Film and Television: A Guide to the Reference Literature

by Mark Emmons

Overview

The popularity and pervasiveness of film and television in 21st-century life is inescapable. Whether viewed as entertainment, educational, or cultural forms, the effect of these media on our lifestyles and attitudes is unmistakable. No wonder an increasing number of academics, students, and laypeople are drawn to study their particular appeal. Mark Emmons's magnum opus is a true labor of love. International in scope, it offers 1,244 substantially annotated entries, organized by topic. Its focus is movies and television shows: how they are produced; the people who make and appear in them; their content, their distribution and exhibition; and their reception by audiences, reviewers, critics, and scholars. Beginning with general guides, dictionaries and encyclopedias, the book then turbans to filmographies, filmmakers, and filmmaking respectively. Filmographies lists films and television shows in the categories of national cinema and genre, made by studios or filmmakers, or featuring various groups of people. Filmmakers includes biographies and credits for filmmakers and actors. Filmmaking includes reference sources on making film and television shows. An indispensable guide for librarians, faculty, students, neophyte filmmakers, and fans everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781563089145
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/30/2006
Series:	Reference Sources in the Humanities
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Mark Emmons is Librarian and Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico. His lifelong passion for film led him to work briefly in the film and television industry immediately after graduating from UCLA in 1983. Realizing that he liked watching films more than making them, he explored a career in teaching before finding his niche as a librarian in 1990. As a librarian, he has selected books and films for the library collection, taught students how to conduct research, and answered reference questions about film and television. He has also written chapters on web-based film resources and on how to teach film research to undergraduates.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Indexes and Bibliographies
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
General Film and Television Filmographies
National Cinema
Genres
Formats
Studios
Portrayals
Filmmakers
Screenplays
Making Films and Television Programs
Film and Television Industry
Fans and Audience
Appendix A: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Appendix B: Library of Congress Moving Image Genre/Form List
Appendix C: Library of Congress Classification-by Subject
AppendixD: Library of Congress Classification-by Classification
Appendix E: Dewey Decimal Classification-by Subject
Appendix F: Dewey Decimal Classification
Index: Author and Title
Index: Topical

Editorial Reviews

Emmons's passion for the large and small screen is evident in this annotated bibliography of reference sources, for which he personally examined and described over 1,200 resources. Recognizing that movies and television are now legitimate areas of growing scholarly analysis, his work identifies print titles (exhaustively) and free and subscription Web sites (selectively). Beyond the standard bibliographies, encyclopedias, and even filmographies, works are organized by topic….Emmons reluctantly limits himself to English-language publications (but spends 46 pages on worldwide cinema) and excludes jourbanalism, individuals and individual works, memorabilia, and trivia. Brief explanatory topic introductions precede carefully done, insightful source annotations that speak to quality, currency, and uniqueness. Appendixes provide bonuses: recommended LC subject headings; LC Moving Image Genre/Form List; a breakdown of LC classification PN1900 by subject, then by classification number, followed by similar information for Dewey. An excellent guide for researchers. Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above.” —Choice

“[O]ffers a useful introduction to the maze of literature already produced in this field for both the serious student and the researcher.” —Reference Reviews

“Film and Television: A Guide to the Reference Literature is an essential volume for any college or university library supporting programs in film and television studies. Intended as a starting point for research, it fills a decade-long gap in the reference literature by providing an updated and comprehensive bibliography for film and television studies' resources. Listings include print and electronic resource titles and Internet Web sites—a welcome addition….[t]his is a welcome and timely addition to the reference literature. Highly recommended.” —College & Research Libraries "Selected Reference Works, 2006"

“Movies and television are fascinating subjects, but it is difficult to find information about them in one place. That need is met by this guide which is an annotated and comprehensive list of print and electronic sources….[t]he volume is valuable to film and television enthusiasts and an excellent collection development guide. It is recommended for academic and public library collections with film and television holdings.” —Booklist

“Emmons provides 1,244 descriptions of titles divided into chapters on indexes and bibliographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias, filmographies, national cinema, genres, formats, studios, portrayals, filmmakers, screenplays, production, the industry, and fans. Given the vast number of published items in this area, Emmons's comments will help in making wise acquisitions choices.” —C&RL News

From the Publisher