IMDB Ethics

S

Sad Max

Artful Dodger
So just for a lark I do an IMDB search on this fellow I knew years back, who was always kind of a goof and a doofus and a liar and a fraud.

And, lo and behold, when his name comes up, there are credits there for shows that I know he didn't work on (because I did) and even a producer credit for a show on which his position is best described as 'prop-making independent contractor' (well, okay, he didn't make the props, he was an agent between the studio and the actual propmaker, who caught him on stage lying to the producers that he'd made the props...)

I think that it's good for IMDB to be as accurate as possible, since every year I seem to have one or two shows call me based upon my listing there, and the less reliable IMDB is known to be, it seems the less likely that I will benefit from it as a job-conduit.

So, should I contact the IMDB admins and advise them that several (probably most) of his credits are bogus? Or should I just do what I'm most inclined to do, which is shrug it off...
 
Honestly I think it's in all of our interest to keep it accurate.
They (IMDb) make it easy to edit a page as you know, and offer a REPORT ERROR link right at the bottom of each page.
So I'd say go for it, have them check this person's page accuracy.
 
Guns are always appealing, and generally an outstanding position. The only question now is whether to use a .357 or 12ga shotgun. I'd probably opt for both though :beer:

"Another day, another caliber bullet"
 
who really cares?

It's just IMDB not the voice of god.

Shrug it off and forget about the dink.

-rook
 
I find it really sad if people are trying to credit themselves for work they didn't do. That has to be about the ultimate act of blatant selfishness.
 
Well, I remember this fellow being selfish in the sort of way that people who always think of themselves as victims, feel they're entitled to be selfish.

On the last show that we were both *really* on, he represented himself to me and to others, as an associate producer (before I had joined up); when I was working on it, myself, and couldn't find him on the crew list, and called the production office looking for 'so-and-so, one of the associate producers,' of course no one knew who I meant.

And I come home to find this absolutely furious, pissed-off, panic-stricken message on my answering machine...Karl...Karl, did you call the (name of show) office, looking for me? Did you ask them if I was a producer? What the hell are you doing...?

Just making the mistake of taking you at your word, man, just making that silly mistake.
 
rook said:
who really cares?

It's just IMDB not the voice of god.

Shrug it off and forget about the dink.
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Who really cares?

I'd assume the people who actually did the work and aren't getting credit for it might.

You might even care at some point. Like if you got a phone call from someone saying "Sorry. The Producers hired someone else. I wanted you, but they said this other guy had more credits when they looked him up."
 
anchoryanker said:
no such thing. Well, I guess if you start to reach the Chandrasehkar Limit you might have a problem.

I guess as long as you don't notice a reddish tint to the light and an odd 'pulling' sensation around your gun safe you should be ok.
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I have the model gun-safe that radiates dazzling white-pink light, end extrudes ectomorphic jelly-tentacles that try to grab you and drag you inside...
 
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GenJerDan said:
You might even care at some point. Like if you got a phone call from someone saying "Sorry. The Producers hired someone else. I wanted you, but they said this other guy had more credits when they looked him up."
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Which is why the prop maker whose work this fellow was claiming for his own, tore him multiple new ones in front of the execs, when he caught our boy demo'ing the guns and claiming that *he* had made them, himself...

...when 'Apollo 13' came out, the owners of the shop which fabricated the full-size LEM and splashdown command module were on local radio being interviewed about the project, and lo and behold they claim that 'we have an amazing relationship with the aerospace industry, so we were able to get original engineering documents for the spacecraft, and that's why they're so good-looking.'

Sorry, guys, I produced the entire package of construction documents, all by myself, and the best they could provide, was a stack of pictures taken at the NASM, plus archival photos, plus a couple of (variously inaccurate) scale models, to go on.

I wanted to call in to the show, and ask, 'hey, guys, it's me; since you had all those original documents lying around, why didn't you share them with me while I was doing all the plans for you...?'
 
Should've.

Behavior like that is what it destroying society, not drugs and violence and sex and britney and such. Just bad behavior in the little things.

More and more I'm starting to think Hannibal is not far wrong: eat the rude.
 
Okay, how does it help anyone to know that the database is inaccurate and to just let it slide? It's like seeing a Wikipedia entry that's blatantly wrong, and just leaving it there. Who does that help?

If you have absolute knowledge that something is factually incorrect (in Wikipedia, or IMDB, or whatever) isn't it basically your duty as a Netizen to write in and say "hey, this and that are inaccurate, here's the real facts"?
 
Are you saying I didn't write "Chinatown"?

I say report it. I know a director who once received a demo reel from a guy who had once been a PA for him and was trying to break into the directing ranks. Only problem way, he had one of my friend's spots on his reel. Genius!
 
Barry_Green said:
Okay, how does it help anyone to know that the database is inaccurate and to just let it slide? It's like seeing a Wikipedia entry that's blatantly wrong, and just leaving it there. Who does that help?

If you have absolute knowledge that something is factually incorrect (in Wikipedia, or IMDB, or whatever) isn't it basically your duty as a Netizen to write in and say "hey, this and that are inaccurate, here's the real facts"?
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I completely agree. :thumbsup:
 
well said

well said

Sad Max said:
Well, I remember this fellow being selfish in the sort of way that people who always think of themselves as victims, feel they're entitled to be selfish.
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This is one of the absolute best ways I have ever heard anyone put this.:thumbsup:I wish I could say I had said this, but I wouldn't even think about taking credit for it. It will be used and full credit given to you.
 
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