Filmography Credits
- Adding Filmography credits
- How do I correct credits?
- Attributes
- How are cast credits ordered? Why don't the main stars appear at the top of the cast?
- Cast/Acting credits guidelines
- I worked on a title but did not receive a screen credit. Can it be listed on IMDb?
- How are filmographies ordered? Why do my acting credits appear before my writing credits?
- Complete cast & crew
- How do I correct/add credits to my filmography?
- IMDb Credit Eligibility FAQ
- Eligible Credits
- How do I add an episodic credit?
- Archive footage
- My credits are scattered over different names, but it's always me. How do I fix this?
- What is the "profession" order at the top of a name page
- How can I move credits to another page?
- Credit order
- Some of the information on my page is not really necessary or useful anymore. Can I remove it?
- Why have you deleted one or more of my credits?
- Animation department
- Art directors
- Art department
- Assistant directors
- Camera department
- Casting credits
- Cinematographers
- Composers
- Costume credits
- Costume designer
- Directors
- Editors
- Editorial department
- Location management
- Makeup department
- I worked on the supplemental materials for a film. Can I add my credit to the IMDb page?
- Miscellaneous companies
- Additional crew
- Music department
- Department heads
- Showrunners and Head writers
- Producers
- Production designers
- Production managers
- Script & Continuity
- Set decorators
- Sound department
- Stunts
- Thanks credits
- Transportation department
- Visual effects department
- Special effects department
- Writers
- Why do some acting credits show up in a separate list under a category called "Self" even if those people didn't actually appear as themselves?
- Characters
Archive footage
The archive footage attribute is used for footage that was shot for an earlier, usually unidentified, production, such as a newsreel, home movie, outtakes, etc., or for archival documentation and not the specific production it is used in.
Essentially, we allow or exclude archive footage credits based on the following guidelines (it's implied that we reserve the right to make exceptions for special cases as we see fit):
Note: The standard "two wrongs don't make a right" rule applies: just because we have credits that violate some of the above, doesn't mean that the rules are not valid (it just means that those credits were accepted before the rules were established, or we didn't know better, or we just made a mistake).The "on screen credit" rule If someone's appearance is credited on screen it automatically qualifies as a valid archive footage credit, regardless of what type of archive footage it is. This supersedes any of the potential exclusions below.
The "movielink" rule If someone's appearance is uncredited and covered by a movielink entry (e.g., footage from a title is recycled as a "prologue" or flashback in a sequel or subsequent title in a series) it does not qualify as "archive footage."
The "Forrest Gump" rule If archive footage is an integral part of the title's narrative, it's eligible. Additional examples: scenes from Poor Cow creatively used as flashbacks in The Limey; President Clinton's appearance in Contact.
The "Bowling for Columbine" rule If the title is a documentary and the archive footage is an integral/essential part of the story/topic, it qualifies (which means that even if he didn't appear as himself towards the end of the title, Charlton Heston's NRA rally footage would be enough to qualify as a valid "archive footage" entry, while Willie Horton's brief clip from the old anti-Dukakis campaign ad probably wouldn't).
The "That's Entertainment" compilation rule If the title is a compilation/retrospective made up entirely or almost entirely of archive footage, then the people appearing in that footage qualify for archive footage credits.
The "no degrees of separation" rule Only "archive" footage that is used directly in the title is eligible. If an actor appears in a title shown as being watched on TV in a scene of another title, then the first title clip is not eligible as archive footage. In other words, James Stewart's footage from Vertigo shown in a scene in Twelve Monkeys where Bruce Willis' character goes to the movies is not eligible.
The "must be real footage" rule If someone's stock likeness appears as a photograph or as a poster on a wall, or on the cover of a magazine etc. in a scene of a title, it's not eligible.
Tracking your contribution
You can now track the status of your Credit submission and if it has not been approved, we'll tell you the reason why.
If you are using the mobile apps, mobile website or desktop website you can access this feature via the 'Track your contribution' button, which has been added to the submission email receipt. Additionally, if you are using the desktop website, you can also use the 'Track Contribution' button now found in your contribution history page.
Clicking this button will take you to IMDb Contributor, our new contribution specific site where you will be shown the status of your request.
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