IMDB credit, etc.

[JD Hartman]

What would you do in this scenario, I'll try and stick to the facts.

 

You were part of the lighting crew (3 persons) on a small feature.

Shoot was approximately seven weeks.

Production company went through three teams in the lighting department.

Original Gaffer, his best and the third electric walked off.

Long days, no overtime, bad (dangerous) equipment.

You were part of the second team.

You replaced the original Gaffer.

In week seven, Production replaced you and your team.

Production wrapped, no credit on IMDB for myself and several others.

Likely as not, no credit on the theatrical print as well.

 

Chalk it up to a bad experience? Send them a polite email?

[Mike Lary]

Chalk it up to a bad experience? Send them a polite email?

 

As far as IMDB credit is concerned, you can submit a claim through IMDB on the film's page. They'll try to contact the production to verify that the information is correct, then post your credit. Whoever submitted the film to IMDB and is managing that entry needs to confirm that you worked on the project, so you should send that person an email as well to give them a head's up.

[Vincent Sweeney]

Keep in mind that most people involved professionally in film know that IMDB is full of sh** and is often very inaccurate anyway.

[Brad Grimmett]

Just add the credit. IMDB isn't contacting anyone about it. They'll most likely just add it when you submit.

[Tom Jensen]

Keep in mind that most people involved professionally in film know that IMDB is full of sh** and is often very inaccurate anyway.

Really? Based on what? I don't think it is full of poop. I've always noticed it was pretty accurate.

[Brad Grimmett]

I've always noticed it was pretty accurate.

So have I. I'm sure there are plenty of incorrect things on there, but in general it seems pretty accurate. If anything, there are more credits missing than there are credits that are incorrect, at least in my experience.

It used to be a real pain to get them to add a credit, but it seems like it's gotten much better over the last 5 or 6 years.

[Chris Durham]

It's not necessarily inaccurate, particularly for professional productions; it's just that it's kind of meaningless, particularly for less-than-professional productions. There was a short/pilot that I shot last year and the director was fired halfway through production. This was a [bad] actor with directorial aspirations, and in the drama that followed his removal he attempted to dress down the lead actor for having been pursuing acting (in a non-production town) for two years and not having a single IMDB credit. It was funny because not only had he cast this actor, the actor had more professionalism, dedication, and talent than the "director" by huge margin. Point is, the hack director was more concerned with IMDB credit while the actor was more concerned with, well, acting. I've cast that actor myself since working with him and recommend him when asked, whereas the director... not so much.

 

So I think at a certain level people use IMDB to pad their resume and insinuate that their number of credits speaks to their competence, which is a game that doesn't really work when you get to a level where your work needs to speak for itself. The value in IMDB at that level is for quick-checking qualifications, but I don't think it's seen as authoritative. At that point, too, your reel does a lot of the talking.

[Adrian Sierkowski]

When it comes to IMDB, I think a lot of people just give it quick look to double check a CV. I know it's mostly missing credits, but when I get a resume from someone I'll give 'em a look on IMDB and see, oh, ok, there's one credit from their CV on the IMDB (or rather a few) I'll assume the rest of these, like so many projects, never got finished for whatever reason, or just weren't seen for whatever reason. I also like to check out the technical specs when I can (for all my own credits, I tend to do my best to make sure the tech specs are correct.. just anal retentive, I suppose).

As for your situation, JD, just submit it to IMDB, they should confirm it, if not just shoot production a polite e mail, though a bit forceful. Granted, it's not that important of a thing, but might as well try to get yourself on there if you can. Hell I'll submit it if you want ;)