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Filmography Credits

I worked on a title but did not receive a screen credit. Can it be listed on IMDb?

The decision to display uncredited/unbilled credits is made on a case-by-case basis and there are several factors that may influence our choice.

  1. Older movies had very sparse credits: many cast and crew members did not get on-screen billing. These days, end credits are much more comprehensive and most people who contribute eligible work receive a credit. The more recent the movie (and/or extensive the credits), the less of a chance that we will list uncredited work for it. The onscreen credits of Closer (2004) only include six cast members, while Stuck on You (2003) credits 383 actors: clearly we would be more inclined to believe that someone who appeared in the former has been left out of the credited cast, rather than accept an uncredited appearance in the latter (because Stuck on You (2003) already credits almost every appearance by every performer, no matter how small or brief, while Closer (2004) only gives credit to the major stars).

  2. You need to have at least one pre-existing credited entry in the database. We will not display filmographies consisting exclusively of uncredited work. We may make an exception in very rare/specific circumstances (e.g. on movies released before 1990, episodes released before 2000 and/or for high-profile credits, such as an uncredited cameo appearance by a celebrity), but in most cases we will not list an uncredited credit unless you have a pre-existing credited filmography.

  3. The credit must be eligible for inclusion on its own merits. There are certain types of credits that we do not list unless they are specifically credited on-screen: these include work on marketing elements of a title (work on key art, trailers etc.), or on non-theatrical versions (e.g. DVD authoring, supplemental materials, captioning etc.), or on localized releases (dubbing, dialogue translation/editing on foreign versions etc.). We do not list these credits unless the person has received an on-screen credit for their work in the original version of the title. These details may be added to the other works biography section, or alternatively IMDbPro members can add these to the additional credits section of the name page.

  4. Different types of credits may be subject to different (and stricter) rules. For example we don't accept any uncredited writing credits for movies with WGA-determined screenwriting credits. This also excludes credits for "script consultants", "script doctors" (or similar variations) on the same titles. For more details see our Writers guide.

  5. For cast/acting appearances, you must be identifiable and featured on-screen in the final released cut of the title. In other words, it's not enough to have worked on a production: your scenes must be included in the final cut and it must be possible to easily identify your appearance (i.e. background work as a crowd member or a similar role where it is impossible to recognize the subject are not eligible). If you ended up on the cutting room floor, you are not eligible to be listed. We may ask you to supply evidence of this, so you should be prepared to provide photos/stills/screen grabs to verify that you are featured.

  6. Unless radically different, credited work on a movie supersedes similar uncredited work on the same movie. For example, if you were a stunt driver and a stunt rigger on a production and received on-screen credit (and are listed on our site) as "stunt performer", your existing credit already covers your work on the movie. There is no need to submit an uncredited stunt driver or stunt rigger entry. However if you are already credited as stunt performer but also worked, without receiving credit, as a cinematographer, then the latter credit may be submitted separately.

    Additional examples where similar uncredited work on the same title should not be submitted when credited work exists include:

    • A credited actor who performs uncredited stunt-work.
    • A credited stunt performer who appears onscreen uncredited in background capacity

    Upon request, you should be able and willing to provide verification of your work (i.e. by sending pay stubs, copies of residual checks or similar documentation) and, for acting work, of your appearance in the final cut of the title (via copies of screen shots or stills etc.).

  7. For uncredited voice credits, please refer to our specific guide page on these. 

 

If you fulfill all of the above criteria, you may be eligible for inclusion in the database, based on verification of your work on the title.

Please go here for help on how to submit your name/credit. And don't forget to include the word uncredited in the attribute field of your submission! Failing to specify that you were uncredited or (for cast credit) adding a non-existent billing order number guarantees that your submission will be automatically discarded.

Some important notes:

  • We reserve the right to remove uncredited work at any time. We periodically revise and adapt these criteria and reserve the right to retroactively restrict our eligibility rules for uncredited work.
  • We do not add additional entries (including uncredited ones) to titles whose cast has already been locked.
  • For acting/on-screen appearances you must provide a character name (e.g. "Sam") or role (e.g. "Jury Member"). Submissions with an empty character field or with descriptions like "lead", "supporting", "featured", "background", "extra" or "bit-part" will automatically be discarded.
  • Existing listings should not be taken as an indication that similar entries are automatically eligible. Pre-existing ineligible entries may have been grandfathered into the database before we changed our rules, or may be eligible for other reasons that are not immediately apparent to you. Please do not assume that the presence of a similar credit automatically implies that your entry should and will be accepted.
  • Please also keep in mind that on new and/or yet-unreleased pictures all credits we list are not final and are subject to change, especially until we can check them against an actual title. It is fairly common, for example, for bit roles to be removed from our listing when final credits become available to us, or when/if the scene featuring that person has ended up on the cutting room floor.
  • Uncredited submissions require more work than other types of credits. Therefore, these credits may take longer to appear on the site than what is normally described in our processing times schedule.

    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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