‘Film’ is as general a term as ‘the printed word’. It implies a variety of presentation in what is both an art form and a major technology of the twentieth century. The historian is at home with the forms of the printed word because he uses them all the time, in his daily life. With ‘film’ he is at a disadvantage, but one that he is well equipped to overcome, if he keeps an academically open mind, and adapts his professional skills to the non-verbal characteristics of the film medium.

What film is used to communicate, and to whom, classifies the type of film. But a fiction film may use documentary techniques and even newsreel material, while so-called actuality film may contain cartoons and acted sequences. So there is a good practical case for approaching film material from two angles: by sponsorship and purpose as well as by aesthetic form and length. I shall deal with both approaches, as the former is more useful for locating a film print and the second is more helpful in assessing its use for historical research and teaching.

Because film and television are expensive to produce, they are always made with a specific audience in mind. This initial target audience will decide the scale of fees paid to contributors and artists, and the charges for copyright material. It is the product's identity tag. Later distribution may extend into other areas than those originally envisaged. Broadly speaking, feature-length fiction films are destined for showing in publicly licensed cinemas.