Research Guides: *Film: How to Watch Films @ FSU

Where to Find Films

A thorough treatment of streaming media services, questions, and considerations can be found in the Library's Streaming Media LibGuide.

Below is a selection subscription-based streaming video services offered through FSU Libraries. A complete list of streaming video platforms can be found here.

Note: For titles that require the acquisition of a new streaming license (e.g. materials in Swank & Kanopy), the Library cannot currently grant access to specific titles requested by students. If you are a faculty member and would like to request access to a specific title for course instruction, please submit these through the Materials Purchase Suggestion Form. You may also reach out to your Subject Librarian with any questions regarding access to streaming video content.

Kanopy Streaming Video
Kanopy is a streaming video resource with a broad collection of over 26,000 films on every subject imaginable and from leading producers such as Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, New Day Films, HBO California Newsreel, Kino Lorber, PBS, BBC, First Run Features, The Video Project, Media Education Foundation, and Documentary Education Resources.
Abbreviation: kanopy
Vendor: Kanopy
Subjects: Film Studies
Type: Streaming Video

Current titles via The Criterion Collection
Current Documentary titles

Swank
Swank Digital Campus’ online streaming service provides instant access to thousands of feature films, documentaries, foreign films and TV shows suitable for any academic department, including history, literature, social sciences, health science and more. They have exclusive rights to many of Hollywood’s biggest studios, including:
- Paramount
- Universal
- Sony
- Lionsgate
- Warner Bros
Swank Digital Campus specializes in providing movie and TV content for academic use to colleges all across the country.

Abbreviation: swank
Vendor: Swank Motion Pictures
Type: Streaming Video

Films On Demand: Master Academic Collection
Films On Demand is a Web-based digital video delivery service that allows you to view streaming videos from Films Media Group. Choose from thousands of high-quality educational titles in dozens of subject areas. Special features allow users the ability to organize and bookmark clips, create and share playlists, personalize folders, and manage their entire collection through a robust administrative reporting system.
Abbreviation: fod
Vendor: Films Media Group
Subjects: *General / Multi-Subject
Type: Streaming Video

Some notable collections for Film Studies in FOD:

The American Cinema Series - 13-part documentary series exploring film history and American culture through the eyes of over 150 Hollywood insiders, including Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and Michael Eisner.
RetroFilm Archive - A collection 60+ films from all over the world. Genres range from Film Noir to Classic Hollywood to science-fiction and classic literary adaptations.

Academic Video Online (Alexander Street)
Academic Video Online includes scholarly video material of virtually every video type: documentaries, interviews, performances, news programs and newsreels, field recordings, commercials, demonstrations, original and raw footage including tens of thousands of exclusive tiles. There are thousands of award-winning films, Academy®, Emmy®, and Peabody® winners along with the most frequently used films for classroom instruction, plus newly released films and previously unavailable archival material.

On the Boards
On the Boards is a center for contemporary performance located in Seattle, WA. Launched in January 2010, OntheBoards.tv is a website for HD-quality contemporary performance films available for stream viewing via our university subscription. Filmed at On the Boards, as well as peer theaters across the country, the performances present a snapshot of the new works by current leaders in dance, theater and music.
Abbreviation: onboards
Vendor: On the Boards
Subjects: Dance, Film Studies, Music, Theatre
Type: Streaming Video
Theatre in Video
Theatre in Video: Volume I brings together hundreds of the world’s most important plays, documentaries, interviews, and instructional materials in more than 500 hours of streaming video. Volume II brings together 400 additional hours of classic and contemporary plays and documentaries.
Tutorial:
Tutorial on the Video Player

Abbreviation: tiv
Vendor: Alexander Street, a ProQuest Company
Subjects: Literature, Theatre
Type: Biographies, E-Book Collections, Historical / Primary Sources, Streaming Video

Vanderbilt Television News Archive
The Vanderbilt Television News Archive began recording broadcasts on August 5, 1968 with the mission to create, preserve and provide access to the news broadcasts from the U.S. national television networks. The database currently includes over a million records, including abstracts at the story level of regular evening newscasts and catalog records for each special news report. Streaming video of NBC material, ranging from August 5, 1968 to the present and CNN broadcasts beginning in 1995 is available. Current material is not available until at least 72 hours after the original broadcast.

Can't find a title streaming through FSU?

Search the title in JustWatch or Reelgood to see if it is available on other commercial services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple Play, Roku, and more.

See the spreadsheet of Open Streaming Video Resources below for more platforms and curated lists of content. Access the spreadsheet in Google Sheets here.

Strozier Library currently houses two different DVD collections:

The Open DVD Collection (located on the Main Level and adjacent to the Service Desks) contain popular titles that can be checked out by any current FSU student, faculty or staff member. These are available for 3-day loan and can be taken out of the Library.
The Multimedia Collection (located on the Lower Level) contains 4,000+ titles on DVD and VHS that can be used for research and instruction. Faculty members may check items out for a 3-day loan or place items on reserve for student use. Students are currently not permitted to check-out these materials, they must be viewed in the Library.

Ways to watch DVD and VHS material @ The Library

VHS
- There are viewing stations with VHS equipment located on the Lower Level of Strozier. Please speak with a Front Desk Attendant to secure access to these viewing stations.
DVD
- There are viewing stations with DVD equipment located on the Lower Level of Strozier. Please speak with a Front Desk Attendant to secure access to these viewing stations.
- Laptops with optical disc-drives capable of playing DVDs are available for check-out in addition to USB-compadible DVD players. Please refer to the Technology Center Equipment page to check the scope, availability, and policies for renting equipment from FSU Libraries.