Quoting dvd_fan:

Quote:
So, umm, the only way I can do the cast and crew credits are by getting a pad and pencil and after the film finishes, by slowly(freeze framing even) the credits and writing them down this way? Forget it, a ridiculous and a waste of time.

What I tend to do is put the DVD in my computer's DVD drive and play it there, then I can just tab between the two windows and enter the credits straight into DVD Profiler without having to first copy it down on a separate piece of paper.

An additional bonus to doing it this way is that it's easy to also grab the disc ID while I'm at it.

KM

And that's the way I do it:

Phase 1: Preparation

I run WinDVD to play/pause the opening and the end credits and take screen captures via WinDVD's built-in capture function.

In WinDVD, I then save all screen captures. That will generate several big BMP files, which are numbered automatically. On average, I end up with about 50 files per movie, but it of course depends on the length of the credits.

I then run PaintShop Pro to do a Batch Conversion of all the BMP files into compressed JPG files.

With a custom script, I generate a HTML page that allows me to easily navigate the images (kind of like a slide show), with certain bookmarks, e.g. Begin End Credits, Begin Cast List, etc.

This "slide show" is in a dedicated folder for each movie, and it gets linked to the profile.

The screencaps are easier to handle than "live" credits. Plus, when I get an online update of the cast/crew for a profile I've already done, it is much easier to check if the corrections are indeed valid. I don't currently do OCR, but this certainly is an option for the future.

Phase 2: Entering/Editing Credits

To edit the credits of a profile, I use my own Credits Editor (see signature).

If the profile aleady has credits, I copy/paste them into the Credits Editor.

If there are no credits yet, I use a custom script to import them from IMDb.

I then toggle between my screencaps slide show and the Credits Editor to modify/add the credits exactly "as credited".

If the cast of the film is listed alphabetically or in order of appearance, I move top-billed actors to the top, followed by a divider for the remaining end credits. This is of course a strictly local choice, and not contributable.

Finally, I copy/paste them back from Credits Editor into DVD Profiler.

Phase 3: Refinement (Common Names)

I run my Name Variants plugin (see signature) to find similar names that are different entries in DVD Profiler's cast/crew database, but most likely refer to the same person.

I filter the NameVariants report for the DVD I'm currently working on.

Based on the results, some additional research is required to dermine the correct common name for multiple variants. Some useful resources besides IMDb and the movie/actor websites are:

  - the Credited As Database by Lopek and m.cellophane  (see this thread)
  - the Credit Lookup Tool (CLT) (*1)

I then make the necessary common name changes directly from within the NameVariants report.

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(*1) Personally, I don't use the CLT. I also rarely use the Credited As Database anymore, because it now follows the CLT instead of listing the "correct" name for a person. If I encounter multiple name variants for a person, I try to use the correct name as common name. I also apply certain formatting standards, but again only, if I there are multiple variants in *my* database. This too is a strictly local choice and not contributable.

I am a nine month newbie myself.  I have found a good way to get cast and crew info without a notepad.  I have small  portable DVD player and place it infront of my computer screen. and then scroll the crew & crew info from the film and freeze it so i can easily enter it on the PC.  It works well.

Some people may find it cumbersome, but it works well for me.

Quoting Patsa:

Quote:
Maybe we could build a screencap database instead, it would end all discussions about credits. 
Instead we could tag the images for easy reference, such as you describe with HTML-bookmarks.
But would it be legal?

I don't think that'll be particularly useful if I want to get a list of all the Cary Grant films I have, for example.

Quoting dvd_fan:

Quote:
So, umm, the only way I can do the cast and crew credits are by getting a pad and pencil and after the film finishes, by slowly(freeze framing even) the credits and writing them down this way? Forget it, a ridiculous and a waste of time.

And as you've now seen, other people (with variations on this method) do NOT consider it ridiculous, so NOT consider it a waste of time, and because of this YOU benefit by having accurate credits in DVDP.

Quoting Patsa:

Quote:
Maybe we could build a screencap database instead, it would end all discussions about credits. 
Instead we could tag the images for easy reference, such as you describe with HTML-bookmarks.
But would it be legal?

I suggested this a long time ago as something which would describe the credits exactly and would be totally pointless.    As I remember.. some people thought I was serious.. 

If we want a screen capture with no usability then we can just fire up the dvd and look ourselves. The whole point of a relational database is to be able to relate things and get useful information out.

Ah, but there is NOT oONE relational database, despite your belief. You have your version and other developers and progframmers will have theirs and one is no better than the other. If there were ONR way to define and develop a relational database then life would be so much simpler but there is not. The question which is popular on these forums, is to use ueser imagined data or REAL data which can be SEEN or documented, such as using PowerDVD to determine ACTUAL runtime. I do NOT support ANY form of user imagined data, we have been there done that, we can see the results of user imagined data elsewhere and it does not work, it makes the data LESS accurate anjd LESS useful. In order for any database to be USEFUL it must FIRST be ACCURATE and that ACCURACY should always be rooted in REALITY.

Skip

Quoting AESP_pres:

Quote:
Quoting skipnet50:

Quote:
The question which is popular on these forums, is to use ueser imagined data or REAL data which can be SEEN or documented, such as using PowerDVD to determine ACTUAL runtime.
Skip

We could tell this for many thing. One of those that I've recently profiled is in the database with a subtitle track, but this is not the case in reality. The original profiler had just trust the dvd listing, since it is wrote on it... But after I've check the dvd there is no english subtitle track and this is just another error by Media Blasters (I'm not really surprise by that since it's regular with their release).

All that just to say that even the dvd listing are not worthy of our trust 
Everything must be confirm with the dvd

Right you are.

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