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The Birds
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DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorTheMadMartian
Alien with an attitude
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
United States Posts: 13,201
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Quoting Rifter:
Quote:
It doesn't matter WHY it is included.  What's important is that it IS included.  Who are we to second guess why the director put that possessive in place in the movie?  It doesn't matter one fig whether it is all on one screen or part of a sequence.  The fact is, it's there.  We should default to that fact and not try to ascribe some ulterior motive to why it should or should not be there.


What are you talking about?  In the quote James found, Hitchcock clearly states why it is included.  There is no second guessing going on here. 

Quote:
Just as a side not.  Those who say "only in a single frame" referring to a movie simply don't understand how film works.  That single "frame" or "picture" we see on screen is most likely dozens or hundreds of frames, not just one.  In fact, at 24 frames per second, a title on screen for 5 seconds contains 120 frames, not just one.  That is a film sequence.


Stop being such a pedant.  It is not attractive in the least. 

Quote:
  Again, I ask why the obsessive insistence by some to remove what has obviously been deliberately put there by the director?


There are a lot of things placed in front of a title, by the director, that we leave out.  Are you suggesting that we should now include all the junk in the 'title sequence'?  Large can of worms you are opening there. 
No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever.
There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom.
Against this power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand.
The Centauri learned this lesson once.
We will teach it to them again.
Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.
- Citizen G'Kar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantDan W
Registered: May 9, 2002
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 980
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Quoting Rifter:
Quote:
Quoting Dan W:
Quote:
Rifter,

I think it's being used as marketing and not actually part of the title. The quote in an earlier post in Hitchcock's own words says as much.

I would agree that any attempt to separate Alfred Hitchcock from the film is ludicrous. I would also say that of any of his films though.

For our purposes in DVDProfiler, I would suggest we define when to include possessives a little differently though. My post above is, in my view, probably the best approach.

Here it is.
Quoting Dan W:
Quote:
My thinking is that without an indicator such as an opening quote before the possessive and an end quote at the end of the full title, the possessive should not be included as part of the title.

Example:
"Bram Stoker's Dracula"
and
"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events"

Those possessives are part of the titles.


This is not:
Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"

I don't think we have to rest this on nothing but quotes and it could be any similar indicator. Without an indicator, the possessive should not be included as part of the title because it's just somebody bragging.


We would look for these indicators or "qualifiers" on the title screen or in the copyright or in the credits section on the back cover. Official websites would also be an acceptable source.


It doesn't matter WHY it is included.  What's important is that it IS included.  Who are we to second guess why the director put that possessive in place in the movie?  It doesn't matter one fig whether it is all on one screen or part of a sequence.  The fact is, it's there.  We should default to that fact and not try to ascribe some ulterior motive to why it should or should not be there.

Just as a side not.  Those who say "only in a single frame" referring to a movie simply don't understand how film works.  That single "frame" or "picture" we see on screen is most likely dozens or hundreds of frames, not just one.  In fact, at 24 frames per second, a title on screen for 5 seconds contains 120 frames, not just one.  That is a film sequence.  Again, I ask why the obsessive insistence by some to remove what has obviously been deliberately put there by the director?


For clarity, I was talking about what it is, not, why it is. My point is, the possessive is not part of the title.
Dan
 Last edited: by Dan W
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorTheMadMartian
Alien with an attitude
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
United States Posts: 13,201
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Quoting Dan W:
Quote:
For our purposes in DVDProfiler, I would suggest we define when to include possessives a little differently though. My post above is, in my view, probably the best approach.


Prior to today, I didn't believe it had to be spelled out.  I had thought it was quite obvious when to use them and when not to.  My opinion on that has now changed.  We need to figure out a way to determine these.
No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever.
There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom.
Against this power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand.
The Centauri learned this lesson once.
We will teach it to them again.
Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.
- Citizen G'Kar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar Contributorm.cellophane
tonight's the night...
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
United States Posts: 3,480
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Quoting mdnitoil:
Quote:
Yet somehow, through the decades, we here at DVD Profiler have divined the true titles to all his films that have eluded film scholars all these years.  That's just...wow.  Somebody better tell Universal they copyrighted the wrong films, according to an earlier post regarding the U.S. copyright database.  Perhaps we can make a case for his library actually being in the public domain?  Good god.

Judging from the current vote on The Birds, I think the overwhelming majority of people agree with you, so I think we're going to be ok here.
...James

"People fake a lot of human interactions, but I feel like I fake them all, and I fake them very well. That’s my burden, I guess." ~ Dexter Morgan
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributormdnitoil
Registered: March 14, 2007
United States Posts: 1,777
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Quote:
Prior to today, I didn't believe it had to be spelled out.  I had thought it was quite obvious when to use them and when not to.  My opinion on that has now changed.  We need to figure out a way to determine these.

You're right.  We have the director's own words on how to read his titles, but that isn't good enough because of some half-second dissolve.



It's like being in the world of Bizzaro Superman (apologies to Superman fans.)
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantjgilligan
Got PEZ?
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
United States Posts: 171
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Quoting Rifter:
Quote:
Outstanding detective work.  Hitchcock is not the only director, by any means, to understand and make use of the value of his name being associated with the title of a film.  Frank Miller has made similar remarks about his work, and the heirs of both Edgar Rice Burroughs and J. R. R. Tolkien have acknowledged that same idea in marketing the work of their predecessors. 

Once again, well done.


I think I see the answer in your post above...  You mention, and it appears to be your own words, not  a quote, that Hitchcock understood the value of having his name associated with the title of a film.  You didn't say included in the title of the film.


There are times when the possessives are part of the title, but those seem to be the exception rather than the rule.  What seems very odd to me is that it is the same people who are now adamantly arguing FOR the inclusion of the possessives that were arguing AGAINST them a few short years ago.

It appears that, once again, we are trying to come up with a rule that has absolutely no room for interpretation.  And, when there is no room left for interpretation, we WILL end up with bad data in the online database.  I, and many others, don't want consistent data, we want accurate data.

I don't know what it will take, but somewhere along the line we have to come to the realization that there are no absolutes in this world.  We can never come up with a set of all encompassing rules that will make it possible to profile both the DVD and the movie it contains without some human thought behind it.  We have the screeners and the voting process.  If the screeners let it through, and a significant majority of the voters agree, then it is probably the right way to go.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 21,610
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Quoting mdnitoil:
Quote:
Quote:
Prior to today, I didn't believe it had to be spelled out.  I had thought it was quite obvious when to use them and when not to.  My opinion on that has now changed.  We need to figure out a way to determine these.

You're right.  We have the director's own words on how to read his titles, but that isn't good enough because of some half-second dissolve.



It's like being in the world of Bizzaro Superman (apologies to Superman fans.)


And you are the Bizarro. I can agree to disagree, but your comment was totally unnecessary and insulting to the user. Just who do you think you are sir? I could make some comments on what precisely I think of your interpretation, but I won't out of respect, i think you owe someone an apology. And thge same goes for some of our other denizens who have made some equally unnecessary and insulting remarks. Are we trying to solve a problem or get into another mudf-slinging match.

Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
CBE, MBE, MoA and proud of it.
Outta here

Billy Video
 Last edited: by Winston Smith
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributormdnitoil
Registered: March 14, 2007
United States Posts: 1,777
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Quoting skipnet50:
Quote:
Quoting mdnitoil:
Quote:
Quote:
Prior to today, I didn't believe it had to be spelled out.  I had thought it was quite obvious when to use them and when not to.  My opinion on that has now changed.  We need to figure out a way to determine these.

You're right.  We have the director's own words on how to read his titles, but that isn't good enough because of some half-second dissolve.



It's like being in the world of Bizzaro Superman (apologies to Superman fans.)


And you are the Bizarro. I can agree to disagree, but your comment was totally unnecessary and insulting to the user. Just who do you think you are sir? I could make some comments on what precisely I think of your interpretation, but I won't out of respect, i think you owe someone an apology. And thge same goes for some of our other denizens who have made some equally unnecessary and insulting remarks. Are we trying to solve a problem or get into another mudf-slinging match.

Skip


I'm getting lectured in etiquette by skip!  I think I've finally arrived. 

Thank you for that.  It really takes the edge off. 

Oh, and in case you missed it, the problem has been solved. 
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantRifter
Reg. Jan 27, 2002
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 2,694
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Quoting jgilligan:
Quote:
Quoting Rifter:
Quote:
Outstanding detective work.  Hitchcock is not the only director, by any means, to understand and make use of the value of his name being associated with the title of a film.  Frank Miller has made similar remarks about his work, and the heirs of both Edgar Rice Burroughs and J. R. R. Tolkien have acknowledged that same idea in marketing the work of their predecessors. 

Once again, well done.


I think I see the answer in your post above...  You mention, and it appears to be your own words, not  a quote, that Hitchcock understood the value of having his name associated with the title of a film.  You didn't say included in the title of the film.


There are times when the possessives are part of the title, but those seem to be the exception rather than the rule.  What seems very odd to me is that it is the same people who are now adamantly arguing FOR the inclusion of the possessives that were arguing AGAINST them a few short years ago.

It appears that, once again, we are trying to come up with a rule that has absolutely no room for interpretation.  And, when there is no room left for interpretation, we WILL end up with bad data in the online database.  I, and many others, don't want consistent data, we want accurate data.

I don't know what it will take, but somewhere along the line we have to come to the realization that there are no absolutes in this world.  We can never come up with a set of all encompassing rules that will make it possible to profile both the DVD and the movie it contains without some human thought behind it.  We have the screeners and the voting process.  If the screeners let it through, and a significant majority of the voters agree, then it is probably the right way to go.


Don't play word games with what I say.  You know what I meant, and I still mean the same thing.
John

"Extremism in the defense of Liberty is no vice!" Senator Barry Goldwater, 1964
Make America Great Again!
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantjohnd
Evening, poetry lovers.
Registered: March 13, 2007
Australia Posts: 298
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This thread demonstrates the bizarre depths that Skip and others have dragged DVDProfiler. These people have totally lost sight of the intent of the product. DVDProfiler is a tool to enhance the enjoyment of movies, not something to hold a dry and dusty catalogue.

If a set of rules diminishes the tools ability to perform this function, then the rules must change. This thread, and several others, demonstrate that some users are prepared to suck all the fun out of this product.

For instance, the slavish listing of cast "as listed in the film" means that the ability to view all movies for a particular actor is now essentially broken, particularly for those earlier films where he may not have settled on the name form he currently uses. "Credited as" is not working, as there are still lots of updates coming down where the cast name is changed, rather than using the "credited as" function.

This thread shows how this perdantic interpretation actually harms the usefullness of the data. "Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds" as a title is plainly ridiculous. This is not the title of the movie, regardless of arguments to the contrary. Consult any textbook on film to see how stupid this argument is.

And trying to bully people into accepting it just won't work, Skip being the prime example of this yet again.
 Last edited: by johnd
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar Contributorlyonsden5
Hello old friends!
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting skipnet50 page 1:
Quote:
Midntoil:

I am so tired of user's like you trying to nitpick things to get yourinterpretation and manipulate the database to suit yourself. If you want it to be The Birds...fine...do so...LOCALLY  It is what it is and that is all there is to it. Like I said from an Onliune Point of View LIVE WITH IT.

Skip

uh.... OK


Quoting skipnet50 page 1:
Quote:
All bow.The GREAT manipulator has weighed in with his opinion.

Attack number 2


Quoting skipnet50 page 6:
Quote:
Come back and talk to me when you are prepared to follow the Rules. Ther interpretation HAS BEEN correctly applied, i don't think you have a clue.

Calls the user clueless for not agreeing with him


Quoting skipnet50 page 7:
Quote:

Now does it surprise me that you have the position you have, NOT AT ALL! You have already demonstrated your total disregard for the Rules AND your willingness to encourage others to do the same by stuffing the votes, yet another violation of the Rules. .

accuses Andy of vote stuffing yet he himself has voted on DVDs from other countries the he will never own.


Quoting skipnet50 page 7:
Quote:
SHEESH!!!!!!!!! Waht you people won't say or do to tryt to invalidate the Rules.

Accuses everyone who disagrees with him of trying to invalidate the rules


Quoting skipnet50 page 8:
Quote:
The Rule is simple and not unclear, please tell me I am not crediting people with having too much intelligence.

calls everyone who disagrees with him unintelligent


Quoting skipnet50 page 8:
Quote:
It doesn't make me happy, but I am fed up with the likes of Lopek and his minions, that aree willing to allow users to vioalte the Rules whist they CLAIM to back them, which is a blatant LIE.

calls everyone who disagrees with him a liar


Quoting skipnet50 above:
Quote:
And you are the Bizarro. I can agree to disagree, but your comment was totally unnecessary and insulting to the user. Just who do you think you are sir? I could make some comments on what precisely I think of your interpretation, but I won't out of respect, i think you owe someone an apology. And thge same goes for some of our other denizens who have made some equally unnecessary and insulting remarks. Are we trying to solve a problem or get into another mudf-slinging match.

Skip

  How Rich!!!! After at least 7 insulting posts Skip calls a superman reference insulting and requests an apology!  

now THAT'S funny!!!!!
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantCool_doodad
Registered: March 13, 2007
Canada Posts: 404
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Question to Ken:

You keep Skip around because he's blackmailing you somehow??
The Other DVD Forum
Why do people who know the least know it the loudest?
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorBad Father
Registered: July 23, 2001
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Ken: What are they up to now?
Gerri: Still arguing about birds.
Ken: You're kidding? What page are they up to?
Gerri: 13.
Ken: 20 bucks they get to 20 pages by noon tomorrow.
Gerri: I was getting ready to lock the thread.
Ken: Really? Why?
Gerri: I think they're getting wise. Tlevel asked if you keep Skip around because he was blackmailing you.
Ken: Lock the thread!
Gerri: You paid him didn't you?
Ken: I mailed him his money yesterday.
My WebGenDVD online Collection
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,623
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If memory serves me right there was a famous ad campaign for this film. It consisted of just the text "THE BIRDS IS COMING" and it got noticed just because it seemed to be grammatically incorrect since people didn't know that "THE BIRDS" referred to a singular object (the film).

I guess the ad people screwed up, and it should really have been "ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S THE BIRDS IS COMING"? 
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantGraveworm
Registered: April 7, 2007
United Kingdom Posts: 357
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Now I am confused, The R2 To catch a thief was recently changed to AHK's to catch a thief. When it was submitted I at first voted No but later voted Yes because Wossname asked the question half way through this http://www.invelos.com/Forums.aspx?task=viewtopic&topicID=165313&PageNum=1 thread and the answer (mostly from people with the R1 which is still without the possessive) was it was correct.

Don't get me wrong in my local DB it's business as usual but some clarification would be nice at least for consistency.
 Last edited: by Graveworm
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorBehemot
Registered: Aug. 23, 2004
Registered: March 14, 2007
Norway Posts: 555
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Quoting m.cellophane:
Quote:
These are called "possessory credits" and are above the title rather than part of the title...for the most part.  (Agree with Dan on reading the fine print in the title block looking for parenthesis...)

DGA Article on "A Film by" Credit

DGA Timeline on Possessory Credits battle wtih WGA

DGA Article on WGA Proposals which includes this quote from Alfred Hitchcock:
Quote:
"I consider the possessory use of my name above the title of a film as of extraordinary value to the producing company as well as to myself. Every producing company has informed me that my name has 'box office value' and part of the benefit received by such producing company is the right to use, advertise and exploit my name."

- Alfred Hitchcock

Bolding is mine.


EXACTLY what I tried to say back on page 7 of this thread - the possessive is ABOVE the title, not PART OF the title. Thanks, m.cellophane 
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