Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Resources#Custom search engine
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The resources department of the Films WikiProject provides a guide to finding information for sourcing articles, whether through online/print sources or members' personal libraries. Articles related to films need sources like any other Wikipedia article. Content must be verifiable. Editors writing articles in the scope of this project, may encounter some problems when finding sources, or citing them. This department aims to point out some possible resources that can be used to gather information.
In articles about films, citing the home video itself is often attractive. Wikipedia favors secondary sources, and the use of primary sources should be minimized. Films are primary sources in articles about themselves, especially for plot summaries. For a reader, who may not own or have access to the film, we should provide inline citations wherever possible, and enable readers to check the facts themselves when they do have access.
Researching a topic
Approaches to researching a film-related topic will vary by topic. For individual films, films released in the twenty-first century are more likely to have resources available online than earlier films. For example, there will be more online resources for a 2005 film than for a 1965 film. Films in general receive coverage from a wide range of publications. Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, etc.) are more contemporary in their coverage, and for films released around the turn of the twentieth century and beyond, periodicals sometimes make the coverage available on their websites. Books about films or containing chapters about films are published more in retrospect, though exceptions may include books about films' production published in conjunction with their theatrical releases. For example, the book The Spider-Man Chronicles: The Art and Making of Spider-Man 3 was published with the release of the 2007 film Spider-Man 3.
Films that are significant to the history of cinema or that have achieved a milestone in the film industry are more likely to have comprehensive coverage in print publications. The best resources to use are academic and peer-reviewed publications, which analyze films more comprehensively than most contemporary coverage. The resources are also best to use for film-related topics broader than individual films, such as film genres or film history. Resources used for individual films can also be used for broader film-related topics. For example, the article The Matrix should mention how the film was a milestone in the science fiction genre, and the article science fiction film should say the same in the most suitable capacity.
Editors can prepare a list of resources on the article's talk page or on a sub-page in their userspace, depending if they want to work on the article directly or work on a draft in their sandbox to import into the article later. Online resources can be accessed quickly; for websites that are subscription-based, use the BugMeNot Internet service to bypass registration. Print sources can be located in libraries or book stores. Editors may find it easier to access some periodicals through library databases rather than seek out physical copies.
Custom search engine
A programmed google search engine for the following resources is available [https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=5d2d8b509f2b7cc94 here].
List of potential resources
Gauging whether a source is reliable or not is often difficult in the area of films. The following is a list of sources that have been established as reliable in the field of films per past consensus, except where otherwise noted. Please bring up all new additions on the talk page before posting them below.
Note: "Online access" refers to the publication's principal means of content delivery.
=General=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;" width="100%" |
| width="15%"| Name
! width="10%" | Online access ! width="15%"| Type ! width="45%"| Notes and limitations ! width="15%"| Owner |
|---|
| Variety
| [http://www.variety.com/ link] | General information, production details/budget figures, and reviews on films | Go to [http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=dept_main&dept=Film News archives become patchier deeper into the past] |
| The Hollywood Reporter
| [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ link] | General information, production details/budget figures, and reviews on films | |
| Entertainment Weekly
| [http://www.ew.com/ link] | General information, production details, and reviews on films and DVDs | All articles from publication's inception from 1990 |
| Deadline Hollywood
| [http://www.deadline.com/ link] | General information, production details/budget figures, and reviews on films | |
| Empire
| [http://www.empireonline.com/ link] | General information and reviews on films and DVDs | Online site is primarily advert and forum for magazine |
| Total Film
| [https://www.gamesradar.com/totalfilm/ link] | General information on films and DVDs |Online site requires paid subscription for archived reviews |
| IndieWire
| [http://www.indiewire.com/ link] | News, interviews, and reviews of independent films | |
| /Film
| [https://www.slashfilm.com/ link] | General information on films | |
| TheWrap
| [https://www.thewrap.com/ link] | General information on films | Subscription to WrapPro required for access to select content | Sharon Waxman (The Wrap News Inc.) |
| Filmmaker Magazine
| [http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/ link] | News, interviews, and reviews of independent films | |
| Cineaste
| [http://www.cineaste.com/ link] | Articles, interviews, and reviews of films/DVDs | | Cinéaste Publishers |
| Bright Lights Film Journal
| [http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/ link] | Articles, interviews, and reviews of films | | Gary Morris |
| Ain't It Cool News
| [http://www.aintitcool.com/ link] | Articles and reviews | Dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and current films, television and comic projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, and action genres |
| ComingSoon.net
| [https://www.comingsoon.net/ link] | Articles, interviews and reviews | |
=Genres=
==Horror==
{{Further|Wikipedia:WikiProject Horror/Sources}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;" width="100%" |
| width="15%"| Name
! width="10%" | Online access ! width="15%"| Type ! width="45%"| Notes and limitations ! width="15%"| Owner |
|---|
| Cinefantastique
| [http://blog.cinefantastiqueonline.com/wordpress/ link] | Articles and reviews on fantasy, science fiction and horror films and DVDs | Site inactive since 2020; online archive limited | |
| Fangoria
| [http://www.fangoria.com/ link] | General information on horror films and DVDs | | Fangoria Publishing, LLC |
| Bloody Disgusting
| [http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/ link] | News for horror films and interviews | |
| Dread Central
| [http://www.dreadcentral.com link] | News for horror films and interviews | |
=Production=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 100% width: 100%;" |
| scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="width: 10%;" | Online access ! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Type ! scope="col" style="width: 45%;" | Notes and limitations ! scope="col" style="width: 15%;" | Owner |
|---|
| American Cinematographer
| [http://www.theasc.com/index.php link] | Articles on cinematography | Articles from 2001 issues missing from archive |
| Camera Operator
| [http://www.soc.org/index.php?id=39 link] | Articles on camera operating, camera crew, equipment, and film production | Archives only contain selected articles from each issue |
| CgSociety.org
| [http://www.CgSociety.org link] | Articles and interviews about productions and visual effects. | | |
| Cinefex
| [https://web.archive.org/web/20230000000000*/http://cinefex.com/ link] (archive) | Articles on visual effects | Requires payment to read print articles; defunct 2021 | |
| Film and Digital Times
| [http://www.fdtimes.com/ link] | Articles on equipment | |
| FXGuide
| [http://www.fxguide.com/index.php link] | Articles on visual effects, news | | fxguide, LLC |
| GBCT Techs
| [https://gbct.org/ link] | Articles on British camera crews and production | | Guild of British Camera Technicians |
| ICG Magazine
| [http://www.icgmagazine.com link] | Articles on camera crew, production, and equipment | Selected articles online; also contains some online-exclusive material | [http://www.cameraguild.com/ Local 600 International Cinematographers' Guild] |
| VFX World
| [http://www.awn.com/ link] | Articles on visual effects, news | |
| Kemps Film and TV Production Services Handbook (KFTV)
| [https://www.kftv.com/ link] | Productions (filming dates) currently ongoing mainly in Europe/Asia; production news | | Media Business Insight |
| Ontario Film Commission
| [https://www.ontariocreates.ca/our-sectors/film-tv/in-production link] | Productions (filming dates) currently ongoing in Ontario | Updated weekly | Ontario Media Development Corporation |
| Toronto Film & Television Office
| [https://www.toronto.ca/business-economy/industry-sector-support/film/current-productions-and-news/ link] | Productions (filming dates) currently ongoing in Toronto | Updated weekly | |
| Creative BC Film Commission
| [https://www.creativebc.com/services/provincial-film-commission/in-production/ link] | Productions (filming dates) currently ongoing in Vancouver, British Columbia | Updated every few weeks |
| Georgia Film Commission
| [https://www.georgia.org/industries/film-entertainment/georgia-film-tv-production/now-filming-georgia link] | Productions currently ongoing in Georgia | Updated every few weeks |
| New Orleans Film Commission
| [https://filmneworleans.org/productions/ link] | Productions (filming dates) currently ongoing in New Orleans | Updated every few weeks |
| Film London
| [https://filmlondon.org.uk/latest link] | Productions currently ongoing in London | Updated regularly | |
| Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment
| [https://www.nyc.gov/site/mome/industries/filming-now-in-nyc.page link] | Productions currently ongoing in New York City | Updated every few weeks |
| Art of the Title
| [https://www.artofthetitle.com link] | Title sequence information and interviews | | |
=Box office=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;" width="100%" |
| width="15%"| Name
! width="10%"| Online access ! width="15%"| Type ! width="45%"| Notes and limitations ! width="15%"| Owner |
|---|
| Boxoffice Pro
| [https://www.boxofficepro.com/ link] | Box office performance, home video sales, news, budget figures | Boxoffice.com is the [https://www.boxofficepro.com/magazine/ official web presence] of Boxoffice Pro magazine, a journal serving the exhibition industry since the silent era. Care should be exercised in regards to their budget figures, since it is not clear what they cover, and are usually inconsistent with other published budget figures; if you decide to use them in this capacity, it would be prudent to corroborate the data with another reliable source. |
| Box Office Mojo
| [http://www.boxofficemojo.com link] | Box office performance, home video sales, news, budget figures | |IMDb, a subsidiary of Amazon.com |
| The Numbers
| [http://www.the-numbers.com/ link] | Box office performance, home video sales, news, budget figures | |Nash Information Services, LLC. |
| Lumiere
| [http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/search/ link] | Database on admissions of films released in Europe | |
=Reception=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;" width="100%" |
| width="15%"| Name
! width="10%"| Online access ! width="15%"| Type ! width="45%"| Notes and limitations ! width="15%"| Owner |
|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes
| [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ link] | Critic's reviews on film and news | rowspan="2" | See Wikipedia:Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic |
| Metacritic
| [http://www.metacritic.com/ link] | Critic's reviews on films and DVDs | Fandom |
| Academy Awards
| [https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ link] | Awards database | URL is dynamic; include parameters in notes |
==Non-English resources==
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;" width="100%" |
| width="15%"| Name
! width="10%"| Online access ! width="15%"| Type ! width="45%"| Notes and limitations ! width="15%"| Owner |
|---|
| Kritiker.se (Swedish)
| [http://www.kritiker.se/film link] | Aggregate ratings, links to reviews and quotes | Very few reviews for older films, somewhat irregular updates | [http://www.linkedin.com/in/marcushansson Marcus Hansson] |
=Soundtracks and video games=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;" width="100%" |
| width="15%"| Name
! width="10%"| Online access ! width="15%"| Type ! width="45%"| Notes and limitations ! width="15%"| Owner |
|---|
| Soundtrack.Net
| [http://www.soundtrack.net/ link] | Interviews, reviews, news, track listings | | Sean Saulsbury (Autotelics, LLC.) |
| AllMusic
| [http://www.allmusic.com/ link] | Reviews, track listings | |
| IGN
| [http://www.ign.com/ link] | Interviews, video game information, | News archive goes up to 2000 |
Repository of resources
=Databases=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;" width="100%" |
| width="15%"| Name
! width="10%"| Online access ! width="15%"| Coverage ! width="45%"| Notes and limitations ! width="15%"| Publisher |
|---|
| The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures
|[https://aficatalog.afi.com/ link] |American films |Good for summary plot information; excellent for release date information; films from 1893–1993 have extra production details under "History" |
| Baseline
| [http://www.studiosystem.com/ link] | Films, biographies, and box office gross | Subscription-only. Some data can be accessed through Hollywood.com. |
| ProQuest
| [https://www.proquest.com/legacyredirect/fii link] | Reference database for media coverage of individual films | Subscription-only, but many public libraries have access |
| FilmReference.com
| [http://www.filmreference.com/ link] | Books and articles about films |
| Advameg, Inc. |
| Index to Motion Picture Credits
| [http://catalog.oscars.org/vwebv/searchBasic?sk=en_US link] | List of film credits | Provided by producers and distributors, and via research materials at the Margaret Herrick Library. Further background details available [https://www.oscars.org/library/about#field-tabbed-content-tab-2 here]. |
| Media Resources Center Movie Database
| [https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/media-resources-center link] | Print and DVD sources for films | |
| Screenonline
| [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/ link] | British films and television shows | Free; subscription required for media downloads |
| Variety Insight
| [http://www.varietyinsight.com link] | Films, biographies, and box office gross | Subscription-only. Some data is freely accessible through Google searches. |
=Books=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;" width="100%" |
| width="15%"| Series name
! width="10%"| Website ! width="15%"| Coverage ! width="45%"| Notes and limitations ! width="15%"| Publisher |
|---|
| BFI Filmstore Books & Magazines
| [https://shop.bfi.org.uk/books/bfi-film-and-tv-classics.html Link] | Books and magazines about film | Use books' details to find books at local libraries or book stores |
| Directors' Cuts
| [https://cup.columbia.edu/series/directors-cuts Link] | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films |
| Contemporary Film Directors
| [https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/browse_books.html Link] | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films |
| Philosophers on Film
| [https://www.routledge.com/humanities/philosophy/ Link] | Books about specific films | | Routledge Philosophy |
| Directors on Directors
| [https://www.faber.co.uk/product-category/non-fiction/film/ Link] | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films |
| Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series)
| [https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Subjects/Film-Studies Link] | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films |
| The Scarecrow Filmmakers
| [https://rowman.com/Subjects?L1=Communications,-Journalism,-and-Media-Studies&L1ID=8&L2=Film-Studies&L2ID=138 Link] | Books about filmmakers | Books, in covering filmmakers, explore their films |
| Rutgers Films in Print
| [http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=hotseries&q=se%3A%22Rutgers+films+in+print%22 Link] | Books about films | |
| BFI Film Classics
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/BFIFilmClassics Link] | Classic films | | rowspan="13" | Macmillan |
| BFI Screen Guides
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/BFIScreenGuides Link] | Top 100 films under different genres | |
| British Film Makers
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/BritishFilmMakers Link] | British Film Makers | |
| Cinema and Society
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/CinemaandSociety Link] | Cinema and Society | Examples: Shooting the Civil War, Hollywood's History Films, Film Propaganda |
| Film – General
| [http://us.macmillan.com/MacmillanSite/categories/Academic/MediaFilmandTheaterStudies/FilmGeneral Link] | | |
| Film History & Criticism
| [http://us.macmillan.com/MacmillanSite/categories/Academic/MediaFilmandTheaterStudies/FilmHistoryCriticism Link] | | |
| Film Reference
| [http://us.macmillan.com/MacmillanSite/categories/Academic/MediaFilmandTheaterStudies/FilmReference Link] | | |
| French Film Directors
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/FrenchFilmDirectors Link] | French Film Directors | |
| Inside Popular Film
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/InsidePopularFilm Link] | | Examples: Interpreting Rock Movies, Defining Cult Movies, Realism and Popular Cinema |
| KINOfile
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/KINOfile Link] | European films | |
| Spanish and Latin American Film
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/SpanishandLatinAmericanFilm Link] | Spanish and Latin American Film | |
| Tauris World Cinema
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/TaurisWorldCinema Link] | World cinema | Published by I.B. Tauris |
| Turner Classic Movies British Film Guides
| [http://us.macmillan.com/series/TurnerClassicMoviesBritishFilmGuides Link] | Books about British films | |
| Books in Film Studies
| [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/subject/su21.html Link] | Various film-related topics | |
| Film & Drama
| [http://www.cambridge.org/us/film/ Link] | Various film-related topics | |
Members' libraries
In addition to the vast array of sources available above that can be used for improving an article you are working on, below is a list of member's home video and print libraries. Members who have posted their libraries are willing to provide information about plot summaries, special features, print screenshots, and/or look up information to assist you. Keep in mind that members' lists may not always be accurate and to be polite in requesting assistance for information on an article. Send requests to the members' talk pages. Borrowing materials is entirely up to the editors, and discretion should be used. If you would like to add your library below make sure to mention any exclusions or areas you can help out with. For listing your libraries, either use external databases or create a subpage listing the media you own.
- {{User|Nehrams2020}} Requests may take a while, depending on the task.
- *[http://dvdwatch2020.dvdaf.com/owned DVD/Blu-ray Disc library] – Over 290 DVDs on mostly action/drama/comedy ranging from mainly 1980-2000s. Willing to help with questions on special features, plot summaries, requested screenshots, or possibly anything else.
- *Print library – I have copies of Entertainment Weekly from April 2007 to present (I may be missing a few issues). I also have access to a university database, which can help find older articles.
Questionable resources
{{see also|WP:USERG|WP:Citing IMDb}}
{{Shortcut|WP:RSP/BLURAY|WP:RS/CBM|WP:RS/IMDB|WP:RSP/VALNET}}
- Blu-ray.com should not be used for its home video release information as its database is provided by its userbase and can be edited by anyone without any fact-checking.
- Comicbookmovie.com relies on user-submitted content and its use is strongly discouraged. However, many of its articles link to other sources that may be considered reliable. So consider using these sources instead. Exclusive interviews published on the website may also be considered reliable, especially if accompanied by audio or video.
- Fandom / Wikia sources are user-generated and should not be used.
- FilmAffinity, a social media site with a film database. The site has no clarification on how it is sourced or how their information is gathered and is predominantly a social media platform.
- IMDb content is mostly user-submitted and often subject to speculation, rumor, hoaxes, and inaccuracies. The use of the IMDb on Wikipedia as a sole reference is usually considered unacceptable and is discouraged. Its romanization of Chinese titles does not follow the standard. Reliable sourcing from established publications cannot be stressed enough. Anonymous or pseudonymous sources from online fansites are generally unacceptable. So, while itself discouraged as a source, IMDb might provide information leading editors to the preferable reliable sites.
- Wikipedia, non-English Wikipedias, and sites that mirror them, are not considered reliable sources for the content taken from the articles themselves, even when such articles are sourced by reliable sources. Use the sources instead. (WP:CIRCULAR, WP:COPYWITHIN.)
- Websites owned by the company Valnet, such as TheGamer, Collider, Comic Book Resources, MovieWeb, Screen Rant, and Game Rant, are considered to be of questionable reliability. Valnet treats these websites as content farms and they often rely on churnalism, leading to click-bait pages such as numbered lists, poorly-written opinion pieces, and articles that regurgitate information from higher-quality sources. These should be avoided, as should articles that are based on user-generated content from social media posts, audience reviews, or databases like IMDb. These websites can be used for direct interviews and some official reviews,{{efn|For example, [https://web.archive.org/web/20240301000430/https://collider.com/a-real-pain-movie-review/ this Collider article] on A Real Pain is explicitly labeled as a review and its prose is primarily focused on reviewing the film, so it could be used as a source. In contrast, [https://web.archive.org/web/20250114140150/https://collider.com/interstellar-2/ this Collider article] discusses Interstellar but is not a direct review of it and may be inappropriate for covering the film's reception.}} but it is recommended that they be replaced with higher-quality sources if available. They should not be used for controversial statements related to living persons.
Notes
{{Notelist}}