I am just looking through some old notes I found from films I was watching in the 90s.
One is Concert Party with Eric Barker
I couldn't see it in IMDB but it is here CONCERT PARTY - Film / Movie
There is also a long cast list for The Feminine Touch (1956) that includes a lot more cast members than IMDB.
And what do we do when we find that some information is missing from the IMDb? We add itOriginally Posted by PS68060
The IMDb is only as good as the information on there - and most of that information has been provided by film fans like us over the years.
The people who run the IMDb only manage the data and give you the framework to add data. They don't add much data themselves
Steve
Hi Steve,
I was an early user of IMDB but I've never tried adding stuff. What is the protocol ?
For an existing title or person you just hit the Update button near the bottom of the page.
To add a new title it's a bit more complicated. You need to get as many details as possible, cast & crew, production company, year of release etc. Etc.
Steve
To add a new title, start at this page
It's quite a long process, especially the first few you try. As you do more you get used to the sort of information they want and will have it all ready.
When you submit a new title the most important thing is to show that it exists and has been made available to an audience
Steve
CONCERT PARTY is listed in Denis Gifford's "British Film Catalogue" but not in David Quinlan's "British Sound Films 1928-1959" Sometimes listing is a bit more vague for short films-this one is 45min
I would mention that the forthcoming release "Cavalcade Of Variety" is not mentioned on IMDB but it is on the BFI website.
Last edited by orpheum2; 14-12-10 at 05:51 PM. Reason: typo
I thought IMDb demanded a level of proof before submitting or removing information. For lost films, that would seem to be a very difficult task.
Just because they are currently lost doesn't mean that they always were
For a 1930s film like this, anything that reviews it in a trade or fan magazine would be accepted as proof that it existed and had been made available to the public.
But the more proof that can be supplied and the more details that can be supplied, the better
Steve
Unfortunately all I have is a small note in a list of films I was either watching or investigating in the 1990s that weren't in my Halliwell's FG at the time.
It just says "Concert Party (38) E. Barker"
BFI entry BFI | Film & TV Database | CONCERT PARTY (1937)
Well that BFI database link includes the production company and 5 cast members.
But when we only have minimal information about a film, that's when we have to start to research it.
Use Google and other search engines to see if there are any articles about it or reviews of it. Maybe eBay or some other site has a listing for a trade magazine or fan magazine which has something about it
Steve
I googled the director R A Hopwood, I wonder if this is the same person ?
Rear Admiral Ronald Arthur Hopwood - World Naval Ships Forums
It would be an interesting career change if it was.
CONCERT PARTY is listed in Quinlan's 'British Sound Films' as a 44 minute short in 1937. Is that what you meant?
More likely to be this one. Already listed in the IMDb as the director of two other films in 1937
Steve
As someone who has done a reasonable amount of historical research using primary sources, I'm keen on a belt and braces approach to research so am glad to know that confirmation is sought.Just because they are currently lost doesn't mean that they always were
For a 1930s film like this, anything that reviews it in a trade or fan magazine would be accepted as proof that it existed and had been made available to the public.
But the more proof that can be supplied and the more details that can be supplied, the better
Steve
I'd also be interested to know how far down the chain does IMDb go in accepting someone for an appearance or involvement in a production.
They use the reliability of the person making the submission quite a bit. When you start submitting you have a medium to low level of reliability and all your submissions are checked by IMDb staff members and you should supply as much proof as possible. As you submit more you become more trusted and they don't check your submissions quite so much - but they still glance over them. If any of your submissions are subsequently found to be incorrect you can quickly lose reliability points and a persistent offender who, even after warnings, continues to submit bad information, will be barred and any further submissions they make will just be ignored. So the higher reliability levels are jealously guarded.
You can submit information about anyone involved in a production. But to be listed at all on the IMDb a person must have at least one on-screen credit in a title listed on the IMDb. Once they have that though, they can then also be listed for any uncredited work before or after that date - with the attribute (uncredited). There are some exceptions to that rule for people who worked on older films where they didn't list the full cast & crew on-screen.
For an actor to be listed against a title, it's not enough to show that they worked on the project. They must be identifiable on-screen in the final cut, the initial release. It's not enough to be part of a crowd in the distance or if your scenes were cut.
For a crew member to be listed for a title the IMDb may want to see a contract or a pay-slip to prove that they worked on a project.
It's not perfect, there are mistakes in there, and the IMDb staff themselves say that it shouldn't be used as a sole reference in a book or academic paper. But it's the largest repository of mainly correct information around
Steve
Quite a few films on CITWF
R. A. HOPWOOD: Film / Movie Information
I submitted some additional cast for The Feminine Touch 1956 that could only have come from the credits of the film *. IMDB listed the film as having a complete cast list, maybe I saw a different version or one with different credits ?
* Charles Lamb, Edna Landor, Silvia Bidmead, Yvonne faithfull, Shirley Lawrence, sally Pearce, Rosamund Waring, Tarne Gwynne, Helene Burls
Some people are a bit over-enthusiastic about marking cast (or crew) lists as being complete.
When you do a submission you can mark it as not complete.
If it's only been marked as complete then it's just been marked like that by one person and you can still add other people.
It's when the completeness has been verified by someone else that it's harder because then you can be locked out from adding more people (except uncredited people). If that happens, make a submission to say it's not complete and wait for that to be processed
You can also submit additions to cast or crew with a screen grab or video clip of the credits. It's hard for anyone to argue with that
Steve
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