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Change cast credits to singular or not?
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorArdos
Registered: July 31, 2008
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A few weeks ago while I was updating the cast for one of the Shrek films to exactly match their credited roles I changed those that were listed as "Blind Mouse" to "Blind Mice".

Now, someone is adding the cast to a different film but using the singular form although it is in the plural in the credits.

My opinion is to use as credited although it will look a bit strange within DVDP but wondered what other people thought.

Here's a link to the rule - http://www.invelos.com/dvdpro/contributions/Rules.aspx?display=credits

Edit: It's interesting to see that currently it's 5 for changing versus 3 for keeping. Would people in favour of using the singular comment on why they think that?
 Last edited: by Ardos
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributortweeter
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Registered: June 12, 2007
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Normally if there is a singular form for a group credit i use it.  But Blind Mice is almost a stage name.  The phrase tells us something about them.  Yes it requires some knowledge beyond transcribing the letters seen on screen, but the so did singularizing them.

If the blind mice were credited collectively i'd probably go with the plural.

Give me a different plural, you might get a different answer. 
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorTomGaines
Registered Sept. 24, 2001
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It has been the convention for years now, to change them to singular. I am surprised that this isn't considered in the rules.


DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributormdnitoil
Registered: March 14, 2007
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I encounter this on occasion and its always annoying.  Sometimes you'll see a block of names and a bracket saying that all those actors were bank guards.  Now I appreciate the nitpicky purists, but none of those individual guys can be plural guards.  When that happens, I lean towards entering each of them individually as a bank guard.  In my opinion, the grouping of credits is a convention, but if anyone at all involved with the production was ever asked what that actor did, the response would be that the actor played a bank guard.

Now there are established plural groups that get credited and I would leave those intact.  Goldwyn girls comes to mind, off the top of my head along with any musical acts.

I should also mention that I frequenlty submit these in the plural form so I don't have to hear any whining, and then change to the singular locally.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributortweeter
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Quoting TomGaines:
Quote:
It has been the convention for years now, to change them to singular. I am surprised that this isn't considered in the rules.

True, but there are exceptions.  A group credit as "Additional Voices" i leave alone because i can't know if they did one or many.

More on point i submitted something in the last couple months (the film escapes me) where making it singular was doable but would have been quite twisted English.  I left it plural and explained why.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorArdos
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Thanks for the responses so far & I can see where you are coming from.

If the majority want to change to the singular then the rules really should be changed as they don't currently allow for it.

PS -  Tweeter, I hadn't thought about the example I gave being one that really should be left in the plural form! 
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorsnarbo
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Why not submit them using a "Divider"
Divider (Group Heading Role)
actor 1
actor 2
actor 3
actor 4 a n other role
actor 5 a n other role 2

that way the divider gets the plural role name.
Dividers aren't just for "Episodes" 

Steve
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantpauls42
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Quoting snarbo:
Quote:
Why not submit them using a "Divider"
Divider (Group Heading Role)
actor 1
actor 2
actor 3
actor 4 a n other role
actor 5 a n other role 2

that way the divider gets the plural role name.
Dividers aren't just for "Episodes" 

Steve


each individual person needs to have a role assigned (on the same line). So that the role is correctly listed in searches.

This has been a known issue for sometime.
Paul
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributormdnitoil
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Personally, I hate the use of dividers in cast listings.  It fosters this notion of trying to exactly duplicate what's happening visually on-screen with text.  Its a fool's errand right out of the gate, but that never stops us.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributortweeter
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Quoting Forget_the_Rest:
Quote:

PS -  Tweeter, I hadn't thought about the example I gave being one that really should be left in the plural form! 

I only thought of it because it was the Blind Mice.  From a fairy tale perspective you never see one without seeing them all.  They are always a group.

Now if they were Blind Moose, then you couldn't assume they would always been together. 

(A moose once bit my sister.)
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorreybr
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Quoting mdnitoil:
Quote:
Personally, I hate the use of dividers in cast listings.  It fosters this notion of trying to exactly duplicate what's happening visually on-screen with text.  Its a fool's errand right out of the gate, but that never stops us.


You are a wise man 

While I have given up on fighting against dividers for group roles, using a divider for this would be a terrible idea

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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorTomGaines
Registered Sept. 24, 2001
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Quoting tweeter:
Quote:
True, but there are exceptions.  A group credit as "Additional Voices" i leave alone because i can't know if they did one or many.


I do the same, because most times they are doing multiple voices.
Another example I leave it as is "couple".
For example if two people are credited as "Dancing Couple", I do not change it to something else (e.g. Dancing Man/Woman).


DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorTheMadMartian
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Quoting snarbo:
Quote:
Why not submit them using a "Divider"
Divider (Group Heading Role)
actor 1
actor 2
actor 3
actor 4 a n other role
actor 5 a n other role 2

that way the divider gets the plural role name.
Dividers aren't just for "Episodes" 

Steve


This is an improper use of the divider feature.  Dividers are for seperating cast lists, not for indicating group roles.

No divider:
Three Blind Mice
Actor 1
Actor 2
Actor 3

Divider:
Three Blind Mice
Actor 1  George
Actor 2  Sam
Actor 3  James
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