Research Guides: Film and Media Studies: Background Info

Reference Databases

Encyclopedias and other reference books are an excellent starting point for your research. They can provide background information and help you identify keywords to use when searching for books and articles.

To access databases from off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your Pipeline username and password.

Credo Reference
Contains the full text of encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference books.

Contains the full text of over 1,000 encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, and other reference books covering all major subject areas. Thousands of Topics Pages provide articles from different reference sources, arranged by subject. Includes “gadgets” for finding images, definitions, people, pronunciations, quotations, and measurement conversations, as well as a concept map feature for help identifying keywords and broadening or narrowing a topic. Additional features include videos, maps, and animations.
Gale Ebooks
Full-text encyclopedias and specialized reference books covering all major subject areas.

Contains the full text of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources. Subjects covered include arts, biography, business, education, environment, history, law, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, government and political science, religion, science, and social sciences.

Reference eBooks

The Encyclopedia of Film Composers by Thomas S. Hischak
Call Number: eBook

Publication Date: 2015

The Encyclopedia of Film Composers features more than 250 movie composers from around the world. It provides facts about these artists and also explains what makes each composer notable and discusses his or her music in detail.
Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema by Torriano Berry and Venise T. Berry
Call Number: eBook

Publication Date: 2015

The Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography.
The Encyclopedia of Epic Films by Constantine Santas, James M. Wilson, Maria Colavito, and Djoymi Baker
Call Number: eBook

Publication Date: 2014

This resource contains reviews of every major production considered to be an epic film. Entries consider the characteristics of what makes an epic, including length, structure, spectacular special effects, and themes involving heroic figures and storylines relating essential episodes.
Historical Dictionary of American Cinema by M. Keith Booker
Call Number: eBook

Publication Date: 2011

The Historical Dictionary of American Cinema provides broad coverage of the people, films, companies, techniques, themes, and genres that have made American cinema such a vital part of world cinema.
Chambers Film Factfinder
Call Number: eBook

Publication Date: 2006

Information is presented in five major sections: People in Film; Film Categories and Genres; Film-Producing Countries; 100 Notable Films; and Film Reference. Carefully researched factual information is combined with a measure of critical analysis, ensuring that each section can entertain as well as inform.

Examples of Topic Pages in Credo

Explore the topic pages listed below or try searching other keywords in Credo Reference:

Reference Books

The Wiley-Blackwell History of American Film by Cynthia Lucia, Roy Grundmann, and Art Simon (Editors)
Call Number: R 791.430973 L937w 2012

Publication Date: 2012

This four-volume set is an exhaustive study of American film history from its late-nineteenth-century origins to the present day. Each volume begins with an introduction to some of the key individuals and groups, and concludes with a section of summary essays that examine the relationship between the films and the culture of the era discussed.
Encyclopedia of Early Cinema by Richard Abel (Editor)
Call Number: R 791.43 A141e

Publication Date: 2005

This encyclopedia covers all aspects of scholarship on early cinema. It contains articles on the technological and industrial developments, the techniques of film production, the actors and filmmakers of the time, and on the changing modes of representation and narration, as well as the social and cultural contexts within which early films circulated.