Guides: Film and Media Studies Resources @ Pitt: Articles &amp; Databases

PittCat

PittCat is the main searching tool for all of the materials owned by the University Library System (ULS), including articles, books, ebooks, journal articles, ejournals, audio and video, digital images, government documents, microfilm and movies.

PittCat
Access PittCat directly or use the ULS homepage.

What makes information "scholarly"

Instructors often ask students to find “scholarly”, “academic”, or “peer reviewed” sources of information for their research. These terms all refer to the same type of information – sources based on in-depth research, and are considered higher in quality and more reliable for your research.

These sources can range from chapters within books or entire books, or journal articles, but all have common characteristics that can help you recognize that type of information.

Film Studies Databases

FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
One of the most important resources for film studies research. Contains more than 500,000 article citations from over 300 periodicals and full text articles for nearly 50 publications.
American Film Institute Catalog This link opens in a new window
The American Film Institute Catalog draws its content from six printed volumes that document every American film from 1893 to 1970 (except 1951 to 1960). The catalog provides comprehensive filmographic information on over 45,000 films. Search the compiled records by keywords.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR (Journal Storage) is a digital library that provides online access to academic journals, books, and primary sources in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. It is a trusted source for scholarly research and provides access to over 6,000 academic journals, more than 2 million images, and over a thousand books. The platform has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to search and access high-quality, peer-reviewed content. JSTOR also features advanced tools for research and discovery, including citation analysis and alerts for new content. It is a valuable resource for scholars, students, and researchers in the academic community.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Access to over 380 humanities and social sciences journals from over 60 scholarly publishers.
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
An archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to 2000. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are all included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles.
Gale Ebooks This link opens in a new window
This database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and other specialized reference sources includes a number of film studies texts, including the 10-volume History of American Cinema, the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film.
American Film Scripts Online This link opens in a new window
American Film Scripts Online is an ongoing full-text project which currently contains over 100 films by 200 writers. The database is full-text searchable and includes detailed indexing on scenes, characters, and people.
Chinese Filmscript and Advertisement Collection 1946-1985 This link opens in a new window
Scripts of documentary films and newsreels from the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), from the collections of Duke University Library.
Los Angeles Times (Historical) This link opens in a new window
Part of ProQuest’s National Newspapers (Full Text) online database, this sub-database supplies the full text of the Los Angeles Times beginning with 1881, and is a particularly rich source of reporting on Hollywood and the movie industry generally down through the decades.
Los Angeles Times (Current) This link opens in a new window
National Newspapers via ProQuest provides current full text access.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
An excellent resource for finding film reviews.

Google News Archive Search
Another excellent resource for finding film reviews.

Placing Film Studies in Context

Art Full Text This link opens in a new window
An excellent resource for situating film studies in a broader art studies context.
Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window
Includes more than 300 periodicals, many with full text. An excellent resource for situating film studies in a broader communications/media studies context.
Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Includes more than 130 periodicals, many with full text. An excellent resource for situating film studies in a broader performing arts context.

Microform Collections

For more information on the following microform collections, which are housed at ULS - Thomas Blvd., consult the detailed version of the record for each in PittCat.

Association of Workers of Revolutionary Cinematography (1923-1932)
Cahiers du cinéma, 1951-1964; 1965-1980; 1983; 1985-1997
Cinema Pressbooks from the Original Studio Collections
Cinema History Microfilm Series. Film Journals, Part 1
Cinema History Microfilm Series. Film Journals, Part 2
Communist Activity in the Entertainment Industry: FBI Surveillance Files On Hollywood, 1942-1954
D.W Griffith Papers, 1897-1954
Early Russian Cinema, 1907-1918 (early Russian film journals)
Film Daily
Film Daily Yearbook of Motion Pictures
Hollywood and the Production Code (film case files from the MPAA’s PCA)
Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will
Little Magazine Series: Selected Complete Short-run Cinema Periodicals, 1889-1972
Merritt Crawford Papers
Moscow Lenin Order Mosfilm Studio (1938-1945)
Motion Picture Catalogs by American Producers and Distributors, 1894-1908
Motion Picture Story Magazine, 1911-1941
Nickelodeon and Motography, 1908-1918
Photoplay, 1912-1980
What Women Wrote: Scenarios, 1912-1929
Will Hays Papers (papers from the former director of the MPPDA)

Soviet Cinema

Soviet Cinema: film periodicals 1918-1942 This link opens in a new window
The collection includes Soviet film magazines and newspapers from the 1920s and 1930s, reflecting an interesting and fertile period in the history of Russian film. Film publications were revived in the early 1920s after being interrupted in 1918 by Bolshevik censorship. By the end of the 1920s, a partial and eventually complete ban on imported films was introduced, marking the beginning of a campaign to "proletarize" Soviet art.
Soviet Cinema: Archival Documents from RGALI 1923-1935 This link opens in a new window
The archive contains materials providing information on the activities of the Soviet film company Sovkino and its relations with various other companies in the film industry, both in the Soviet Union and abroad, between 1923 and 1935.

Historical Magazines

Life Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Search or browse the full-text PDF versions of Life Magazine from 1936 to 2000.
Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window
Contains the entire run of Vogue magazine (US edition), from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution color page images. Every page, advertisement, cover and fold-out has been included.
Harper's Bazaar Archive This link opens in a new window
Includes the complete run of U.S. Harper’s Bazaar, from 1867 to the present, fully indexed and searchable in a full color collection.
Women’s Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
A searchable archive of leading women’s interest magazines, dating from the 19th century through to the 21st. Includes Better Homes and Gardens, Cosmopolitan, Essence, Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, Seventeen, Woman's Day, and more.
Picture Post Historical Archive 1938-1957 This link opens in a new window
Contains the entire run on the Picture Post from its first issue in 1938 to its last in 1957. The coverage in Picture Post provides the key to our understanding of the pre-television era with a focus on popular entertainment and the rise of youth culture from the humorous and light-hearted snapshots of daily life to the serious and history defining moments of domestic and international affairs.
Forbes Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Search or browse the full-text PDF version of Forbes Magazine Archive from 1917 to 2000.
Fortune Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Search or browse the full-text PDF versions of Fortune Magazine from 1930 to 2000.
Architectural Digest Archive This link opens in a new window
Search or browse the full-text PDF versions of Architectural Digest from 1922 to 2011.
Bloomberg Businessweek Archive This link opens in a new window
Search or browse the full-text PDF version of the Bloomberg Businessweek Archive from 1929 to 2010.
Liberty Magazine Historical Archive 1924-1950 This link opens in a new window
Cover to cover access to Liberty Magazine, which featured some of the greatest artists, writers, celebrities, and statesmen of the age including Walt Disney, Dr. Seuss, Agatha Christie, F. Scott Fitzgerald, H.G. Wells, Clark Gable, Mae West, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and many others.
National Geographic Virtual Library This link opens in a new window
Cover to cover access to National Geographic magazine from 1888-1994.

University of Pittsburgh Library System

Course & Subject Guides

Film and Media Studies Resources @ Pitt