Covers all the classic movies and most of the lesser known titles along with the related personalities, filmmakers and terms of the genre from its beginning.
 
Film Noir Guide
REF PN1995.9.F54 K43 2003
 
The Great Combat Pictures: Twentieth-Century Warfare on the Screen
REF PN1995.9 .W3 P37 1990
"The focus of this book is on the combat feature films and, in particular, English-language theatrical releases and telefeatures dealing with twentieth-century wars".
 
A Guide to American Crime Films of the Forties and Fifties
REF PN1995.9 .D4 L35 1995
 
A Guide to American Silent Crime Films
REF PN1995.9 .D4 L36 1994
 
The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western
REF PN1995.9 .W4 H37 1994
Includes over 1800 entries which are arranged chronologically, then alphabetically. Encyclopedic in scope, the volume includes information about the director, producer, studio, writer, cinematographer, and leading players as well as a brief synopsis of the plot.
 
Reel Women : an International Directory of Contemporary Feature Films about Women
REF PN1995.9.W6 S63 2007
 
The Women's Companion to International Film
REF PN1995.9 .W6 W678 1990t
This feminist guide to cinema "provides information and a perspective on the women and significant men who have contributed to world cinema, through directors and producers to gossip columnists and critics".

By Country

Australian Film, 1978-1994 : a Survey of Theatrical Features
REF PN1993.5 A8 A955 1995
 
BFI Companion to Eastern European and Russian Cinema
REF PN1993.5 .E82 B45 2000t
 
 
Le dictionnaire du cinéma québécois Canadian resource
REF PN1993.45 .D55 2006
Includes signed articles on important individuals and organizations in Quebec cinema as well as definitions of film terms.
 
The Encyclopedia of British Film
REF PN1993 .5G7 E53 2003
 
Encyclopedia of Chinese Film (2002)
REF PN1993.5 .C4Z53 1998
 
Encyclopedia of European Cinema
REF PN1993.5.E8E53 1995
"Comprehensive coverage of European cinema throughout the entire century of its development. Entries are written by a team of film specialists from all over Europe, and are arranged in a single alphabetical sequence for easy access."
 
Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema
REF PN1993.5 .I8 E539 2003
 
Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema
REF PN1993.5.I8 R277 1999
 
Guide to American Cinema, 1965-1995
REF PN1993.5 .U6 C87 1998
 
A Guide to Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino-Made Film and Video
REF PN1995.9 .L37 G85 1998
 
Handbook of Canadian Film Canadian resource
PN1994 .B38 1977
 
Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema
PN1995.9 .N4 B433 2007
 
Historical Dictionary of German Cinema
REF PN1993.5.G3 R417 2008
 
Israeli Film: a Reference Guide
REF PN1993.5 .I86 K76 2003t
 
 
The Oxford Companion to Australian Film
PN1993.5.A8 O96 1999