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Film and Film Production

Getting Started

Not sure where to start?

Have a look at our How To... page for our three part tutorial on getting started with your research. The Starting Your Research in Media and Communications tutorial (Part 2) is tailored to School of Arts subjects including Film.

You will also find guidance on searching Library databases, from some of our database providers.

 

Essential Resources

Library subscriptions: free with your Roehampton login. 

Search these specialist databases to find journal articles, book chapters and other academic research papers in your subject.

Research databases:

Most provide the full text, but sometimes just brief details (citation and abstract) of the articles. Click the Full Text Finder button to see if you can access the full text via our eJournals;  if not, you can (usually) order it free via Interlibrary Loan.

Current newspapers and magazines

The Library subscribes to a wide range of current magazines and academic journals on Film, such as Sight and Sound magazine. 

PressReader (below) gives you access to many daily newspapers and magazines with good film coverage (reviews, interviews etc.), while Nexis is a news analysis database. You can also access the past archives of several major titles such as the Guardian, Observer and Times - find these via our A-Z Database list. 

E-book collections with good film studies content: 

Open Access articles

These are free to all on the web, but have been through rigorous academic scrutiny, so you can trust the content. For further recommended titles, you can filter the A-Z Database List by subject and type. 

University subscriptions - free with your Roehampton login.

Open Access film sites - free to all on the web

Fee-based streaming services

University subscriptions (free with your Roehampton login).

Instructional videos on film making from Roehampton: 

Resources on the web (free to all).

Film scripts, blogs and more for budding screenwriters. 

Further resources can be found on our  Subject Guides for Creative Writing and Drama. 

Online film guides, criticism, networks, discussion...

Film industry, professional organisations, competitions, festivals...

Physical collections of films and related materials.

Always contact before visiting. 

Inter Library Loans & Using Other Libraries

Inter Library Loans  

The Inter Library Loan Service gives students and staff the option of requesting books, book chapters and journals articles when we do not have them in the Library collection. The items are borrowed from the British Library and U.K. and Ireland institutions and are supplied for free.   

Inter Library Loans are not available for Alumni or our partner institutions. 

You can also check the availability for the item in academic libraries near you on Jisc Library Hub Discover; it may be faster to visit another London academic library through the SCONUL scheme.  

Placing an Inter Library Loan request  

UR Library Search should be checked as only requests for items not held in our collection will be processed. Before you request a journal article we suggest that you check our A-Z Journal List. If the item is already available in the Library, your request will be cancelled, and you will be notified by email. To comply with copyright requirements, a single article only from any one issue of a journal can be copied for the same user at any time. Similarly, no more than one chapter or 10% of a book can be copied. 

  • Ensure you are logged into your library account before trying to request an ILL – you will see your name in the top right. 
  • Once you have navigated to the article or book you need in UR Library Search, click on ‘Request item through Interlibrary Loan’ under 'Check Availability'. Fill in all the required fields on the form.  
  • If you're requesting a book chapter, please include the details in the note field. Especially useful are - page numbers, chapter number and chapter title. 
  • Enter your Roehampton email; requests with personal emails will be rejected. 
  • Under Barcode enter the number on your Roehampton ID card including the ‘P’. 
  • Click ‘Submit’.
  • N.B. If you wish to request an article that cannot be found on UR Library Search, please email interlib@roehampton.ac.uk with full details of the article (Journal title, Author, Article Title, Year, Volume no, Issue no, Page nos)

Articles will be sent to your Roehampton email with a link and password. Please note once a document has been uploaded, it is available for 30 days or 5 views, whichever comes first. 

We aim for a 2 week turn-around time provided the request has all the necessary information, the item is available and your Library account is not currently blocked for any reason.

We cannot guarantee the fulfilment of Inter Library Loans due to restrictions of lending institutions.

Collecting Inter Library Loans

Articles will be sent to your Roehampton email with a link and password. Please note once a document has been uploaded, it is available for 30 days or 5 views, whichever comes first.

The Inter Library Loan will be issued to your Library account. It can be collected via the Nest team in the Library Foyer and returned via the Book Returns machine. Inter Library Loans cannot be posted.

Please note that occasionally lending institutions have items that can only be used within our Library premises. These are Reference items that you will be able to borrow for periods of 3 hours. For more information, please see the orange label on the item.

Renewing Inter Library Loans

Inter Library Loans requested as books are not renewable. In very exceptional circumstances we will attempt to renew the item once on request. To request a renewal please contact us 3-5 working days before the due date. If you do not return your Inter Library Loan by the due date or request a renewal, your account will be blocked.

Please note that the lending institution may recall the item before the due date, in which case we will contact you with an updated due date.

Inter Library Loan request cancellations  

If an item cannot be supplied, an automated notification will be sent to your Roehampton email account. This could be the case for rare items or items recently published. 

Theses  

We use the British Library service EThOS to provide access to UK theses - you will need to register an account with them to download theses.  Contact us on interlib@roehampton.ac.uk if you have a query.  

 

If you are looking for a book which is not currently in our Collection but which you think would be useful to have in our Library, you can recommend it for purchase via the form below. 

If it is an item for your own personal research, please use our Inter Library loan service.

SCONUL

SCONUL Access is a scheme which allows many university library users to borrow or use books and journals at other UK academic libraries which belong to the scheme, or just the convenience of studying in a library closer to your home. It's completely free to join, so sign up online today.

The scheme works on a banding system:
Band A access is for academic staff and research students.  Almost all member libraries admit band A users.
Band B access is for part-time and distance learning students (undergraduate and postgraduate) and those on placement (eg PGCE in schools). You can borrow books from libraries in this band.
Band C covers full-time taught course postgraduate students, who can borrow books from libraries in this band.
Band R full time undergraduate students can have reference access to some libraries.

Not all member libraries allow access to all bands in the scheme.  Always check before you visit a library that they allow access to your band. Each Library in the scheme is listed on the SCONUL Access website​.  To find out which libraries are part of the scheme check the SCONUL website.

To use the scheme you will need to apply for access through the SCONUL website.  The application process is simple and after you submit your application it will be authorised by a member of Library staff. You will receive an email on your University account which you can print off and take with you to visit other libraries.  Users must be in ‘good standing’ with the Library i.e. have no large outstanding fines, before they can join the scheme. 

When visiting other libraries please note:

  • The number of books you can borrow may be limited and you may not be allowed to borrow from some collections.
  • Access to electronic resources is likely to be restricted.
  • The library you visit may have specific rules.

The British Library 

The British Library at St Pancras, London is a national research library. It does not lend books nor does it aim to stock multiple copies of basic text books. If your research needs are not fulfilled by other libraries, see the British Library catalogue and Reader Registration. For more information about getting a Reader Pass, please see the British Library website. 

Specialist libraries 

There are many specialist libraries in London that may be of use to your studies. General advice for access: 

  • Telephone or email first as you may have to make an appointment to see the collection. 
  • Tell the librarian what you have already found and be specific about what you still need. 
  • Record all the bibliographic details of any material you use as you may not be able to recheck them.   

Other Catalogues 

  • Jisc Library Hub Discover is a national Library catalogue that accesses the catalogues of many of the largest UK and Ireland university libraries. 

  • London Libraries allows searches and provides information on special collections. 

  • ULRLS is the catalogue of the University of London Research Library Services. 

eduroam

eduroam is a free WiFi network that allows students, researchers and staff to securely access the internet when visiting other participating institutions. See here for further details on setting up eduroam access for your visits to other institutions.