append titles

"No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" is a documentary that was serialized in a TV anthology. Nonetheless, it was contributed as a single title within the TV anthology.

Because IMDb's Help Center doesn't offer guides about contributing to TV anthologies, other titles that have been similarly serialized were erroneously contributed as multiple episodes. Then each episode enumerated its part number (i.e. "part 1", "part 2", ...). When such titles are merchandised though, the DVD is sold as a single title and not serialized. So consumers who purchase the DVD are confounded by the title being partitioned into multiple episodes on IMDb when they try to rate and review the DVD.

Consequently, they just rate the first part and not the others. This adds more ratings for the first part and compounds rating variations across parts. Can I submit an update to append the related parts (which have already been contributed) into a single title within the TV anthology? Or can I augment the running time of "part 1" (by adding that of the subsequent parts and stripping the part number) and supplement info from the subsequent parts before deleting those parts? Thanks.

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Michelle

Employee

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18.2K Messages

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321.3K Points

5 years ago

Hi rootsmusic -

Can you clarify the exact issue regarding how "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" was released as part of the "American Masters" series banner?

Was this title first released as a stand-alone title separate from "American Masters? Or if this title was released under the series banner, was this aired in separate parts?

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rootsmusic

262 Messages

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5.8K Points

@Michelle, "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" is the correct way to contribute a serialized title within a TV anthology. The title premiered on two TV anthologies, which serialized it in two parts. Its "U.S. broadcast premiere on Thirteen/WNET’s award-winning AMERICAN MASTERS series Monday and Tuesday, September 26-27". Part One also simultaneously premiered "on September 26 in the UK, on BBC Two on the internationally prestigious series ARENA".

Unfortunately, most serialized titles were incorrectly contributed as multiple episodes within a TV anthology. A TV anthology anthologizes many TV movies, miniseries and films. Please add help guidance about contributing a serialized title within a TV anthology.

Another example is "Magical Mystery Tour Revisited". Its episode in a U.S. anthology has been rated 7.3. A British anthology serialized the same title in two parts. Its first part was rated 6.9, while its second part has no rating. The difference in rating averages exemplifies the skewing that my original post complained about.

(edited)

5 years ago

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Peter_pbn

Champion

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15.7K Messages

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344.2K Points

5 years ago

While it is true that No Direction Home was first screened at festivals and special screenings, and came out on DVD, it is also fair to say that it was made for TV, specifically PBS, hence its Emmy nominations. The guidelines here mention several considerations, and with regard to initial release it says that festivals and special screenings may be excluded from consideration. I don't find it unreasonable to list it as a TV movie which was part of an anthology series.

(edited)

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rootsmusic

262 Messages

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5.8K Points

@Peter_pbn, I just cited "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" as an example of a TV movie within a TV anthology. Assuming it's possible to have a TV movie within a TV anthology, then are my original questions possible to do? I'm guessing that existing ratings for subsequent parts probably can't be "appended" to their first part's existing ratings. But I think that appending the subsequent parts to create a TV movie will at least stop further ratings divergence (between the first part and its subsequent parts, if left as multiple episodes).

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5 years ago

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rootsmusic

262 Messages

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5.8K Points

@forthehorde, I'm only referring to serialized titles within a TV anthology (not within any TV series). A shell generally consists of a single episode and becomes problematic when a shell is partitioned into multiple parts. If my idea about shell episodes is adopted though, then data for shell episodes won't duplicate that of their respective stand-alone titles.

(edited)

5 years ago

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Peter_pbn

Champion

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15.7K Messages

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344.2K Points

@forthehorde Re: No Direction Home, they are not really airing a title that's not their own. One of the production companies is Thirteen/WNET, which is part of the PBS network and produces the American Masters series. I also read that the theatrical screenings were presented by PBS stations.

IMDb may also prefer to list the title as one episode because that is what PBS does on their website.

Adding guidelines about this kind of anthology series would be helpful, though it's possibly an area where one size does not fit all.

(edited)

5 years ago

0

rootsmusic

append titles

Michelle

rootsmusic

Peter_pbn

rootsmusic

rootsmusic

Peter_pbn

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