Ratings: Vote on alternate versions of a film

I would like the added option to vote on multiple versions of a title. Some benefits this could have are:

I can rate which versions I've seen
Help users to choose which version to watch
Alternate version rating data could be included in a list like the Top 250- means different cuts would appear at different places.

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dan_dassow

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20.4K Messages

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487.2K Points

11 years ago

Hi tbrainerd,

This is an intriguing idea. However, implementing your idea presents some interesting challenges. First of all, what truly constitutes an alternate version of a film? Should we consider a film that adds only a few seconds to be sufficiently different to be an alternate version? How much additional time should be the cut off? Should we include the edited for television versions as true alternate versions or simply an attempt to fit the film in the specific time slot with the maximum number of commercials?

For your idea to be implemented, IMDb would have to assign a different title ID for each alternate version. Splitting out each of the alternate versions and assigning different title IDs would be a significant amount of work. Coordinating the different versions has the potential of even more work.

If there are multiple alternate versions of a film, it may not be clear to the person viewing the film which version they are watching. It's possible that a viewer may not even care.

If you truly believe that this idea has merit, I recommend that you use the social media buttons on this thread to promote it. If there is sufficient demand (i.e. "Likes") of this thread. IMDb may consider it. You may also ask your friends, family and associates whether they would consider rating different versions (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/alternateversions) of a film such as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and whether they saw enough difference between to versions to rate them differently.

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tbrainerd

71 Messages

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2.6K Points

Hi Dan,

Thanks for all the info. Exactly, only the more significant alternates like director's and extended cuts should be options, not just censored/TV versions. Usually a viewer can tell which version of the movie they saw based on whether it was in theaters, or a director's cut DVD etc. Obviously not everyone would be interested in using the feature.

It would be unfortunate if the titles had to be separate entries. It should work as a kind of "sub"-rating system, where if you've seen any cut of Star Wars - A New Hope, then the rating carries over to the main page. And if you've seen more than one version, it could automatically use the highest rating or leave it up to the user.

So I think the bulk of work that needs to be done is to tidy up the Alternate Versions pages. There needs to be just one entry for each cut of the film, with descriptions included. Unstandardized entries on those pages would need fixing.

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11 years ago

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dan_dassow

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487.2K Points

Regardless of whether IMDb were to implement your idea, many of the Alternate Version pages need to be edited to be more coherent.

If only one alternate version of a film would be available for rating, adding an optional rating for the alternate version would probably be less challenging. However, selecting the preferred alternate version may not always be clear.

To validate and refine your idea, it may still be fruitful for you to test it out on friends, family and associates. If you receive an enthusiastic response, you will establish a probable desire to implement your idea. In contrast, if people are puzzled why you think your idea is beneficial, then it will also be difficult to convince IMDb to implement it.

Good luck in your research. Post again in this thread when you have some tangible results.

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11 years ago

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jes_s_left

13 Messages

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260 Points

Hello my friend please can you help me create a Movie on IMDb I work please .Escribir un comentario

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11 years ago

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tbrainerd

71 Messages

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2.6K Points

Hi Jesús,
Thanks for liking my topic. You can use the following submission link if it's a valid title (completed, available to public, in a festival, etc.).
http://www.imdb.com/updates?update=title

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11 years ago

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jes_s_left

13 Messages

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260 Points

Miro a ese título incluso enviar y recibir respuestas no sé como me aceptan, ¿cuánto tiempo o tal como fue anunciado en imdb a través de mi usuario o tener algo como esto estoy en nueva explicar. Escribir Un comentario

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11 years ago

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davidah_ca

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1.9K Messages

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92.6K Points

Another problem would be the basic rating.

I think a large number of the Users would just rate the main title, no matter which version they watched. How would IMDb know whether a vote was for the base version, or just for Title (any version)?

How would IMDb display the primary rating? Should it be just the rating for the base version, or for the base version + all alternates?

How much value would there be to having at least 3 ratings pages for a film : the basic version, the alternate version and a combined version? Would there be enough difference to be statistically significant. Would enough votes be given to the alternate version to give any reasonable statistics?

Remember that this will require an expense in creating the software to handle and display these pages, in running the updates for them all, and in the extra pages required. Will the results be significant enough to justify the costs (including staff cost)?

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11 years ago

tbrainerd

71 Messages

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2.6K Points

I can't vouch for how IMDb prioritizes their staff costs, but I can point out how it would improve the site for its experienced users, after it has been introduced.

It would build a community on message boards, etc. and help viewers make decisions on what to watch. It could be cited by outside articles and increase the relevance of the site in those cases.

I suppose it'd have to be put through a beta test first to prove favorable, so yes it is up to IMDb if they want to make that focus.

Another thought- maybe a survey would be better suited to the task, and easier to implement. This isn't as robust but might be easier all around. Just build in a poll system which allows users to vote on their preferred version of a movie.

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11 years ago

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rootsmusic

262 Messages

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5.8K Points

5 years ago

My idea, which is about theatrically-released alternate versions, an be merged here.

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tbrainerd

Ratings: Vote on alternate versions of a film

dan_dassow

tbrainerd

dan_dassow

jes_s_left

tbrainerd

jes_s_left

davidah_ca

tbrainerd

rootsmusic

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