Film Database Submission March 2012

Joe Bowman

-moderator-

about 1 year ago

Hello everyone!

Please take a look at the sections below regarding stills, as our rules have changed.

Please use this thread to suggest films you want added. Here’s how this works:

Please use our FILM DATABASE SUBMISSION FORM

And on this thread, just post the film, the director, year and the still(s).

No Synopses from All Movie Guide/Rovi

However, please read this, we can no longer accept synopses from what was formerly known as the All Movie Guide, now called Rovi. So remove that site from your bookmarks, as we won’t be publishing any films that include a synopsis from them. I would recommend staying clear of TCM’s synopses as well (even though they’re often quite good).

Stills

Now back to the rules, which most of you know well. It is very important that you provide a good-looking still. Now, you can submit stills in high-resolution, at least 448 × 252 pixels in width. The photos should be in 16:9 ratio, but if you don’t know how to crop photos, just send the image in as is. We cannot use posters for this. A lot of what I’ve seen posted recently have been completely unacceptable stills. We will, however, make an exception if you find some Alfred Hitchcock short, lost in time, no stills available anywhere. But that’s about it.

Suggestions for Reliable, Citable Sources

Alternatively, here are some other sites that may be able to help you out. We’ve always accepted synopses from the IMDb, even though we all know those can be hit or miss (but sometimes it’s the only option).

For recent films, a number of European countries have their own Film Institutes and Databases that often (but not always) provide an English option for synopses. In France, I recommend uniFrance to find synopses for French productions made within the past ten-to-fifteen years. In Denmark, there’s the Danish Film Institute which also provides downloadable photos for some of their titles. In Norway, try the Norwegian Film Institute which is very resourceful. In Sweden, there’s the Swedish Film Institute as well. I know Poland and the Czech Republic have extensive online databases, but the last time I checked there wasn’t an option for English.

Other Countries

Switzerland
Austria
Germany
Italy (Not exactly very expansive, perhaps there’s another site for what we’re looking for)
UK (This used to be Britfilms.co.uk, but they’ve just revamped their site)
Australia
Japan
Israel
Hong Kong

Also try Cineuropa for a pan-European selection. Though note that most of the databases listed here don’t go back extremely far. That was all I could come up with for now. If you know of any others, please send me a message with the link, and I’ll post it up here alongside the others. The more sites we have, the easier it should be to find a suitable English synopsis for your films.

We also suggest using the film’s distributor’s website for a synopsis (that is, provided it has a distributor). For recent films that played at film festivals, it never hurts to check the festival’s website to see if they have a written description of the film you’re trying to add.

And please be sure to cite your sources!

Stills

Now back to the rules, which most of you know well. It is very important that you provide a good-looking still, 448 × 252. We cannot use posters for this. A lot of what I’ve seen posted recently have been completely unacceptable stills. We will, however, make an exception if you find some Alfred Hitchcock short, lost in time, no stills available anywhere. But that’s about it.

Submitting a Film

Write one film at a time that you would like included in the film database.

The film should be released already— festival screening counts in most cases— (so no time-wasting getting your friends’ demo movie up here), and have a reference point somewhere else online (IMDB, a review or other article from a reputable source: not just something you wrote in your Facebook notes or personal blog).

—people following the guidelines below get priority, because you did things right.

1. The film title, the director’s name. The DP, Cast, Producer, Screenwriter, Composer, Editor, Production Designer. Take a look at any film page on here to get an idea of what we need. (Yeah, it’s a lot of tedious work and fact-checking in some cases, eh?)

2. A still. Size (very important): minimum of 448 × 252. Saved for web JPEG (around 50kb). A film poster will NOT do. It must be a still from the film. And not one with subtitles all over it either. It should be of good > high resolution, and not a thumbnail. PNG will also do, but JPEG is better. You can submit a maximum of 3 stills per film.

Please check carefully that the film is not in the database already. Search director’s name as well as film title.

Music Video Allowances

As some of you have noticed, we’ve started accepting certain music videos into the database. Regarding music videos, it’s generally thought that they should be included when directed by an established film director/video artist/etc. Those examples being anything by David Fincher, Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Jonathan Glazer, Paul Thomas Anderson, Derek Jarman and the like. I think an exception was made for Chris Cunningham, as he’s never directed a feature but is both highly regarded and recognized for his contributions to the art of the music video. We’re not looking to include the entire videography of a particular recording artist or group. It makes more sense to include all of Spike Jonze’s music videos than it does to include all of Björk’s. Unacceptable submissions with be deleted immediately. There are always exceptions, of course, but those are the general guidelines. What is required though is a good-looking still, director, artist, some sort of description beyond “David Fincher’s music video for Madonna’s Vogue” and (hopefully) some other crew members as well (screenwriters aren’t exactly necessary, but cinematographers, editors and additional cast members are encouraged).

Pornography Regulations

As for the rules for pornography, obviously a film that contains “pornographic elements” is acceptable for the database (Antichrist, Shortbus, Anatomy of Hell, In the Realm of the Senses), so it’s not the content that determines whether it should be included, it’s the intent. Which is also not to say that films made for the sole purpose of erotic titillation are off-limits either (hello, Tinto Brass) – but when it comes to actual, made-by-a-porn-studio-for-video-release, it’s almost always a “no.” There are certain vintage porn films in the database for several reasons: they were released theatrically, they reflect an era and have cultural significance and, often times, can be quite artful or sophisticated in ways that I guess you don’t see any more (like The Opening of Misty Beethoven, Joseph Sarno’s films or LA Plays Itself). If you’re not sure, it’s likely a “no,” but you can always ask.

Television Regulations

For now, only made-for-TV movies (that you think are worthy of inclusion) or mini-series are accepted, but by popular demand, we’re in discussions about possibly incorporating TV shows into the database in a format different from the way we list films. For now, don’t submit them. We’ll be sure to let you know when we’ve worked that out.

There’s no set timeline on this, and no one is offering any guarantees about anything, so don’t come back here complaining if it didn’t mysteriously appear in the database overnight. Just know that there is an army of our most passionate users working around the clock to publish these films.

Play nice, and don’t post crap. You can include an impassioned plea into your submission post, arguing for the greatness of a film and why it belongs on here, if you like : )

Thanks again!