User:IJBall/NOTIMDb
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 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia is not the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). As a result, actor Filmographies on Wikipedia should only list roles for the actor that are verifiably notable, and should not attempt to include every role listed under the actor in the IMDb. |
The IMDb and what it does[edit]
From the Wikipedia article on the IMDb: "The Internet Movie Database (abbreviated IMDb) is an online database of information related to films, television programs and video games, including cast [listings]..."
As such, the listings for individual actors and actresses in the IMDb can be quite extensive, including even entries for roles such as not widely-released short films and uncredited appearances in films or on television, as well as entries for talk show appearances and interviews in which they appear as themselves.
The problem...[edit]
However, as detailed in the Wikipedia policy What Wikipedia is not, an encyclopedia such as this one can not be expected to cover every detail of a subject, and so cannot be expected to, for example, list every role that an actor and actress has ever played (see, specifically, WP:NOTDIRECTORY or WP:NOTEVERYTHING). Instead articles on Wikipedia should serve as an encyclopedic summary of an actor's career. Thus it is not necessary or required for an actor's Wikipedia article to include minor roles or uncredited appearances.
As per the Wikipedia informational page Perennial websites#IMDb, "The IMDb website generally contains more information than the Wikipedia article, including information that cannot be integrated into the Wikipedia article due to amount of detail."
(See also: WP:ELYES #3.) In other words, every entry that is listed under an actor at the IMDb cannot, and should not necessarily, be listed in the Filmography for that actor in their Wikipedia article.
What should Wikipedia Filmographies include?[edit]
Filmographies on Wikipedia should only include those roles in an actor's, or crew member's, career which are either shown to be notable with provided souring, or which can be presumed to be notable as per Wikipedia's policy on verifiability.
In terms of film, an acting role or a member of the crew that is credited in the film's opening credits will certainly be notable, and inclusion in a film's closing credits can also be presumed to be notable. For television, notable roles will similarly be main (i.e. opening credited) roles on television series or in television films, prominent recurring roles, and guest appearances that are credited just after a television series' opening or which are credited as "starring" in a series' closing credits.
What Wikipedia Filmographies should not include[edit]
Having established the kind of acting roles or film or television crew work that should be included in a filmography, the following are examples of things that should generally not be included in Wikipedia filmography sections:
- [will flesh this out soon...]
See also[edit]
- Wikipedia:External links/Perennial websites#IMDb – further info on when to use IMDb (e.g. as an External link, not as a source)
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Resources#Questionable resources, aka. WP:RS/IMDb – a specific guideline regarding the inappropriateness of using IMDb as a reference source at film- and television-related articles
- Wikipedia:Citing IMDb – an essay which details when it is acceptable to use IMDb as a source, and when it is not acceptable