This guide provides a general introduction to information resources for Film Studies in Edinburgh University Libraries.
There are several thousand DVD films in the Library system in various categories, ranging from slient films, art films, and dramatisation of literary classics to contemporary TV drama and world cinema. Most such DVDs are located in the Main Library and ECA Library.
All the DVD films are catalogued in DiscoverEd. Information about video formats and DVD regional codes is also provided on the library catalogue, and it is important to check this before playing films on your machine. Please note that films may be borrowed for educational purposes only, and that commercial copyright regulations strictly forbid the copying of DVDs and videos.
To find an known DVD item, search by the DVD film title (e.g. In the mood for love) or by the name of the director (as an author, e.g. Kar-wai Wong), or by a combination of both, and then either set the limit to "Audio Visual" before excuting your search or, after the search, use "REFINE MY RESULTS" on the left side menu to limit your search results by "RESOURCE TYPE" for "AUDIO VISUAL".
To find DVDs on a particular topic, search by the keyword and then do the same pre-search limit or use "REFINE MY RESULTS" after the search in the same way as explained above. Example: to find all the Chinese films or films on China, use "Chinese OR China" as keyword and limit the search for "AUDIO VISUAL" only:
There is a large collection of world films and documentaries in the Resource Centre of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) on the first floor of 50 George Square. Its Video Catalogue Search (VIDCAT) within MyEd (you may need to add the VIDCAT Channel through the tab on the top left of the MyEd window) offers easy access to the list by title searching or browsing.
There are currently around 9,000 items, from rare BBC documentaries to animated short films, from Hollywood blockbusters to post-revolutionary Iranian cinema. DVD players as well as video and audio editing facilities are available on site. Staff and postgraduate students can borrow items from the collection overnight.
Video items in VIDCAT are NOT listed in DiscoverEd.
Streamable films are also available to watch via the LLC Resource Centre Media page on Media Hopper.
Streaming is a method of viewing video or listening to audio content without actually downloading the media files.
The University Library provides access to the following streaming services. UoE login is required. See Databases section for detailed descriptions.
The University's Media Hopper provides the following channels (UoE login is required):
Related:
Open-access streaming services:
Streaming platforms which are not available for institutional subscriptions:
Most commercial streaming platforms don't offer subscriptions to institutions. This is very much like Amazon Kindle e-books which are not available to purchase by libraries. If you'd like to watch films on these platforms, you'll need to purchase your own subscription. Some services offer a student discount.
Examples of such film streaming platforms:
