essay film bibliography

Film and Television References

This page contains reference examples for film and television, including the following:

• Film or movie
• Film or movie, in another language
• Episode of a TV show

1. Film or movie

Verrette, T. (Director). (2021). Zero gravity [Film]. Skylight Cinema; 20th Digital Studio.

• Parenthetical citation : (Verrette, 2021)
• Narrative citation : Verrette (2021)
• Provide the director in the author element of the reference, followed by the notation “(Director).”
• Provide the production company or companies in the source element of the reference. Separate multiple production companies with a semicolon.

2. Film or movie, in another language

Alfredson, T. (Director). (2008). Låt den rätte komma in [Let the right one in] [Film]. EFTI; Sveriges Television (SVT); Filmpool Nord; Sandrew Metronome; WAG; Fido Film; The Chimney Pot; Ljudligan.

• Parenthetical citation : (Alfredson, 2008)
• Narrative citation : Alfredson (2008)
• As in all references, if the original title of the work is a language different from that of the paper you are writing, provide a translation of the title in square brackets after the title and before the bracketed description and period.

3. TV series

Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964). The twilight zone [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

• Parenthetical citation : (Serling, 1959–1964)
• Narrative citation : Serling (1959–1964)
• Provide the executive producer(s) in the author element of the reference.
• When there is one executive producer, use the notation “(Executive Producer).” When there are multiple executive producers, provide the notation once after all the producers’ names, the same as you would the notation “(Eds.)” for an edited book: “(Executive Producers).”
• Provide the year(s) during which the series aired in the date element of the reference.
• If the series is still airing at the time you are writing the paper, replace the second year with “present”: (2017–present).

4. Episode of a TV show

Favreau, J. (Writer), & Filoni, D. (Director). (2019, November 12). Chapter 1 (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In J. Favreau, D. Filoni, K. Kennedy, & C. Wilson (Executive Producers), The Mandalorian . Lucasfilm; Golem Creations.

Sherman-Palladino, A. (Writer & Director). (2018, December 5). All alone (Season 2, Episode 10) [TV series episode]. In A. Sherman-Palladino, D. Palladino, D. Gilbert, M. Shapiro, S. Carino, & S. Lawrence (Executive Producers), The marvelous Mrs. Mais el . Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions; Picrow; Amazon Studios.

• Parenthetical citations : (Favreau & Filoni, 2019; Sherman-Palladino, 2018)
• Narrative citations : Favreau and Filoni (2019) and Sherman-Palladino (2018)
• Include the writers and directors for the episode. Include the contributor’s role in parentheses after each name.
• If one person performed multiple roles, combine the descriptions with an ampersand.
• Provide the season number and episode number after the title in parentheses.

Film and television references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.12 and the Concise Guide Section 10.10

Works-Cited-List Entries

How to cite a movie, video, or television show.

To create a basic works-cited-list entry for a movie, list the title of the movie. Then in the Contributor element, list the name of the director. Next, in the Publisher element, provide the name of the company that produced the movie, followed by the release date. You might include other elements, such as additional contributors if they are pertinent to your discussion, and website information if you accessed the movie online. Below are sample entries for movies along with links to posts containing many other examples, including podcasts, radio programs, television shows, and videos.

A Movie Viewed in Person

Opening Night. Directed by John Cassavetes, Faces Distribution, 1977. 

A Movie Viewed Online

Richardson, Tony, director. Sanctuary . Screenplay by James Poe, Twentieth Century Fox, 1961. YouTube , uploaded by LostCinemaChannel, 17 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMnzFM_Sq8s .

A Television Show Viewed on Physical Media

“Hush.” 1999. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fourth Seaso n, created by Joss Whedon, episode 10, Mutant Enemy / Twentieth Century Fox, 2003, disc 3. DVD.

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Television Shows

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MLA Film Citation

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Website Book Journal Movie

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How to cite a film in a bibliography using MLA

The most basic MLA entry for a film citation consists of the movie title, director, production company, and release date. You may also choose to include other contributors, such as the writer(s), performer(s), and producer(s) if they are relevant to your assignment’s discussion. You may also include the film’s original release date if you’re citing a new release or special edition.

Film Title . Directed by First Name Last Name, Production Company, Release Date.

BibMe: The Movie . Directed by John Smith, Columbia Pictures, 2009.

Foreign Language Film with Translated Title:

Begin the film citation entry with the film’s title in italics, followed by a period. If the film is dubbed in English, begin by including the English title, followed by the translated title in square brackets.

BibMe: The Movie [BibMe: La Película ]. Directed by John Smith, Columbia Pictures, 2009.

Cite the director’s name after the movie title by writing “Directed by” with the director’s first and last name in normal order.

Film with Other Contributors:

If relevant, you may also choose to include the names of other key contributors in the author element, including writer(s), performer(s), and/or producer(s). Group different types of personnel together and separate each personnel group by a period. Write these personnel names in normal order – do not reverse the first and last names. Write these additional contributions according to the role of the person or group. For instance, “produced by,” “screenplay by,” or “performance by.” If you can’t describe the role using a phrase with “by,” include the role using a noun or noun phrase. Use commas to separate the name of the person (in normal order) from their role (Larry David, general editor).

BibMe: The Movie . Directed by John Smith, performances by Mike Jones and Jim Jones. Columbia Pictures, 2009.

If you would like to emphasize the contributions of a specific person because you focus on their role or contribution, include their role and name with contributors, not with authors. If you include the author, in the case of film, the director and their name, you style the entry as shown above. However, if you omit the director role and name, you start the film citation as above with the film title, followed by a period, and instead of a director, include the role and name of another contributor. For example, “Performances by Sharon Stone and Meryl Streep. List the film’s distribution company, followed by a comma, the year released, and a period.

BibMe: The Movie . Performances by Sharon Stone and Meryl Streep, Columbia Pictures, 2009.

Film with Alternate Original Release Date:

If the film’s original year of release differs from the year of release for the copy of the film you viewed, include the original year of release after film title, and place the year of release for the copy of the film you viewed after the film’s distribution company at the end of the entry. Usually, when citing a film with an original release date and a new release date, there has been a special update. You may also include details in the version element, such as “Director’s cut” or “Digitally enhanced edition.” Include those details after the original release date.

BibMe: The Movie . 2007. Director’s cut, Columbia, 2009.

Film Viewed on an App or Website:

If you viewed the film on an app or a website, include specific location details if it will help readers locate the specific copy you viewed. Capitalize and italicize the app or site name.

BibMe: The Slide Program . Columbia Pictures, 2009. Netflix app.

BibMe: The Slide Program . Columbia Pictures, 2009. Netflix , www.netflix.com.

If you viewed the film in person in a theater, cite the film without any additional format or location details.

Film Viewed on Physical Media:

If you viewed the film on physical media, such as a DVD, follow the release date with a comma and a disc number, followed by a period. End the entry with “DVD.”

BibMe: The Movie . 2007. Director’s cut, Columbia, 2009, disc 1. DVD.

If there is no disc number, simply include “DVD.”

BibMe: The Movie . 2007. Director’s cut, Columbia, 2009. DVD.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Harvard Referencing / Harvard Referencing Style Examples / How to Reference a Movie in Harvard Referencing Style

How to Reference a Movie in Harvard Referencing Style

This article will help you learn the correct way of citing a film based on the Harvard style of referencing. Specifically, you’ll need to cite your source in two places:

• In your paper via an in-text citation
• In your reference list via a full reference

An in-text citation is when you refer to the source material within the body of your work or text. The reference list is usually placed at the end of your work. It has a full reference for every source that has an in-text citation. The reference list goes beyond the in-text citation and gives a complete list of information about the works you have cited, so that the reader can find and read the original source.

If you are trying to cite a source that was posted on YouTube, you’ll instead need to know how to cite a YouTube video in Harvard style .

Here are some examples of how to reference films in Harvard style:

Film seen at the cinema

To reference a film seen at a cinema, you’ll need the following information:

• Title (in italics)
• Release year (in round brackets)
• Director name
• [Feature film]
• Place of distribution: Distributor

The Help (2011) Directed by Tate Taylor. [Feature film]. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

For the in-text citation, the title of the film is used, followed by the release year separated by a comma, if the film title is not mentioned already. If the title is mentioned in the text, then only the year should be given, in round brackets.

The characters in The Help (2011) reveal…

The film showcases race relations during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi ( The Help , 2011).

Film from a streaming service

If you are referencing a film you viewed via a streaming service, here’s the information you’ll need for your reference:

• Name of the streaming service or DOI
• (Accessed: date)

Changeling (2008) Directed by Clint Eastwood. Available at: Netflix (Accessed: 22 September 2020).

For the in-text citation, the title of the film and date are used, separated by a comma, if the film title is not already mentioned. If it is, then only the date is necessary.

In Changeling (2008), Angelina Jolie plays the character…

Angelina Jolie ( Changeling , 2008) plays the character of a mother whose…

Film from a physical copy (DVD/Blu-ray)

If you want to reference a film you viewed on DVD or Blu-ray, you’ll need the following information:

• [DVD, catalogue number] or [Blu-ray, catalogue number] (in square brackets)

The BFG: Big Friendly Giant (2016) Directed by Steven Spielberg. [Blu-ray, 8042180]. Burbank, CA: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

The in-text citation method is the same as in the previous two examples.

Key takeaways

• The methods for referencing films and videos differ according to the mode of viewing.
• The name of the film and year suffice for in-text citations of films viewed at the cinema, on DVD or through a streaming platform.

Published October 29, 2020.

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Formatted citations created by a generator can be copied into the bibliography of an academic paper as a way to give credit to the sources referenced in the main body of the paper.

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In academia, bibliographies are graded on their accuracy against the official APA rulebook, so it is important for students to ensure their citations are formatted correctly. Special attention should also be given to ensure the entire document (including main body) is structured according to the APA guidelines. Our complete APA format guide has everything you need know to make sure you get it right (including examples and diagrams).

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• How to cite a movie in APA Style (6th edition)

Citing a Movie in APA Style (6th Edition) | Format & Examples

Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024.

To cite a movie in APA Style , list the film’s producer(s) and director as authors and the production studio as publisher. The title is written in sentence case and italicized, followed by the label “Motion picture” in square brackets.

The APA 6 in-text citation includes the last names of the producer(s) and the year. If you are referring to a specific quote or scene from the movie, add a timestamp to direct the reader to the relevant part.

Table of contents

Citing movies in different formats, where to find source information for a movie citation.

In general, you don’t need to specify the format in which you watched the film. However, if you are discussing a specific version of the film (for example, if you refer to the special features of a DVD), you can specify the version in the citation.

In these cases, the publication date is the release year of the specific version, not the general release:

Dempsey, C., Guiney, E., & Magiday, L. (Producers), & Lanthimos, Y. (Director & Producer). (2016). The lobster [Motion picture; DVD release ]. UK: Film4.

As in the above example, when the director is also a producer, this information should be included.

Movies on Netflix and other streaming services

You don’t usually need to state that a film was viewed on a particular streaming service (like Netflix or Hulu). Just follow the standard format without mentioning where you viewed the film.

However, if the film was also produced by a streaming company (e.g. a Netflix Original), you should replace the studio information with a URL linking to their site:

Johnson, M., Bernstein, M., Newirth, C., & Paul, A. (Producers), & Gilligan, V. (Director & Producer). (2019). El Camino: A breaking bad movie [Motion picture]. Retrieved from https://www.netflix.com

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• Missing commas and periods
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The source information you need for your citation can usually be found in the movie’s end credits or on the packaging for a physical release. Otherwise, you can find it on IMDb .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, January 17). Citing a Movie in APA Style (6th Edition) | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/6th-edition/archived-movie/

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