A film historian has a fortunate job. She gets to watch films regularly, write scholarly research about the history of film, and work in film archives for the preservation of the art form. Most film historians have Ph.D.'s and work in academia.

Features

Historians look at the documentary evidence of the past, analyze it and interpret it, according to the My Plan website. In particular, a film historian studies the past as it relates to the history of films. Additionally, they most often teach at a university, work with film archives and write scholarly papers about the history of film and its effects on society.

Benefits

The work environment for the film historian, like most historians, is very pleasant, according to the State University website. They spend their time at universities -- in the classroom teaching and in the library researching. Film historians have the additional perk of watching and analyzing films for a living.

Outlook

The job outlook for all historians is expected to grow slowly, according to the State University website.

Salary

According to the State University website, the average salary for a historian is $44,490.

Famous Ties

While most film historians work at universities, some famous filmmakers, like George Lucas and Martin Scorsese, have also done a significant amount of work in film history and education, according to Edutopia.Org.