Clicking on Company Credits ... See more>> or individual Production Co. it send u on IMDbPro log in page, I assume it's a clinch.
Posted 8 months ago
Col Needham, Official Rep
While I do thank you for your honesty, it's worth mentioning that you have just eliminated many of the reasons I use IMDB in the first place. I used the company pages to help me find many of the upcoming films, including many older films that I would not have known about otherwise.
I understand nothing can be done about this, but as a user (and not just a browser) this is very unfortunate. As you say, many of the features are a decade old, but many of us have been here using ALL Of those features for that decade.
I am sad to see these features go, but again thank you for your honesty.
I understand nothing can be done about this, but as a user (and not just a browser) this is very unfortunate. As you say, many of the features are a decade old, but many of us have been here using ALL Of those features for that decade.
I am sad to see these features go, but again thank you for your honesty.
Col Needham, Official Rep
Thanks for the feedback -- we are interested in your use case here so we can look at alternatives. Would you mind giving some examples about how you have used the company filmography pages to make viewing decisions or find films?
Specifically, if I go to "Walt DIsney Pictures" company page, I can find titles that have no cast or even writers attached to them yet. I admit that I have many films in my watchlist that are not due to be released for many years. But certain titles which may not be released for years may spark my interest. Honestly, they give me something to look forward too.
Titles like "Untitled x project" are also found under company pages, and depending on what the 'x' stands for, they can also spark my interest.
Also, under companies which are much smaller, like "The Asylum" - I know, they're so bad but they are a guilty pleasure - often the only way I was ever to come across their new titles was through their company page on IMDB. Their Wikipedia page is unreliable and often they don't update their Youtube until it is time for the film's release.
Titles like "Untitled x project" are also found under company pages, and depending on what the 'x' stands for, they can also spark my interest.
Also, under companies which are much smaller, like "The Asylum" - I know, they're so bad but they are a guilty pleasure - often the only way I was ever to come across their new titles was through their company page on IMDB. Their Wikipedia page is unreliable and often they don't update their Youtube until it is time for the film's release.
Col Needham, Official Rep
Thanks, this is very useful.
Col Needham, Official Rep
A quick follow-up, please see the reply below to Chribren. In your first example, the Disney company would link to http://www.imdb.com/search/title?companies=disney and then clicking to sort by year would generatehttp://www.imdb.com/search/title?companies=disney&sort=year,desc
At the moment advanced title search at http://www.imdb.com/search/title just supports eight companies. We are looking at supporting all companies and then linking the company names across IMDb to the corresponding search. Does this sound okay?
At the moment advanced title search at http://www.imdb.com/search/title just supports eight companies. We are looking at supporting all companies and then linking the company names across IMDb to the corresponding search. Does this sound okay?
There are movies, shows and games in which civil service agencies, film commissions, libraries, hospitals, foundations or organizations of varieties of other kinds are credited: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Navy. Air Force, Coast Guard and National Air and Space Museum, for instances. The filmography information is not easy to find elsewhere, and searching for it via a web search engine will most certainly produce false positives very frequently. It's not hard to understand what the problem with changing the system around is. By all means, please expand the functionality of the Advanced Title Search, but understand that in the mean time, you're depriving non-Pro IMDb subscribers, some of whom have helped build your site up.
I just came home after visiting my family for weekend. But as a faithful member of the IMDb, I don't want to become a member of IMDb Pro just for the company credits. Company filmographies have been one of the biggest reasons I use IMDb since I signed into the site for the first time, and how it's become now, I will not be able to find out what company made "this" and "that" movie anymore thanks to the IMDb Pro. I refuse to see that change being permanent, and I'm not alone on this. I see many contributors and ordinary IMDb users have been complaining about this since the problem began.
And what about the non-member visitors who just wants to look up at upcoming and previous movies coming from companies like Twentieth Century Fox, and instead they have to register themselves and become members of IMDb Pro just for that. The same if anyone would like to look up to rare companies like JC Films [mx], extinct companies like Edison Manufactoring Company, and animal rights groups like PETA.
And not all people have enough money to become a member of that IMDb Pro.
I'm sorry, but I think this leads to more frustration among the users. So I ask any of the IMDb staff to please make the company filmographies free again, and remove the IMDb Pro redirection, not only for my sake, but for all of the IMDb users as well.
However, this is just my opinion, and I'm sorry if I sound little bit harsh on some parts of my comment. It's just the fact I'm concerned on behalf of the IMDb users who've also been using company filmographies like I've been doing. And if the IMDb Pro redirection remains permanent, then I feel like I'm going crazy.
Sincirely, Chribren
And what about the non-member visitors who just wants to look up at upcoming and previous movies coming from companies like Twentieth Century Fox, and instead they have to register themselves and become members of IMDb Pro just for that. The same if anyone would like to look up to rare companies like JC Films [mx], extinct companies like Edison Manufactoring Company, and animal rights groups like PETA.
And not all people have enough money to become a member of that IMDb Pro.
I'm sorry, but I think this leads to more frustration among the users. So I ask any of the IMDb staff to please make the company filmographies free again, and remove the IMDb Pro redirection, not only for my sake, but for all of the IMDb users as well.
However, this is just my opinion, and I'm sorry if I sound little bit harsh on some parts of my comment. It's just the fact I'm concerned on behalf of the IMDb users who've also been using company filmographies like I've been doing. And if the IMDb Pro redirection remains permanent, then I feel like I'm going crazy.
Sincirely, Chribren
(Edited)
Col Needham, Official Rep
Thanks for the feedback and the context of your usage. We are discussing options here at the moment.
Okay, thank you for your reply. By the way, as someone who's been using IMDb since the mid-2000s, I'm okay with several of the other changes as already announced on https://getsatisfaction.com/imdb/topics/upcoming-changes-to-several-imdb-features-du6man1opd5q0, and I'm happy the IMDb will do anything to make improvements for their users, and grow the site's content. It was just now, right here, for the company filmographies, I and many others had to put my feet down on the floor and speak out, since as of now, I and the other users can only search for titles, people and some other stuff, not companies unless we become IMDb Pro members. Besides from everything I've said, I agree with the other Get Satisfaction members on all the other opinions and reasons mentioned, prior to my comment.
I use the IMDb a lot, mainly for fun. And I like to contribute on the site by adding new titles or extra content on existing titles. Speaking of companies, I've been using companies like JC Films, Fernsehen der DDR, MarVista Entertainment, Xces Film, Paramount Pictures, PETA, MPAA, and many more. It was through that kind of searching I've been finding many movie titles I haven't known about, and it was through MarVista I've got to know about "Kiddo the Super-Truck", which I streamed several days ago, just to make an example. The same with searching for titles and directors unheard for me.
So for the time being, I cross my fingers for the company filmography to become free again, and lots of the other features to remain free, even with the new software system. Then I, along with other users and contributors, will be enjoying the site to the fullest again like before. And I don't use any program like AdBlock on the IMDb.
I use the IMDb a lot, mainly for fun. And I like to contribute on the site by adding new titles or extra content on existing titles. Speaking of companies, I've been using companies like JC Films, Fernsehen der DDR, MarVista Entertainment, Xces Film, Paramount Pictures, PETA, MPAA, and many more. It was through that kind of searching I've been finding many movie titles I haven't known about, and it was through MarVista I've got to know about "Kiddo the Super-Truck", which I streamed several days ago, just to make an example. The same with searching for titles and directors unheard for me.
So for the time being, I cross my fingers for the company filmography to become free again, and lots of the other features to remain free, even with the new software system. Then I, along with other users and contributors, will be enjoying the site to the fullest again like before. And I don't use any program like AdBlock on the IMDb.
(Edited)
Col Needham, Official Rep
Thanks for the extra details on your usage. We have taken another look at this and the best way to build this with the new system would be as a search result. We already offer limited company searches on the advanced title search page at http://www.imdb.com/search/title so for example, wherever we reference "20th Century Fox" on the site, the company name would be linked to the corresponding search results, as in http://www.imdb.com/search/title?companies=fox
The same would apply for all companies, so in your examples, companies like JC Films, Fernsehen der DDR, MarVista Entertainment, Xces Film, Paramount Pictures, PETA, MPAA etc. would be linked to their advanced search results similar to Fox.
Does this sound okay?
The same would apply for all companies, so in your examples, companies like JC Films, Fernsehen der DDR, MarVista Entertainment, Xces Film, Paramount Pictures, PETA, MPAA etc. would be linked to their advanced search results similar to Fox.
Does this sound okay?
It may feel kinda unusual for me in the beginning, since we've been used to simply write a company, click, and we're right on the company. But I guess I may give it a chance. The limited company search as it is temporarily seems like a nice step further in the new advanced search results, so getting to search on all of the thousands of the other companies right there would be a great fun as it was before with the old software system. But I will let you know if something comes up in my heart and mind regarding this. Give us a message when this change is about to be completed, as I feel kinda excited about this. :-)
(Edited)
gromit82, Champion
Please count me as another person who would prefer that when one does a search for "pixar" under Companies, and gets a list such as the one at http://www.imdb.com/find?ref_=nv_sr_fn&q=pixar&s=co, one should be able to click on Pixar Animation Studios [us] and see a list of films for which that company is credited. The company filmographies should not be restricted to IMDbPro users, and while they should be accessible via Advanced Title Search, that should not be the only way to access them.
I understand if the software which serves the company filmographies needs to be reprogrammed. However, if it is technically possible to serve the company filmographies on IMDbPro, then it ought to be technically possible to serve them on the free site too, at least after the reprogramming has been completed.
"The complexities of trying to tie company credits across different branches and subsidiaries" may be difficult, but if they are a software problem, then that problem either is being resolved for the Pro users, or it isn't. If it's being resolved for the Pro users, then it can be resolved for the free site users. From that point, it's just a matter of what IMDb chooses to allow to the free site users.
I understand if the software which serves the company filmographies needs to be reprogrammed. However, if it is technically possible to serve the company filmographies on IMDbPro, then it ought to be technically possible to serve them on the free site too, at least after the reprogramming has been completed.
"The complexities of trying to tie company credits across different branches and subsidiaries" may be difficult, but if they are a software problem, then that problem either is being resolved for the Pro users, or it isn't. If it's being resolved for the Pro users, then it can be resolved for the free site users. From that point, it's just a matter of what IMDb chooses to allow to the free site users.
(Edited)
Col Needham, Official Rep
Thanks for the feedback. The problem is the complexity of re-introducing another top-level page type vs. the amount of traffic the company pages were receiving on the consumer IMDb site. We are trying to thoughtfully simplify the IMDb software and customer experience so we can continue to move quickly and reduce bugs and inefficiencies. You have seen how bad things can get when we do not do this and so we are finished with the old approach!
Of course, it is possible to rebuild dedicated company pages, however, this would mean fewer resources to dedicate to enhancing the more core parts of IMDb. Search is already a core part of the site and something we are stepping up in 2018, so creating a virtual company filmography page via search is our preferred approach. Remember also with company data fully integrated into search, it means other sections which likewise use search can benefit from filtering by company name. It's win-win as they say :-)
Of course, it is possible to rebuild dedicated company pages, however, this would mean fewer resources to dedicate to enhancing the more core parts of IMDb. Search is already a core part of the site and something we are stepping up in 2018, so creating a virtual company filmography page via search is our preferred approach. Remember also with company data fully integrated into search, it means other sections which likewise use search can benefit from filtering by company name. It's win-win as they say :-)
bderoes, Champion
@Col,
I just wanted to chime in: the company search will only be truly useful if we can distinguish between Production vs. Distribution companies. And that is the only way you would truly replace the (now former) filmography pages with the search function, and truly score that double win.
I just wanted to chime in: the company search will only be truly useful if we can distinguish between Production vs. Distribution companies. And that is the only way you would truly replace the (now former) filmography pages with the search function, and truly score that double win.
Col, the only way this works is if clicking on a company link brings you to the appropriate search page. That is an acceptable solution. The less work a user has to do once they are redirected to the search engine, the better, but I can understand that if very few users actually click on the company links, it's probably not worth your time to write code to make it easier. So if I click on A24 and am brought to a search page (opening in another tab if I control-click) where I can either type in A24 in a text box or (better) click to put a check mark next to "A24," that works fine.
What you absolutely cannot do (as I explained earlier in the post with all the upvotes that is, coincidentally I'm sure, the post you didn't respond to) is ask people to join IMDBPro every time they click on a company link. That reads like begging for money to access data that you have advertised as free (and which in some cases was provided to you for free).
While we're improving search, the search by genre absolutely has to have a "[ ] Films in any of these genres (OR)" versus "[ ] Films in all of these genres (AND)" option. I might want a list of all sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films, but I might also want a list of romantic comedies -- which is decidedly not the same as a list of all romances OR comedies.
What you absolutely cannot do (as I explained earlier in the post with all the upvotes that is, coincidentally I'm sure, the post you didn't respond to) is ask people to join IMDBPro every time they click on a company link. That reads like begging for money to access data that you have advertised as free (and which in some cases was provided to you for free).
While we're improving search, the search by genre absolutely has to have a "[ ] Films in any of these genres (OR)" versus "[ ] Films in all of these genres (AND)" option. I might want a list of all sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films, but I might also want a list of romantic comedies -- which is decidedly not the same as a list of all romances OR comedies.
Like a lot of ordinary users I came on this change by chance. First time i thought it was a bug. Then I wanted to look up all the films produced in the 1970s under the American Film Theatre banner. I hadn't found this thread at that time so I looked at Wikipedia and their data looked pretty accurate. I certainly wouldn't join IMDBPro to look at this and am baffled that the click takes you to what is an ad instead of taking you to the search page. Another half thought through change.
How long do we have to still wait for this new IMDb system and the new company filmography link pages to be made and complete? Me and the movie guys can't take this madness and wait anymore! We want our new company filmography link pages now! Waiting too long is freaking killing us!! We regular IMDb users can't afford IMDb Pro!!!
This still hasn't been resolved yet, I'm still getting the pro page when I click on a studio.
I remember Col Needham talked to me about linking the companies to the advanced search, and I'm basically happy for that as it would be better than nothing. I'm still waiting for this, and lately I've been wanting to ask when this will happen.
