Why Reference Sources?
Reference sources can provide you very quick access to basic information on a your topic and provide you with all of the information you need to get your research paper started. The entries in these scholarly sources are generally what we call signed entries- that is, the author of the entry is identified along with credentials. In addition, these experts will frequently provide a bibliography of further sources that you can consult, a hand-picked list of book or article titles to get you on your way.
The following sources are all specific to film studies and can give you a fast start to quality research on your topic. Click on the title or cover image to see the entry in our catalog. Keep in mind that there are many other similar reference sources for film studies- these are just the most popular examples.
Historical Dictionary of American Cinema by 
Historical Dictionary of Film Noir by 
History of the American Cinema
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers
Magill's Cinema Annual
Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Film
Schirmer Encyclopedia of FilmBook Series: there are many excellent book series related to film/TV studies. If you don't find a specific book from a series at Case, try OhioLink. If you are curious about books in the series that have just been released, search (using "series title" index) in WorldCat. For forthcoming books projected in the series, try the publisher's website.
Cambridge Studies in Film Example: Horror film and psychoanalysis : Freud's worst nightmare / edited by Steven Hay Schneider. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Horror Film and Psychoanalysis by 24 Frames (Wallflower) Example: The cinema of Spain and Portugal / edited by Alberto Mira. London ; New York : Wallflower, 2005.
The Cinema of Spain and Portugal by Contemporary Film Directors (University of Illinois Press) Example: Pedro Almodóvar / Marvin D'Lugo. Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2006.
New Studies in European Cinema (Peter Lang) Example: Questions of colour in cinema : from paintbrush to pixel / Wendy Everett (ed.). Oxford ; New York : Peter Lang, c2007.
Questions of Colour in Cinema: from paintbrush to pixel by Publishers Specializing in film/TV studies: some publishers specialize in film/TV studies but their books may not be issued as part of a series.
Search Strategy: In order to find books on film by a specific publisher in the Case Libraries Online Catalog, use the advanced search and search on "film" as a subject and enter the publisher name in the "publisher" search box at the bottom of the screen.
Routledge Press Example: Between opera and cinema / edited by Jeongwon Joe and Rose Theresa. New York : Routledge, 2002.
Between Opera and Cinema by Cambridge Scholars Press Example: Situating the feminist gaze and spectatorship in postwar cinema / edited by Marcelline Block. Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars, 2008.
Situating the Feminist Gaze and Spectatorship in Postwar Cinema by Palgrave Macmillan Press Example: Remaking Shakespeare : performance across media, genres, and cultures / edited by Pascale Aebischer, Edward J. Esche, and Nigel Wheale. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
Remaking Shakespeare: performance across media, genres, and cultures by 
