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Film & Media Studies: Trade & Industry Literature

Trade Magazines can be key primary sources for the study of film, television, and media history.

Search for the names of People, Places, and Things.

(Film Titles, Director/Actor/Producer/etc Last Names, TV network call-signs)

Pay attention to the dates of the articles and make sure they fit your time period of study.

USE QUOTATION MARKS IF A SEARCH TERM IS MORE THAN ONE WORD.

Examples:

"Mary Tyler Moore Show" | Titanic AND Cameron | "The General" AND Keaton | "super mario" AND game

1880s - 2000

Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
U.S. & U.K. trade magazines from 1880s-2000.

FULL TEXT, KEYWORD SEARCHABLE:

Variety, plus...

American Film (US, 1975-1992)
Back Stage (US, 1960-2000)
Broadcasting / Broadcasting & Cable (US, 1931-2000)
Billboard (US, 1894-2000)
Boxoffice (US, 1920-2000)
Broadcast (UK, 1960-2000)
Contrast (UK, 1961-1965)
Disc (UK, 1958-1975)
Film Weekly (UK, 1928-1939)
Independent Film Journal / The Film Journal / Film Journal International (US, 1934-2000)
Melody Maker (UK, 1926-2000)
Mixmag (UK, 1983-2000)
Musician (US, 1976-1999)
Muzik (UK, 1995-2000)
NME (UK, 1946-2000)
Picturegoer (UK, 1911-1960)
Rave (UK, 1964-1970)
R&R / Radio & Records (US, 1973-2000)
Record Mirror (UK, 1976-1991)
Screen International (UK, 1975-2000)
Spin (US, 1985-2000)
The Beat (US, 1982-2000)
The Stage (UK, 1880-2000)
Uncut (UK, 1997-2000)
Variety (US, 1905-2000)
Vox (UK, 1990-1999)

Date Coverage: 1880-2000
Materials Indexed: Magazine Articles

1880s - 1950s-ish (Mostly pre-1924)

Media History Digital Library
FREE! Early 20th Century Trade Literature -- film journals and magazines -- via The Internet Archive.

Similar to EIMA, but more fan magazine content. Not always complete runs of magazines due to copyright restrictions. Lovely to browse.

Search Engine is called LANTERN.
Text Visualization tool is called ARCLIGHT.
HathiTrust
Like Google Books.

Full-text of many film periodicals published before 1924.

MUST SEARCH BY TITLE OF MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL.

1997 - Present

Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
1997+ access to trade magazines such as Variety, Boxoffice, Broadcasting & Cable, American Cinematographer, and more!

Some publications will be full text access, some will be selected full text, some will be indexed only.

Use UC-eLinks to REQUEST PDFs through InterLibrary Loan.

Materials Indexed: Biographical Information; Interviews; Journal Articles; Magazine Articles

Variety

Variety
Call Number: Main Library AP1 .V35
Print & Online.
Microfilm (1905 - 2016)
Print (1975 - present)
Online Full-Text (1905-2000) in Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive
Online Selected Articles (2000 - present) in Performing Arts Periodicals Database

Nearly every issue includes weekly reports for Nielsen Ratings and Domestic & International Boxoffice Grosses . You can also find Variety (beginning-2000) in Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive database

See also...

Index to Motion Pictures Reviewed by Variety, 1907-1980 by Max J. Alvarez
Call Number: Main Library PN1995.A39 1982 [Regular Loan]
ISBN: 081081515X
Publication Date: 1982
Variety film reviews
Call Number: MAIN REF PN1993 .V36 [Non-circulating]
Reprints of the Film Reviews (1907-1996)

More Trade Mags in the Library...

NOTE:

Microfilm is in the process of being reorganized and is not yet in perfect call number order.

Most of the film-related microfilm content will be in the two cabinets with the PRESS BOOKS signs on top.

(More than just press books in those cabinets!)

American cinematographer
Call Number: Sciences & Engineering TR1 .A533
Print & Online
1921-present
Bioscope
Call Number: Microfilm Area PN1993 .B57
1908-1932
Dramatic Mirror
Call Number: Microfilm Area PN2000 .D73
1879-1922
Educational Screen / Educational Screen & Audio-visual Guide
Call Number: Microfilm Area LB1044.A2 E4
1922-1971
The second title has the same call number and will be in the same drawer.
Exhibitor’s Herald / Motion Picture Herald
Call Number: Microfilm Area PN1993 .E93
1915-1950
Changed names many times, all have same call number and will be in sequential order in the drawers.
Film Daily Yearbook
Call Number: Microfilm Area PB1993.3 .F53
Including Wid’s Yearbook (1918-1922), Film Yearbook (1922-1927), and Film Daily Yearbook (1928-1969).
Hollywood Reporter
Call Number: Microfilm Area PN1993 .H5
(1930-1958) Microfilm: PN1993 .H5
(1959-1990): NO ACCESS
(1999+) Online
The Kinematograph weekly
Call Number: Microfilm Area TR845 .K47
1919-1959
Motion Picture Classic
Call Number: Microfilm Area PN1993 .M4
1915-1931

Motion Picture Herald, see Exhibitor's Herald

Motion Picture Magazine
Call Number: Microfilm Area PN1993 .M86
1911-1928
Motion Picture Story Magazine / Motion Picture / Motion Picture Magazine
Moving picture stories, a weekly magazine devoted to photoplays and players
Call Number: Microfilm Area PN1993 .M85
1913-1929
Not to be confused with Motion Picture Story, above.
Moving Picture World
Call Number: Microfilm Area PN1993 .M88
1907-1927
Photoplay
Call Number: Special Collections PN1993 .P52 [Non-circulating]
1916-1940
To view materials from Special Collections, please make an appointment with that department.

Last Updated: Jun 23, 2022 8:03 AM
URL: https://guides.library.ucsb.edu/film
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Subjects: Course Guides, Film & Media Studies, Film Reviews, Humanities

Tags: film, media, television

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