subject: How To Cite A Movie In Your Research Paper/projects [print this page] Movies and documentaries are valuable and valid sources of information that you can use as reference materials for research papers and other projects. It is important to cite these resources just as you would cite a reference book or scholarly article so that you give credit to the creative and artistic efforts that went into the creation of a piece of film. Also, your thesis cannot be complete without the bibliography or references page. Therefore, it is mandatory to cite the reference materials if you are researching about a movie or using any information based on them. MLA (Modern Language Association) style is one of the easiest and standard formats you can use for this purpose. It is very simple and can be applied to even atypical sources.
Steps to follow:
1.Start with the title of the film. The title should be italicized.
2.Include the name of the director next. Use the abbreviation "Dir." before the director's full name. If the director is Quentin Tarantino, your citation at this point would look like this: Kill Bill. Dir. Quentin Tarantino.
3.Include the name of a cast only if you think it is important. Generally, you can skip this part. However, if the way an actor portrayed a character or the actor's life has some bearing on your research, then you should list his/her name as an important contributor to the film or as the subject of your discussion. If you do choose to list actors by name, use this format: "Perf. Uma Thurman," so that your citation would appear, thus far, as: Kill Bill. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Perf. Uma Thurman.
4.In the next step, add the name of the production company, followed by a comma and the year the movie was made. This information is usually available in the credits of the movie or on the box cover of the films DVD/VCD. For example, if the production company's name is Warner Bros, and the film was made in 2003, your citation should now read: Kill Bill. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Perf. Uma Thurman. Warner Bros, 2003.
5.Complete the citation with a mention of the medium in which you viewed the film. Possible options are Film, DVD, or Videocassette. Your finished citation should read like this:
Kill Bill. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Perf. Uma Thurman. Warner Bros, 2003. Film.
