Research

Categories in Technology and Craft

  • 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.
  • Media History Digital Library  
    Providing online access to the histories of cinema, broadcasting, and recorded sound, the Media History Digital Library digitizes collections of classic media periodicals that belong in the public domain for full public access.
  • Moby Games  
    A cross-referenced game database, with information on computer, console, and arcade games, with ratings and reviews submitted by users.
  • Motion Picture Case Files in New York State Archives  
    New York State collected case files on motion pictures between 1927 and 1965. The files contain a wealth of information, including, in many cases, film scripts.
  • Movie Making Locations  
    A fascinating fan-created database of movie locations utilized in American western films and television programs since the early 1930s. Each listing features photos of the location as well as information on the films and programs that were shot there.
  • Moving Image Collection Catalog  
    The Museum of the Moving Image's collection contains artifacts from every stage of producing, promoting, and exhibiting motion pictures, television, and digital media -- currently more than 130,000 objects. Holdings include licensed merchandise, technical apparatus, still photographs, production design materials, costumes, fan magazines, publicity materials, and video and computer games. The online catalog currently contains over 4,000 silent-era and licensed merchandise entries.
  • National Film Preservation Foundation  
    Since created by Congress in 1996, the National Film Preservation Foundation has given preservation grants to 176 institutions across 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and has helped save more than 1,322 films and footage collections. The foundation also publish DVDs and guides and support other national preservation and access projects.
  • Northeast Historic Film Archive  
    A searchable list of what's available at the physical archive in Bucksport, Maine.
  • Ralph Baer  
    A site developed and maintained by Ralph Baer, inventor of the home video game. Includes design documents and patents.
  • RCA TV Equipment Archive  
    A hobbyist maintains this website, which is full of photos and information about television cameras and broadcast equipment from RCA.
  • RILM Abstracts of Music Literature   Paid Subscription Required Peer Reviewed
    More than 400,000 records offering bibliographic information on music-related publications, including books, periodicals, dissertations, critical companions, and more.
  • Screen Actors Guild   Paid Subscription Required
    Non-members can access current issues of the SAG publication Screen Actor Magazine. There is also an extensive SAG history section, which includes an interactive timeline and access to historical artifacts in the online museum.
  • Selectparks  
    A regularly updated compendium on the intersection of art and gaming, with an extensive bibliography and links section, archives, and downloads.
  • 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.
  • Television Collection in the National Media Museum  
    Images of televisions, TV cameras, and other technological devices important to the history of television broadcasting.
  • Television History: The First 75 Years  
    This website provides a wealth of primary documentation on the history of television in the form of advertisements and newspaper clippings. Also features a photographic guide to television sets through the decades.
  • Thanhouser Company Film Preservation Inc.  
    This nonprofit organization is engaged in "the research, acquisition, preservation and publication of educational materials related to the early silent motion picture era," specifically by making available films by the Thanhouser Film Company, an early silent-cinema studio. The website also offers a general history of Thanhouser as well as information on its players and filmmakers.
  • 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.