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Film & Media Studies Research Guide

Accessing Variety

Accessing Variety

Variety has long been the leading trade publication of the entertainment industry. Depending on what years you are researching, a few different sources are available.

The commercial website for Variety is important to be familiar with, but you will have to create citations manually for any articles you find there. These two scholarly databases are recommended because they not only provide comprehensive, full-text coverage of Variety, but they also provide citations for all of the articles they index.

1905-2000: Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive.

1999 - Present: Film and Television Literature With Full Text

For both databases:

  • Search normally. On the left you can filter by the publication title Variety (and Daily Variety in Film and Television Literature Index). OR
  • Use the “Advanced Search” function and enter Variety as the “Publication Title” together with your search terms. OR
  • Use the "Publications" link on top to go to the Variety landing page in the database to browse issues or search within the publication.

Both databases have other industry trade publications that are worth exploring in addition to Variety.

Alternative for the Classical Hollywood Studio EraMedia History Digital Library

  • Offers free and open access for the years 1905-1954, as well as access to a number of other trade journals.
  • You will have to create your own citations manually for any articles that you find.

Daily Variety Archives: The Woodruff Library also has access to the Daily Variety archives. Ask James Steffen for information about how to access. You must be a current Emory student or faculty member.

Business Research on the Film Industry

Researching Companies in Factiva

The business database Factiva is a good starting point for researching individual companies and broader trends within the contemporary entertainment industry. 

  • Searching industry news: On the home search page, go to the Source line and add the industry news source(s) that you want to search, such as Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Factiva has access to these trade newspapers usually going back to the 2000s or earlier.
  • Company profiles: Select the top tab "Companies/Markets." There you can search for individual companies and view "Company Snapshots."

 

Citation: Factiva does not offer a tool to generate citations, unlike some other academic databases. You will have to create a citation yourself according to your citation style's rules for citing websites or electronic resources. Sample: 

"The Walt Disney Company. Company Snapshot." Factivahttps://global-factiva-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/pcs/default.aspx?napc=K&f=DSNYW&fcpil=en. Accessed September 24, 2019.

If you are citing trade newspaper articles, just use the standard rules for citing newspaper articles.

Other Film Industry Resources

Emory Licensed Databases

Open Access Resources