Research

The Moving Image Source Research Guide is a gateway to the best online resources related to film, television, and digital media.

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 Peer Reviewed

Online Collections Catalogs

  • National Archives - Motion Picture Films and Sound and Video Recordings  
    The website for the National Archives Motion Picture Films and Sound and Recordings Division features extensive finding aids to the physical collections in Washington D.C., as well as for the presidential libraries.
  • National Center for Jewish Film  
    Directory of Jewish films from the U.S., Israel, and abroad, including restorations of classic Yiddish-language films. The directory entries include a short summary and distribution information. Users can also search the collection catalog, which lists the holdings of the collection at Brandeis University.
  • National Film and Sound Archive Collection  
    Search the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's catalog, which contains items that are in the physical archive in Canberra.
  • National Film and Sound Archive Collection Spotlights  
    These themed online exhibitions help users explore the collection of the Australian Film and Sound Archive. There are many moving image-focused materials, including stills of famous Australian movie theaters, information about notable film and TV personalities, and information about the archive's own restoration of two Australian films, Jedda and The Story of the Kelly Gang.
  • National Film Board of Canada  
    The National Film Board of Canada’s website has streaming video of more than 700 films, trailers, and clips for free viewing. The collection is easy to browse and includes animation, documentaries, narrative films, and experimental films, in French and English. The Playlists section consists of annotated viewing lists from invited film experts.
  • National Public Broadcasting Libraries at the University of Maryland  
    Browse through finding aids for the many specialized collections in the physical archive.
  • Newsfilm Library (University of South Carolina)  
    A complete, searchable index of everything in the Fox Movietone News and Local Television News collections, as well as selected film clips (Quicktime format) available online.
  • Northeast Historic Film Archive  
    A searchable list of what's available at the physical archive in Bucksport, Maine.
  • Paley Center for Media  
    The Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) collects radio and TV programs and advertisements. The museum has about 120,000 pieces of programming. The museum has two locations: one in New York City and one in Los Angeles.
  • PFA Cinefiles  
    The Pacific Film Archive conducts primary source research for the films it shows and has posted the results of that research. The database includes reviews, press kits, festival and showcase program notes, newspaper articles, and more, covering more than 30,000 films. Materials that are not copyright-protected are available (usually as .GIF or .JPG files) for download.
  • Prelinger Library   Peer Reviewed
    The official website for the physical collection of the Prelinger Library in San Francisco. The library contains "40,000 books, periodicals, printed ephemera and government documents," many of which pertain to television and media, and to industrial/educational film production.
  • Russian Film Archives  
    A website that represents the Russian State Film and Photo Archive in Krasnogorsk, the Russian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documents, and various other institutions of the Russian government.
  • Satyajit Ray Collection at UC-Santa Cruz  
    A wealth of information about Ray, including a filmography, biography, and two extensive bibliographies. Founded by Dilip Basu, a Ray scholar who has organized many retrospectives, the site is also host to a number of articles by Basu and other scholars, as well as digitized images from Ray's own sketchbook. The collection section allows you to search the items in the physical archive, which is in Santa Cruz, California.
  • SCIPIO: Art and Rare Book Sales Catalogs   Paid Subscription Required
    This site can help users locate relevant auction catalogs, as well as information about which institutions have copies.
  • Scottish Screen Archives  
    While its primary purpose is to provide an online catalog of films in the Scottish Screen Archives collection, this website also offers over a thousand clips extracted from its holdings. In addition to these clips, each listing includes a detailed description. Users may browse the films and television programs in the archives' holdings by place, subject, biography, or decade.
  • South Asian Film Archives (Canada)  
    Browse a list of films in the collection by director, film title, or keyword. This list indicates what is available at the physical archive.
  • Spielberg Film Archive  
    An archive of over 400 films by and about Jews from Israel, America, Europe, and beyond. Many selections from the catalog can be viewed online, but Windows Media Player is required.
  • Thomas Edison Historical Site  
    Basic biographical information on Edison, plus a bibliography and links to his sound and film recordings. Users can also find out how to visit the site's archive and artifact collection and view a full list of Edison's 1,093 patents.
  • UCLA Film & Television Archive Catalog  
    UCLA Film & Television Archive holds over 250,000 films and television programs produced from the 1890s to the present. The collection includes independent and studio-produced shorts and feature films, local and network TV programming, and 27 million feet of Hearst newsreels.
  • William K. Everson Collection at New York University  
    The William K. Everson collection features a growing number of downloadable film-related advertisements, including full reproductions of press kits. There is also a photo section, which contains portraits of film stars autographed to Everson.