Searching for Films and Videos in Euclid

The Heilbrun Music and Media Library has the largest collection of films and videos on the Emory campus. There, visual materials (such as VHS, DVD and 16mm films) are not arranged on the shelf according to subject (as with books) but rather in the order they are received and cataloged (i.e., accession number). Typical video call numbers include V.CASS. VHS 2436, DVD 731, or FILM C28. Therefore, in order to locate a particular title you will always need to search in EUCLID first.

To find materials located at any of Emory's libraries, see EUCLID, Emory's online library catalog. For assistance, read the Euclid on the Web User's Guide.

On the entry screen to EUCLID:

• Title search - use for any film. Search the whole title or any word(s) in the title.
• Author search - use for any personal name associated with the film, including actors and directors.
• Subject search - may be used for documentary films and some fiction films.
• Search Everything/Words or Phrase - especially useful for broader searches and for terms not indexed as titles, authors, or subjects (for example, "DISNEY"). 
• Use Search Limits to restrict results to videos and other visual materials.

HINT: If your search is unsuccessful, try paring it down to just one or two significant words, as the exact title or spelling may vary from what you expect. If you get too many hits this way, try using Search Limits.

HINT: When searching for foreign language titles, be sure to leave off the initial article. For example, if you search for the 1954 Fellini film La Strada using the phrase "LA STRADA," it won't pull up any copies. Search under "STRADA" instead. This potentially confusing problem is because of the way EUCLID indexes titles.

Using Search Limits under Complex Search

From the entry screen in EUCLID, click on the yellow COMPLEX SEARCH tab on the right-hand side.

Scroll down to see the SEARCH LIMITS area.

• For films in any format (VHS, DVD, etc.), select the format VISUAL MATERIALS.
• To locate a specific item type (DVD-LEND versus DVD, etc.), use "itemtype." For example, if you want to see all the DVD-LEND titles in the collection, select it as the item type and enter a blank search. This will pull up all the DVD titles that have DVD-LEND copies.
• To find only items in Heilbrun, Woodruff, and Chemistry Libraries, use library: GENERAL.
• To find videos containing a specific language, use the language limit .

Note that when doing a language search you may retrieve some DVDs that have an optional, added soundtrack or subtitle track in your specified language, which is not part of the original film.

HINT: When using search limits you may miss items in EUCLID which are "in-process" (not yet cataloged). Such items are all classified as the item type BOOK until they are cataloged.

How to Browse by Call Number in EUCLID

Browsing allows you to look at catalog records according to the media format, since each format has its own call-number sequence. You may look at all the titles or select a number near the end of the sequence to view recent additions.

On a "Search EUCLID" screen, select BROWSE SHELVES (yellow tab at far right).

Fill in the CALL NUMBER box with the number you want to start with. Examples below are for the first item. Format the call number exactly as shown below: observe punctuation and spacing.

• For VHS tapes: V.CASS. VHS 1 (over 9000 titles held)
• For DVDs: DVD 1 (over 6000 titles held)
• For videodiscs (12-inch): V.DISC 1 (over 2300 titles held)
• For ¾ in. videotapes: V.CASS. 1 (over 200 titles held)
• For 16mm. films: MP-16MM 1 (over 500 titles held)
• Leave the LIBRARY box set to GENERAL.

Change the SHELVING SCHEME to ALPHANUM.

Click on the gray BROWSE SHELVES button at lower left.

When you have scrolled to the bottom of the first page, use the oval FORWARD button to advance through the list.

What if I can't find a video in EUCLID?

IIf you're having trouble finding a particular video in EUCLID, there are a few issues to consider:

• Films are sometimes released under more than one title. Contact the Woodruff Library Reference desk or the Film Studies and Media Librarian for assistance.
• If you are an Emory faculty member or student, we may be able to purchase the video for you. Contact the appropriate Subject Librarian for assistance or use our online purchase request form.
• The Emory Libraries may not have a copy, but qualified Emory borrowers may be able to obtain the video through Interlibrary Loan. Try checking in OCLC WorldCat first to see if other libraries have it.
• The title you're looking for may not be distributed on video. Due to various legal issues and to the economics of the video industry, many titles go out of print and a large number of films have never been released on video at all. However, if you are conducting a research project you may be able to make arrangements to see the film in an archive.

Basic Tips

Most film-related books and journals are housed in the main stacks tower of the Woodruff Library. To find materials located at any of Emory's libraries, search EUCLID, Emory's online library catalog. For assistance, read the Euclid on the Web User's Guide. The contents of books are not searchable in EUCLID.

To locate books that other libraries own on your topic, consult the Local and National Catalogs page. This has links to many local university libraries and union catalogs such as EUREKA/RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) Bibliographic File or WorldCat.   Both are online catalogs containing books held by many libraries (150 libraries in RLIN, 14,000 in WorldCat). Search also the Center for Research Libraries Catalog for books and microfilm sets and their Foreign Newspapers Database for newspapers.

Interlibrary Loan

The library will borrow books for you from almost any library in the country and can supply copies of articles from almost any magazine, newspaper or journal. This is called Interlibrary Loan, and you can initiate an ILL request from any EUCLID screen (third button from the right at top) or from the Interlibrary Loan System page. For more information about the Interlibrary Loan program, click here. Please note that the time required to obtain a loan item is usually about two weeks, so plan accordingly.

You can also borrow from books directly from certain area libraries using either the GETS Program or the ARCHE Interlibrary Use Program

Using LC (Library of Congress) Subject Headings

Like books, films and videos are assigned Library of Congress (LC) subject headings based on their content. Here is a sample list of film-related subject headings, some of which pertain equally to books and visual materials. In the web-based version of EUCLID, these subject headings are active links pointing to other items with the same subject.

African Americans in Motion Pictures (for works discussing how African Americans are portrayed in films)
African Americans in the Motion Picture Industry (for works discussing African-American involvement in films)
Baseball films
Cinematography
Documentary Films
Hitchcock Alfred 1899- Criticism and Interpretation
Hitchcock Alfred 1899- Interviews
Motion Pictures
Motion Pictures Catalogs
Motion Pictures Censorship
Motion Pictures Moral and Ethical Aspects
Motion Pictures Periodicals
Notion Pictures Production and Direction
Motion Pictures Reviews
Motion Pictures [name of country] e.g. Motion Pictures India (used for general works on motion pictures shown in that country or produced by that country's film producers)
Motion Pictures, [French, German, African, etc.]e.g. Motion Pictures, Spanish (used for general works on motion pictures produced by a country's or area's film companies and shown outside of that country or area)
Motion Picture Actors and Actresses
Motion Picture Industry [name of country]
Motion Picture Producers and Directors
Motion Pictues and Literature
Motion Pictures in Propaganda

Psychoanalysis and Motion Pictures
Violence in Motion Pictures
Western Films
World War, 1939-1945 Motion pictures and the war

When searching EUCLID by subject, we recommend that you select Browse on the EUCLID main menu. Browsing will display an alphabetical list of subject headings based on the term you enter. Note particularly how browsing brings out the geographical or country aspect of subject matter, especially important in film research. A multi-volume set of Library of Congress (LC) subject headings is available at the Woodruff Library Reference desk.

Try These First

Please note that the contents of articles are not searchable in EUCLID. Read Finding Articles at Woodruff Library.

The Film and Performing Arts section of the Database Locator has a broad selection of databases which may contain film-related articles. The most useful citation databases and indexes for Film Studies are listed below.

FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Plus (1972 to present)
Publisher description: “[I]ndexes more than 300,000 articles from 300 of the world's foremost academic and popular film journals, dating from 1972 onward. The database also incorporates the International Index to TV Periodicals; Treasures from the Film Archives, which identifies silent film holdings in archives around the world, and the International Directory of Film/TV Documentation Collections.” Includes full text access to selected journals.

Film Literature Index (1973 to present)
Reference Z5784 .M9 F45
Similar, but not identical coverage to the FIAF database. This resource indexes major film studies academic journals, professional trade journals such as Variety, and film reviews from newspapers and magazines. Film Literature Index Online covers 1976-2001.

Academic Search Complete 1984 to present

Indexes both popular, general interest magazines and scholarly journals. Includes selected full text from 1990.

JSTOR (Dates of coverage vary)
Full text coverage of over 300 prominent scholarly journals in Film Studies, history, economics, and other fields. Coverage is usually from the first issue of a journal up to five years prior to the current year.

MLA International Bibliography    (1963 to present)

The Modern Language Association's annual bibliography began in 1921, but did not include film as a subject before 1974. After that it is listed under "Cinema." This online version, with its keyword searching capability, may identify articles on film not specifically indexed as such.

Project Muse (ca. 1990 to present)

Full text of forty journals, among them Wide Angle, Cinema Journal, Postmodern Culture, Modernism/Modernity.

Other Resources for Scholarly Articles

Arts & Humanities Citation Index
1975 to present A citation index to journals in the humanities. From the "Web of Knowledge" page click on "Web of Science" and then "Full Search."

FRANCIS
1984 to the present Indexed in English and in French. International in scope, it is a good source for film criticism.

Retrospective Index to Film Periodicals, 1930-1971. (1975)
Reference Z5784 .M9 B39

This publication acts a predecessor to International Index to Film Periodicals, above. It takes the indexing of basically the same journals back to 1930.

There are too many filmographies, film dictionaries and encyclopedias to count, and many are of variable quality. The list below is necessarily selective and focuses particular empahsis on national cinemas. For additional titles, try searching EUCLID under the subject keywords Motion Pictures Catalogs, Motion Pictures Dictionaries, Motion Pictures Indexes or Motion Pictures Reviews.

American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films.
(1971- ) In progress. Published so far: covering 1893-1950, 1961-1970
Also in Reference PN1998 .A57

This work gives production information, date of release and date of copyright, length in reels and minutes, director and production staff, source (if based on short story, novel, play), detailed cast and detailed plot summary. Includes also notes and review sources from cinema and trade journals not indexed anywhere else.

The British Film Catalogue. Edited by Denis Gifford. London and Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001. 2 volumes. Volume 1: Fiction film, 1895-1994 -- Volume 2: Non-fiction film, 1888-1994.

Reference PN 1993.5 .G7 G54 2001

Canadian Film Encyclopedia. A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group.

An online reference resource hosted by The Film Reference Library. Website description: "Currently, the CFE includes over 750 film title, biographical and subject entries, covering some of Canada’s foremost historical and modern films and filmmakers."

Companion encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film. Edited by Oliver Leaman.

Reference PN1993.5 .A65 C66 2001

Each section is written by a noted expert on the region. Includes introductory essays on the individual countries as well as filmographies and biographical entries on major directors.

Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema. New Revised Edition. Edited by Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen. London: British Film Institute, 1999.

Reference PN 1993.5 .I8 R33 1999

Includes entries on individual films, directors, stars, producers, writers, and composers.

Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Edited by Yingjin Zhang. London and New York: Routledge, 1998.

Reference PN 1993.5 .C4 Z53 1998

Includes six introductory essays and a wealth of entries pertaining to mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Magill's Survey of Cinema.
Provides plot summaries along with critical remarks (although in some articles the criticism dominates). There are several series in this set: Foreign Language Films (8 volumes, 1985: Reference PN1993.45 .M34 1985); English Language Films, First Series (4 volumes, 1980: Reference PN1995 .M3); English Language Films, Second Series (6 volumes, 1981: Reference PN1995 .M32 1981); Silent Films (3 volumes, 1982: Reference PN1995 .M34 1982). This last title includes both U.S. and foreign silents. While the series has not been updated, it often has good articles about older films.

The Motion Picture Guide. 12 volumes (1983) and annual supplements
Reference PN1993 .M4334

Gives long plot outlines, complete with breezy and opinionated comments from the authors. It's not as rigorously researched as the American Film Institute Catalog but well worth consulting.

Commercial websites such as the Internet Movie Database and allmovie.com are not always fully accurate in their descriptions of individual films, but they have the advantages of convenience and sheer quantity of individual entries.

Atlanta Constitution Historical (1868-1929).

See Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe for online access to the Journal and Constitution after 1991.

Film Review Annual. (1981 to present)
Reference PN1995 .F463

This publication includes the text of reviews as they appeared in selected newspapers and magazines. The title of the review is never given so if you are going to cite the review you will have to find the title in another index.

Film Review Index 2 volumes (1986)
Reference Z5784 .M9F513 1986

Covers the period from the very early silent era to 1985 and lists both reviews (from magazines and newspapers) and criticism (from books, cinema journals, and newspapers).

New York Times Film Reviews 6 volumes (1968). With biennial supplements, 1969 to present.
Reference PN1995.N4

Reprints the full review as it appeared in the Times. With coverage beginning in 1913, the reviews are arranged by date (month and day) in the year in which they were published. For films appearing before 1969, use the index in volume 6 to determine the date the review came out. For films after 1968, use the index at the end of each biennial supplement.

New York Times Historical  (1851-1999)

Provides the full text of every article as well as search capability by key word. For issues after 1999 use Lexis-Nexis Academic.

Reader's Guide Retrospective (1890-1982)
The great index to U. S. (and some British) popular and general interest magazines of the Twentieth Century. Reviews began to be listed separately under Moving Picture Plays, Criticism in 1925. Prior to that they were listed under the general subject of Moving Pictures or under the names of actors, directors or other significant people.

Variety Film Reviews. (1907 to 1996)
Reference PN1995 .V34 1983

Written for distributors, theater owners, and the film trade in general, these reviews often cover films not covered by general interest publications or newspapers. The reviews are listed by date of appeareance. An index in volume 16 covers films reviewed from 1907 to 1980. The biennial supplements that follow each have their own indexes. Publication ceased in 1996. For more recent reviews, see Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe.

Washington Post Historical    (1877-1988).

Digital reproductions of every page of every issue—cover to cover--of the U.S. capital’s flagship newspaper, known for its political and government news coverage. Includes news stories, editorials, photos, graphics, and advertisements, back to the first issue. Full-text searching and browsing capabilities are available. See the Washington Post database for articles from 1987 - present.

See Also:American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures

ABI/Inform
1971 to the present This is an index to business magazines and journals for those researching the current film or television industry. It may include complete articles after 1991.

America: History and Life
1964 to present An index to journals dealing with the history of the United States and Canada only. A useful index for television, film and film industry research.

American Film Studios: A Historical Encyclopedia (1988)
Reference PN1993.5 .U6F45 1988

Brief histories of the studios. No bibliography or notes.

Applied Science and Technology Index (1958 to date)
Reference Z7913 .I7

This indexes journals in engineering and technology and is good for locating articles dealing with film, cameras and other apparatus, the industry, photography, theater design, and more recently, video and computer applications. . Prior to 1958, this title was called Industrial Arts Index (see below).

Business Periodicals Index (1958 to present)
Business Reference Z7164 .C81

Indexes for 1958-1978 are in the stacks. Business Periodicals Index was preceded by the Industrial Arts Index(1913-1957).

Business Source Premier (1984 to present)

Indexes a wide selection of business periodicals. Full text from 1990.

History of Science and Technology (1976 to present)

Useful for the history of film and television technology.

IndieWIRE
Website description: "indieWIRE is the leading news, information, and social networking site for the international independent film community, including comprehensive coverage of indie, documentary and foreign language films, as well industry news, film festival reports, filmmaker interviews, and movie reviews."

Industrial Arts Index (1913-1957) Emory lacks 1920-21.
Z7913 .I7 (in storage)

This index covered many business publications as well as technical ones. For historical purposes, researchers should start with headings beginning "Moving Picture..." or "Moving Pictures...."

Major Film Periodicals for Media Research

MICFILM 4339 (126 reels)

Spanning 1915-1970, this microfilm set includes the trade journal Film Daily, the Film Daily Yearbook, and their predecessors. Along with Variety, a basic source of film industry coverage.

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (ca. 1970 to present)

Supplies complete articles from over 2400 newspapers, general interest and business periodicals and legal publications. A good source for reviews, biographical information on living persons, and industry news.

The New American Film Industry: A Historical Dictionary (1998)
Reference PN1993.5 .U6S539 1998

This work contains articles on film companies and organizations as well as some technical subjects. Many articles have helpful bibliographies.

Variety (1905 to present)
MICFILM 651

This is the primary newspaper of the film industry. Emory has it back to the beginning on microfilm and daily issues are shelved in Current Periodicals. It is indexed by LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe but only back to 1993. Two other indexes are available: Variety Film Reviews and Variety Obituaries.

Wall Street Journal Historical (1885 to 1985)

Contains full text of all issues. For the Journal after 1985 use Factiva (Factiva operates only with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1 or higher and on Windows computers).

SEE ALSO: databases available at the Goizueta Business Library web site.

Citing films typically entails a different set of problems from books, and the conventions are different. It's always best to check with your instructor first regarding his or her individual requirements.

Some academic style manuals such as that of the Modern Language Association (MLA) do suggest separate "works cited" entries for films, including significant information such as the title, director, screenwriter, possibly the lead performers, and the release date. However, in practice this is rarely done in academic publishing within film studies. It is usually sufficient to provide the title of the film (in italics, as with book titles), release date, and possibly the director within the main body of the text. For example: Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) or Metropolis (1927).

If you are citing supplementary content from a DVD such as an essay or director's commentary, you should consider creating a works cited entry for that item according to the rules of the style manual you're working with.

In any case , it is essential to be clear which version of a particular film you're using for your analysis. Many films are released in different versions for different markets and thus do not even necessarily contain identical footage. F. W. Murnau's Faust (1926), like many films of the silent era, was had separate domestic and export negatives constructed from different takes entirely. Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan (1964) was released in a 182-minute version in Japan but was initially released in the U.S. in a 125-minute version missing one of its four episodes, and is currently distributed on video in the US in a 161-minute version that is still shortened and re-edited but contains all four episodes. And with the advent of DVD, it is not uncommon for films to have footage added or removed specifically for the DVD release, as opposed to the theatrical release.

For more on citation styles, see the Citing Your Sources Research Guide.

Special thanks to Eric Nitschke for creating the first version of the Film Studies Research Guide, much of which formed the basis for this updated version.