Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Film

This guideline is a part of the English Wikipedia's Manual of Style. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.

Shortcuts WP:MOSFILM MOS:FILM

The following is a manual of style for film-related articles under

The notability guideline for film-related articles helps decide whether a film-related topic should have its own article, and builds on the

• If a non-film article already exists with the name of the film that you are trying to create an article for, disambiguate and use (film) in the title: Film Title (film).
• If a film article already exists with the name of the film that you are trying to create an article for, use (YEAR film) in the title: Film Title (YEAR film). Rename the already existing article's title and change it to Film Title (YEAR film) also.

If the film title itself is in doubt, such as whether the word the should appear, it can be resolved as follows:

• The Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules AACR2 7.0B1 states: "The chief source of information for motion pictures and video recordings is (in this order of preference): the item itself (e.g., the title frames), its container (and container label) if the container is an integral part of the piece (e.g., a cassette)."
• The British Board of Film Classification has a search function.

In running text, the film's title should be italicized per Wikipedia's

Per Wikipedia's

Similarly, if an article title includes brackets (parentheses), that portion and any following it will not be italicized, since it is assumed to be a disambiguating term such as "(film)", not part of the film title itself. If it is actually part of the title, as in I Am Curious (Yellow), the italic title=force parameter will override this behavior and cause the entire title to be italicized.

If the infobox is used in an article with a title other than the film's title, italicization can be suppressed by adding the parameter italic title=no to the infobox.

If an article's title includes both a film title and additional wording that should not be italicized (e.g., List of accolades received by American Beauty), {{Italic title}} or the magic word DISPLAYTITLE can be used. For the given example, the following is included in the list article: {{Italic title|string=American Beauty}} or {{DISPLAYTITLE:List of accolades received by ''American Beauty''}}.

If both the {{Infobox film}} template and the DISPLAYTITLE magic word are used, they should be placed in that order, so that DISPLAYTITLE formatting overrides the infobox's built-in italics coding.

Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Box Office Mojo, and The Numbers are not italicized in prose, footnotes, or External links. Editors may choose to use citation templates {{Cite Rotten Tomatoes}}, {{Cite Metacritic}}, {{Cite Box Office Mojo}}, and {{Cite The Numbers}}, respectively.

Articles should aim to include each of the sections below. Since coverage in reliable sources can vary greatly, the structuring and ordering of the sections—with the exception of the lead, references, and external links—is left to editorial discretion as to what best suits the article. Some aspects with limited coverage may need to be merged into other sections.

Generally:

• A plot section (called synopsis for documentaries) should usually appear immediately after the lead, unless a film's specific context warrants otherwise.
• Sections covering the production (e.g., development, filming, visual effects) should be grouped together, preceding sections that cover other aspects, such as release and reception.

The following subsections are presented in the order in which they typically appear, but the structure and ordering may vary between film articles. See also

The lead should introduce the film and provide a summary of its most important aspects. At minimum, the opening sentence should identify the title, the year of its earliest public release (including film festival screenings), and the primary genre or sub-genre under which it is verifiably classified. See

Succeeding sentences in the first paragraph should identify other elements, such as (in no defined order) the director, the star(s), and any writers or producers who are well known. If the film is based on source material, that material and its creators should be identified. In terms of plot, the general premise should be briefly described, along with any actors' roles within it.

Other paragraphs in the lead should cover aspects not yet mentioned. Examples include major events involving the production, prominent themes, reception, box office grosses and milestones, controversies, summary of awards, spin-offs (such as sequels, remakes, or other media), and any significant cultural impact. Summarize awards and achievements using proper context in a later paragraph, and avoid descriptive phrases like "award-winning" to maintain a

References to the film should be written in present tense, as the film still exists, even if it is no longer showing (e.g. "Gone with the Wind is a..."). An exception would be an article on a lost film.

The plot section describes the events of the original general release. Plot details in alternate versions released theatrically or on home media may be described in other sections if appropriately sourced. Events do not have to be written in the order in which they appear on screen. If necessary, reorder the events to improve understanding of the plot. See how to write a plot summary and copyediting essentials for more in-depth suggestions.

The inclusion of mid- and post-credit scenes should be based on the same criteria used to evaluate the relevance of other scenes. In accordance with the guidelines on content disclaimers and spoilers, every important event in a film should be outlined without censoring details considered to be spoilers, and without the use of disclaimers or "spoiler warnings".

Actors and their roles can be presented in different forms, depending on three elements: 1) the prominence of the cast in the film, 2) the amount of real-world context for the whole cast or its members, and 3) the structure of the article. Editors are encouraged to lay out such content to best serve its readers. If necessary, build toward a

1. Casts vary in size and importance. A film may have an
   its poster, opening credits, or main on-end credits), speaking roles, named roles, cast lists in reliable sources, blue links, etc. If there are many of the cast worth identifying, either list the names in two or three columns, or group the names in prose. {{Cast listing
   }} may be used for listing in columns.
2. The real-world context for actors and their roles varies by film. Real-world context may be about how the role was written, how the actor came to be cast, or what preparations were necessary for filming. Development of an article means that a basic cast list may evolve into a bulleted list, with several sentences devoted to each character. Alternatively, a list may be accompanied by prose that discusses only a handful of the cast.
3. A basic cast list in a "Cast" section is appropriate for most stub-class articles. When an article is more developed, information about the cast can be presented in other ways. A "Cast" section may be maintained but with more detailed bulleted entries (ensuring that these do not force any line breaks that reduce accessibility), or a table or infobox (grouping actors and their roles) may be placed in the plot summary or in the "Casting" subsection of a "Production" section. Use tables with care due to their complexity; they are most appropriate for developed, stable articles (and are also recommended to display different casts, such as a Japanese-language voice cast and an English-language voice cast, in a Japanese animated film.)

Names should be referred to as credited, or by common name supported by a reliable source. If roles are described outside of the plot summary, keep such descriptions concise. Subjective interpretation using labels such as protagonist, antagonist, villain, or main character, should be avoided. The plot summary should convey such roles.

For uncredited roles, a

Per

A production section should provide a clear and readable narrative of how the film was developed, setting out the key events of its production without detailing all of the day-to-day operations or listing every piece of associated news and trivia. Maintain a production standpoint, referring to public announcements only when particularly noteworthy or revealing. Focus on information that describes how plot elements or settings were decided and produced, rather than simply listing their dates. Include detail regarding casting choices and how actors were found, but only include casting dates (month and year is normally sufficient) when notably relevant.

The "Production" section can be set out in four parts, coinciding with the chronology of creation (see the Filmmaking article):

• development: development of the concept and script, as well as the securing of financing and producers
• pre-production: recruitment of the most important artists (cast and crew) and shooting preparations
• production or filming: filming dates and places, important artistic decisions, and noteworthy events (delays, reshoots, financial problems, etc.)
• post-production: completion of special effects, musical scoring and sound, and editing

This section should be structured properly to fit the available content: for example, if there is sufficient material, the section could support subsections such as "development" and "filming". Some topics might be interlinked, such as where a film has had different writers during its development. Thoughts from the cast and crew can be included but should be substantive and avoid a promotional tone, especially during the marketing campaign.

Themes are unifying or dominant ideas and motifs in a film's elements (such as plot, dialogue, photography, and sound) conveying a position or message about life, society, and human nature. Most themes are implied rather than explicitly stated, regardless of whether their presence is the conscious intent of the producer, writer, or director. Inclusion of a treatment of a film's themes—

A key part of the article should be about the film's release and how it was received. Coverage will vary by film, and editors can structure the content in a way that serves readers best; presentation of content about release and reception can range from a simple "Release" section to several sections with their own subsections. Details about the release can include noteworthy screenings at film festivals and elsewhere, theatrical distribution and related business, setups (e.g. digital, IMAX), and significant release date changes, with sourced commentary where appropriate. Do not include information on the release in every territory (see here).

If available, provide information on the film's release on home media, such as release dates, revenues, and other appropriate third-party coverage. The section may contain a summary of the

The image in the film article's infobox serves as cover art and visually identifies the topic. The inclusion of additional cover art should be restricted to illustrating secondary sources' coverage of the appearance of cover art and packaging.

Provide a summary of the film's commercial performance (box office grosses), denominated in the film's national currency, if possible. Avoid terminology such as "domestic" and "international", which is used by sites such as Box Office Mojo for box office figures from the United States and Canada, and elsewhere. Also avoid terms such as "North America" which will vary in meaning among Wikipedia readers, and instead specify the countries (for example, use "United States and Canada") or indicate additional figures as outside the primary country or territory. Since countries and territories may not precisely match in count, copy the term used by the source(s) being referenced for box office coverage.

This information can be included under the release section (see

The overall critical reception to a film should be supported by attributions to

Avoid

Reviews from the film's country of origin are recommended (i.e., Chinese reviews for a Chinese film, French reviews for a French film), although additional evaluations from English-speaking countries are desirable. In the case of films not in the English language, the section should contain quotes translated into English from non-English reviews. For older films, it is important to distinguish between initial critical reception (from reviews published around the time of first release) and subsequent reception (from reviews made at later dates). Use

This content is not necessarily intended to be a standalone section, or a subsection, in a film article. Polls of the public carried out by a reliable source in an accredited manner, such as

Accolades that a film receives can be covered in their own section. Accolades include award wins and nominations, recognition from film critics' circles, and presence on lists of critically acclaimed films (e.g., AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies). The number of accolades and any related background information can help determine how to present them. For films with only a small number, identifying them in prose may be sufficient. Consider using a wikitable in other situations, with column names such as Award, Category, Nominee(s), and Result. If a table's size overwhelms the rest of the film article, it can be split into a list article that focuses on the accolades (e.g., List of accolades received by Up in the Air). Awards included in lists should have a Wikipedia article to demonstrate notability. Because of the proliferation of film festivals and "award mills", festival awards should be added with discretion, with inclusion subject to consensus. Awards bestowed by web-only entities are not generally included. Avoid accolades, especially listicles, that are mentioned only by the recipient and the awarding body. "Superman was listed at #1 on The Daily Planet's 100 Best Superheroes", sourced solely to the Daily Planet, is unlikely to be appropriate.

The "Accolades" section can also mix prose and lists. Prose can be used within a list of accolades to provide context, such as a general overview or a summary of controversy behind a given accolade. While a concise summary of critics' top-ten lists can be added, avoid adding an individual critic's list unless an exception is made through consensus. For a film that is widely overlooked for awards, a prose summary noting its appearance on such lists may be appropriate; likewise, a film that receives numerous nominations but appears on few such lists may receive the same treatment.

Note: per a discussion, American Film Institute mentions should only include films that made a given list—not those that were only nominated.

Readers should be able to

• Wikipedia:Citing sources
• Wikipedia:Reliable sources
• Help:Footnotes
• Wikipedia:Citation templates
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Resources

If web pages are referenced in the article body, include in the citation the date it was last accessed. Sometimes web pages will no longer be accessible online, so retrieve an archived URL of the page using the Wayback Machine and include it in the citation along with the original URL.

Wikipedia's guideline for external links is to consider each link on its merits, so review

• {{AFI film|0088247|The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• {{IMDb title|0088247|The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at
    IMDb
• {{TCMDb title|92566|The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at the TCM Movie Database
• {{AllMovie title|49101|The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at AllMovie
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|terminator|The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at Rotten Tomatoes
• {{Metacritic film|the-terminator|The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at Metacritic
• {{Mojo title|terminator|The Terminator}} gives
  • The Terminator at Box Office Mojo

Many films are adapted from other works of fiction (such as literature, plays, musicals, and other films). When filmmakers adapt this source material, they make changes for creative and conventional reasons. Details from secondary sources about why and how such changes took place, and the reaction to them, can be included within the article body. Writing about changes between a film and its source material without real-world context is discouraged. Creating a section that merely lists the differences is especially discouraged. While articles in the early stage of development (or about newly released films) may contain information which does not easily fit elsewhere, the material should either be moved to the relevant section or removed entirely when the article matures.

For a controversial film, or a controversy stemming from a particular aspect of an otherwise uncontroversial film, editors should closely review Wikipedia's policy on

Due weight means "that each article or other page in the mainspace fairly represents all significant viewpoints that have been published by reliable sources, in proportion to the prominence of each viewpoint". Wikipedia aims to describe disputes, so controversial topics should already be covered by

Documentary films require a modified approach for their articles. Instead of a plot summary, a documentary article should have a synopsis that serves as an overview of the documentary. The synopsis should describe the on-screen events without interpretation, following the same guidelines that apply to a plot summary (see WP:FILMPLOT). Since a documentary deals with real-life topics and figures, provide wikilinks to them wherever useful. See the guidelines on link clarity and specificity, and link to terms that match the topic precisely if not closely. If coverage from secondary sources focuses on a specific aspect of the documentary, that aspect can be elaborated to provide context for the coverage. For example, it may mention some statistics (and there is coverage from secondary sources analyzing them), which are not detailed in the synopsis. An "Analysis" section can be written to detail the statistics from the documentary and to report the analytical coverage by secondary sources. Further, sometimes a documentary will be reviewed not just by film critics, but by authorities in the subject matter; their reviews can be referenced. For topics that may be controversial, such as politicized issues, please see the "Controversies" section.

A film article can provide a reader with additional reading material in a "Further reading" section at the end of the article. The material should not appear elsewhere in the article, so well-developed articles that use many references will not necessarily need this section. An article that is not well-developed and not expected to be anytime soon can provide a "Further reading" section so readers can pursue more about the topic beyond Wikipedia's limited coverage.

Films are typically works of fiction, though filmmakers sometimes use history or science as the basis of their films. They incorporate these topics in their films in a way that suits their storytelling and filmmaking abilities. Their approaches to incorporating these topics or others' reactions to their approaches can be interwoven in the film article's body in sections such as the "Production" section and the "reception" section, respectively. If ample coverage from secondary sources exists about a film's historical or scientific accuracy, editors can pursue a sub-topic sharing such coverage in a section titled "Historical accuracy" or "Scientific accuracy" ("accuracy" being applied as neutral terminology).

Since

A film's marketing campaign may be detailed in its Wikipedia article if

Topics that can be covered include target demographics, test screenings, release dates, scale of release (limited vs. wide), merchandising, marketing controversies, and contending for awards. Do not merely identify and describe the content of customary marketing methods such as trailers, TV spots, radio ads, and posters. Instead, use reliable sources to provide useful commentary about a method, such as a trailer's intended effect or the audience's reported reaction to it. For example, the viral marketing campaign for Cloverfield began with an untitled teaser trailer that generated strong hype. For merchandising and other tie-ins, cite reliable sources to demonstrate relevance outside a studio's website(s) or shopping websites. Commentary about product placement, since it is not actual marketing of the film itself, should go elsewhere in the article; for example, it may go in the "Production" section to show how it lowered production costs.

A soundtrack may refer to the film score or a collection of prerecorded songs compiled for the film. If the film score is a key aspect of production, it can be covered in a "Music" subsection of the article's "Production" section. Otherwise, a "Soundtrack" section can be used to provide a summary background about the film score or the collection of prerecorded songs.

The template {{

Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia, so free images are preferred in its articles. Since the majority of films are copyrighted, it may be necessary to use non-free images in Wikipedia articles about films. These images need to meet Wikipedia's non-free content criteria and acceptable uses. The requirements are summarized below in the context of WikiProject Film.

Non-free images used in film articles must meet Wikipedia's

Critical commentary and discussion of the film must come from

Since a film article's "Plot" section contains descriptive claims about the information found in the primary source (the film) and not information found in reliable sources regarding the film, the section is not considered critical commentary or discussion of film. Thus, non-free images need to belong in other sections in which they can be supported by critical commentary.

Free licence images can include filming locations, on-set photos, and photos of the cast and crew. Some older films may be in the public domain, and screenshots can be used in articles without fair use constraints. Older films still in copyright may have trailers in the public domain, and screenshots from these trailers can be freely used.

For filming locations, free images of a specific and mostly unchanged location in the film can illustrate the places used in a film's production. On-set photos showing production in process may be used if they are evidenced to have been released under an appropriate licence. The cast and crew can be photographed at the various premieres of the resulting film as well as any components of production on display (such as costumes or vehicles). If marketing materials are captured in freely released photos, caution must be exercised to ensure that they are not derivative works.

The film infobox is a template that allows summary information of a film to be presented to readers in the upper right corner of an article. The infobox contains parameters to fill out, and the template's documentation page outlines how to determine the input.

Navigation templates can be included at the bottom of film articles to link to related articles. Articles should be substantially related to the subject of the navigation template. If the subject is a director, their films can be displayed in the template. If the subject is a film series, the films in the series can be displayed in the template. The number of blue links to related articles should be substantial enough to warrant a navigation template. For example, if a director has only made two films, each film article instead can have a "See also" section linking to the other film article. WikiProject consensus is against including actor templates since not all actors have substantial appearances in all their films and since multiple actors in a film would overpopulate the bottom of a film article with actor templates regardless of role prominence.

Avoid using succession boxes that identify when a film ranked first at the box office and what films preceded and succeeded it at the box office. Instead, include detailed information about the film's box office performance in the article body. (Related discussion: Wikipedia:Templates for deletion/Log/2009 August 3 § Box office succession boxes)

Note: While

The article should include categories at the bottom. At a minimum, year, country, language and genre categories should be included. The generic categories, among others, are listed below for browsing. If the article title begins with "The" or "A", use {{

For films that have yet to be released to the public, add Category:Upcoming films.

• Category:Films by year
• Category:Films by language
• Category:Films by studio
• Category:Films by director
• Category:Films by geographic setting

For example, you would add the following to the bottom of a page titled "The Movie" for an English-language American comedy film that came out in 2008:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Movie, The}}
[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:2000s comedy films]]
[[Category:American comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]

Please note that WikiProject Film formerly maintained a consensus of requiring base "Country films" (e.g. Category:American films) to be "all-inclusive" — that is, in order that the base category served as a complete and thorough directory of all films from that country, a film had to be filed there even if it was already in one or more "Country-genre" or "Country-other characteristic" subcategories. However, this is no longer established practice; due to the extreme size that some countries' categories attained, that practice has been deprecated. A film should no longer be filed there simultaneously with other subcategories within the same country's tree, and should be in a base "Country films" category only if an appropriate genre or time period subcategory does not exist at all, which is only the case in a very small handful of countries that have very few films to categorize at all.

A film series article should only be created when the series encompasses at least three films. An article for two films is too premature for consolidating details from both. Exceptions may include franchise articles where films are one of several notable and interrelated components (TV series, comics, etc.). If desired, a film series article can be maintained in the draft space until it meets the threshold.

The film series article can use tables to consolidate cast and crew, box office, and critical and audience reception information. (See "Audience reception" section for guidelines on what to include.) Such an article would also benefit from coverage that discusses the series as a whole, or at least commentators who compare later films to their predecessors.

Once an article has been created for a film, it can be entered into a number of lists to allow easier browsing for viewers. All films should be included in the Lists of films. Each film can be included in lists based on the title, year, genre, location, etc. that a film can be included in.

For years in film articles, such as 2013 in film, please follow these guidelines:

1. Articles should list country- and genre-specific lists of films by year, such as List of American films of 2013 and List of horror films of 2013. The detailed listing of films by their earliest release dates should be reserved for these child lists.
2. In child lists, films should be organized by their earliest release date, whether it be at a film festival, a world premiere, a public release, or the release in the country or countries that produced the film, excluding sneak previews or screenings.
3. Include only the director, screenwriter and the main cast, as per the guidance in the starring field of the film infobox.
4. Do not include genre columns, as genre classifications can be subjective.
5. For the deaths section, a person must have two film credits to be added to the list, no more than two of the most important works attributed to the individual, no red links and no re-directing links.
6. The highest-grossing films chart should only include the top 10 films, along with their rank, title, production company, and worldwide gross.

In the WGA screenwriting credit system, an ampersand (&) is used to indicate a writing team or duo, while "and" is used to separate multiple writers who are not part of a team. Such distinctions are useful to note in tables and in the lead of articles.

• Following
  WP:EGG
  , dates should be linked only to articles about the linked date, and they should be linked only when the date's article provides important information or context specifically related to the film.
• Following
  WP:SEASON
  , avoid using season names in film articles. If a term like "summer film" needs to be used, provide additional context for global comprehension.

Trivia may be a useful section in a film article, as it can serve as a "Miscellaneous" area for important facts (not just fan facts) that may not yet fit easily elsewhere. This is especially true for articles in early stages of development or about new releases. As the article matures, as per the

Many editors like to create Popular Culture sections in articles which list a number of films or other works of fiction which reference the main subject. These references should be kept to a bare minimum and should not go into great detail about the plot of the story, although a brief synopsis may be appropriate. They should be supported by

In the past, film articles have sometimes displayed

Ratings given to individual films by

Following

• 1. Flag icons may be relevant in some subject areas, where the subject actually represents that country or nationality. In film articles and film award articles this is hardly ever the case.
• 2. Do not emphasize nationality without good reason. In film award articles the use of flag icons is not appropriate unless nationality is a main topic, like in the List of countries by number of Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Note that in international film festivals, the films, their directors or other filmmakers and actors do not represent their country, and their nationality is mere parenthetical information. Therefore, flag icons should not be used to accompany titles and names. Apart from these points, the use of flag icons in film infoboxes has been decided against by long-standing consensus.

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction
• Wikipedia:Notability (films)
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Essay on writing film articles, old essay from meta that still applies
• WP:BLOOPERS
• Wikipedia:How to streamline a plot summary

• Category:Film templates
• Category:Template-Class film articles – Talk page category
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Templates seems to have been "lost" after creation. Good place for more film templates.