When creating in-text citations for media that has a runtime, such as a movie or podcast, include the range of hours, minutes and seconds you plan to reference. For example: (00:02:15-00:02:35).
In-text Citation
Buffy's promise that "there's not going to be any incidents like at my old school" is obviously not one that she can keep ("Buffy" 00:03:16-17).
Works Cited
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Unaired Pilot 1996." YouTube, uploaded by Brian
Stowe, 28 Jan. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR3J-v7QXXw.
Source:
MLA Handbook. 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
"MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics."Purdue OWL. Purdue University. owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html.
Recorded Television Episodes
Cite recorded television episodes like films (see above). Begin with the episode name in quotation marks. Follow with the series name in italics. When the title of the collection of recordings is different than the original series (e.g., the show Friends is in DVD release under the title Friends: The Complete Sixth Season), list the title that would help researchers to locate the recording. Give the distributor name followed by the date of distribution.
"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends: The Complete Sixth Season, written by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen, directed by Kevin Bright, Warner Brothers, 2004.
Netflix, Hulu, Google Play
Generally, when citing a specific episode, follow the format below.
“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, season 2, episode 21, NBC, 29 Apr. 2010. Netflix, https://www.google.com/searchq=https://www.netflix.com/watch/70152031.
An Entire TV Series
When citing the entire series of a TV show, use the following format.
Daniels, Greg and Michael Schur, creators. Parks and Recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2015.
Source: “MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources.” Purdue OWL, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_other_common_sources.html.
List films by their title. Include the name of the director, the film studio or distributor, and the release year. If relevant, list performer names after the director's name.
Speed Racer. Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, performances by Emile Hirsch, Nicholas Elia, Susan Sarandon, Ariel Winter, and John Goodman, Warner Brothers, 2008.
To emphasize specific performers or directors, begin the citation with the name of the desired performer or director, followed by the appropriate title for that person.
Lucas, George, director. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977.
Source: “MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources.” Purdue OWL, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_other_common_sources.html.
Citing a screenplay is different from citing a film. The text of a screenplay that you consult will have its own authors and publication information. There is no need to provide information about the film itself, such as its director or the studio that produced it. Just be sure to make it clear that you are citing the screenplay and not the film, since the two might have the same title. If you consult the screenplay in a published edition, the title will usually be clear enough, as it is in the following example:
Welles, Orson, and Herman J. Mankiewicz. Citizen Kane: The Complete Screenplay. Methuen Publishing, 2002.
However, sometimes it will not be clear that the title in your works-cited-list entry refers to the screenplay and not the film. In that case, you could do one of two things. You could provide a generic description in place of the title, as the following example shows:
Welles, Orson, and Herman J. Mankiewicz. Screenplay of Citizen Kane. Daily Script, www.dailyscript.com/scripts/citizenkane.html.
Or you could use the final optional-element slot to indicate that what you are citing is a screenplay. The following provides an example:
Welles, Orson, and Herman J. Mankiewicz. Citizen Kane. Daily Script, www.dailyscript.com/scripts/citizenkane.html. Screenplay.
See also the MLA's related posts on citing the script and performance of a play and on citing a film based on a book.
Source: “How Do I Cite a Screenplay?” MLA Style Center, 1 Apr. 2021, style.mla.org/citing-a-screenplay.