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 occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.

Shortcuts: WP:MOSFILM MOS:FILM

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 1 Notability guidelines 2 Naming conventions 3 Primary topics 3.1 Lead section 3.2 Plot 3.3 Cast 3.4 Themes 3.5 Production 3.6 Release 3.6.1 Reception 3.6.1.1 Critical response 3.6.1.2 Box office 3.6.2 Home media 3.7 References 3.8 External links 4 Secondary topics 4.1 Documentaries 4.2 Awards and honors 4.3 Controversies 4.4 Soundtrack 4.5 Adaptation from source material 4.6 Historical and scientific accuracies 4.7 Marketing 4.8 Further reading 5 Non-prose components 5.1 Images 5.1.1 Usage 5.1.2 Instructions 5.1.3 Examples 5.1.4 Free licence images 5.2 Tables 5.3 Templates 5.3.1 Succession boxes 5.3.2 Infobox 5.3.2.1 Image 5.3.2.2 Details 5.3.2.3 Release dates 5.4 Categories 6 Guidelines for related topics 6.1 Lists 6.2 Film genres and topics in film 6.3 Filmmaking technology 6.4 Film awards and festivals 6.5 Film studios and distributors 6.6 Film series 6.7 Film characters 7 Clean-up 7.1 Linking dates 7.2 Trivia 7.3 Popular culture 7.4 Taglines 7.5 Ratings 8 See also 9 Notes

[edit] Notability guidelines

[edit] Naming conventions

• If a non-film article already exists with the name of the film that you are trying to create an article for, disambiguate and use (film) in the title: Film Title (film).
• If a film article already exists with the name of the film that you are trying to create an article for, use (YEAR film) in the title: Film Title (YEAR film). Rename the already existing article's title and change it to Film Title (YEAR film) also.

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).

[edit] Primary topics

[edit] Lead section

The lead section should introduce the film and provide a summary of the most important aspects of the film from the article body. At minimum, the opening sentence should identify the title of the film, the year of its public release, and the major genre(s) under which it can be classified. For presentation of foreign-language titles, see the naming conventions for foreign-language films. Ideally, the nationality of the film (based on its home studio) should be identified in the opening sentence. If the nationality is not clear, clarify the circumstances at a later point in the first paragraph. The first paragraph of the lead section should also identify the director and the star or stars of the film. If any writers or producers are well-known, they can also be identified in the paragraph. If the film is based on source material, that source material and its creators should be identified. If possible, convey the general premise of the film in the paragraph and identify actors' roles in the premise.

Succeeding paragraphs in the lead section should cover important aspects of the film detailed in the article body and not mentioned already in the first paragraph. These include milestones or major events in the film's production, prominent themes, reception of the film by critics and audiences, box office grosses and milestones, controversies, summary of awards and honors, spin-offs (e.g., sequels, remakes, other media), and any significant impact the film has made in society. Avoid using "award-winning" and similar phrases in the opening sentence to maintain a neutral point of view and summarize the awards in the proper context in a later paragraph of the lead section.

[edit] Plot

Shortcut: WP:FILMPLOT

Per WP:PLOT, Plot summaries in film articles are appropriate to complement wider coverage about the films' production, reception, themes, and other real-world aspects. Since films are primary sources in their articles, basic descriptions of their plots are acceptable. WP:PSTS says, "...a primary source may be used only to make descriptive claims, the accuracy of which is verifiable by a reasonable, educated person without specialist knowledge... Do not make analytic, synthetic, interpretive, explanatory, or evaluative claims about information found in a primary source." Plot summaries should exist as self-contained sections ("Plot", "Plot summary") in film articles. Since the film is the primary source and the infobox provides details about the film, citing the film explicitly in the plot summary's section is not necessary. Exceptions to the rule include upcoming films and "lost" films (which are not available to the public to verify), for which editors should use secondary sources.

Plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 and 700 words. The summary should not exceed the range unless the film's structure is unconventional, such as Pulp Fiction's non-linear storyline, or unless the plot is too complicated to summarize in this range. (Discuss with other editors to determine if a summary cannot be contained within the proper range.) Complicated plots may occasionally require clarifications from secondary sources, so cite these sources in the section. If there are differing perspectives of a film's events from secondary sources, simply describe the events on screen as basically as possible in the plot summary and report interpretations in another section of the article. Lastly, events in the film do not have to be written in the order in which they appear on screen. If necessary, reorder the film's events to improve understanding of the plot. See how to write a plot summary for more in-depth suggestions.

The plot summary is an overview of the film's main events, so avoid minutiae like dialogue, scene-by-scene breakdowns, and technical detail. Per Wikipedia's content disclaimer and guideline on spoilers, all of the film's important events should be outlined without censoring details considered spoilers and without using disclaimers or warnings in the article. In short, Wikipedia contains spoilers; please respect this policy.

[edit] Cast

Shortcut: WP:FILMCAST

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:

The part of Dr. Sam Loomis was offered to Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee; both declined the part due to the low salary. English actor Pleasence—Carpenter's third choice—agreed to star. Pleasence has been called "John Carpenter's big landing." Pleasence's daughter supposedly saw Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 and liked it, thus encouraging her father to star in Halloween. Americans were already acquainted with Pleasence as the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967).

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:

Tilde (Mirella D’Angelo), a beautiful lesbian journalist, is murdered at her home along with her lover. Later, Maria (Lara Wendel), the young daughter of Neal’s landlord, is bloodily hacked to death with an axe after stumbling into the killer's lair.

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):

Robert Russell as John Stearne: Playing Hopkins’s thuggish assistant, Russell certainly looked the part. However, as filming progressed, Reeves found the actor’s high pitched voice unsuitable for such a rough character, and after production was completed he had all of his dialogue dubbed by another actor, Jack Lynn (who also appeared in a small role as an innkeeper).

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.

[edit] Themes

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.

[edit] Production

The "Production" section can be organized into four parts, coinciding with the chronology of a film's creation (see the Filmmaking article):

• development: development of the concept and script, as well as the securing of financing and producers
• pre-production: recruitment of the most important artists (cast and crew), shooting preparations, and storyboarding
• production or filming: actual filming – dates and places, important artistic decisions, and noteworthy events (delays, reshoots, financial problems, etc.)
• post-production: completion of special effects, musical scoring and sound, and editing

This section should be structured to fit the available content: for example, if there is sufficient material about each topic, the section could be organized into subsections (such as "Development" and "Filming"); some topics may be interlinked, for instance, to handle situations when a film has different writers attached throughout its development. Thoughts from the cast and crew can be interwoven into this section, but such content should be substantive and avoid a promotional tone (especially during a film's marketing campaign).

[edit] Release

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:

[edit] Reception

Provide information about the critical and commercial response to the film.

[edit] Critical response

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 cited. The use of print reviews is encouraged. Commentary should also be sought from reliable sources for critics' consensus of the film. These will be more reliable in retrospect; closer to the release, review aggregate websites such as Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic are citable 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.) 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.

Reviews from the film's country of origin are recommended (i.e., Chinese reviews for a Chinese film, French reviews for a French film), though evaluations from several English-speaking territories are desirable.^[1] 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 from the period of the film's release and the present 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.

[edit] Box office

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 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.

[edit] Home media

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 be rationalized with a non-identification purpose. Additions can be used to illustrate secondary sources' coverage of the appearance of cover art and packaging.

[edit] References

Readers should be able to verify information about films, so cite sources that are reliable. Visit the pages below for help on citing sources. If an article already uses an established approach to referencing, respect the existing approach and only change to another approach if there is consensus to do so. For examples of film articles that reference well, visit the Good and Featured Articles listed on the spotlight page.

• Wikipedia:Citing sources
• Wikipedia:Reliable sources
• Wikipedia:Footnotes
• Help:Footnotes
• Wikipedia:Citation templates
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Films/Resources

If web pages are referenced in the article body, include in the citation the date it was last accessed. Sometimes web pages will no longer be accessible online, so retrieve an archived URL of the page using the Wayback Machine and include it in the citation along with the original URL.

[edit] External links

Wikipedia's guidelines for external links say to consider each link on its merits, so review what should be linked, links to be considered, and links to normally avoid. For film articles, include in the "External links" section the official site, if one exists. Wikipedia is not a mere collection of external links, so whenever possible, external links should be converted into references for the article body. Some external links may benefit readers in a way that the Wikipedia article cannot accommodate. For example, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic can provide listings of more reviews than sampled in the article body. They can be included as external links instead of links to individual reviews. Other useful external links include the Internet Movie Database, which provides community interaction, and Box Office Mojo, which provides box office statistics that may be too indiscriminate for the article. Templates for these useful external links are listed below, but judge each external link on its own merits. For example, a film may not be well-known enough to have multiple reviews listed at Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic, or it may be too old to have in-depth box office statistics at Box Office Mojo. Alternately, the TCM Movie Database may be a useful external link mainly for classic films, where they would not add anything for most newer films. Avoid linking to fansites unless they are written by a recognized authority. Be aware that including external links to promote a website is considered to be spam.

• {{imdb title|id=0088247|title=The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at the Internet Movie Database
• {{tcmdb title|id=92566|title=The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at the TCM Movie Database
• {{amg movie|id=49101|title=The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at Allmovie
• {{rotten-tomatoes|id=terminator|title=The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at Rotten Tomatoes
• {{metacritic film|id=terminator|title=The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at Metacritic
• {{mojo title|id=terminator|title=The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at Box Office Mojo

[edit] Secondary topics

[edit] Documentaries

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.

[edit] Awards and honors

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Controversies

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Soundtrack

If the soundtrack does not have a separate article and is included in the film article use the WikiProject Albums' Track listing guideline.

[edit] Adaptation from source material

A significant number of films are adapted from other works of fiction, including literature, plays, musicals, and even other films. When filmmakers adapt the source material for their films, they make changes for creative and conventional reasons. Details from secondary sources about such changes, such as why they took place, how they affected production, and how outside parties reacted to them, can be included in the respective sections of the article body. Writing about changes between a film and its source material without real-world context is discouraged. Creating a section that merely lists the differences is especially discouraged. While articles in the early stage of development (or about newly released films) may contain information which does not easily fit elsewhere, the material should either be moved to the relevant section or removed entirely when the article matures.

[edit] Historical and scientific accuracies

Shortcuts: WP:FILMHIST WP:FILMSCI

Films are mainly works of fiction, and filmmakers sometimes use history or science as the basis of their films. They incorporate these topics in their films in a way that suits their storytelling and filmmaking abilities. Their approaches to incorporating these topics or others' reactions to their approaches can be interwoven in the film article's article body in sections such as the "Production" section and the "Reception" section, respectively. If ample coverage from secondary sources exist about a film's historical or scientific accuracy, editors can pursue a sub-topic sharing such coverage in a section titled "Historical accuracy" or "Scientific accuracy" ("accuracy" being applied as neutral terminology).

Wikipedia's "No original research" policy says about synthesizing, "Do not combine material from multiple sources to reach a conclusion not explicitly stated by any of the sources." Readers and editors should take for granted that there are many ways films conform to, and deviate from, history or science. Analysis should be introduced by reliable published secondary sources that compare the film with history or with science. Avoid listing miscellaneous information about accuracies or inaccuracies whose relevance are not backed by secondary sources; they are typically trivial to the topic. If analysis is limited, links should be provided to historical or scientific articles so readers can read about topics based in reality after reading about the work of fiction that uses these topics with dramatic license.

[edit] Marketing

Films are marketed by their studios to different audiences, and a film's marketing campaign may be detailed in its Wikipedia article if reliable sources exist. Details may be contained in a "Release" section, a "Marketing" subsection within it, or a stand-alone "Marketing" section, depending on the amount of coverage available. Since films tend to be treated by studios as commercial products, care must be taken to provide a neutral point of view about a film's marketing campaign.

Topics that can be covered include target demographics, test screenings, release dates, scale of release (limited vs. wide), product placement, merchandising, marketing controversies, and contending for awards. Do not merely describe the content of customary marketing methods such as trailers, TV spots, radio ads, and posters. Instead, use reliable sources to provide useful commentary about a method, such as the filmmakers' intent with the presentation of a trailer or the audience's reported reaction to it. For example, the viral marketing campaign for Cloverfield began with an untitled teaser trailer that generated strong hype. For merchandising and other tie-ins, cite reliable sources to demonstrate relevance outside a studio's website(s) or shopping websites. An example is to include commentary about how a studio used product placement in the film to lower its production costs.

[edit] Further reading

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Non-prose components

[edit] Images

Shortcut: WP:FILMNFI

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.

[edit] Usage

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: (1) No free equivalent, (3) Minimal usage and minimal extent of use, and (8) Significance. 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 are for critical commentary and discussion of the cinema and television. Promotional material such as posters, programs, billboards, ads are also 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.

[edit] Instructions

1. Save the non-free image to your hard drive as a JPEG or PNG file; see Wikipedia:Preparing images for upload. The image's name should include the film's title and a brief description of the image.
2. Per the fair use requirement of low resolution, one of the image's dimensions should only be a maximum of 300 pixels. Decrease the size of the image using an image-editing software program.
3. Upload the image to Wikipedia at Special:Upload; see Wikipedia:Uploading images.
4. On the image description page, write a brief description of the image, identify the copyright holder, and identify the source of the image (i.e., where you saved it from). Next, write a fair use rationale that justifies the usage of the image, explaining how the image is used in a way consistent with Wikipedia's non-free content criteria. See WP:NFC#Images to learn in what context usage of non-free images is acceptable and draft your rationale accordingly. The template {{Non-free use rationale}} can be used to fill in the details. Lastly, add an image copyright tag that pertains to the image:

• Posters: {{Non-free poster}}
• Video covers: {{Non-free video cover}}
• Screenshots: {{Non-free film screenshot}}
• Promotional shots: {{Non-free promotional}}
• Production stills: {{Non-free fair use in}}

[edit] Examples

• Theatrical posters: File:Forrest Gump poster.jpg, File:Aliens vs Predator Requiem poster.jpg, File:The Deer Hunter poster.jpg
• Video covers: File:Kings Go Forth DVD cover.jpg
• Screenshots: File:Changeling closing sequence.png, File:The Road bleak scenery.jpg

[edit] Free licence images

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.

[edit] Tables

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Templates

[edit] Succession boxes

Avoid using succession boxes that identify when a film ranked first at the box office and what films preceded and succeeded it at the box office. Instead, include detailed information about the film's box office performance in the article body.

• Related discussion: Wikipedia:Templates for deletion/Log/2009 August 3‎#Box office succession boxes

[edit] Infobox

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)	October 26, 1984 (1984-10-26)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6.4 million
Gross revenue	$78,371,200
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.

[edit] Image

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 poster.jpg | image_size     = 150 | caption        = Theatrical release poster 

[edit] Details

For a full guidelines on filling the infobox, see Template:Infobox_Film

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.

[edit] Release dates

Shortcuts: WP:FilmRelease WP:FILMRELEASE

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 film's earliest release, whether it was at a film festival or a public release, and the release dates in the country or countries that produced the film, excluding sneak previews or screenings. {{Start date}} should be used for the film's initial release. If other release dates are found to be notable, it may be appropriate to include them in the main body of the article (example).

Release dates for straight-to-video and television films should follow the preceding guideline for home releases and airings, respectively.

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.

[edit] Categories

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 films that have yet to be released to the public, add Category:Upcoming films.

• Category:Films by year
• Category:Films by country
• Category:Films by language
• Category:Films by genre
• Category:Films by studio
• Category:Films by director
• Category:Films by geographic setting

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:2000s comedy films]] [[Category:American films]] [[Category:English-language films]] 

[edit] Guidelines for related topics

[edit] Lists

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.

[edit] Film genres and topics in film

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Filmmaking technology

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Film awards and festivals

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Film studios and distributors

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Film series

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Film characters

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Clean-up

[edit] Linking dates

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.

[edit] Trivia

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.

[edit] Popular culture

Needs expansion; start discussion here

[edit] Taglines

In the past, film articles have sometimes displayed taglines in the lead or standalone sections. Since taglines are generally a small part of a film's marketing campaign, they are usually too indiscriminate to belong in what is intended to be a concise overview of the film article or to belong in sections without context. Exceptions may include famous taglines such as Jaws 2's "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." so use reliable sources to back claims to fame. If the tagline is not very famous but still considered relevant to a film's marketing, it can belong in the appropriate section of the article body.

[edit] Ratings

Ratings given to individual films by motion picture rating systems will vary by territories in accordance to their cultures and their types of governance. In film articles, avoid indiscriminate identification of ratings and instead focus on ratings for which there is substantial coverage from reliable sources. Coverage of ratings can include how a film is produced to target specific audiences, the late editing of a film to acquire a specific rating, or controversy over whether or not a film's rating was appropriately assigned. Since this is the English-language Wikipedia and not the American Wikipedia, avoid mere identification of ratings issued by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to counter systemic bias (see Wikipedia:WikiProject Countering systemic bias for more information). Provide global coverage of how different territories rate individual films if substantial coverage exists. Retrospective coverage is also welcomed to evaluate how films were rated in their time period, such as the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy being X-rated initially by the MPAA. Rating coverage generally belong in the "Release" section, though coverage can be elsewhere. For instance, the "Production" section can detail the filmmakers' goal to achieve a specific rating in making the film, or a stand-alone section can cover controversy surrounding a rating if enough detail exists.

[edit] See also

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Films/Templates seems to have been "lost" after creation. Good place for more film templates.
• Category:Film template pages
• Wikipedia:Notability (films)
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Films/Essay on writing film articles, old essay from meta that still applies

[edit] Notes

1. ^ For an experimental list of sites that can be used to obtain aggregate ratings and link to reviews from non-English-speaking countries see Wikipedia:WikiProject_Films/Resources#Non-English resources.