Movie Database: Frequently Asked Questions List
Col Needham
Archive-name: movies/movie-database-faq
Posting-Frequency: weekly
Last-modified: 1997/04/03
Version: 1.58
Copies of this article may be obtained by anonymous ftp to rtfm.mit.edu
under /pub/usenet/news.answers/movies/movie-database-faq, or by sending e-mail
to <mail-...@imdb.com> with the subject "HELP FAQ"
Comments and suggestions on this FAQ are welcome and should be directed
to the database co-ordinator, Col Needham <c...@imdb.com>.
Changes:
- too numerous to mention. This FAQ is back by popular demand. Thanks to
everyone for encouraging me to start reposting it.
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
==================================================
This is a guide to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The database is
available in several forms on the Internet and provides the most comprehensive
source of free on-line movie information, ranging from the early cinema to the
latest releases. Topics and questions covered are:
SECTION ONE: General Information
(1) What is the movie database?
(2) Searching the database
(3) How is the database organised?
(4) The Internet Movie Database Team
(5) Where does the information come from?
(6) How can I add to the database?
(7) Distributing the database
(8) A brief history of the whole project
(9) Key to the titles
(10) Key to the symbols appearing in filmographies
(11) Key to movie ratings
(12) Appearances in TV-series before an actor was even born!
(13) How frequently is the database updated?
(14) Easier ways to submit new data
(15) Taking Part in the Movie Ratings Poll
(16) How to get a review included in the WWW interface
(17) How to keep a local installation of the database up-to-date
SECTION TWO: Specific Queries
Where to find further details
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION ONE
===========
1. What is the movie database?
==============================
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an international organization whose
objective is to provide useful and up to date movie information *freely*
available on-line, across as many systems and platforms as possible. It
currently covers over 100,000 movies with nearly 1,500,000 filmography entries
and is expanding continuously. The service is financed by advertising and
sponsorship. The Internet Movie Database is a Limited Company registered
in the UK.
The database includes filmographies for actors, directors, writers, composers,
cinematographers, editors, production designers, costume designers, producers
and a miscellaneous catch all section; plot summaries; character names; movie
ratings; year of release; running times; movie trivia; quotes; goofs;
soundtracks; personal trivia; alternative names; certificates; color
information; country of production; genres; production companies; sound mix;
reference literature; filming locations; sequel/remake information; release
dates; advertising tag lines; detailed technical data; alternative versions;
laserdisc availability; language; special effects; distributors; box office
grosses; and Academy Award information.
The database aims to capture any and all information associated with movies
from across the world, starting with the earliest cinema, going through to the
very latest releases and even movies still in production. Many thousands of
movies are covered completely from the major actors to the minor bit players
and crew members. The database is updated weekly and is available over the
world wide web, an e-mail interface or for local installation on Unix, Amiga
OS/2 and MS-DOS machines.
In its seven year history the IMDb has grown from a small informal project to
a major Internet resource. The WWW interface to the database is one of the most
popular and well-known sites of any class on the web. It is frequently cited
as a model for how to create and organise a major web site and has received
numerous awards and honours over the years.
2. Searching the database
=========================
The database can be searched in a variety of ways either on the Internet or
by directly installing the information locally on your system.
2.1 WWW interface
-----------------
The Internet Movie Database is available over the WWW. The following URLs
locate identical(*) copies of the www interface:
http://us.imdb.com/ [USA]
http://uk.imdb.com/ [UK]
http://italy.imdb.com/ [Italy]
(*) The Italian site has additional information of use to Italian speakers,
such as Italian translations of non-Italian movies.
News and pointers to the other IMDb sites are available at IMDb HQ:
2.2 e-mail interface
--------------------
For details send a message with the subject HELP to <mail-...@imdb.com>
and the movie mail-server will respond with a guide.
2.3 local installation (Unix)
-----------------------------
The Unix Internet Movie Database package enables you to install the data
locally and provides a variety of search tools. It is available via
anonymous FTP:
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in /pub/info/imdb/tools/moviedb-3.3b.tar.gz
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb/tools/moviedb-3.3b.tar.gz
ftp.fu-berlin.de in /pub/misc/movies/database/tools/moviedb-3.3b.tar.gz
ftp.funet.fi in /pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/moviedb-3.3b.tar.gz
see the README file in the same directories for more information. You will
need between 40 and 100 Mb of local disk-space depending on how much of the
data you want to access and whether you choose to compress it or not. All the
programs automatically support compressed database files with a reasonable
performance hit.
The Unix interface is written and maintained by Col Needham <c...@imdb.com>.
An interactive front-end for the Unix interface is available from the ftp
sites in:
tools/imoviedb-2.3.tar.gz
A LaTeX pretty printer for the interface is also available in:
tools/moviedb2tex-2.0.shar.gz
The two add-on packages are written by Philippe Queinnec <quei...@enseeiht.fr>
2.4 local installation (Amiga)
------------------------------
An interface for the Amiga is also available, complete with an easy to use
graphical front-end. The Amiga version is available on all AmiNet ftp sites
and also on the IMDb ftp sites:
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in /pub/info/imdb/tools/imdb3_5_Amiga.lha
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb/tools/imdb3_5_Amiga.lha
ftp.fu-berlin.de in /pub/misc/movies/database/tools/imdb3_5_Amiga.lha
ftp.funet.fi in /pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/imdb3_5_Amiga.lha
If you have any further questions concerning the Amiga interface, please
contact its author, Andre Bernhardt <am...@imdb.com>.
2.5 local installation (MS-DOS)
-------------------------------
The CineBASE program provides an MS-DOS interface to the database and is
also available via anonymous FTP:
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in /pub/info/imdb/tools/msdos/
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb/tools/msdos/
ftp.fu-berlin.de in /pub/misc/movies/database/tools/msdos/
ftp.funet.fi in /pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/msdos/
The program uses a different internal database format than the Unix interface
described above and, as a result, you'll need approximately 95Mb of disk-space
for a full CineBASE installation.
If you have any further questions concerning CineBASE, please contact its
author, Henry Lebovic <ms...@imdb.com>.
2.6 local installation (OS/2)
-----------------------------
Steffen Siebert's Alternative Movie Database package (AMD) provides both a
graphical and command line interface to the IMDb for OS/2:
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in /pub/info/imdb/tools/os2/
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb/tools/os2/
ftp.fu-berlin.de in /pub/misc/movies/database/tools/os2/
ftp.funet.fi in /pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/os2/
3. How is the database organised?
=================================
The database is made up of many separate sections each one with its own
expert editor. The following table gives an overview:
List | Maintained by
---------------------|-------------------------------------------|
Actors | Col Needham <act...@imdb.com>
Actresses | Col Needham <actr...@imdb.com>
Alternative Names | Michel Hafner <aka-...@imdb.com>
Alternative Titles | Michel Hafner <aka-t...@imdb.com>
Alternative Versions | Giancarlo Cairella <vers...@imdb.com>
Biographies | Mark Harding <biogr...@imdb.com>
Business | Giancarlo Cairella <busi...@imdb.com>
Cast Completion | Col Needham <c...@imdb.com>
Crew Completion | Col Needham <c...@imdb.com>
Certificates | Mark Harding <certif...@imdb.com>
Cinematographers | Michel Hafner <cinemato...@imdb.com>
Color Information | Mark Harding <co...@imdb.com>
Composers | Michel Hafner <comp...@imdb.com>
Costume Designers | Harald Mayr <cost...@imdb.com>
Countries | Mark Harding <coun...@imdb.com>
Crazy Credits | Mark Harding <crazy-...@imdb.com>
Directors | Michel Hafner <dire...@imdb.com>
Distributors | Rob Hartill <prod-co...@imdb.com>
Editors | Harald Mayr <edi...@imdb.com>
Genres | Colin Tinto <gen...@imdb.com>
Goofs | Murray Chapman <go...@imdb.com>
Language | Mark Harding <releas...@imdb.com>
Laser Discs | Peter Simeon <laser...@imdb.com>
Literature | Giancarlo Cairella <liter...@imdb.com>
Locations | Rob Hartill <loca...@imdb.com>
Misc. Companies | Mark Harding <releas...@imdb.com>
Misc. Filmography | Col Needham <miscel...@imdb.com>
Movie Links | Col Needham <movie...@imdb.com>
Movies | Michel Hafner <origina...@imdb.com>
MPAA Ratings Reasons | Mark Harding <m...@imdb.com>
Plot Summaries | Colin Tinto <pl...@imdb.com>
Producers | Andre Bernhardt <prod...@imdb.com>
Production Companies | Rob Hartill <prod-co...@imdb.com>
Production Designers | Harald Mayr <prod-de...@imdb.com>
Quotes | Bob Glickstein <quo...@imdb.com>
Ratings | Col Needham <c...@imdb.com>
Release Dates | Mark Harding <releas...@imdb.com>
Running Times | Mark Harding <runnin...@imdb.com>
SFX Companies | Rob Hartill <prod-co...@imdb.com>
Sound Mix | Mark Harding <soun...@imdb.com>
Soundtracks | Ron Higgins <sound...@imdb.com>
Tag Lines | Rob Hartill <tag-...@imdb.com>
Technical Info | Peter Simeon <sim...@imdb.com>
Trivia | Murray Chapman <tri...@imdb.com>
Writers | Jon Reeves <wri...@imdb.com>
---------------------|-------------------------------------------|
All of the files are available via anonymous FTP from:
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in pub/info/imdb
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb
ftp.fu-berlin.de in pub/misc/movies/database
ftp.funet.fi in pub/culture/tv+film/database
The coverage is being expanded continously and the database grows by thousands
of entries per week. The latest versions are always on the FTP sites listed
above (updated every Saturday)
The following subsections describe the database sections (lists) in more detail.
3.1 Cast Lists
--------------
List | Maintained by
---------------------|-------------------------------------------
Actors | Col Needham <act...@imdb.com>
Actresses | Col Needham <actr...@imdb.com>
Cast Completion | Col Needham <c...@imdb.com>
---------------------|-------------------------------------------
Each filmography entry consists of up to five pieces of information: the
name, the title, an attributes field (to store, for example, academy award
nominations), the character name and a number to specify their position in
the credits.
Please note that guest appearances on TV-shows are not eligible for the cast
databases owing to the volume and accuracy of this type of information. Guest
appearances for well-known people can be stored separately in the biographies
section.
Note that the actors and actress lists only contain filmography information -
biographical data such as date and place of birth, real name etc. is stored
in the biographies list.
The cast completion list simply records which movies have full cast lists
in the database (i.e. everyone listed in the credits of the movie is in the
actors/actresses lists).
3.2 Crew Lists
--------------
The following lists are of a similar format to the cast lists in that they
contain filmographies for people in the respective fields:
List | Maintained by
---------------------|-------------------------------------------
Cinematographers | Michel Hafner <cinemato...@imdb.com>
Composers | Michel Hafner <comp...@imdb.com>
Costume Designers | Harald Mayr <cost...@imdb.com>
Directors | Michel Hafner <dire...@imdb.com>
Editors | Harald Mayr <edi...@imdb.com>
Misc. Filmography | Col Needham <miscel...@imdb.com>
Producers | Andre Bernhardt <prod...@imdb.com>
Production Designers | Harald Mayr <prod-de...@imdb.com>
Writers | Jon Reeves <wri...@imdb.com>
---------------------|-------------------------------------------
The miscellaneous filmography list is a "catch all" for people in careers not
covered by the other filmography lists. Anyone who worked on a movie can be
listed here. The idea is to spin-off new filmography lists from it if the
volume of data relating to a particular type of contribution justifies a new
separate list.
3.3 Titles Lists
----------------
The following sections contain information relating to individual titles:
List | Maintained by
---------------------|-------------------------------------------
Alternative Titles | Michel Hafner <aka-t...@imdb.com>
Alternative Versions | Giancarlo Cairella <vers...@imdb.com>
Business | Giancarlo Cairella <busi...@imdb.com>
Certificates | Mark Harding <certif...@imdb.com>
Color Information | Mark Harding <co...@imdb.com>
Countries | Mark Harding <coun...@imdb.com>
Crazy Credits | Mark Harding <crazy-...@imdb.com>
Distributors | Rob Hartill <prod-co...@imdb.com>
Genres | Colin Tinto <gen...@imdb.com>
Goofs | Murray Chapman <go...@imdb.com>
Language | Mark Harding <releas...@imdb.com>
Laser Discs | Peter Simeon <laser...@imdb.com>
Literature | Giancarlo Cairella <liter...@imdb.com>
Locations | Rob Hartill <loca...@imdb.com>
Misc. Companies | Mark Harding <releas...@imdb.com>
Movie Links | Col Needham <movie...@imdb.com>
Movies | Michel Hafner <origina...@imdb.com>
MPAA Ratings Reasons | Mark Harding <m...@imdb.com>
Plot Summaries | Colin Tinto <pl...@imdb.com>
Production Companies | Rob Hartill <prod-co...@imdb.com>
Quotes | Bob Glickstein <quo...@imdb.com>
Ratings | Col Needham <c...@imdb.com>
Release Dates | Mark Harding <releas...@imdb.com>
Running Times | Mark Harding <runnin...@imdb.com>
SFX Companies | Rob Hartill <prod-co...@imdb.com>
Sound Mix | Mark Harding <soun...@imdb.com>
Soundtracks | Ron Higgins <sound...@imdb.com>
Tag Lines | Rob Hartill <tag-...@imdb.com>
Technical Info | Peter Simeon <sim...@imdb.com>
Trivia | Murray Chapman <tri...@imdb.com>
---------------------|-------------------------------------------
The alternative titles list contains original foreign language, video titles,
TV titles etc. for the primary titles in the database.
The alternative versions list describes differences between various releases
of the same movies (directors cuts, censorship issues etc)
The certificates list contains the certificates / ratings classifications
(MPAA, BBFC etc.)
The color information list records whether the movie was shot in color or
black & white.
The countries list records the country of origin.
The crazy credits list contains trivia and jokes appearing in movie credits.
The distributors list records the name or names of companies that
distributed movies, this covers both domestic, international, re-releases
and video releases.
The genres list records the genres which describe the movie.
The goofs list contains a list of unintentional mistakes in movies.
The ISO alternative titles list contains alterantive movie titles from around
the world using the ISO-8859-1 character set.
The laserdisc list contains details of LD releases.
The literature list records references to essays, critical analyses and books
relating to specific movies.
The locations list holds information on where movies were filmed (with the
exception of studio locations which are covered in the 'business' list).
The movie links list notes links between movies in the database, such as
sequels, remakes and also trivial connections such as homages and spoofs.
The movies list contains the year of release along with any awards given to
the movie as a whole.
The MPAA ratings reasons list contains extra information on why movies have
been awarded particular certificates by the MPAA (violence, sex, language etc).
The information is provided by the MPAA themselves.
The plot summaries list has brief outlines of the movies in the database.
The production companies list records the production company / studio which
produced the movie.
The quotes list contains memorable quotes.
The ratings list is a massive on-going electronic poll wherein users of the
database rate movies on a ten point scale from 1 (bad) to 10 (good).
The release dates list records the release dates of movies on a country by
country basis.
The running times list contains the length in minutes of movies in the
database.
The sound mix list records whether movies are recorded in mono, stereo etc.
The soundtracks list contains details of songs featured on the soundtracks.
The taglines list contains advertising tag lines used to publicise movies
(e.g. for Alien "In space no-one can hear you scream")
The technical list records technical information such as aspect ratio,
negative formats, print formats, cinematographic process etc.
The trivia list contains all kinds of trivia for movies from cameo appearances
to behind-the-scenes information.
3.4 Biographies List
--------------------
The biographies list contains personal trivia on people in the database
including but not limited to: dates of birth, dates of death,
mini-biographies, agent's addresses, marital status and other works.
3.5 Alternative Names List
--------------------------
The alternative names list contains details of different names people have
been billed under during their careers.
4. The Internet Movie Database Team
===================================
If you have any comments or suggestions which are appropriate for the whole
team, we can be reached via e-mail at:
Please DO NOT use this address to send additions and corrections to the
content of the database. Also, suggestions and comments on specific sections
should be mailed directly to the appropriate manager.
The WWW feedback page is accessible via:
Further details of responsibilities are accessible at:
http://www.imdb.com/organization
5. Where does the information come from?
========================================
The information in the database comes from a variety of sources. We try to
work with direct sources such as studio press kits or from the people listed
themselves. We also rely on users of the database to keep the information as
complete as possible. If you notice something missing from the database then
please send it in - see question 6 for more information. Several thousand
movies and people are covered completely, but there are still gaps in the
coverage and help is always appreciated. Almost all information received by
Thursday morning (UK time) is online by the end of Sunday.
If you find the database useful then an excellent way to show your
appreciation is to send some missing data along and help make the IMDb better
for everyone.
6. How can I add to the database?
=================================
The most convenient way to send new additions or corrections is via the
buttons at the bottom of most pages in the web interface. These provide
forms based interfaces to the additions system
For a complete submissions guide to the direct additions system, send e-mail
with the subject:
HELP ADD FULL
to <mail-...@imdb.com>. This guide contains all the information listed in
the more specific guides described below and should have everything you need
to know about adding to the database. Additional information is available
from:
For a guide specifically covering the easier e-mail template based additions
interface only, send e-mail to the server with the subject:
HELP UPDATE
This interface is very easy to use and there are no special formats to learn,
you just request a template for a movie or person, fill in any missing data
and mail it back to the server.
7. Distributing the database
============================
The objective of the database is to provide useful and up to date movie
information *freely* available on-line, across as many systems and platforms
as possible. The information is NOT public domain, however, permission is
granted to distribute it freely in an electronic form only, providing certain
conditions are met. A copy of the license attached to each database file is
included below for reference.
License
-------
This is a database of movie related information compiled by
Internet Movie Database Ltd (IMDb). While every effort has been
made to ensure the accuracy of the database IMDb gives no
warranty as to the accuracy of the information contained in the
database. IMDb reserves the right to withdraw or delete
information at any time.
This service is provided for the information of users only. It is
not provided with the intention that users rely upon the
information for any purposes. Accordingly, IMDb shall under no
circumstances be liable for any loss or damage, including but not
limited to loss of profits, goodwill or indirect or consequential
loss arising out of any use of or inaccuracies in the
information. All warranties express or implied are excluded to
the fullest extent permissible by law.
All information in this file is Copyright 1996 Internet Movie
Database Limited. Reproduction, distribution or transmission by
any means without the prior permission of IMDb is prohibited. All
rights reserved.
For further information contact <lice...@imdb.com>
-------------------------------------------------------
All data and software released by Internet Movie Database Ltd is
freely available to anyone within certain limitations. You are
encouraged to quote subsets of the database in USENET articles,
movie related FAQs, magazine articles etc. We do ask, however,
that you make reference to the source of the data and provide a
pointer to the database for the benefit of the reader.
Permission is granted by the copyright holder to allow free
distribution of this file and any other part of the Internet
Movie Database in an ELECTRONIC FORM ONLY, providing the
following conditions are met:
1. NO FEE OF ANY KIND, however indirect, will be charged
for its distribution. If this file is being stored
for later distribution to anyone that can be
construed as a customer of yourself or your
organisation YOU MUST contact Internet Movie Database
Ltd for permission.
2. Each of the database files may be distributed
individually but only in an unaltered form. All the
header and trailer information, including this notice
and the details on how to access the database, must
remain intact.
3. Specifically the files may NOT be used to construct
any kind of on-line database (except for individual
personal use). Clearance for ALL such on-line data
resources must be requested from Internet Movie
Database Ltd
4. In addition, copies of the Internet Movie Database
frequently asked questions list and additions guide
must be made available in the same area / by the same
method as the other database files.
5. CD-ROM distribution is prohibited without written
permission from the Internet Movie Database Ltd
Distribution by e-mail, BBS and Internet systems is positively
encouraged within these limitations.
The files and software which make up the movie database may be
uploaded to commercial BBS systems providing that the above
conditions are met and no *additional* fees are applied above the
standard connect time or downloading charges.
For further information contact <lice...@imdb.com>
8. A brief history of the whole project
=======================================
So where did it all start? Well, it all began back in 1989 when someone
started a discussion in the USENET newsgroup rec.arts.movies about who were the
most attractive looking actresses around. In response to this thread, a college
student in the US began to collect a list of all the actresses, along with the
movies they had appeared in. The list was pretty disorganised to say the least
and the original maintainer disappeared from the net after a few months. At
this point Andy Krieg picked up the list, sorted it properly and began to post
it monthly to rec.arts.movies under the title "THE LIST".
In May of 1989 Chuck Musciano started the Movie Ratings Report, an on-going
poll of movies posted weekly to the group. The two projects remained entirely
separate for a couple of years, but it is appropriate to mention the start
of the report here.
I started the actors list in August 1990 and it proved a big
success, growing very rapidly over a short space of time. It was limited
to living actors (like the actress list) to keep the size down. Being a fan
of older movies I was disappointed that I couldn't include some of my
favourite actors since they were dead. Later that month I asked for
volunteers to run a dead actors/actresses list and when nobody came
forward I started the dead list.
In September 1990 Dave Knight volunteered to manage a directors list to
complement the cast lists. Seeing all the lists in rec.arts.movies, Grant
Mason, a post-graduate student at Edinburgh, posted a request asking for some
software to search the lists as a whole. Since I already had some very
basic list processing shell scripts, I volunteered to publish them and the
Internet Movie Database was born.
Within a month, Jeff Sullivan volunteered to manage a writers list and by
the end of 1990 Michel Hafner was managing the composers and cinematographers
lists. Michel had some ideas on creating master reference lists of names and
titles to keep everything consistent across the lists. He also suggested a
list structure based on relations that was adopted.
Throughout '91 and '92 the lists and software grew rapidly. Support was added
for the movie ratings report and Michel's titles list which now meant you
could access ratings and the year-of-release information in the database.
Michel also launched a master reference list of alternative titles which
enabled lots of redundancy in the database to be eliminated. Some of the
original list managers had to give up their lists so things swapped around a
little during this time. We got access to an FTP site at the University of
Colorado which helped significantly since the data was then available all
the time.
Towards the end of '92 Steve Hammond volunteered to manage a character names
database and Murray Chapman started the trivia list, agreeing to make it
compatible with the software. Early in '93 Colin Tinto volunteered to start
a plot summaries list and February '93 saw the launch of the first version of
the software that was mostly in C. Jon Reeves also joined the team, taking
over the writers list.
Around this time we discussed the idea of making the database available on an
e-mail server somewhere. Alan Jay volunteered to create and run it at the PC
users group in London. The movie mail-server went public in the summer of '93
and still continues to serve hundreds of requests per day despite the increased
availability of the web to most Internet users.
In August '93 the cast lists were reorganised slightly so that all the data
was available to the movie database package (up until then only entries for
people with a certain number of requests were available publicly).
In September '93 Mark Harding volunteered to manage a biographies list and
the crazy credits section which used to be part of the trivia list. Rob
Hartill set up a WWW interface to the database at Cardiff University. Also at
this time, Andre Bernhardt expressed an interest in porting the movie database
software to the Amiga and a release followed shortly afterwards.
At the end of '93 I took over the actresses list from Andy Krieg. The six cast
lists were merged to two, with the posted versions just being subsets of the
full versions on the anonymous FTP sites. New filmography lists for editors,
production designers and costume designers were also released. Henry Lebovic
approached us about an MS-DOS interface to the database that he had been
working on.
In March '94 Andre volunteered to manage a producers filmography list, Lars
Joergen Aas a quotes list, Ron Higgins a soundtracks list and support for
the movie goofs list was added. Rob began to look at setting up mirror sites
for his heavily used WWW interface database and mirrors appeared in Mississippi
(run by Frank Peters), Australia (run by Mike Lawley), Iceland (run by Mark
Townley), Germany (run by Wolfgang Klimt) and Japan (run by Jun-ichiro
"itojun" Itoh). Also, Henry released CineBASE, the MS-DOS interface to the
database, making the whole system accessible to even more people.
In April '94 the movie mail-server additions interface was launched, meaning
that updates for the whole database could now be sent to the same address,
significantly simplifying things for the database managers and users.
In May '94 the running times list was added to the database and the cast
lists were reorganised to include the character names.
During the latter part of '94 the new easier template based additions system,
designed and managed by Mark Harding, was launched. This opened the database
to many new contributors who'd previously been put-off by the long addition
guidelines.
In October '94 eight new lists were added to the database, significantly
increasing the range of information available. The new lists were: alternative
names, certificates, color information, countries, genres, miscellaneous
filmographies, production companies and sound mix. The cast lists were enhanced
to include credit ordering information, enabling the stars of each movie
to be identified easily.
In December '94 seven further lists were added, making virtually every class
of movie information available within the database. The new lists were: the
cast completion tracking, literature, locations, movie links, release dates,
tag lines and technical information.
During the early part of 1995 further WWW mirrors were added, newer sites
being Korea, South Africa and a second site in the USA. A monthly IMDb
newsletter was started, although the rate of growth on the database means
it doesn't get published as often as it should. A new section describing
the reasons behind the MPAA ratings was added to the database.
In November '95 three new lists were added: the alternate versions list,
managed by Giancarlo Cairella and the LaserDisc and ISO alternative titles
lists, managed by Peter Simeon. The latter list being part of our long term
effort to support international character sets within the database. Coinciding
with the new lists, the WWW was completely rewritten from scratch by Rob. The
new interface featured many new options and pages, complete with new icons
designed by Mike Massee.
In December '95 in an attempt to improve our WWW service we trimmed the number
of mirror sites down to the four which were able to keep up with the growth
in data volume and user traffic which the IMDb now receives.
In March '96 the IMDb moved onto a professional footing and became a
sponsorship and advertising supported service. Almost immediately we were able
to make numerous improvements to the database, including a complete rewrite of
the web interface to make it run faster. Also, the business information section
managed by Giancarlo Cairella was added at the same time. This new section
details box office grosses, budgets, studio locations and various other
business related information.
9. Key to the titles
====================
The titles in the database fall into one of five categories:
(1) movies, unless otherwise indicated the title is a movie
(2) made for TV movies, indicated by a (TV) tag
(3) made for video movies, indicated by a (V) tag
(4) TV-series, indicated by enclosing the title in "'s
(5) mini-series, indicated by enclosing the title in "'s and a (mini) tag
10. Key to the symbols appearing in filmographies
=================================================
The filmography databases enable details of awards earned for or notes on a
particular performance/contribution to be recorded. Each database has a
different set of symbols, although some overlap where appropriate.
Universal Symbols
-----------------
(AA) = Academy Award winner in relevant category
(AAN) = Academy Award nomination in relevant category
(GG) = Golden Globe winner in relevant category
(GGN) = Golden Globe nomination winner in relevant category
(BFA) = British Academy Award ( = British Film Award )
(Cesar) = French Academy Award
(David) = Italian Academy Award
(Felix) = European Academy Award ( = European Film Award )
(Guldbagge) = Swedish Academy Award
Title Key
---------
(FL:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for best foreign movie
(FL:AA) = Academy Award for best foreign movie
(FL:GGN) = Golden Globe Nomination for best foreign language movie
(FL:GG) = Golden Globe for best foreign language movie
(GBB) = Golden Bear Berlin
(GPC) = Golden Palm Cannes
(SBB) = Silver Bear Berlin
(GLV) = Golden Lion, Venice
Acting Key
----------
(S:AA) = academy award winner (best supporting actor/actress)
(S:AAN) = academy award nominee (best supporting actor/actress)
(C:GG) = golden globe winner (best comedy/musical actor/actress)
(C:GGN) = golden globe nominee (best comedy/musical actor/actress)
(S:GG) = golden globe winner (best supporting actor/actress)
(S:GGN) = golden globe nominee (best supporting actor/actress)
(N:GG) = golden globe winner (best newcomer)
Writers Key
-----------
(song) = The writer is the author (composer?) of a song on
which the screenplay was based.
(story) = The writer contributed on the story for the
screenplay only or the writer is the author of a
story on which the movie was based.
(play) = The writer is the author of the play on which the
screenplay was based.
(novel) = The writer is the author of the novel on which the
screenplay was based.
(novel XXX) = The writer is the author of the novel on which the
screenplay was based, but the novel is not the same
title as the movie.
(book) = The writer is the author of the book on which the
screenplay was based.
(article) = The writer is the author of the article on which the
screenplay was based.
(operetta) = The writer is the author of the operetta on which the
screenplay was based.
(also XXX) = The writer was involved in some other aspect than just
writing the screenplay. They may have authored the novel
the screenplay was based on, or developed the story, etc.
(A:AA) = Academy Award for Best Adaptation
(A:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Adaptation
(DS:AA) = Academy Award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
(DS:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Screenplay Written Directly for
the Screen
(MPS:AA) = Academy Award for Best Motion Picture Story
(MPS:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Motion Picture Story
(S:AA) = Academy Award for Best Screenplay
(S:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Screenplay
(SA:AA) = Academy Award for Best Screenplay - Adapted
(SA:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Screenplay - Adapted
(SAM:AA) = Academy Award for Best Screenplay - based on Another Medium
(SAM:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Screenplay - based on Another
Medium
(SAO:AA) = Academy Award for Best Screenplay Adapted from Other Material
(SAO:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Screenplay Adapted from Other
Material
(SO:AA) = Academy Award for Best Screenplay - Original
(SO:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Screenplay - Original
(SS:AA) = Academy Award for Best Story and Screenplay
(SS:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Story and Screenplay
(SSF:AA) = Academy Award for Best Story and Screenplay - based on Factual
material or material not previously published or produced
(SSF:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Story and Screenplay - based on
Factual material or material not prev. published or produced
(SSS:AA) = Academy Award for Best Story and Screenplay - written directly
for the Screen
(SSS:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Story and Screenplay - written
directly for the Screen
(StO:AA) = Academy Award for Best Story - Original
(StO:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Best Story - Original
(T:AA) = Academy Award for Title Writing
(T:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Title Writing
(WA:AA) = Academy Award for Writing Achievement
(WA:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for Writing Acheivement
(BA) = British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Screenplay
(G) = Genie for Best Screenplay
(GG) = Golden Globe for Best Screenplay
Composers Key
-------------
(A:AA) = Academy Award for best score adapted from another musical
source
(A:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for best score adapted from another
musical source
(AAA) = Australian Academy Award
(D:AA) = Academy Award for best score in a drama or a comedy
(D:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for best score in a drama or a comedy
(M:AA) = Academy Award for best score in a musical
(M:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for best score in a musical
(O:AA) = Academy Award for best original score
(O:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for best original score
(BS:AA) = Academy Award for best song
(BS:AAN) = Academy Award Nomination for best song
(songs) = The composer composed songs for the movie
(also songs) = The composer composed also songs for the movie
11. Key to movie ratings
========================
The movie ratings report is a massive on-going poll of movies rated on a scale
from 1 (bad) to 10 (excellent) by users on the Internet. An example entry on
the report is:
0000000115 3314 8.8 Casablanca (1942)
For each movie, the vote distribution, the total number of votes and the
average rating are shown. The vote distribution uses a single character to
represent the percentage of votes for each ranking. The following characters
codes can appear:
"." no votes cast "3" 30-39% of the votes "7" 70-79% of the votes
"0" 1-9% of the votes "4" 40-49% of the votes "8" 80-89% of the votes
"1" 10-19% of the votes "5" 50-59% of the votes "9" 90-99% of the votes
"2" 20-29% of the votes "6" 60-69% of the votes "*" 100% of the votes
So, in our example above, "Casablanca" has received a total of 3314 votes, the
average of the votes being 8.8 with 50-59% 10/10; 10-19% 9/10; 10-19% 8/10;
1-9% 7/10 etc.
12. Appearances in TV-series before an actor was even born!
===========================================================
There are several TV-series which have been running for many years, for
example "As the World Turns" started in 1956 and "The Doctors" in 1963.
Several actors and actresses began their careers by appearing in series such
as these, for example, Meg Ryan played Betsy Montgomery in "As the World
Turns".
Lists of movies (filmographies) are usually sorted into chronological order,
the year used being the year that the movie was released, or in the case of
long running TV-series, the year it was first broadcast. This means that you
can sometimes get information indicating a particular performer appeared in a
TV-series before they were even born. In our example, Meg Ryan was born in
1961, but her filmography indicates she appeared in "As the World Turns" in
1956!
To reduce confusion, we normally use the character name to indicate the
range of years the people appeared in the show. In our example
Ryan's appearance was from 1982 to 1984 so her character name becomes
"Betsy Montgomery (1982-1984)",
13. How frequently is the database updated?
===========================================
The database is updated weekly and we do our best to process all data which
arrives by Thursday morning (UK time) within a matter of days such that it
is included in the update late on Sunday.
Data is not automatically added and each section has a manager responsible
for validating the information as far as possible before it is placed online.
The database currently grows by a minimum of 50,000 entries per week. We'd
love to see the growth rate continue to rise though so keep those additions
coming fast!
14. Easier Ways to Submit New Data
==================================
If you find the standard addition formats too complex there is now an
alternative easier way to submit additions on a title by title basis. There
are no special formats to learn, you just request a template for a movie, fill
in any missing data and send it back to the mail-server. For information on
this interface send a message with the subject:
HELP UPDATE
to <mail-...@imdb.com> or for receive a template for a movie directly use
the subject:
TEMPL TITLE <title>
For example:
TEMPL TITLE Vertigo (1958)
TEMPL TITLE Lion King, The (1994)
The "UPDATE" interface now includes support for adding to the filmography and
biography sections in a similar manner. The subject to use is:
TEMPL NAME <surname>, <first name>
For example:
TEMPL NAME Grant, Cary
TEMPL NAME Davis, Geena
15. Taking Part in the Movie Ratings Poll
=========================================
Everyone is encouraged to take part in the movie ratings poll (see Q 11). The
WWW interface provides a simple way to vote in the report - just look up
the details on any title and the voting buttons are located at the bottom
of the page. You must remember to mail your votes to the ratings tabulator if
you vote via this interface (the voting page has full details of what to do).
Another way to vote is by replying to the weekly movie ratings ballot article
posted to rec.arts.movies.lists+surveys every Friday. The WWW interface also
contains a link to the weekly ballot:
Finally, a selection of movie ratings ballots are now available via the movie
mail-server interface. For more information send e-mail with the subject:
HELP BALOT
to <mail-...@imdb.com>.
The poll is one of the largest on-going polls on the Internet. As of April
1997 there have been over 1,250,000 votes by 270,000 people for over 34,000
movies.
16. How to get a review included in the WWW interface
=====================================================
Other than archiving reviews sent to the moderated rec.arts.movies.reviews
USENET newsgroup, we don't store movie reviews in the database directly,
instead they are linked via URLs from other sources on the Internet. If
you do not have access to your own www page(s) to publish your reviews,
then read rec.arts.movies.reviews for a week or so before posting your
review there - it will then be archived in HTML format by us, usually within
two weeks.
17. How to keep a local installation of the database up-to-date
===============================================================
The majority of the database files are updated every Friday on the ftp sites
which means keep a local installation such as the Unix or Amiga interface
up-to-date involves a significant amount of network traffic. To help reduce
this, weekly 'diff' files are now available in the database/diffs subdirectory
on each ftp site. These enable you to download a much smaller single file with
all the updates for each week. For more details on this scheme see the file
database/diffs/README
on all the ftp sites.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION TWO: Specific Queries
=============================
For further details on how to search the IMDb please see:
http://www.imdb.com/faq-search
http://www.imdb.com/introduction
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you find this FAQ useful. If you have a question that isn't covered
please contact me via e-mail at <c...@imdb.com>.
Col Needham
The Internet Movie Database Ltd.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winner of 1997 best film site Webby awards http://www.imdb.com/
100,000+ movies 1892-1999 The site that means movies
Col Needham
Archive-name: movies/movie-database-faq
Posting-Frequency: weekly
Last-modified: 1997/04/09
Version: 1.59
Copies of this article may be obtained by anonymous ftp to rtfm.mit.edu
under /pub/usenet/news.answers/movies/movie-database-faq, or by sending e-mail
to <mail-...@imdb.com> with the subject "HELP FAQ"
Comments and suggestions on this FAQ are welcome and should be directed
to the database co-ordinator, Col Needham <c...@imdb.com>.
Changes:
- added question on roman numerals in names
- updated various statistics
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
==================================================
This is a guide to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The database is
available in several forms on the Internet and provides the most comprehensive
source of free on-line movie information, ranging from the early cinema to the
latest releases. Topics and questions covered are:
SECTION ONE: General Information
(1) What is the movie database?
(2) Searching the database
(3) How is the database organised?
(4) The Internet Movie Database Team
(5) Where does the information come from?
(6) How can I add to the database?
(7) Distributing the database
(8) A brief history of the whole project
(9) Key to the titles
(10) Key to the symbols appearing in filmographies
(11) Key to movie ratings
(12) Appearances in TV-series before an actor was even born!
(13) What do the (I), (II) etc. mean in some names?
(14) How frequently is the database updated?
(15) Easier ways to submit new data
(16) Taking Part in the Movie Ratings Poll
(17) How to get a review included in the WWW interface
(18) How to keep a local installation of the database up-to-date
SECTION TWO: Specific Queries
Where to find further information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION ONE
===========
1. What is the movie database?
==============================
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an international organization whose
objective is to provide useful and up to date movie information *freely*
available on-line, across as many systems and platforms as possible. It
currently covers over 100,000 movies with over 1,500,000 filmography entries
and is expanding continuously. The service is financed by advertising and
sponsorship. The Internet Movie Database is a Limited Company registered
in the UK.
The database includes filmographies for actors, directors, writers, composers,
cinematographers, editors, production designers, costume designers, producers
and a miscellaneous catch all section; plot summaries; character names; movie
ratings; year of release; running times; movie trivia; quotes; goofs;
soundtracks; personal trivia; alternative names; certificates; color
information; country of production; genres; production companies; sound mix;
reference literature; filming locations; sequel/remake information; release
dates; advertising tag lines; detailed technical data; alternative versions;
laserdisc availability; language; special effects; distributors; box office
grosses; movie posters; video sales links and Academy Award information.
The database aims to capture any and all information associated with movies
from across the world, starting with the earliest cinema, going through to the
very latest releases and even movies still in production. Many thousands of
movies are covered completely from the major actors to the minor bit players
and crew members. The database is updated weekly and is available over the
World Wide Web, an e-mail interface or for local installation on Unix, Amiga
OS/2 and MS-DOS machines.
2.1 WWW interface
-----------------
ftp.fu-berlin.de in /pub/misc/movies/database/tools/moviedb-3.3b.tar.gz
ftp.funet.fi in /pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/moviedb-3.3b.tar.gz
need around 100 Mb of local disk-space.
tools/imoviedb-2.3.tar.gz
tools/moviedb2tex-2.0.shar.gz
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in /pub/info/imdb/tools/imdb3_5_Amiga.lha
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb/tools/imdb3_5_Amiga.lha
ftp.fu-berlin.de in /pub/misc/movies/database/tools/imdb3_5_Amiga.lha
ftp.funet.fi in /pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/imdb3_5_Amiga.lha
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in /pub/info/imdb/tools/msdos/
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb/tools/msdos/
ftp.fu-berlin.de in /pub/misc/movies/database/tools/msdos/
ftp.funet.fi in /pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/msdos/
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in /pub/info/imdb/tools/os2/
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb/tools/os2/
ftp.fu-berlin.de in /pub/misc/movies/database/tools/os2/
ftp.funet.fi in /pub/culture/tv+film/database/tools/os2/
uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu in pub/info/imdb
gatekeeper.digital.com.au in /pub/imdb
ftp.fu-berlin.de in pub/misc/movies/database
ftp.funet.fi in pub/culture/tv+film/database
3.1 Cast Lists
--------------
3.2 Crew Lists
--------------
3.3 Titles Lists
----------------
3.4 Biographies List
--------------------
http://www.imdb.com/organization
HELP ADD FULL
HELP UPDATE
13. What do the (I), (II) etc. mean in some names?
==================================================
There are two types of Roman numerals appearing in our names. Here's
an example of the first type:
Ahern II, Lloyd
Lloyd Ahern II is a cinematographer that has the same name as his
father Lloyd Ahern except for the "II" used to distinguish between
them. The Roman numeral is directly and officially part of the name
and not in any parentheses. It is used in actual credits of movies and
in other information sources that have data on this man.
The reason is simply to make clear that you are talking about the son
and not the father. The two are likely to be mixed up since they are
both cinematographers. Although someone familiar with their
biographical data might conclude from the context if the father or the
son was involved in a particular movie, it's nonetheless convenient to
have the Roman numeral to remove ambiguity.
The second type of Roman numeral appearing in names is very similar,
although there is a crucial difference. Again the Roman numeral is
added to distinguish between two or more different people that share a
name but are not identical. But this time the number is not part of
the official name of a person as used in credits or other information
sources. It's a number added by IMDb and it's always within
parentheses, for example:
John Smith (I)
The need for these numbers arose naturally as the database grew over
time and more and more name clashes occurred with the consequence that
credits belonging to one person were also showing up for all others
with the same name. Generally, the more common a name is the more
likely there will be mix-ups and the more Roman numerals have to be
added. As an example look up John Taylor for which we already store 15
(!) variants not counting cases with initials.
There are no strict rules as to which person gets which number
although we try to give more important or famous people lower numbers
(and big stars none at all for the time being) and also people that
came chronologically before other people. Also, if a person has been
billed with different names, one of them being more distinctive than
the others (due to an added initial, for example), we tend to use the
unique name that needs no Roman numeral as the primary name and add
the name with the Roman numeral as an alternative name.
The need for Roman numerals follows from the basic database design.
The names and titles themselves are the keys into the data and must be
unique, hence the need for Roman numerals. Other solutions are
possible, but we feel that the current solution is the best for the
time being and hope this view is also shared by our users.
14. How frequently is the database updated?
===========================================
The database is updated weekly and we do our best to process all data which
arrives by Thursday morning (UK time) within a matter of days such that it
is included in the update late on Sunday.
Data is not automatically added and each section has a manager responsible
for validating the information as far as possible before it is placed online.
The database currently grows by a minimum of 50,000 entries per week. We'd
love to see the growth rate continue to rise though so keep those additions
coming fast!
15. Easier Ways to Submit New Data
==================================
If you find the standard addition formats too complex there is an alternative
easier way to submit additions on a title by title basis. There are no special
formats to learn, you just request a template for a movie, fill in any missing
data and send it back to the mail-server. For information on this interface
send a message with the subject:
HELP UPDATE
to <mail-...@imdb.com> or for receive a template for a movie directly use
the subject:
TEMPL TITLE <title>
For example:
TEMPL TITLE Vertigo (1958)
TEMPL TITLE Lion King, The (1994)
The "UPDATE" interface now includes support for adding to the filmography and
biography sections in a similar manner. The subject to use is:
TEMPL NAME <surname>, <first name>
For example:
TEMPL NAME Grant, Cary
TEMPL NAME Davis, Geena
16. Taking Part in the Movie Ratings Poll
=========================================
Everyone is encouraged to take part in the movie ratings poll (see Q 11). The
WWW interface provides a simple way to vote in the report - just look up
the details on any title and the voting buttons are located at the bottom
of the page. You must remember to mail your votes to the ratings tabulator if
you vote via this interface (the voting page has full details of what to do).
Another way to vote is by replying to the weekly movie ratings ballot article
posted to rec.arts.movies.lists+surveys every Friday. The WWW interface also
contains a link to the weekly ballot:
Finally, a selection of movie ratings ballots are now available via the movie
mail-server interface. For more information send e-mail with the subject:
HELP BALOT
to <mail-...@imdb.com>.
The poll is one of the largest on-going polls on the Internet. As of April
1997 there have been over 1,250,000 votes by 270,000 people for over 34,000
movies.
17. How to get a review included in the WWW interface
=====================================================
Other than archiving reviews sent to the moderated rec.arts.movies.reviews
USENET newsgroup, we don't store movie reviews in the database directly,
instead they are linked via URLs from other sources on the Internet. If
you do not have access to your own www page(s) to publish your reviews,
then read rec.arts.movies.reviews for a week or so before posting your
review there - it will then be archived in HTML format by us, usually within
two weeks.
18. How to keep a local installation of the database up-to-date