I am starting to get the hang of how imdb works. However, looking at my page today, 2 more credits have appeared.
1 is for a "The Bill" uncredited I did in 2003 - I'm not a paid up member, so how would it have found me? I wasn't the only extra but I'm the only one listed on their page.
The 2nd is an (announced) credit that I know nothing about! Wrong Ben Walton perhaps?
What's going on? When i can get to a computer I'll have a proper good search and perhaps contact them. But just wondered what your view would be, esp those whom are very familiar with how it all works!!
my only guess is that there are more than one Ben Waltons... there's already two listed on IMDB. maybe more and the people adding the info don't realise they have to make a new name and they just added it to the one that is there, which IMDB always suggests when you enter a new name.
naff i know, i'm the opposite. I'm still split on two IMDB pages, one for acting credits and another for other stuff. i keep trying to merge both Nathan Heads. but its taking ages.
Take it all with a pinch of salt Doc ... a bloody big pinch. Half my work isn't recorded on IMDB .. and according to the latest report, I'm down 38% in ratings ??? .. and it's only monday morning for christ's sake !!. ... which, of course, means that I was in the upper echelon ... quite surprising really, seeing as how I've not worked for some months due to a heavy writing schedule .. finding a new Agent .. the boil on my wife's arse .. and , the cat !!!.
IMDb is regarded as the "Bible" over here in the USA and if you aren't on its database you aren't a professional actor.
Allan, your credits might have been added automatically by the companies who submitted the films (more often than not smaller roles are ommitted as they get fed up by the masses of info they have to give and think that actors will be on the ball enough to add themselves once the film page is up and running) and if your credits aren't on there you can easily add them yourself (at no cost).
As for your ranking changing - the starmeter is updated on a Monday morning (UK time) and if you have IMDbPro you can see how much you've risen or fallen. If you haven't been working then you might find that your ranking has fallen week on week. The percentage you refer to is your percentage change from Sunday to Monday of the previous week only, not an accumulative change from your last credit. Everybody's ranking is calculated every week regardless of their productivity levels.
Please don't dismiss one of the most effective tools at an actor's disposal.
It's very possible that in the case of the Bill someone else who knew you were in the episode has helpfully added you. The other credit sounds like a simple case of mistaken identity.
I think at the very least it is worth trying imdb Pro's free trial to see if it's for you.
I think it has some great resources on there...But don't tell everyone eh!
It's a shame that the Resume is not included with your imdb pro account.
Congratulations Catherine, and if you have IMDbPro you can check your actual ranking and place in various rankings - actresses/actors, moving up, most popular with under 5 roles,under 25's etc. It's really interesting to see how you change each week in the worldwide ranking. it's really interesting to see on a week to week basis.
Last week I had gone up 105% to rank 20 (from no 31) and then this week down 20% to rank 25 so, as is clear to anyone with a mathematical brain, the percentages are obviously relative to the position you start at the previous week. It also tells me why I might have risen and fallen.
I find it invaluable and, as said before, is a tool used over here by casting personnel to check out actors casting for them with a quick click of a button!
Yeah, and you try taking off a role that is uncredited... I have contacted them loads of times to have one of my credits removed, as it is listed as uncredited, but no luck so far!
I would be interested how the UK industry deals with IMDB in a few years time. An American actor friend of mine mentioned that it's a valuable resource for agents and casting directors over there. Similar to Spotlight. I know that similar things have been said already on this thread.
By coincidence I was chatting to someone socially recently who turned out to be a London based agent who mentioned that they also use IMDB alongside Spotlight, but that they're only really interested where profiles have headshots and/or CV's; ie: profiles where the actor has taken a hand in keeping it updated, which makes sense really.
Interestingly, since then I have noticed that a few UK based actor friends have been updating their IMDB profiles with shiny new photos and adding their CV's. Their feedback is that it advertises them to a wider audience and an audience who don't necessarily have access to Spotlight (again I am guessing US companies would fall into that bracket).
I'm undecided about it myself. I have a few details on the site, but I've never added to it with photos and stuff.........
Allan, I know you have mentioned to take it with a pinch of salt, which until recently, I have..... until I heard that it does increasingly get used.
My problem with it is that it falls between 2 categories. Until recently, I had used it as a general resource..... if I saw a film where I saw an actor who I liked I would use it to see what else he or she had done.
Although you can update it, you rely on their staff to filter through all the requests which can take weeks before you see your update go live. Similarly, as we have seen, you can end up with credits which are not yours that can be giving your profile completely the wrong image. It took a friend of mine 4 months to convince the administrators that she hadn't done a porn film, especially when she would have been 15 years old at the time!!! Not good!
It's not like Spotlight where you can log in and immediately update your details..... anyone can become an IMDBpro member, which means it's not as easy to manage.
Slightly scary for something which it seems is now being used more often by the industry.
My complaint is that the IMDB admin never change the profile and or Biog info...I have been asking for 2 years!! I want to know if under a pro membership would I get control over this?
I think its disgusting that the IMDB database take whatever info is fed them and then take months/years if ever, or just refuse to change it.
Yes that is my concern - with it being used by the industry it's a bit embarrassing if you can't keep your details correct very easily.
I do have IMDBpro - me and my boyfriend share it. He is a production designer and for him it is incredibly useful as a resource for what is in pre-production and who is already attached in the art departments.
From what I can see, the big production companies have a much easier time, and get their details up very quickly, sometimes even before it is in the public domain. I can imagine that is because the IMDB people realise the value in getting the information from the horses mouth as it were, and is what makes the site a valuable resource.
For the individual like you and me, it is a little more tricky - simply because of the time it takes from submitting the information, to getting it added. Added to the fact that, like you mentioned, it is open to anyone adding/ updating information. The biggest problem they have is with people with the same name getting lumped together.
When you join, you just join as a member. There is no way (as far as I can see) of connecting your membership to your profile (and I can't imagine there will be because that would be just as open to abuse I would have thought) - what this means is that you are not directly in control of it - but you can update the info as you could try to update the information on anybody elses details!
I would suggest definitely looking into it - they have a 2 week free trial - give it a go. Certainly the information you get is much more extensive if you don't mind the charge which is about £75 for the year.
Then to update/ change/ delete information, they have links to forms for you to complete. With every change you get a "receipt number" type thing so you can track it. It's just a bit of a labyrinth. Their forums are helpful too with people who are experiencing problems.
Not all that long ago, they teamed up with a company called Withoutabox who allow indie film directors to distribute their films and submit them into festivals all around the world. I've found that extremely useful, and what it means is that films that have been submitted through that site, get added to IMDB.
A great addition I think, but like I say, they are treading the line now between being an industry site and a fan/ open forum site...... which makes it a bit of a pandora's box from what I have seen.
At the very least, what you could do is add your agent details which means you are contactable.....
I recently got a page!! Very exciting and I'm up 424% (probably cause it's so new.)
my mini-thumbnail looks like my face is being pinched though so wonder what dimension the photos need to be uploaded in.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2957371/
14 years ago
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