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Wikipedia:WikiProject Films/Style guidelines |
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This page documents an English Wikipedia style guideline. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though it is best treated with common sense and the occasional exception. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. |
The following is a style guide for those who edit Film-related articles under Wikipedia:WikiProject Films. This is only a guide, and may change depending on Wikipolicy or participant consensus. For other guidelines:
Contents |
Previously, both Film Title (film) and Film Title (movie) were accepted as film article names; however, this has since changed due to a talk page consensus in early July 2005. The correct title format is Film Title (film).
| The Terminator | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | James Cameron |
| Produced by | Gale Anne Hurd |
| Written by | James Cameron Gale Anne Hurd |
| Starring | Arnold Schwarzenegger Michael Biehn Linda Hamilton |
| Music by | Joe Dolce Brad Fiedel Tane McClure |
| Cinematography | Adam Greenberg |
| Editing by | Mark Goldblatt |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures Corporation |
| Release date(s) | United States: October 26, 1984 Australia: December 20 United Kingdom: January 11 1985 |
| Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6,400,000 |
| Gross revenue | $78,000,000 |
| Followed by | Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
The table to the right is the Infobox Film template for The Terminator. Note that the image has been removed, as Wikipedia fair use policy prohibits the use of fair use images outside the article namespace. Clicking edit on the right will enable you to view and copy the source text to use on film articles. If you have any questions or problems with this table, you can discuss them at Template talk:Infobox Film.
The parameters for the infobox can be found at Template:Infobox Film.
Ideally, an image of the film's original theatrical release poster should be uploaded and added to the infobox to serve as an identifying image for the article. Poster images can be found at websites such as Internet Movie Poster Awards or Internet Movie Poster Database. If a poster image cannot be found for the film, or if the film did not have a theatrical release, then a cover image of the film's display case (VHS, DVD, etc.) may be used instead. Cover images can be found at commercial websites such as Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. In the absence of an appropriate poster or cover image, a screenshot of the film's title card may also be used. When replacing an existing image, upload the new image over the old image (where possible), and update the relevant details on the image description page. Click here to find instructions for uploading non-free images.
Once uploaded, place the file name of the image, e.g., FILM TITLE poster.jpg (or a similar description), in the image= field of the infobox, but do not include the Image: part of the file name. The image_size= field only needs to be filled if the width of the image is less than 200 pixels (the default image width used by the infobox); enter the actual width of the image, in pixels, so it is not stretched in the infobox. The caption= field should describe the image, i.e., identifying it as "Theatrical release poster" or "DVD cover"; repeating the title of the film here is not necessary. Below is an example of how to use the fields:
| name = FILM TITLE | image = FILM TITLE VHS cover.jpg | image_size = 150 | caption = VHS cover
Cast and crew credits for most films are available at the Internet Movie Database, as is distribution, release date, language, runtime and budget information.
When scant information on the film is available, it is not essential to complete all fields in the infobox, or to insert an infobox on every film article.
The film infobox is too small to reproduce the long lists of release dates provided by the Internet Movie Database. Release dates should therefore be restricted to the following:
Do not include the following in infoboxes. If desirable, they can instead be included in a separate section in the main body of the article (example):
{{Start date}} may be used, for the only or earliest date.
Some users like to use flag icons instead of country names. However, this should be avoided, as flags are less recognizable than country names. See Wikipedia:Manual of Style (flags) for a more detailed rationale.
The following are the standard article components of Wikipedia film articles.
The lead section of an article serves both as a quick introduction to the film and a concise overview of the article itself, as per the Lead section style guideline.
More specifically, for a film article, the first paragraph of the lead section should cover the basics, such as the film's release year, alternate titles, genre(s), setting, country, stars, and director (and possibly writer, if significant). Other notable, verifiable facts about the film may also be included (e.g. "At the time of its release, it was the most expensive film ever made..."). Avoid using the phrase "award-winning" in the opening sentence of the lead section, as it provides insufficient context to the reader. Instead, provide a short overview of any significant awards and honors later in the lead section.
The second (and remaining) paragraphs should be a brief treatment of the film's impact: whether critics liked the film (and why), whether it was a commercial success, whether sequels to or remakes of the film were produced, and whether it had any significant influence outside the world of film.
The plot description is a separate section (designated by ==Plot==) and is made self-contained, so plot details and actor names already mentioned in the lead or cast sections are repeated here. Plot summaries should be between 400 and 700 words and should not exceed 900 words unless there is a specific reason, such as a very complicated plot.
Concisely describe the basic premise of the film in a couple of sentences. Introduce key characters, with actors' names in parentheses after them (i.e. "Character (Actor)").
Then provide a more comprehensive plot summary, although the events of the film do not have to be written in the order in which they appear on screen (see Pulp Fiction for an example of a plot description for a film whose non-linear story line is described differently to enhance clarity). Include plot twists and a description of the ending, content which is often perceived as a "spoiler". Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not an advertisement, so spoilers should not be excluded or deleted under any circumstances; this would directly contradict the Wikipedia-wide content disclaimer. There are also other unacceptable alternatives which have been proposed in the past. In short, Wikipedia contains spoilers; please respect this policy. For guidelines on using (and not using) spoiler tags, see WP:SPOILER.
A good plot summary should stick to describing what happened in the film, and does not interpret the reactions or motivations of the characters, attempt to explain the significance of events, or speculate about the purpose of the filmmakers - such analysis belongs in Critical reception and must come from reliable sources.
Plot summaries do not normally require citations; the film itself is the source, as the accuracy of the plot description can be verified by watching the film. Exceptions to this rule may apply to films containing plot details that are unclear or open to interpretation, in which case the various interpretations should be cited to reliable sources.
Included here should be a history of the film's background and development, such as how many studios, actors, directors and writers were involved with the project at one point or another. Continuing onto the production of the film, facts such as filming dates, budget figures, any noteworthy tidbits (such as delays, reshoots etc.) should be transformed into prose. Comments from the cast and crew are also welcomed.
Background information about the cast and crew should be provided, ideally as well-written prose. There are several ways to provide such information: Halloween contains "Writing", "Casting", "Direction" and "Music" subsections within the "Production" section, which uses well-written prose to describe the casting and staffing decisions made, as well as discussing the reasons behind some of the cast decisions, the thoughts of the actors themselves about their roles, and some brief explorations of their careers before and after the film, e.g:
Alternatively, Tenebrae (film) discusses "Production" in its own section, and provides the cast via the plot summary only. When a character is introduced in the plot summary, the actor playing that role is listed in parentheses immediately following the name of the character. The well-written prose enables the character to be introduced without breaking the flow of the plot, e.g:
The key is to provide plenty of added value "behind the scenes" background production information, without simply re-iterating IMDB. Of course, some film articles will lend themselves to one style better than others.
Failing that, a cast list inserted into the body of the article may be appropriate, though some editors frown on lists inside articles. It should be longer than the list in the infobox, and, depending on the number of minor characters in the film, can be furnished with a dozen or more credits. Credits should be written in the "ACTOR as CHARACTER" format, but for credits where the character has not been mentioned in the plot section, a short summary of the importance and role of the character in the film would be necessary, e.g, an example from Witchfinder General (film):
Pertinent casting information might also be included in this section (or in production), and only then should bolding be used to make the credits stand out from the additional information. Try to avoid using the section as a repository for further "in-universe" that really belongs in the plot summary.
Themes are unifying or dominant ideas and motifs in a film's elements (such as plot, dialogue, photography, and sound) conveying a position or message about life, society, and human nature. Most themes are implied rather than explicitly stated, regardless of whether their presence is the conscious intent of the producer, writer, or director. Inclusion of a treatment of a film's themes – well-sourced and cited to avoid original research – is encouraged since an article's value to a reader and its real-world context will be enhanced. A separate section is not required if it is more appropriate to place the material in the Production or Reception sections.
Provide information on the film's release, expanding upon the information in the infobox where necessary. Do not include information on the film's release in every territory (see above). Include details of notable festival appearances, special screenings and setups (e.g. digital, IMAX), and significant release date changes, with sourced commentary where appropriate. Relevant marketing information can be included in this section, or in a subsection should the coverage warrant it. After the film's release, include the following information:
Provide a summary of the film's commercial performance. Report box office grosses in the film's national currency if possible. If sufficient coverage exists, it is recommended that this information is placed in a "Box office performance" or "Theatrical run" section. In addition to worldwide box office statistics, this section may detail specific results of opening weekends, results from different English-speaking territories, the number of theatres the film was released into, and audience demographics. Coverage of a notable opening in a country not of the film's origin may be included (e.g., an article on an American film set in China may include discussion of the film's performance in that country). Box office statistics can be sourced from dedicated tracking websites such as Box Office Mojo, The Numbers and Box Office Guru, or print publications such as Variety or The Hollywood Reporter. Determine a consensus from objective (retrospective if possible) sources about how a film performed and why.
If available, provide information on the film's release on home media, such as release dates, revenues, and other appropriate third-party coverage. The section may contain a summary of the extras included with the release, though excessive detail is to be avoided. If supported by filmmaker or third-party analysis, descriptions of deleted scenes included with the release should be placed in the "Production" section; the reason for the footage's removal is the relevant element, not the medium.
The image in the film article's infobox serves as cover art and identifies the topic. With this significant identification already in place, the inclusion of additional cover art must rationalized with a non-identification purpose. Additions can be used to illustrate secondary sources' coverage of the appearance of cover art and packaging. For an example, see Fight Club (film)#Home media.
Reliable sources should be used to determine how the film was received. For films, sources that are regarded as reliable are professional film critics, though notable persons or experts connected to the topics covered by the film may also be quoted. The use of print reviews is encouraged. Commentary should also be sought from reliable sources for critics' general consensus of the film. These will be more reliable in retrospect; closer to the release, review aggregate websites such as Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic should be cited for statistics pertaining to the ratio of positive to negative reviews. (Caution: reliable review statistics may not be available for older films. Appraise the sample size in conjunction with other reliable sources, using best judgment to determine consensus.) In order to maintain a neutral point of view, it is recommended to quote a reasonable balance of these reviews. This may not always be possible or desirable (e.g. films that have been almost universally acclaimed or panned), and best judgment should again be used.
It is recommended that reviews are used from the film's country of origin (e.g., Canadian reviews for a Canadian film, Australian reviews for an Australian film), though evaluations from several English-speaking territories are desirable. In the case of films not in the English language, the section should contain quotes translated into English from non-English reviews. For older films, seek reviews both from the period of the film's release and the present in order to determine if a film's initial critical reception varies from the reputation it has today. Do not quote comments from members of the general public (e.g. user comments from Amazon.com, the Internet Movie Database or personal blogs), as they are self-published and have no proven expertise or credibility in the field. Polls of the public carried out by a reliable source in an accredited manner, such as CinemaScore, may be used. Do not include user ratings submitted to websites such as the Internet Movie Database or Rotten Tomatoes, as they are vulnerable to vote stacking and demographic skew.
Documentaries present a special case, as they present themselves as recounters of fact. Therefore criticism of content ought to be included if it is presented with reasonable documentation and if there is evidence of public awareness of the controversy. Responses to such criticism should likewise be presented on the same basis. The existence of a public controversy ought to be acknowledged whatever can be said about it; the publicity is by nature citable, and omission creates the false impression that the subject matter is uncontroversial. Cite specific critics, not just "some people have criticized".
It is not the purpose of Wikipedia to act as an investigator of claims, though if criticisms are addressed by others, they should as well be cited.
If the soundtrack does not have a separate article and is included in the film article use the WikiProject Albums' Track listing guideline.
In accordance with Wikipedia's verifiability policy, all articles should cite their sources. A variety of methods to present your references is available at Citing sources:Style and how-to, as well as an inline citations/footnoting system at Help:Footnotes. If you are unsure of how to use internet links as references, simply inserting the URL into square brackets at the end of the corresponding text (e.g. [http://www.google.com/] becomes [1]) is an adequate form of referencing the web, although providing the date on which you accessed the web page would enable other users of Wikipedia to retrieve it using the Wayback Machine, should the web link change or cease to function.
The sections listed above are the standard film sections and by no means should they act as limits to the content of film articles. Larger and more complex film articles would warrant additional sections, such as Music, Themes and Cultural significance.
Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia, so free images are preferred in its articles. Since the majority of films are copyrighted, it may be necessary to use non-free images in Wikipedia articles about films. These images need to meet Wikipedia's non-free content criteria and acceptable uses. The requirements are summarized below in the context of WikiProject Films, and steps are provided on how to upload a non-free image.
Non-free images used in film articles must meet Wikipedia's non-free content criteria. While all ten non-free content criteria must be met, three are the most pertinent to WikiProject Films:
- No free equivalent. Non-free content is used only where no free equivalent is available, or could be created, that would serve the same encyclopedic purpose. Where possible, non-free content is transformed into free material instead of using a fair-use defense, or replaced with a freer alternative if one of acceptable quality is available; "acceptable quality" means a quality sufficient to serve the encyclopedic purpose. (As a quick test, before adding non-free content requiring a rationale, ask yourself: "Can this non-free content be replaced by a free version that has the same effect?" and "Could the subject be adequately conveyed by text without using the non-free content at all?" If the answer to either is yes, the non-free content probably does not meet this criterion.)
- Minimal usage. Multiple items of non-free content are not used if one item can convey equivalent significant information.
- Minimal extent of use. An entire work is not used if a portion will suffice. Low- rather than high-resolution/fidelity/bit rate is used (especially where the original could be used for deliberate copyright infringement). This rule also applies to the copy in the Image: namespace.
- Significance. Non-free content is used only if its presence would significantly increase readers' understanding of the topic, and its omission would be detrimental to that understanding.
The content guidelines also list acceptable uses for non-free images, including two that are most relevant to WikiProject Films:
- Film and television screen shots: For critical commentary and discussion of the cinema and television.
- Other promotional material: Posters, programs, billboards, ads. For critical commentary.
Critical commentary and discussion of the film must come from reliable sources and not original research from the editors themselves. Critical commentary should be embedded in the body of the film article. A non-free image can be used to illustrate the target element of the critical commentary only if it cannot adequately be substituted by a free equivalent image or descriptive text. The non-free image should be significant in increasing the readers' understanding of the topic. Non-free images can illustrate technical and/or thematic aspects of the film. Examples include, but are not limited to: production design, makeup, costume design, camera technique, visual effects, lighting, and iconic shots.
Since a film article's "Plot" section contains descriptive claims about the information found in the primary source (the film) and not information found in reliable sources regarding the film, the section is not considered critical commentary or discussion of film. Thus, non-free images need to belong in other sections in which they can be supported by critical commentary.
Free licence images can include filming locations, on-set photos, and photos of the cast and crew. Some older films may be in the public domain, and screenshots can be used in articles without fair use constraints. Older films still in copyright may have trailers in the public domain, and screenshots from these trailers can be freely used.
For filming locations, free images of a specific and mostly unchanged location in the film can illustrate the places used in a film's production. On-set photos showing production in process may be used if they are evidenced to have been released under an appropriate licence. The cast and crew can be photographed at the various premieres of the resulting film as well as any components of production on display (such as costumes or vehicles). If marketing materials are captured in freely released photos, caution must be exercised to ensure that they are not derivative works.
Months and days should generally not be linked, and years should be linked only when there is good reason - i.e., when the link provides the reader with a connection to additional information and context specifically related to the date that is linked. The template {{filmyear}}, or {{fy}}, is available to conveniently link to "Year in Film" articles but its use should not be indiscriminate. Generally, it should be used to link release dates of films and other significant film-related events.
Even the Greatest of Taglines is Still Just a Marketing Gimmick
As a general rule don't include taglines in an article. "Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information". However, if a particular tagline was a significant part of the cultural influence of the film, create a section for it and describe its effects. For example, none of the many taglines for Wes Craven's New Nightmare deserve mention. On the other hand, discussing Jaws 2 without mentioning "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." would be a glaring omission. (You make the call... remember be bold.)
Trivia may be a useful section in a film article, as it can serve as a "Miscellaneous" area for important facts (not just fan facts) that may not yet fit easily elsewhere. This is especially true for articles in early stages of development or about new releases. As the article matures, however, as per the Trivia sections style guideline, these items should be either moved to other sections of the article—preferably written using prose, not bullet points or lists—or removed entirely. Remember to include citations to reliable sources for any facts included in this section; otherwise they can be deleted.
Differences between a film adaptation and its source work(s) can be addressed by including text detailing the reasons for a change, its effect upon the production, and the reaction to it. This material should be placed within a relevant section of the article (e.g., Production, Themes, or Reception). Noting the differences between a film and its source work(s) without real-world context is discouraged. Creating a section which merely lists the differences is especially discouraged; while articles in the early stages of development (or about new releases) may contain information which does not easily fit elsewhere, this material should either be moved to the relevant section or removed entirely as the article matures.
Here are templates to add to the top of pages about things yet to happen:
| {{Future}} | for upcoming/future general events |
| {{Future album}} | for a upcoming/future album |
| {{Future book}} | for a upcoming/future book |
| {{Future channel}} | for a upcoming/future channel |
| {{Future film}} | for a upcoming/future film |
| {{Future single}} | for upcoming/future single |
| {{Future television series}} | for upcoming/future tv series |
| {{Future television episode}} | for upcoming/future tv episodes |
Once an article has been created for a film, it can be entered into a number of lists to allow easier browsing for viewers. All films should be included in the Lists of films. Each film can be included in lists based on the alphabet, year, language, genre, location, etc. that a film can be included in.
The article should include categories at the bottom. At a minimum, year, country, language and genre categories should be included. It is best to keep them in alphabetical order for easier browsing. The generic categories, among others, are listed below for browsing. If the article title begins with "The" or "A", use {{DEFAULTSORT}} at the top of the list of categories in the article.
For example, you would add the following to the bottom of a page titled "The Movie" for an English-language American comedy film that came out in 2008:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Movie, The}}
[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:2000s comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
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