Audio visual information sources can be either primary or secondary sources for your subject.
Primary Sources
Primary sources are original, first hand accounts or direct evidence concerning a topic. In film and media studies, these can include:
- Films, TV Shows music: The actual movies, television episodes, web series or songs you are analysing.
- Scripts, Screenplays and Scores: The original written texts of films TV shows or music score.
- Interviews: Conversations with directors, actors, writers, or other industry professionals.
- Behind-the-Scenes Footage: Raw footage from the production process.
- Reviews and Critiques: Contemporary reviews written at the time of the film’s release.
- Personal Letters and Diaries: Correspondence or journals from filmmakers or actors.
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources interpret, analyse, or critique primary sources. They provide second hand accounts and are often used to support your analysis. Examples include:
- Academic Articles and Books: Scholarly works that analyse films, genres, directors, or media trends.
- Documentaries: Films that explore the making of a movie or the impact of a media phenomenon.
- Biographies: Books or articles about the lives of filmmakers, actors, or other industry figures.
- Critical Essays: Articles that provide in-depth analysis of films or media topics.
- Histories: Works that place films or media within a broader historical context.
