Resources for Media

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With easy accessibility of the internet in almost every corner of the globe and the increasing use of social media, the scope of media studies has tremendously grown in leaps and bounds.

What is Media Studies

‘Media Studies’ is the field of academic discipline that focuses on different mediums such as, newspapers, film, television, and social media and how one can use these to communicate effectively. The study also focuses on the content, history, and influence of various media on society in general and from social and corporate perspectives. In essence, ‘Media Studies’ is a multidisciplinary field, drawing from other areas such as Psychology, Social Theory, Sociology,

Political Science, Communications, Technology, Humanities, and Journalism.

Media Studies aims to provide students with many skills that are critical to the entertainment and publishing industries. Some of the most important skills that Media Studies graduates gather are proficiency in oral and written communication, ability to conduct research, understanding of the different social contexts, and an awareness of the issues facing the world, in general. ‘Media Studies’ graduates also pick up analytical and creative skills.

Why Study Media

Career options for a Media Studies graduate are enormous: multimedia specialist, web content manager, public relations officer, media publicist, communications specialist, and media planner, among others. Similarly, the platforms are also varied, such as film and television, radio, newspaper agencies, video, digital media, writing, and publishing.

One may also find work placements in the corporate space as a Corporate Communications Officer. However, most, if not all of these opportunities would require one to be proficient in the English language as most social media and even news sites operate in English, barring a few nations.

Media and Communication

‘Media and Communication’ study is a field that is closely related to Media Studies. It focuses on how the media influences the world around us. It helps us to analyze how media presents information and also how society, in turn, reacts to it.

The effects of media are omnipresent and social media completely dominate our personal and professional space. Blogs and Twitter accounts, for instance, have added a completely new dimension to the field of Media and Communication.

Increasing Outreach of Media

As seen from the above-listed options, since the outreach of media is everywhere, there is no dearth of career options to anyone pursuing media studies. The audiovisual and even interactive media space have created new opportunities for the young and old alike.

Even undergraduate media students, through their colleges’ career services departments, may easily find part-time or full-time media related work to gather work experience. The entry requirements in most media jobs are negligible. The entertainment industry especially is inundated with careers in the domain.

Lastly, with advances in technology and media, new media-related jobs that do not exist today, may be created a few years down the line.

Check our useful sources for Media subject:

- Using the internet
  
  Teach yourself to use the internet
  
  http://www.vtstutorials.co.uk/
  
  The above will be of use if you want to improve or refresh your internet searching skills.
- Discussion groups
  
  JISCmail
  
  http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/
  
  national academic mailing list service facilitating discussion, collaboration and communication within the UK academic community and beyond
- Current Issue
  
  Lord Justice Leveson, An inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press report (in 4 volumes) November 2012.
  
  http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1213/hc07/0780/0780.pdf
- Information gateways
  
  Aberystwyth University Media Studies
  
  http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/
  
  Media studies department
  
  Intute – Arts and Humanities
  
  http://www.intute.ac.uk/humanities/
  
  The Moving Image Gateway
  
  http://www.bufvc.ac.uk/gateway/
  
  (MIG) produced by the BUFVC (British Universities Film & Video Council) – for websites that relate to moving images and sound and their use in higher and further education.
  
  PADS Performing Arts Data Service
  
  http://www.ahds.ac.uk/performingarts/
  
  collects, documents, preserves and promotes the use of scholarly digital resources in music, theatre, dance, film, and the broadcast arts.
  
  Researching Cultural and Creative Industries in London
  
  http://www.rccil.org.uk/
  
  (RCCIL) – an independent database of research on cultural and creative issues relevant to London. The database contains summaries of pieces of research together with bibliographical details and relevant links. The research can be browsed by theme, keyword, cultural/creative sector or London borough.
  
  Voice of the Shuttle: Media Studies
  
  http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2720
  
  for Humanities Research
  
  WWW Virtual Library Film History Index
  
  http://vlib.iue.it/hist-film/Index.html
  
  provides internet resources on the international History of Cinema from different approaches.
  
  WWW Virtual Library Communications and media
  
  http://vlib.org/Communication
  
  provides internet resources on and for broadcasters, digital rights management, publishers and telecommunications.
- Film and TV
  
  BBC Classic TV
  
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic
  
  extracts of classic BBC TV and title sequence.
  
  BBC Nation on Film
  
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm
  
  archival clips of a wide range of aspects of British life.
  
  BFI Live
  
  http://www.bfi.org.uk/live/
  
  online video channel exploring film and TV culture. Discover exclusive interviews and expert insights. Unearth unique footage and forgotten favourites. Enjoy new outlooks and different perspectives.
  
  BFI Mediatheque
  
  http://www.bfi.org.uk/node/1017
  
  list of films from the National Film and Television Archive which can be viewed for free on site at the BFI Southbank.
  
  Cinetext
  
  http://cinetext.philo.at/index.html
  
  bilingual internet forum for film and philosophy located at the University of Vienna (Austria)
  
  Capturing Reality – the art of documentary
  
  http://films.nfb.ca/capturing-reality/
  
  from the National Film Board of Canada, interviews with dozens of filmmakers discussing the art of the documentary, including Nick Broomfield, Malcolm Clarke, Werner Herzog and Kim Longinotto. Searchable by personality or subject category such as editing, sound, genre etc.
  
  Colonial Films
  
  http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/
  
  This website holds detailed information on over 6000 films showing images of life in the British colonies. Over 150 films are available for viewing online. You can search or browse for films by country, date, topic, or keyword. Over 350 of the most important films in the catalogue are presented with extensive critical notes written by our academic research team. The Colonial Film project united universities (Birkbeck and University College London) and archives (British Film Institute, Imperial War Museum and the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum) to create a new catalogue of films relating to the British Empire. The ambition of this website is to allow both colonizers and colonized to understand better the truths of Empire.
  
  Creative Archive Licence
  
  http://creativearchive.bbc.co.uk/
  
  (CLA)- the BBC, BFI , Channel 4 and the Open University set up the Creative Archive Licence Group in April 2005 to make their content available for download under the terms of the CLA, a single, shared user licence scheme for downloading of moving images, audio and stills.
  
  Cultural Diversity Network
  
  http://www.culturaldiversitynetwork.co.uk/
  
  web site looking at cultural and ethnic diversity in broadcasting
  
  Earlycinema.com
  
  http://www.earlycinema.com/
  
  aims to provide an introduction to the first decade of motion pictures and the developments which help shape cinema as we know it today.
  
  Europa Film Treasures
  
  http://www.europafilmtreasures.eu/
  
  Watch hundreds of the treasures of European cinematographic heritage online. All genres and time periods are on the playbill! From comedy to science fiction, from westerns to animation, from erotic to ethnological movies. Also includes background about each film. Available in several languages. As the site notes, users may experience viewing difficulties due to high traffic. Developed by a film restoration company in collaboration with the legal successors (when they have been identified) and depositories.
  
  Film-Philosophy
  
  http://www.film-philosophy.com/
  
  reviews of films and books with a philosophical perspective.
  
  Le Festival de Cannes
  
  http://www.festival-cannes.fr/
  
  Official site of the Cannes International Film Festival.
  
  Film Unlimited Preview
  
  http://film.guardian.co.uk/
  
  Site maintained by the Guardian, with news, features, interviews and more.
  
  Film Festivals.com
  
  http://www.filmfestivals.com/
  
  from Film Festivals Entertainment Group provides access to information on major film festivals worldwide.
  
  ForaTV
  
  http://fora.tv/
  
  talking heads, interviews, lectures and presentations, etc., Advertising , Culture , Entertainment , Film , Journalism , New Media .
  
  Fourdocs
  
  http://www.channel4.com/fourdocs
  
  Channel 4’s FourDocs site features hundreds of 4 minute documentaries from filmmakers around the world. In addition, its archive features a selection of documentary classics, including John Grierson, Humphrey Jennings, the Free Cinema group and Nick Broomfield – which can be viewed in full online. Click on a-z listing to browse the archive.
  
  German Cinema Inc
  
  http://www.german-cinema.de/
  
  Export-Union des Deutschen Films site, to promote German cinema, includes magazine, archive and news.
  
  Google Video
  
  http://video.google.co.uk/
  
  search engine for online extracts of wide range of film and television extracts.
  
  Imperial War Museum Collections
  
  http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/
  
  the online collections of the Museum.
  
  Independent Television News
  
  http://www.itnsource.com/
  
  ITN’s Film Library.
  
  Internet Archive of film materials
  
  http://www.archive.org/index.php
  
  San Francisco based non-profit organisation. [To exit click on the downward arrow next to Back button and select previous page/pages to exit.]
  
  Latin American Cinema
  
  http://vlib.iue.it/hist-film/latin-america.html
  
  pages from the WWW virtual Film History library.
  
  Library of Congress, American memory Project
  
  http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem
  
  historical film source of wide range of multimedia material of American history and culture.
  
  London Project: the birth of the film business in London
  
  http://londonfilm.bbk.ac.uk/about/project
  
  Luxonline
  
  http://www.luxonline.org.uk/
  
  resource for British based artists’ film and video with clips, new writings, past articles and biographies.
  
  Moving History: an online guide to UK film and television archives in the public sector
  
  http://www.movinghistory.ac.uk/
  
  Moving Image Source Research Guide
  
  http://www.movingimagesource.us/research/guide/type/23
  
  is a gateway to the best online resources related to film, television, and digital media
  
  National Archives’ Learning Curve
  
  http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/focuson/film/
  
  archival film material of British and world history. [To exit click on the downward arrow next to Back button and select previous page/pages to exit.]
  
  NewsFilm Online
  
  http://newsfilm.bufvc.ac.uk/index.php
  
  (NFO) Hours of [British] television news and cinema newsreels, taken from the huge collection of the ITN/Reuters archive … available online in high quality format for teaching, learning and research. Video clips cover 1920s to the present and are searchable or browsable by decade or by topic such as conflicts, disasters, lifestyle, science and technology, sports, and weather. Includes links to related sites. From the British Universities Film & Video Council.
  
  SnagFilms
  
  http://www.snagfilms.com/
  
  is a website where you can watch full-length documentary films for free. Locate and watch over 500 films from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers on topics such as campus life, environment, health, history, international, life and culture, music and arts, politics, science and nature, sports and hobbies, and women’s issues. Movies include some commercials.
  
  Ubuweb
  
  http://www.ubu.com/
  
  online resource of avant garde films
- Newspapers
  
  The Advertising Century
  
  http://adage.com/century/
  
  Online version of a major project to chronicle the history of the era’s advertising industry. The years from 1900 to 1999 were, in fact, when the advertising business came of age. Features an introductory essay, lists of top 100 advertising campaigns (such as Volkswagen’s 1959 Think Small and the 1955 Marlboro Man), top 100 industry players, and top 10 jingles, slogans, and ad icons. Also includes a timeline back to the 1700s. From Advertising Age.
  
  Editor and Publishers
  
  http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Resources/Resources.aspx
  
  News, industry information, research reports, and other selected media and publishing link
  
  Journalism Net
  
  http://www.journalismnet.com/
  
  Set of links to journalism resources including search engines, worldwide telephone directories, and reference sources such as databases, maps and books. Newspapers, online television, radio and news archives and country specific resources are also available.
  
  Journalism UK
  
  http://www.journalismuk.co.uk/
  
  is aimed at print journalist writing for UK magazines or based in the UK
  
  Kidon Media-Link
  
  http://www.kidon.com/media-link/index.php
  
  Links to 19,019 newspapers and other news sources from almost every country and territory in the world. Every country has integrated pages including newspapers, magazines, television, radio and news agencies.
  
  Online Newspapers
  
  http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/
  
  Directory of newspapers from all over the world
  
  Newspaper, Journalism, and Media Internet Resources
  
  http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/webres/newsinforresources/
  
  provides links to local, national, and international newspapers with content available online. Also offers listings of newspaper libraries and collections, departments of journalism and media studies, newspaper history resources, and other materials of interest to journalist; produced by the British Library
- Radio
  
  Mercury Theatre on the Web
  
  http://www.mercurytheatre.info/
  
  Collection of sound recording taken from Mercury Theatre radio production of the 1930’s in RealAudio format.
  
  Radio Locator
  
  http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/nation
  
  Lists over 3000 radio stations on the internet.
  
  World Radio Network
  
  http://www.wrn.org/
  
  Collection of RealPlayer broadcast providing 24 hour news on world events and information about arts and culture, music, sport, science and developmental issues
- Ejournals
  
  Empire Online
  
  http://www.empireonline.com/
  
  Encyclopedia of Television
  
  http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/index.html
  
  this is the first edition of the Encyclopedia of the Museum of Broadcast Communications available online. Edited by Horace Newcomb with contributions by academics, scholars and researchers.
  
  Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media
  
  http://www.ejumpcut.org/
  
  this non-sectarian left and feminist publication presents material on film, television, video and related media and cultural analysis. Looking at media in its social and political context. Published irregularly, but about once a year, it includes full text of all issues (back to 1974), analyzing media in relation to class, race, and gender . Covers topics such as China and the China diaspora film, horror films, new worlds of documentary, Internet today, and more.
  
  Rouge
  
  http://www.rouge.com.au/
  
  online journal. Reviews, interviews and informed analyses of film.
  
  Scope
  
  http://www.scope.nottingham.ac.uk/
  
  online peer-reviewed online journal of film studies based at the University of Nottingham.
  
  Screenonline
  
  http://www.screenonline.org.uk/
  
  guide to British film and TV history, with analysis, information and multimedia.
  
  Screening the Past
  
  http://www.latrobe.edu.au/screeningthepast
  
  an international refereed electronic journal of visual media and history.
  
  Senses of Cinema
  
  http://www.sensesofcinema.com/
- e-Textbooks to download
  
  Media & Cultural Theory – Stephen Hill & Bevis Fenner
  
  http://bookboon.com/uk/textbooks/marketing-media/media-and-cultural-theory
  
  Management and organisation textbooks
  
  http://bookboon.com/uk/textbooks/management-organisation
- Organisations
  
  American Film Institute
  
  http://www.afi.com/
  
  British Film Institute
  
  http://www.bfi.org.uk/
  
  home site of the BFI, with links to many other sites
  
  British Board of Film Classification
  
  http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
  
  includes current news and a searchable archive
  
  British Broadcasting Corporation
  
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/
  
  Flow: a critical forum on television and media culture
  
  http://www.flowtv.org/
  
  Journalism UK
  
  http://www.journalismuk.co.uk/
  
  Ofcom
  
  http://www.ofcom.org.uk/
  
  Office of Communications
  
  Radio Times
  
  http://www.radiotimes.com/