Research

Technology and Craft - General

  • Alexander F. Victor Biography   Peer Reviewed
    A biography of the founder of RCA Victor, with an emphasis on his technological achievements. [SINGLE ARTICLE]
  • American Widescreen Museum  
    The American Widescreen Museum is a collection of online exhibitions on a variety of film exhibition and technology topics, including wide screen systems, color history, sound development, aspect ratios, preservation, and restoration. The websites feature a variety of resources such as technical publications, filmographies, poster galleries, journal publications, and other reference tools.
  • BECTU Oral History Project   Paid Subscription Required
    The Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) represents personnel working within the British film industry and related fields. Since 1986, the BECTU History Project has compiled over 500 recorded interviews with veterans of the industry discussing their careers. Subjects range from well-known directors and producers to less famous crew and personnel.
  • British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)  
    BAFTA is the leading independent charity supporting, developing, and promoting the art forms of the moving image in the UK, from Film and Television to Video Games and Interactive Media. The website offers articles, photos, videos, podcasts, a guide to directing, a calendar of events, as well as a searchable database of BAFTA award winners.
  • Charles Urban  
    A site about the British motion picture technology pioneer, who created the early colorization technique Kinemacolor. Urban was particularly interested in making educational films. This is a well-researched site, with timelines, technological and biographical data, as well as information about Urban's contemporaries. Created by Luke McKernan, a British film historian.
  • Cinematography Collection in the National Media Museum  
    Still images of items from the collection of the UK's National Media Museum related to cinematography and film history. Includes separate galleries for pre-cinema, early cinema, cameras, projectors, posters, makeup, special effects, and the home filmmaking industry.
  • Directory of Corporate Archives in the U.S.  
    An index of corporate archives that lists each archive's location, archivist, and contact information. A good source for business information in areas ranging from technology to industry history.
  • Early Visual Media: A Pictorial Media Archeology  
    This excellent resource consists of many different online exhibitions concerned with all kinds of visual media, beginning with pre-cinematic visual technology and amusements, through early television. In addition to the text, each exhibit features many unique illustrations and photographs.
  • Edison Papers  
    View scanned images of Edison's original papers, including his personal notes, correspondence, and more. Includes information on the invention of the kinetoscope and other moving image technology, as well as Edison's business records. Search the archive by author, title, or folder.
  • From Nanook to Oumigmag: Documentary Film in Canada  
    A curated exhibit (by the Cinematheque Quebecois) about Canadian documentary film. Features a timeline of notable events in Canadian documentary filmmaking, biographies of directors, profiles of companies that have produced documentaries, information on common recording equipment and processes, and a guide to the topics Canadian documentaries most often cover. Also features posters and some video clips. In English and French.
  • International Federation of Film Archives   Peer Reviewed
    FIAF is an international association of film archives dedicated to the preservation of the moving image. Although the actual catalog of associated-archival holdings is only available to paying users, the website also hosts a variety of free information pertaining to film preservation, most notably fully downloadable back issues of the Journal of Film Preservation.
  • Magic Lantern and Photochrome Bibliography  
    A list of publications on magic lanterns, photochromes, and early colorization techniques.
  • Magic Lanterns, Magic Mirrors: A Centennial Salute  
    A selection of early equipment, posters, and photographs documenting the advent and very early years of motion pictures.
  • Northeast Historic Film Archive  
    A searchable list of what's available at the physical archive in Bucksport, Maine.
  • Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers   Paid Subscription Required
    SMPTE is a professional organization "founded in 1916 to advance theory and development in the motion imaging field." The website includes information on the history of SMPTE as well as current information about the society's ongoing projects.
  • The Académie of the Forum des images  
    The Académie was conceived as an open University for the public. It hosts masterclasses, cinema lessons, and conferences on films and filmmaking conducted by film professionals and theorists. Videos of these programs are archived on the website.
  • Thomas Edison Information from the Library of Congress  
    Includes biographical information about Thomas Edison and historical information about his breakthroughs in moving image and sound recording technology. Users can also view Edison's films.