Research Guides
- University of Washington Libraries
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- UW Libraries
- Cinema Studies
- Trade, Fan & Technical Magazines
Cinema Studies: Trade, Fan & Technical Magazines
This guide highlights recommended resources for research in Cinema Studies.
Publication Types
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Three different types of magazine-like publications that you may use when researching film. Trade: Trade magazines cover the business of filmmaking with information about studios, legal issues such as censorship, film distribution and more. They may provide box-office statistics and sometimes listings with plot summaries of upcoming films and notably in the case of Variety, film reviews. Examples: Hollywood Reporter, Film Daily & Variety Fan: Fan magazines focus on celebrity profiles and movie-related gossip and are heavily illustrated (including studio portraits and behind the scenes and candid photos). They may include film reviews, interviews and other movie-related news. Also useful for advertisements, most of which are aimed at a female audience. Examples: Photoplay, Entertainment Weekly & Picturegoer Technical: Technical magazines cover the technology of the film making process and are targeted to those working on a specific aspect of film such as cinematographers, sound engineers, etc. Examples: Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, American Cinematographer & Filmtechnik |
Major Digitized Collections
The following collections include both trade and fan publications. Some collections offer just scattered issues and incomplete publication runs. More complete collections of some publications are available on microfilm.
- Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
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US & UK trade and fan magazines covering film, music, tv & theater; includes Variety 1905-2000 and Picturegoer 1913-1960
- Media History Digital LibraryCollection of trade, fan & technical publications such as Motion Picture Daily 1931-1960, Photoplay 1914-1943 & International Projectionist 1933-1965
- Margaret Herrick Library Digital CollectionRepresenting more than 35,000 items, Margaret Herrick Library Digital Collections presents a curated selection of materials from the library's extensive holdings on motion picture history. Items include correspondence, photographs, sheet music, scrapbooks, lobby cards, movie ephemera, books, film magazines and industry publications. The collections also provide access to publications of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences dating back to the founding of the organization in 1927.
- Lantern Global Cinema CollectionHistorical Non-American fan and trade magazines collected by the Media History Digital Library
- Fangoria MagazineFangoria is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. At the height of its popularity in the 1980s and early '90s it was the most prominent horror publication in the world.
Fan Magazines
The Fan Magazine Collection section of the Media History Digital Library includes a number of fan magazines dating from the silent film period to the early 1960s.
- Classic Mexican Cinema
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Five Mexican film fan magazines: Cinelandia 1931-1947; Cinema Reporter 1943-1965; Cine Mundial 1953-1955; El Cine Gráfico 1935, 1957; El Mundo Ilustrado 1902-1910 - Entertainment Weekly 1993-
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Current entertainment magazine covering films, music, television & books - Modern Screen 1930-1960Available via Media History Digital Library; missing some issues
- Picturegoer 1913-1960
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British fan magazine available via Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive - Wid's Film and Film Folk 1915-1921On microfilm A10052; WID's is "for the fans, first, last and all the time." Title varies over the years.
Trade Publications
The Media History Digital Library has a number of trade publications in the following two sub-collections: Early Cinema Collection and Hollywood Studio System Collection. These are just a small sampling of trade publications available on microfilm and online.
- Edison kinetogram 1912-1915"A semi-monthly bulletin of moving picture news with the emphasis on Edison films and kinetoscopes.
- VarietyOnline: 1905-2000 via Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive
Online: 1905-1954 via Media History Digital Library
Online: 1994-present
Microfilm: 1905-present, A5040 & A8158
Press Books
Pressbooks were created by distributors to promote their films in local markets. Sent directly to movie theaters, pressbooks provided promotional materials and suggested strategies for local exhibitors to bring people into the theater and maximize profits for both parties.
- Latern Press Books Collection (1910-1970)The digitized pressbooks in this collection date from the 1910s through the 1970s. Represented are major studios Warner Bros., MGM, 20th Century-Fox, Columbia, and United Artists, as well as several independent distributors.
Technical Publications
The Technical Journal Collection section of the Media History Digital Library includes a few publications dating from the 1930s to the early 1960s.
- American CinematographerPrint: 1941-1982, request from Baker Auxiliary Stacks
Online: 1921-1942 - Das Kino-Journal 1919-1939Austrian publication on microfilm A12459
- International Projectionist 1933-1965Available via the Media History Digital Library
- Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television EngineersOnline: 1950-1954 available via the Media History Digital Library
Print: 1945-2000, (missing issues) Engineering Library TR845 .S6 - Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers 1916-1949Available via the Media History Digital Library