IMDB = The Ultimate Poser Filter
Submitted by VPhan on Wed, 12/09/2009 - 4:15pm
A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, when I first got into filmmaking, IMDB was in it’s infancy and was not the industry standard it is today for confirming movie and television credits. For those of you who don’t know, IMDB is the Internet Movie Database. IMDB is a tool people use to check others’ professional credits. I remember sitting in a film class and showing the teacher a film I spent all weekend working on. He critiqued my film and told me how I could’ve done it better. I thought to myself, F#$% you! Let me see your credentials if you think you could do better.
Well back in those days there was little or no resources for me to easily check out what he’s done. I had to take everything he said at face value and assume he was an expert or commit myself to an arduous process to confirm his bona fides. I remember attending networking functions and meeting a whole bunch of people I never heard of before. I remember them talking about how many films they’ve done and all of the big names they’ve worked with. Once again there was no easy way for me to corroborate any of their credits so I just had to go with what people said about themselves.
IMDB was started in the early 90s but became the standard for checking credits in the 2000s. Now everyone has the ability to check someone’s official credits immediately. This is very important because a lot of people you will meet are full of BS. IMDB gives you the ability to not waste your time with someone who is obviously not who they say they are and move on to someone who can actually help you realize your project. This is an invaluable tool for small-time and big-time filmmakers for hiring cast and crew. Honestly, why waste your time interviewing someone who only knows how to make movies that only Youtube could love?
The great thing about IMDB is it has a very strict adding policy so posers can’t just add themselves. The people who manage the database actually do their homework and check peoples’ credits. They don’t let people add their films onto the database unless they have been screened at festivals or have distribution deals. Both criteria are difficult for people who aren’t serious about filmmaking to accomplish (*cough*Youtube*cough).
I’ve worked in the industry for a long time now and have met many posers. I once asked myself why there are so many people who pretend they do what I do for a living. The answer is quite obvious. People like the perks but don’t want to pay their dues. Also people have this natural interest in the entertainment business. Don’t believe me? Watch how many heads turn if you’re ever at a party and say you work in the film industry. People give you a certain amount of respect if you can make a living in the film industry because everyone knows how tough it is.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t look down or think any less of people who don’t work in this industry. It is a very tough business and I often ask myself why I even do it. The paydays are few and far in between. The hours are long and inconsistent. Even with so many reasons why not to do this I still see why there are so many people who pretend this is what they do. They want the same respect that the people who did what they couldn’t do get. People who work in this industry are people who let go of the safety net and took the plunge. We closed our eyes and leapt after our dreams never caring if we land safely or plummet to our deaths.
Because we took that plunge we were able to live the lives people only dream of. We got to rub elbows with famous people. We got to work onset with the sound stages and bright lights. We got to see our work or ourselves on the big screen and in our living rooms. We got to build a body of work we’ll always be remembered for and continue to be prolific. And if you don’t believe me, you could always check our credits to see if I’m bluffing.
Victor Phan & Clark Jones
Torture Chamber Productions
December 2, 2009
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Response
I've optioned films and written films on assignment that haven't been produced yet. That doesn't stop them from being on my IMDB page though. You're allowed to post unproduced work on your IMDB resume.
As for stuff you don't get credit for. On every short form agreement I've ever signed, I've always opted to get less money as long as I can keep my name on the project. Writers can and I believe they should fight for that.
As for posers padding their IMDB pages by adding themselves to your work. The original producers have full rights to delete anyone who posts themselves onto their projects. I delete D bags all of the time from my films. It's quite fun.
IMDB -- Good, Bad, Ugly.
For producers, actors, and directors, IMDB can be a nice aid. It's a tremendous source of information. But, for screenwriters...IMDB doesn't list scripts that were sold, but not produced. I believe screenwriters like Babaloo Mandel were multi-millionaires via selling prior to ever seeing their work on-screen. I've sold more than a dozen scripts, but only five have been produced (and one of those films isn't even listed). As a Producer-Director, I noticed someone who worked on one of our films was wonderful at "padding" his non-existent credits. I went into a meeting to fire the fraudulent Criminal Hollywood Wanna-Be and all his Lawyer could come up with as a defense was, "But did you see his list of IMDB credits?" I laughed out loud, pointed out that a majority of those credits were probably bullsh*t, too, and got rid of the jerk. Now... it's up to us to ask the nice people at IMDB how to delete his "credits." "Credits" which he himself posted on IMDB without our approval or knowledge during pre-production. Like any tool or resume, IMDB can be good, bad, and sometimes ugly. So, IMDB can sometimes be a poser filter. Or, it can become the Poser's best friend (however shallow). The ways of the dark side are strong, Skywalker.
A word of caution.
I'm not saying that liberal use of IMDB Pro won't help you suss out the folks that are actually listed on it, however, I think it's a mistake to discount, ignore or judge people simply because they aren't listed. There are plenty of folks listed on IMDB that are less than what they appear to be and plenty of folks in the industry that have worked on significant projects but for one reason or another aren't credited to them; in particular screenwriters! There are people that have made fairly decent livings for showing up, doing a pass on a script and never being listed in the credits and that's even part of the deal; not to be listed.
I think a far better attitude to take is to go into every meeting with an open mind and look at what the person is brining to that particular situation. Absolutely do your homework and if IMDB says a person's worked on "Awesome Movie 5," then mention it, but don't judge what they bring to "Your Project: The Beginning" to be anything other than what they're bringing to the table right at that moment. There's really no way to know if what you saw as brilliance in the previous project hasn't been blown away by a new coke habit or the stripper / pole dancer you're talking to isn't the next Diablo Cody.
Like her or not, she's got an Academy Award and I know I don't!
You could IMDB "THE ROBOTARD 8000" all day long and you'll never find him, but whoever that guy is, he has a script on The Black List 2009 which again, is way more than I can say for myself. It's also how the previously mentioned Diablo Cody was discovered and how "Juno" got made.
Nodding in agreement
Solid, dude.
Mark