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    Invelos Forums->DVD Profiler: Contribution Discussion Page: 1  Previous   Next
Where to draw the line between bonus material and documentary movie?
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorhydr0x
Registered: April 4, 2007
Germany Posts: 886
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I've run into a problem not directly linked to contributing but rather to my personal database.

I don't know whether to give a collection number to certain discs or not. I'm currently giving every movie, documentary (like "The Civil War" by Ken Burns), mini-series, series, cartoon/short compilation a collection number. I've got some bonus materials though (some on different discs, some on the same disc as the movie) that I'm not sure about. Are they already documentaries that deserve a separate collection number or are they just bonus material. This is the current list of candidates, which all have imdb entries and some even separate releases.

Cary Grant: A Class Apart
Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters & Marvels
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl

Now, please understand that I'm just asking about collection number, not whether they deserve their own profile or nor. Other movies contain various similar features, like a bio of George Cukor, Gene Kelly or Katharine Hepburn.

Somehow I want to give the Riefenstahl docu a number. After all it is mentioned on some "top movies" lists along with documentary features like Man with a Movie Camera. But then, how is it different from the other, all being documentaries about the life of a person within the movie industry?

Where do you draw the line... any guidance on what to do?
- Jan
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorBad Father
Registered: July 23, 2001
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 4,596
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I don't get the point of the Poll? This is purely a personal preferrence and not anything subject to rules or guidelines. If a Documentary is included as a feature on a bonus DVD it goes with the Profile it came with as Bonus Material. Why would you want to assign it a collection number to inflate your title count?
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantVega
Registered: May 19, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
United States Posts: 585
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I would do it based on a couple criteria.  If the bonus material has it's own UPC code then I definitely give it a collection number.  If an entire disc is devoted to the documentary (that's all that's on there) and it's close to being feature-length on it's own (at least over an hour) then I'd give it it's own number.

Other than that I tend to just treat them as bonus discs to the main film and don't make it's own profile.

-edit-
Quoting hydr0x:
Quote:
Now, please understand that I'm just asking about collection number, not whether they deserve their own profile or nor.


Don't these go hand in hand?  You can't assign a collection number without creating it's own profile.
"Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men" - Douglas Bader
"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." - Douglas Adams
 Last edited: by Vega
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorhydr0x
Registered: April 4, 2007
Germany Posts: 886
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Quoting 8ballMax:
Quote:
I don't get the point of the Poll? This is purely a personal preferrence and not anything subject to rules or guidelines. If a Documentary is included as a feature on a bonus DVD it goes with the Profile it came with as Bonus Material. Why would you want to assign it a collection number to inflate your title count?


I know it's a personal thing and I said so in my post. I just want to get opinions about this to help me decide it.

It has got nothing to do with inflating. I count documentaries I purchased and something like the Riefenstahl documentary is available for purchase on its own so the question arises whether this has to be counted, just like I count bonus feature films (like the silent Ben-Hur).

@Vega

That's too vague I'm afraid. The above example "Cary Grant: A Class Apart" (87 min) has its own keep case and UPC within one of my Cary Grant boxsets. It's also one of a couple of things on the bonus disc of "Bringing Up Baby", which also features another documentary of a similar length. A solution that would make me give it a number in the first case but not in the second seems stupid as it makes my count entirely dependent on the distributors packaging/authoring decision. If I only had the later one it wouldn't have a number and if I only had the boxset it would!? Doesn't make a lot of sense.

I'm trying to find a way to decide this based on the content itself rather than its packaging.
- Jan
 Last edited: by hydr0x
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorhydr0x
Registered: April 4, 2007
Germany Posts: 886
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Quoting Vega:
Quote:

-edit-
Quoting hydr0x:
Quote:
Now, please understand that I'm just asking about collection number, not whether they deserve their own profile or nor.


Don't these go hand in hand?  You can't assign a collection number without creating it's own profile.


but I can have a profile without a number

I do have profiles for all those mentioned but currently without a number.
- Jan
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantgardibolt
digitally Obsessed
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 1,414
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The Stan Lee and the Riefenstahl were sold as free-standing DVDs so they should definitely get a number.  The Kubrick as I recall was only available as a bonus disc in the boxset, and if that's the case I wouldn't give it a number.  I don't know anything about the Grant, so no opinion there.

My opinions have the force of law.  Or they should. 
"This movie has warped my fragile little mind."
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorNadja
Small and broken
Registered: March 13, 2007
United Kingdom Posts: 775
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I don't know whether the Kubrick one was originally made for the box set, but it is currently available as a standalone release.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 21,610
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Quoting 8ballMax:
Quote:
I don't get the point of the Poll? This is purely a personal preferrence and not anything subject to rules or guidelines. If a Documentary is included as a feature on a bonus DVD it goes with the Profile it came with as Bonus Material. Why would you want to assign it a collection number to inflate your title count?


I concur.

Skip
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Billy Video
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorBad Father
Registered: July 23, 2001
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 4,596
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Quoting hydr0x:
Quote:
I know it's a personal thing and I said so in my post. I just want to get opinions about this to help me decide it.

It has got nothing to do with inflating. I count documentaries I purchased and something like the Riefenstahl documentary is available for purchase on its own so the question arises whether this has to be counted, just like I count bonus feature films (like the silent Ben-Hur).

I'm trying to find a way to decide this based on the content itself rather than its packaging.


Sorry...perhaps I phrased that improperly. I didn't mean that it was your intention to inflate your title count but that that would generally be the outcome of assigning collection numbers to bonus materials  . Of course if a documentary included as a bonus disc has it's own UPC# then I would assign it a collection number. Other than that I wouldn't.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 21,610
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The process is simple, hydrox. Was the documentary produced for theatrical release or independent TV airings, most such Docs are produced for Video purposes, though some will find their way to TV, very few are prodiuced for Theatrical release. It can get a bit sticky, iw ill grant you if apply television, the general rule of thumb is documentaries is NOT a separate title and probably never will be or should be, but perhaps one day we will be able track such material a bit more specifically than is currently possible. Don't try to equate a documentary with a feature film such the 1925 Ben-Hur they are not even remotely the same.

Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
CBE, MBE, MoA and proud of it.
Outta here

Billy Video
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributormdnitoil
Registered: March 14, 2007
United States Posts: 1,777
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Dang!  I was looking for the "Profile every possible thing" option but I couldn't find it.  Not that I would do it myself, but if somebody can't make up their own mind how to do things then I always vote for the option that is the most work.  I figure that'll teach 'em to be indecisive. 
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 21,610
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You're a so baaad.        

Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
CBE, MBE, MoA and proud of it.
Outta here

Billy Video
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantpauls42
Reg: 31/01/2003
Registered: March 13, 2007
United Kingdom Posts: 2,692
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I tend to number all the discs - not to inflate my count! - but purely so I can search backwards by disc number to look at what I bought recently.

(It saves me the trouble to correct the purchase date so I could use that, since this could be months before the dvd was in my hands - if I preorder etc).

I don't use the count for anything else..
Paul
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