Citation of a Film: Advice
The MHRA has little to say on citing a film, and we are here adapting the MHRA's guidelines. A first reference to a film should include at a minimum the following information:
- Title of the film (in italics, in full, with all principal words capitalised; followed by a comma)
- Name of the director (in full, preceded by 'dir. by')
- Details of production (in parentheses):
- Name of distributor or production company (without secondary matter such as Ltd, Inc., Co.; followed by a comma)
- Date of production
For instance:
Frankenstein, dir. by James White (Universal Studios, 1931).
Where relevant to your argument, additional information can be given such as the names of principal actors, writers, or producers. This information should follow the name of the director. Relevant abbreviations are: 'prod. by' (produced by); 'perf. by' (performed by); 'scr. by' (screenplay by).
Where you are citing a film on Video or DVD it would be useful to add details to the end of your footnote, including the format (DVD, VHS), the distribution company (without secondary matter such as Ltd, Inc., Co.), and the date of release in this format.
A more extensive reference to a film may look like this:
A Night at the Opera, dir. by Sam Wood, perf. by the Marx Bros (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1935), on DVD (Warner Home Video, 2004).
Note: Given the lack of concrete advice on citing film (as well as similar media), you may find it necessary to improvise when determining how you reference these sources. Be sure, however, to be consistent in whatever method you use.
