Resources for TV, Film and Radio production
Library resources
Below is a list of library resources relevant to TV, Film and Radio production - use these to locate academic materials such as books, journal articles, statistics, news, and reports.
Visit the library Subject Guides to explore other resources available (for example, relating to Journalism, Media, or Performing Arts).
Discover is the University of Bedfordshire library's main search engine. Use Discover to search journal articles, book reviews, news, and the library catalogue simultaneously.
Use the Library Catalogue to find print books and ebooks held by the University of Bedfordshire. You can also find journal titles and databases here.
Communication and Mass Media Complete is an electronic database containing articles from a range of journals relevant to media and communications. Its appearance and functionality is similar to Discover.
JSTOR contains many journal articles in the field of the humanities and arts. You can browse to your subject area of interest (e.g. Browse -> By Subject -> Humanities: Film Studies), then search for articles within that subject area (e.g. 'Noir').
Television and Radio Index for Learning and Teaching (TRILT) is an online listings service for UK television and radio, provided by the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC). The database carries complete schedules for around 300 UK channels, including regional variations as well as Welsh, Scots Gaelic, Irish and Asian-language stations or programmes.
Credo Reference contains a variety of electronic encyclopaedias and reference books. You can search within individual books or across all content at once. The 'Mind Map' search tool in Credo is useful if you wish to consider related concepts and ideas.
Oxford Reference contains many electronic reference books and encyclopaedias, including dictionaries and thesauri. You can browse by subject (e.g. media studies) or enter a search word to find relevant content.
Statista is a database which contains official statistics and data collected by research institutes. The data is presented in adjustable charts and tables and downloadable in a variety of formats.
Marketline contains industry and company reports across a wide range of sectors, including media and digital entertainment. Try searching for a particular production company, for example, or browse by sector.
NewsBank contains the full text of many UK newspapers, both local and national.
UK Press Online - a growing digital library of British newspaper archives from the 19th century to the present day with emphasis on the tabloid press. There is also a specific collection of British newspapers during World War Two featuring the Daily Worker, Fascist Week, Blackshirt and the Yorkshire Post.
Lexis Library News contains the full text of many UK newspapers, both local and national.
Web of Science is a citation database containing records for many journal articles across a variety of subject areas. Web of Science is especially useful for identifying highly cited works. To locate relevant content, do a keyword search then refine your results by category in the left hand panel.
Scopus is a citation database containing records for many journal articles across a variety of subject areas. Scopus is especially useful for identifying highly cited works. Browse to Sources -> Subject Area -> Communication to see content relevant to your subject area, or do a keyword search across all content.
Free resources
Below is a list of useful websites and other online resources that are relevant to TV, Film and Radio production.
Ofcom is the regulator for communications services in the UK. It's remit is very broad, including internet and phone services, TV and radio, the Royal Mail, and wireless devices such as cordless phones and walkie talkies.
The Ofcom Broadcasting Code sets out a variety of practices and principles to help broadcasters comply with the law. Ofcom has the power to impose statutory sanctions against any broadcaster that deliberately breaches this code.
The UK Advertising Codes lay down rules for advertisers, agencies and media owners to follow. Written and upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). Includes the BCAP Code of Broadcast Advertising.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) publishes classification guidelines which reflect current views in relation to issues such as bad language, nudity, sex, and violence on screen. Content is classified using age ratings and advice to help children and families choose what’s right for them.
The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) commissions research companies Ipsos MORI, Kantar Media, and RSMB to collect data that represents the viewing behaviour of the UK’s TV and broadband-only households. The production and distribution of programme and commercial content in the UK is guided and accounted for by their data.
The British Film Institute (BFI) is the UK’s leading organisation for film, television and the moving image. It is a registered charity that runs an international programme of world cinema, curates the BFI National Archive, and promotes the UK as an international place to make film. The website also contains links to BFIplayer, allowing you to explore their archive collections for free, and industry data and insights.
The British Universities Film & Video Council (BUFVC) promotes the use of film, sound and other media for learning and research. The website contains links to their archival content including their Moving Image Gateway and News on Screen.
IMDb, a subsidiary of Amazon, is a searchable database containing information about millions of films and television programs, including cast and crew members. It offers local showtimes, ticketing, trailers, reviews, photo galleries, news, box-office data, and editorial feature sections. IMDb also creates original video content including: The IMDb Show, IMDbrief, Casting Calls, interviews, and daily topical videos.
The Moving Image Archive allows you to download or listen to movies, films, and videos for free. It is part of the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library of websites and other cultural artefacts in digital form.
The EUscreen portal provides access to thousands of items of audiovisual heritage. It brings together clips that provide an insight into the social, cultural, political and economic events that have shaped the 20th and 21st centuries.
British Pathé is a newsreel archive containing 85,000 films of historical and cultural significance. Spanning the years from 1896 to 1978, the collection includes footage from around the globe of major events, famous faces, fashion trends, travel, science and culture.
Radio-Locator is a radio station search engine with links to over 15,800 radio stations' websites and over 11,600 stations' audio streams from radio stations around the world. Use the "find world radio" drop box and select United Kingdom to see a list of British radio stations.
Radiocentre is the industry body for commercial radio. It has over 40 stakeholders who operate over 300 licensed radio stations across the UK and represent 90% of commercial radio in terms of listening and revenue. It performs three main functions on behalf of its members: promotes the benefits of radio to advertisers, provides a collective voice on policy issues to secure the best environment for growth and development, and ensures commercial radio stations comply with the BCAP Code of Broadcast Advertising and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.
Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK. It is jointly owned by the BBC and the Radiocentre on behalf of the commercial sector.
Google Podcasts enables searching across a wide variety of titles. Browse by category or search by keyword and subscribe to your favourite podcasts for free.
iTunes Podcasts provides a wide variety of podcasts to browse by subject area.
British Library Sounds is an extensive collections of unique sound recordings, which come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound: music, drama and literature, oral history, wildlife and environmental.
Musopen provides recordings, sheet music, and textbooks to the public for free, without copyright restrictions.