Funny Business:Funny Business:The Absolute Basics The Absolute Basics

of Film Comedy of Film Comedy Research Research

Gary HandmanDirectorMedia Resources CenterMoffitt Libraryghandman@library.berkeley.edu643-8566

Scholarly/Scholarly/CriticalCritical

Pop & Pop & FanFan

CurrenCurrentt

HistoricalHistorical

IndustryIndustry

Writing About Writing About Film…Film…

•Journals, Magazines, NewspapersJournals, Magazines, Newspapers•ReviewsReviews•Critical/ScholarlyArticles Critical/ScholarlyArticles

•Books: Books: from the profoundly from the profoundly schlocky to the obtusely academic schlocky to the obtusely academic

•Web Sites & other online Web Sites & other online databasesdatabases

Sources for Film & TV Scholarship Sources for Film & TV Scholarship

Journal Articles:Journal Articles:Reviews? Critical Writing? Reviews? Critical Writing? What’s the Diff?What’s the Diff?

Reviews:

Found in popular periodicals, film periodicals, and (less often) in more scholarly journals

Assessment of aesthetic and content merits of a film

Usually cover current releases, more pop theatrical releases

Tend to be relatively short and relatively superficial (with some exceptions and depending on the publication and who’s doing the writing)

Journal Articles:Journal Articles: Reviews? Reviews?

Critical Writing? What’s the Diff?Critical Writing? What’s the Diff? Critical analysis: Found in books and scholarly or film-related journalsDiscuss films in:

broader historical, cultural, political, artistic context and/orFocus on a specific aspect of a film, film genre, or filmmaker

Tend to be longer, more substantive than reviews (with some exceptions and depending on the publication and who’s doing the writing)Often include notes, bibliographies, other scholarly apparatus

•Scholarly/authoritative worksScholarly/authoritative worksvsvs

•Pop schlock and fan worksPop schlock and fan works

How Do You Tell em’ apart?How Do You Tell em’ apart?

• Author’s credentials/affiliationsAuthor’s credentials/affiliations• Publisher (e.g. BFI, AFI, University Publisher (e.g. BFI, AFI, University

Presses vs pop press)Presses vs pop press)• Scholarly apparatus and sources: Scholarly apparatus and sources:

notes, notes, bibliographies, other bibliographies, other documentationdocumentation

• If they’ve been widely cited by other If they’ve been widely cited by other scholarsscholars

The Information Universe

Library Catalog(s)

Journal/NewspaperIndexes

……But how do you locate this stuff?But how do you locate this stuff?

OskiCat (and Melvyl)OskiCat (and Melvyl)

Inventory of what the Inventory of what the Library owns:Library owns:BooksBooksJournals (Journals (BUT NOT what’s BUT NOT what’s inside of them!!!!!!inside of them!!!!!!) )

Search by:Search by:•AuthorAuthor•TitleTitle•Subject (keywords)Subject (keywords)

MediaMediaManuscripts, documents, Manuscripts, documents, maps…etc. etc. etc. etc.)maps…etc. etc. etc. etc.)

Article Databases (Indexes/Abstracts)

• Databases produced by different commercial publishers; often look/act differently from one another.

• Regularly updated

• Allow subject/author searching in a group of journals in a particular discipline or topical area.

• Some indexes offer FULL TEXXXXT! (or abstracts-- short description of article content)

Choosing an Articles database (index)Choosing an Articles database (index)

Look at the listings of article databases available via the library www.lib.berkeley.edu: includes listings by SUBJECT, NAME, etc.

General Databases are often good places to start (particularly for newsy/topical issues)

Choosing an Articles database (index)Choosing an Articles database (index)

Look at the listings of article databases available via the library www.lib.berkeley.edu: includes listings by SUBJECT, NAME, etc.

General Databases are often good places to start (particularly for newsy/topical issues)

Gary’s Desert Island Index/Article Database List

NoNow Playing

GH Desert Island Index/Article Database List

NoNow Playing

•Academic Search Complete

•MLA Bibliography

•Film & Television Literature Index

•FIAF Index (Internatl Federation of Film Archives)

•International Index to the Performing Arts

•Two possibilities:

•Links you to full-text Links you to full-text in ANOTHER article in ANOTHER article databasedatabase

OrOr

•Flips you over to Flips you over to MELVYL so you can MELVYL so you can locate a physical copy locate a physical copy of the journal at UCB of the journal at UCB or elsewhere.or elsewhere.

No Full Text????No Full Text????

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/FilmBibMenu.html a growing listing of bibliographies on various film topics and individual films compiled by MRC (includes bibs for genres, filmmakers, national cinemas, and individual film).

…being driven totally bananas by your research?Call me:

Gary Handman643-8566

ghandman@library.berkeley.edu