IMDB Ethics

Max Im usually a live and let live kind of person. But this kind of thing really needs to be stamped out. A few years from now when people think everyone is doing it, no one will respect IMDB, then its worth nothing.
 
I honestly don't get what the fuss is about. IMDB is a joke, I see stuff on there all the time that is inaccurate. As ncje said, it'll be worth nothing and no one will respect it..."

That time is now.

I never knew anyone took it seriously. As far as I knew any schmo could add content. It's cute for movie buffs to look up what their fav celeb is workinng on next.

That's all.

-rook
 
rook said:
who really cares?

It's just IMDB not the voice of god.

Shrug it off and forget about the dink.

-rook
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Sadly enough... IMDB plays a HUGE part in the marketing world.
Especially PR. I didn't think it meant much but EVERYONE who is PR that I know uses imdb as much as Gettyimages.

They need stuff down, they look at IMDB.com and if it looks good to them, they get hired.
 
Why not send him an email and copy the people who actually did the work he claims to have done. This stuff happens all the time and has for years, bogus resumes and reels and now IMDB pages. In reality nobody ever gets hired based on a web page or a resume. Any producer in their right mind makes calls and checks refs. The guy is a loser and I bet that would take no more than a New York minute to shine through on set.
 
BrianMurphy said:
Why not send him an email and copy the people who actually did the work he claims to have done. This stuff happens all the time and has for years, bogus resumes and reels and now IMDB pages. In reality nobody ever gets hired based on a web page or a resume. Any producer in their right mind makes calls and checks refs. The guy is a loser and I bet that would take no more than a New York minute to shine through on set.
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The guy *is* a loser, but unfortunately he is a silver-tongued loser. The foot-in-the-door is enough for him to get a slot that could (and should) have gone to an actual competent professional, and by the time he embarrasses himself and his bosses, that ship has sailed. And at that point, I have noticed that producers and managers will usually cover for a stupid hire, or, more accurately, force their staff to cover for the stupid hire, because the admission that they were dumb and inept enough themselves, to have hired him, isn't something that they are particularly eager to admit.

Most producers don't hire below the department-head level, themselves (and thank the Gods for that; the vast majority wouldn't be competent to do so, even if they did). And time-constraints mean that a lot of people - more than you might like to think - are hired on the face-value of their resume. I can list a half-dozen shows, off the top of my head, where I was hired off my resume, period.

Rightly or wrongly, IMDB is increasingly a first stop to check out names when they come up for jobs. I see it happen in my department, and in others, frequently. And whether we *like* it, or not, that means that the professional community is better served by an at least semi-accurate database, than by an entirely fraudulent one.
 
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I didn't realize it was used by people so seriously. I can see how fake info can be a nusance.

Same as lying on a printed resume. I guess that's why references are more important to a lot of peeps.

That said, people lie on resumes all the time. I haven't, but I have no problem with others doing it to get a job. It seems a lot of jobs get passed around at the golf course and over the dinner table, so if someone wants to get a leg up by lying it's fine by me if they put themselves in a sink or swim situation.

-rook
 
rook said:
I didn't realize it was used by people so seriously. I can see how fake info can be a nusance.

Same as lying on a printed resume. I guess that's why references are more important to a lot of peeps.

That said, people lie on resumes all the time. I haven't, but I have no problem with others doing it to get a job. It seems a lot of jobs get passed around at the golf course and over the dinner table, so if someone wants to get a leg up by lying it's fine by me if they put themselves in a sink or swim situation.

-rook
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Not sure about other parts of the world but for TV screenings on some networks in Australia they specifically state a required IMDB link.
 
That said, people lie on resumes all the time. I haven't, but I have no problem with others doing it to get a job. It seems a lot of jobs get passed around at the golf course and over the dinner table, so if someone wants to get a leg up by lying it's fine by me if they put themselves in a sink or swim situation. ... But if I needed to, I would.
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On many occasions I've caught people lying on resumes and curriculum vitae. In many instances there were consequences - some that the liars are not even aware occurred. I think you're mistaken to think that this is a foul that has no harm associated with it.

Rook, I'm also appalled that you not only accept and approve the behavior, but that you are willing to put it in your own back pocket as a tool you'd consider using. Choose your own course, man, but in my experience requiring a high degree of integrity from yourself is one of the best ways to assure your own success. If you don't demand that level of integrity of yourself and would seriously consider lying and misrepresenting to get ahead "if you needed to", well, it's unlikely you'll ever insist on or even recognize the need for integrity from those you have to depend upon.
 
rook said:
I don't need to.

But if I needed to, I would.

-rook
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You've never, ever competed for a position, where lying a little could have made your resume just the slightest bit more attractive, and given you just a small edge in the winnowing process?

That's difficult to believe. I've presently got 59 professional credits worth listing, in the film/tv arena (which I could back up with paystubs, if I had to...), and more in the print world, and *I* can certainly think of some nice credits that I could add to tart the list up, if I were ethics-free and felt entitled to lie in order to get what I want (well, and if I were also stupid enough to risk getting caught at it, which I eventually would be).

It's odd, to equate being well-networked (ie the 'golf course' or 'dinner table' route you describe) with being dishonest, as though one person's success at legitimate relationship-building justifies another person's lies.

When falsified resumes or demo reels or portfolios cross my desk, I certainly don't go out of my way to persecute the perpetrator...but I also make sure that everyone in my own network knows who they're dealing with, if the liar tries to sign on with them. If you introduce yourself with low, dishonest tactics, I don't want to find out what you're liable to do, once I let you in close enough to do real damage...

Mark Johnson said:
If you don't demand that level of integrity of yourself and would seriously consider lying and misrepresenting to get ahead "if you needed to", well, it's unlikely you'll ever insist on or even recognize the need for integrity from those you have to depend upon.
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Dishonesty and hypocrisy seem to go hand-in-hand. I wouldn't be surprised to see that a person who figures it's fine to lie, in order for *him* to get ahead, would get their panties in a self-righteous twist, if they found that someone else had lied, in order to get ahead at his expense.
 
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Something I just found out with IMDB is that anyone can add their name to about any projects. They don't check. I worked on A film last spring where I was in charge of designing the vfx as well as the vfx team. I recently checked the credits on IMDB, and found that half the cast listed never worked on the movie, and most of the vfx team that's listed are people I have never heard of.
 
Gonna let it slide?

After reading this ongoing thread, I've decided to call the liar on it, myself, where I can demonstrate that he's lying.
 
Sad Max said:
Dishonesty and hypocrisy seem to go hand-in-hand. I wouldn't be surprised to see that a person who figures it's fine to lie, in order for *him* to get ahead, would get their panties in a self-righteous twist, if they found that someone else had lied, in order to get ahead at his expense.
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Unfortunately, this is all too true. It's a shame to see the loss of integrity in our society today. There is absolutely NOTHING more important than integrity.
 
SomewhereinLA, Thanks for listing that.

I bet we could make up an entire person and have them and their imaginary credits on the IMDB.

It doesn't mean anything. Not to me. In fact, someone could post lies all over the IMDB all day and I still wouldn't bash an eyelash.

It really means that little to me.

NOTHING is more important than integrity? Really? Cause I don't care about integrity. In fact, most of the work I do relys on the fact that I can create really great work without showing any integrity at all. Ever do any ad work? Or do you only do those high paying eco-friendly animal-rights videos that save the world? Cause they don't really pay my rent.

If a liar screws up someone's shoot, then oh yes, I truely hope they suffer. I have been screwed before and it is awful. And yes, of course, I'm going to tell ALL my freinds to stay away from the Lying-liar who screwed up my shoot. Assuming I wouldn't is absurd. That doesn't mean I hate the guy for lying. If anything, I hate myself for being fooled. Cause clearly, I'd be the idiot.

(as a side note: If you can't tell the difference between someone who is lying about their qualifications and someone who isn't...and it's your JOB to know the difference; Then clearly you are not qualified to do the job of hiring.)

That said, If some lying-liar lies his way into a job and then hits a home-run and delivers a fantastic piece of art to me, then I don't care what they lie about. They could insist to me that they can communicate with the un-dead. I don't care.

(Oh, and when I said I'd lie if I needed to, I meant it. This doesn't mean that I'm waiting in the shadows for my big chance to lie, like you imply. It means I'm not judging the people who feel they need to. But thanks for the shallow insinuation, it was amusing.)

Think about it in practical terms, people. Have YOU ever hired a person that you were NOT familiar with, for an important job?

If you have, then you get what you deserve.

And if you haven't, then welcome to the world where people lying on their resume is a non-issue.

(One other clarification, I wasn't saying that nepotism and lying were equal sins. Just that they are equally disgusting ways that unqualified people get good gigs. And yes, if your dad's friend gave you a good job to "help you out" and you screw up a shoot, then I automatically think you are a jackass and I will also tell ALL my friends that you are a lying-liar.)

Actually.....now that I've thought of it a bit. I change my mind. If you are really angry because you discovered a lie on IMDB, I think you should report it right away. In fact, make it your sole issue in life. Spend all the time you have. Knock yourself out.

-rook
 
Totally dude. I have a few movie and a few TV credits on there. All of which are for lame garbage. Most of the stuff I've done hasn't even been added and the stuff I do that I actually care about wouldn't even make sense to be on there.

I'm not trying to pretend I'm some hollywood big-wig.

I'd list the URL but at this point you guys seem out for blood.

-rook
 
This may be hard to fathom, but I'm not defending dishonesty. I'm just not condeming the offender.

-rook
 
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