Actor Names in Plot Summaries
Posted by tim in Policy Change on June 25th, 2010
For a very long time we’ve kept actors’ names out of plot summaries, preferring to refer only to the characters they play. We asked around and found that many people would actually prefer that we allowed them – it makes it easier to figure out who’s who – so from now on:
- if you wish to you can include actors’ names in plot summaries (eg,” The plot then follows the life of a simple farmboy, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), as he and his newly met allies…”) but only for completed titles
- they should be linked in the usual way using the (qv) notation – eg ‘Mark Hamill (I)’ (qv) – see the guide for more information
- unfinished titles, animated titles, video games, and (uncredited)/(credit only)/cameo roles are all still excluded
- we’re limiting the name links to principal cast members
- this change applies to plot summaries only – plot outlines (the short version) should still just refer to characters
- it’s completely at your discretion – if you don’t want to include names, then please write your summaries as you always have
- this new policy applies only to summaries you have written yourself – please do not edit other contributors’ plot summaries to include this newly-allowed information
If you want to discuss this policy with us and with other contributors, please feel free to join in with this Message Board thread.
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You Are Watching Big Brother
With the new season of Big Brother well under way in the UK (BB11) we need your help adding release dates, cast, nominations for evictions… all the usual stuff to this iconic series. Don’t be afraid, just click the Update button and tell us what you know.
Talk Shows, Chat Shows and Guests (oh my)
Posted by tim in Policy Change on June 22nd, 2010
For a very long while we’ve been distinguishing the episodes of chat shows by their broadcast date or episode number but it occurred to us (as it had to a great many of you) that a far better way would be to list the main guests in the title. So, from now on, that’s what we’ll be doing.
This means that the episode of the Letterman Show which would previously just have been known as “you know, that one they showed on the 17th of March” is now known as
“Late Show with David Letterman” Gerard Butler/Mindy Kaling/Free Energy (2010)
Note that we list the main guests and the musical guests.
Update forms updated
Posted by tim in Uncategorized on June 4th, 2010
We’ve made some minor changes to the Update forms, to make them a little bit less daunting for new users. The bulk of the form is exactly as before – we’ve only changed the explanatory text at the top of the page and the buttons at the bottom of the form.
One important thing for regular contributors to be aware of:
- We’ve removed the confirmation page that you used to see when you clicked Finish (before you clicked Submit). The Submit button has been moved directly onto the top of the form, and clicking that button really does send us the data. There’s no more “are you sure you want to submit” stage.
A couple of other changes:
- The “Continue” button is now labelled “Check these updates” or “Re-check these updates” (but the functionality is the same)
- The “Cancel” button has gone – there’s a “Save for later” button on the form instead, and a “back” link underneath.
Please let us know here if you experience any problems.
Clarifying Chat Show Release Dates
Posted by tim in Policy Change on May 13th, 2010
Tricky blighter, Johnny Chat Show. With the USA being wide enough to contain several time zones it’s possible for the same TV show to be shown on different dates if it’s aired in different time zones either side of midnight. Some broadcasters stick to the convention that the East Coast release date has priority, regardless of any other considerations, but leads to some confusion and disagreement when trying to settle on a definitive release date for our purposes.
To save that confusion and the consultation of rules and opinions, we’re going to rigidly apply our “earliest release date” rule to TV chat shows just as we do with everything else. This means that the release date for a chat show is the earliest date on which it was shown, no matter which region that happens to be in.
Movie & TV connections – not so trivial after all
Posted by tim in Uncategorized on April 15th, 2010
Just a quick reminder that the correct place to submit information noting connections between movies and/or TV shows is to a title’s Movie Connections list, not to its Trivia list. Any submission regarding links between titles sent to Trivia will be automatically rejected.
The full guide to submitting connections can be found here, but here’s a brief reminder of the sort of connections we’re looking for: sequels, prequels, remakes, versions, references, spoofs, spin-offs, alternate language versions, and titles which feature clips, extracts and footage from other titles.
Awards list – temporary closure
Our Awards list is one of the oldest and most complex parts of the database and it’s long overdue for an overhaul. Everything about the list, from the way you send us the information, the way we check it, the way we store it and even the way we display it, would benefit from some modernization.
It’s not a simple task but we’re suddenly in a position to give it that much-needed attention and we’ve had to make a tough decision about how to go about it. Upgrading things on a live website like ours has been likened to trying to change the tyres on a Formula 1 car while it’s still going round the track and so we’ve decided to simplify the process a little by temporarily closing the list. We estimate that the work will take 4-6 months, during which time we’ll not be taking any new submissions of any kind (including corrections) for the Awards list. No data will be lost and the existing information will still be visible on the site, you just won’t be able to add to it or change it for a while.
So, from 10.00 BST on Wednesday 31 March we’ll close the Awards list to new submissions. We’ll process everything that’s already been submitted, then we’ll start work on revamping the whole thing.
It’s only temporary, and it will make things better on this much-loved list.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, there’s a thread about this on the Contributors’ Help message board.
Man and Superman
Posted by tim in Policy Change on March 4th, 2010
We view Superheroes and their alter-egos as two separate characters (as opposed to one character with two different names).
Sometimes, Superheroes and their alter-egos are manifestly distinct personalities – bumbling, clumsy Clark Kent vs. Self-assured, confident Superman, for example, and most of the time the alter-ego is literally playing a different character to disguise their superhero status. With this in mind, here is the updated Superhero character policy:
1. Unless otherwise displayed in the credits, character names for Superheroes and their alter-egos should be separated by a slash on the site (i.e. Bruce Wayne/Batman).
2. If the character names are displayed differently in the credits, the ‘as credited onscreen’ rule applies. Example: If Christian Bale is credited as ‘Bruce Wayne – Batman’, in the next Batman movie, then that is what will be displayed on the site.
3. If only one character name is displayed in the credits (either the Superhero name OR the alter-ego name), the ‘as credited onscreen’ policy again applies.
4. Where no superhero/alter-ego names are credited onscreen, one or both may be submitted.
5. In the rare cases where no screen credit exists in any capacity (i.e. both actor and character names are missing), one or both character names can be submitted with an ‘uncredited’ attribute.
It has also been agreed that alter-egos should have their own character pages. This will be implemented soon.
Certificates
Posted by tim in Uncategorized on February 19th, 2010
Although it seems like the perfect place for it, there’s no need to put the MPAA reasons for a movie’s rating in the “attribute” section of the certificates form. We get that info direct from the MPAA so you can save yourself a job (and us) by leaving it out.
What’s in a name?
We list people on the site by their professional name (stage name, best-known public name, what have you) and this, obviously, isn’t necessarily their real name. If you happen to find out someone’s real name, please don’t try to change their name on the site with a “name correction”. Instead add it as their “birth name” under Biographical Information.
And while we’re on the subject of names, one of the many fun things that the Interwebz have taught us is that very few of us have unique names. Please be careful when you spot that Ethel Doofenshmirtz was the costume designer on a French film made in 1930 that she really is the same Ethel Doofenshmirtz that we have listed. Take a quick look at her page – if her credits are as a stunt performer in American films in the 1990s, the chances are very high that it’s a completely different woman, no matter how rare the name. We have tools that can help us spot these anomalies, but you can help us greatly by having a quick delve and seeing if you can resolve the complication yourself.