IMDB Page

Adam J McKay

Adam J McKay

Veteran
Hey there,

I have an IMDB pro account and was wondering are the steps in getting an IMDB page. I signed up for the resume service but my page looked nothing like other peoples IMDB pages. Why is this? Any info is greatly appreciated.
 
I actually have no idea. I've worked on several productions and kinda assumed an IMDB page would appear. I assumed wrong.
 
I copied this a while back for my archives from the 'Corrado' thread under 'User Films':


[Snip]
With all this talk of legitimacy lately I thought I'd mention IMDb for a moment. Most everyone in the industry knows about IMDb, and for some reason it has become the be all and end all as far as legitimacy goes.

Now probably every IMDb profile you will see is "missing" data. The thing is, IMDb is really hardcore about only placing credited stuff on your imdb page.

I've got a 35mm short that doesn't show up on imdb because it never got into a film festival and thus does not meet their requirements for "public viewing". My TV pilot never saw the light of day and thus also does not appear. How about the myriad of shorts I've done since I got my HVX? Some were informal, some had actors in them, one of them was an entry into an MTV film contest that was displayed online and generated over 30,000 views.

I suppose by having only exhibited works, it levels the playing field for all of us, which is why credits are so important. I've stated this before - screen credits (and thus IMDb credits) are legal tender in Hollywood. They're worth money because it makes you look good.

Still, it makes so many of look like we did absolutely nothing, and then boom - he directs a feature film. Pretty deceptive.

I have a love hate relationship with IMDb. I only use IMDb Pro, since the public version is so utterly useless; I'm sure most of you use pro as well.

Getting your film listed on IMDb is simple if you know how to do it. It can be difficult and frustrating if you don't.

If you are in pre production or filming a feature, it should be on IMDb. It's like free publicity. The site has over 17,000,000 registered users! What are you waiting for? Here's how it's done:

1. You must first go on the Hollywood Reporter and Variety sites and fill out the necessary form to list your film in the pre-production stage. There is a page of data you must enter; put in the film's name, cast, crew, etc. Once you have done this, submit it and they state that it will be "verified" by someone.

It's not verified. They lie. They just post it in their papers under projects in develpment. Now don't bullshi* people; if you have a movie with a script not done, no money or equipment, then you're just wasting everyone's time. But if you will truly enter pre-pro, even though you don't have the cash (but you know it's coming), then by all means put it up.

After a couple days, they will put it up on their site and in the paper. When you see it on the site, save the link to your listing. You'll need it for step two.

2. Go to IMDb and add your new title. Most important box to fill in: Provide External Link. You'll find in their little fine print that the external link must be a third party site that speaks of your movie. Boom! Give 'em your variety link, baby.

Then fill out the rest and wait two weeks and it'll be up.

If you do not have the external link - they'll never put your title up. Trust me. I poo pooed around with mailing them letters, budgets, oaths, you name it. They don't care. They don't approve jack squat; they expect someone like Variety or the Reporter to do their work for them and thus...legitimize your production.

After they put the title up, they wouldn't add Sizemore for like two weeks. Finally they sent me an e-mail and said that they wanted to see a copy of his Letter Of Intent or Contract before they would add him to the page. So I sent them the contract, and bang, he was up a couple days later. This keeps the riff raff from attaching A listers to their projects.

I suppose that prevents me from generating a little harmless buzz for myself by putting up that little project I've got going on with Denzel, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, and De Niro in it. ;-)

Anyone can update your IMDb page, and it's already happened to ours. Someone added Edoardo Ballerini to the page. Now it's true that we have a deal with him to play the character of Salvatore, but I haven't yet spoken to him, signed a contract with him, or really finalized the details. We only came to a deal yesterday with his people.

Not sure how the hell he got on there - if he was more famous I'd say he had been leaked out, but there you have it. He's there, larger than life, on Corrado's page and who the hell knows how he got there.

IMDb - making nobodies like me feel like real filmmakers since 1990!
[End snip]
Click to expand...
Hope that helps...

Cheers,
 
I didn't start my IMDB page - it appeared after a production I worked on followed-through on their own credits. Since then, I've added the past two years of productions, but haven't gone back to the beginning (in roughly 1990) because the process is so time consuming. I've got a half-dozen features and two prime-time series that I'm not included in, but was credited on through the IATSE.

It's an odd process.

e
 
i play in front of the camera... it's useless, people don't care what you credit yourself as, only what "others" credit you as... if that makes sense... there are many "actors" who are actually "extras"

i.e. extras casting booked you 3 days on Iron Man, they put you in front, you see yourself in the big screen... that does NOT mean you're a "Supporting Principal", but a lot of these people don't get it...

hope that makes sense to you...
 
After you send the information on both of those forms, where on the site do you look to see your project listed?

I don't see any "in production" areas.
 
Look under "charts" - it lists film and TV production there.

Another question - production company. If you're making a low-budget film, you will not necessarily have the backing of a major or even professional film company. If one was to try and get their production listed without a company, what would the recommendation be? Do you have to set up a company to be able to get your production onto IMDB?
 
Anyone can update your IMDb page, and it's already happened to ours. Someone added Edoardo Ballerini to the page. Now it's true that we have a deal with him to play the character of Salvatore, but I haven't yet spoken to him, signed a contract with him, or really finalized the details. We only came to a deal yesterday with his people.
Click to expand...

wtf? so if you have a movie, some dude you don't even know can go in and edit your page?
 
I think it's also possible for someone else to go into your personal IMDB page and mess with it. I know of a sound editor who evidently made someone angry because someone went in and deleted all of his IMDB credits… TWICE!! The poor guy has worked on some huge movies including Transformers and Indiana Jones and now his IMDB page has nothing to show for it.

So the lesson here is to take a screenshot of your IMDB page every time you update it. Don't just link to it. That way you'll have proof if the horrible happens to you.
 
We've had some major problems getting IMDB to recognize documentary films, even when there were many third-party web sites corroborating theater showings, and festival screenings, as well as places online to purchase the DVDs.

It eventually took working connections at Amazon to get the credits for our film approved, but without those connections I expect nothing would have been added to IMDB. We're still trying to get another film listed, with no avail.
 
that's crazy, i know of a guy (actually two guys with two different films in this area) who hasn't even filmed 2 minutes of footage for his feature or even casted officially, no big names attached, yet has a page created for his movie...yet everyone else is including myself is getting put through the wire....
 
To get on IMDB, sumbit to the Hwood Reporter and Variety. Find online magazines that report on your genre of film and email them press releases. Once three or four have been published start on your IMDB page and include the links to these articles in the proper place when asked.

IMDB is odd. My friend directed a film and they list some chick we never heard of as the director. IMDB will not correct this even when asked. For a long time I was (and still am) associated with the horror film "Wages of Sin". When I started shooting mine they were doing theirs and their goofy actors or whoever did their listing didn't know who the director was so they started posting on my listing.

I wrote IMDB and told them I didn't know these actors and they aren't my film. Eventually they were removed. To this day I think people are rating that film and bringing my rating down. My film was ranked at 8.5 now it's 4.5. And at the time my ranking started to plummet the amount of people voting didn't equal the amount of people who'd bought the film. My name is still connected with the Horror film "Wages of Sin" and even when I tell people I didn't do that film they still post information saying I did.

-Nate
 
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