Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Resources

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 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.

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.


 * 1) Requests may take a while, depending on the task.
 * 2) *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.
 * 3) *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.


 * 1) *VHS/DVD Library, in particular Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and other similar animations.
 * 2) *Print Library - "Guinness Box Office Hits", which contains all number 1 films in the UK up to 1994 and which I would be willing to use to improve and extend the number 1 films in the UK pages if it legally possible to incorporate the data (not the actual book content just the list of number ones and their dates etc); I own several books on animated films and films in general.
 * 3) *Digital access to back issues of Filmmaker Magazine going back to fall 2007.
 * 4) Requests may take a while, depending on the task.
 * 5) *DVD/Blu-Ray - over 1200 films 1930s - present (likely closer to 2K, but not much in the slasher or horror genre)
 * 6) *User:Ched/movie-reference
 * 1) *DVD/Blu-Ray - over 1200 films 1930s - present (likely closer to 2K, but not much in the slasher or horror genre)
 * 2) *User:Ched/movie-reference

Questionable resources

 * 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.)