MLA (Modern Language Association) style is a set of guidelines for citing and formatting papers in the humanities, particularly in the fields of literature and languages. One aspect of MLA style is the use of in-text citations to acknowledge the sources of information and ideas used in a paper. This includes citing films, which can be a bit trickier than citing a book or journal article. Here is how to properly cite a film in MLA style in the text of your paper.
To cite a film in MLA style, you need to include the director's name, the film title, and the film studio or distributor. In addition, you should also include the year the film was released and the format (such as DVD or streaming). Here is an example of an in-text citation for a film:
"In the film Pulp Fiction (1994), directed by Quentin Tarantino, the character Vincent (John Travolta) discusses the complexities of time travel while eating breakfast at a 1950s-themed cafe."
Alternatively, you can use a parenthetical citation, which includes the director's last name and the year the film was released in parentheses after the film title:
"In Pulp Fiction (Tarantino 1994), the character Vincent (John Travolta) discusses the complexities of time travel while eating breakfast at a 1950s-themed cafe."
It is important to note that the title of a film should be italicized in the text of your paper, as it is a standalone work. However, if you are citing a specific scene or clip from a film, you should put the scene or clip title in quotation marks and include the relevant time stamp in your citation. For example:
"In the scene "The Gold Watch" (Tarantino 1994), the character Vincent (John Travolta) discusses the complexities of time travel while eating breakfast at a 1950s-themed cafe."
Or:
"In Pulp Fiction (Tarantino 1994), the character Vincent (John Travolta) discusses the complexities of time travel while eating breakfast at a 1950s-themed cafe in the scene that starts at 1:12:30."
It is also important to properly format the film in your works cited page at the end of your paper. The format for a film in MLA style includes the director's name, the film title, the format, the film studio or distributor, and the year the film was released. Here is an example of how to format a film in the works cited page:
Tarantino, Quentin, director. Pulp Fiction. Miramax, 1994. DVD.
Following these guidelines for citing a film in MLA style will help you properly acknowledge your sources and give credit to the filmmakers whose work you are using in your paper.