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How to Cite a Movie Title Reference

A citation credits the source of information used for a writing composition. The American Psychological Association (APA) and Modern Language Association (MLA) styles are two major types of citations popularly used for essays, research materials and scholastic works. APA is generally the preferred style used in Social Science compositions, while MLA is more widely used in the Humanities and Liberal Arts.

Instructions

  1. Citing a Movie in APA Style

    • 1

      Type the director's last name followed by a comma, then the first initial followed by a period. Type the word "Director" in parentheses followed by a period. If necessary, include the producer's name in the citation by following the same format as the director and replace the word "Director" with "Producer." If you include the producer's citation, place it before the director's citation and add "&" before the director's name.

    • 2

      Use "&" to separate the names if there are two names for each citation, director and producer. If there are more than two names for each citation, separate each name with a comma, then use "&" before the final name. While it depends on a case to case basis, including a producer's citation is generally recommended, especially if the producer is significant or mentioned in your writing composition.

    • 3

      Type the year of the movie's official release in parentheses followed by a period. Add the movie's title in italics followed by "Film" or "Motion Picture" in brackets.

    • 4

      Type the city where the company that produced or distributed the movie is located, typically Los Angeles and New York. Use the name of the country for foreign films. Follow this with a colon, then type the company's name followed by a period.

    Citing a Movie in MLA Style

    • 5

      Type the movie's title in italics followed by a period. You may underline it instead of using italicized texts. If neither italicizing nor underlining is possible or preferred, use underscore symbols. For instance, type the movie title "Avatar" as "_Avatar_" in this case.

    • 6

      Type "Dir." followed by the director's full name and a period.

    • 7

      List important actors in the movie, if desired, by typing "Perf." followed by the actor's full name and a period. If the character portrayed by an actor is mentioned in your writing composition, include this in your citation.

    • 8

      Add the name of the company that produced or distributed the movie followed by a comma, the year the movie was officially released and a period. Although it is sometimes skipped, you may also include the medium, "Film" or "Motion Picture." End with a period.

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