IMFDB:Rules, Standards and Principles

Rules

No Bootlegs

Absolutely no screenshots of bootleg films may be uploaded. This includes images uploaded by members in countries other than the U.S. We know that many movies are bootlegged in other nations, however, bootlegs of films are illegal and it's pretty obvious if we upload images from a copy of a film that has not been released to the public via DVD/Video/On Demand yet. IMFDB does not have the time nor inclination to attract negative attention from studio lawyers so any image that is suspected of being from a bootleg will be deleted, unless the member can point to a publicly released clip or trailer that the image was screencapped from.

The U.S. Video/DVD release date is the only recognized one for screencaps. Sometimes, though rarely, a U.S. production will be released overseas before the official U.S./North America DVD or VOD (Video on Demand) release date. Since this is a U.S. Based site, only the official U.S. release date for the DVD, etc will be valid. Since we cannot police or verify screencaps from sources in other countries, even if they are from legally purchased DVDs in that market, we will continue to summarily delete any screencap from a DVD/Video source uploaded before the official release date. After the release date screencaps (that doesn't obviously look like a bootleg) will be accepted.

No page vandalism

Vandalism of pages will get you banned - no warning ahead of time. This means putting in obviously false or inflammatory information, removing the contents of an entire page or section or putting in gibberish or spam or threats or vulgar inappropriate content. Some members may put in semi-ridiculous comments like 'This gun rocks!' or 'This is my favorite gun'. Actions like these won't result in a ban, unless the person continues after multiple warnings. Those types of comments are best left in the discussion pages which accompany every page on the site.

Written sections must be your own work

Plagiarism is not tolerated regarding written descriptions . This means do not just cut and paste movie summaries or gun reviews or articles about the history or background of a gun, from some other site or publication, and put them here. You must write original paragraphs for the pages you contribute to. If it sounds like a sales pitch from a company website, or a seller's Gunbroker or Ebay description or an article written by a gun publication author, we will check and verify it. If it is a cut and paste copy, then it will be deleted.

Standards

General Standards for pages

This is the Internet Movie FIREARMS Database

Though we do list a variety of weapons in the individual movie/TV/anime/Videogame pages, that's just for the sake of being 100% complete for that page. With the exception of grenades (which we do allow), the only weapons which merit an individual page in the GUNS Category are any individual or crew served weapon that fires in a DIRECT FIRE role. Thus an RPG-7 qualifies as does an XM-134 Minigun. A grenade launcher is also used in the direct fire role. Though a flamethrower is not a firearm, it fires it's payload in a direct fire role (i.e. aimed directly line of sight at the item/person to be destroyed). What we do not allow are weapons which are too large to be operated by either an individual or small crew or are used primarily as indirect fire delivery systems. This disqualifies fuel air bombs, all air dropped bombs, mortars, artillery, IEDs, most explosive ordnance (other than a commonly issued grenade), cruise missiles, or the guns on a Naval battleship. Even the M230 Chain Gun has been used by crews in direct fire roles (not mounted on a helicopter nose) (at least one AC-130 Spectre Gunship has fired an M230 from a side firing platform, manned by the aircraft's gunners). This rule applies to individual pages in the Guns Category. Feel free to identify ANY military weapons system that you can verify on the movie or television pages. The pages have "Gun Platform" sections just for that purpose, which allows us to denote tactical military vehicles, boats or aircraft which possess a primary (and sometimes secondary) offensive armament.

Make sure the page does NOT already exist before you make it

Before you make a page for a gun that you think IMFDB doesn't have, check carefully. Just because it doesn't have its own individual page doesn't mean it doesn't have one on another page. The M4 Carbine, for instance, goes on the M16 rifle series page, while all of the MP5, Glock, and SIG P220 variants are grouped on one page, etc. IMFDB's de facto policy for a while has been to group variants of particular guns - or guns that belong to the same basic family of weapons - on one page.

Professional Titles only, no User created Media

Any user created media, meaning any movie, TV show, video game, or anime series that is not documented on IMDB, All Movie/TV/Game Guides, TV.com, IGN, or any other reputable media database - does not belong on IMFDB. This site documents gun appearances in professional (and distributed) media only.

Only films that have been distributed count: Due to the trend of IMDB listing indie films which appear in obscure festivals and are not commercially available, if the title has not had a theatrical run or been broadcast on network television (anywhere in the world) the title must be available to the general public through recognized channels of commerce (Amazon, Blockbuster, Netflix, etc.). Self distribution via Amazon, home distribution or micro distribution websites do not qualify. (Anyone can sell their home made copies of their own film now so we must limit IMFDB to professionally distributed titles). Off Market channels of commerce only count if the film had an original theatrical or video distribution run and is no longer in print. If the page creator cannot provide proof of this upon demand, then the page does not qualify.

Other Media that are not films: The rule applies to user-made flash games, YouTube home movies/shorts done with airsoft guns, faux commercials, skits or anything else of the sort. The only exceptions will be user-created mods for first-person shooter video game (i.e. any of the mods for "Half-Life") - provided they are well-known and popular enough to warrant a page. When in doubt, ask an administrator and we will determine a game mod's value to IMFDB.

Moving Visual Media Only, no books or Manga allowed

This site started as the Internet MOVIE Firearms Database. It expanded to included Television shows, and then Anime (which are themselves either movies and television shows with very specific and accurate gun depictions) and then Video Games. Entries within these four genres are the only titles, screencaps or listings that are allowed on IMFDB. Non moving visual media like graphics novels, comics or Manga are not allowed regardless of how good the firearms artwork is.

It must have more than one real firearm in it

The page must have enough firearms to merit inclusion into the database, thus the page must have more than ONE real firearm in it to qualify. There are some important exceptions to this rule:

1) the firearm is identifiable, well seen and important to the story. A film where 'some character' wields an 'unknown revolver' means nothing.

2) it has enough screen time for any viewer to wonder what make or model it is. .

3) it must drive the plot forward and not be an 'incidental' prop (like something hanging on the wall in the background).

(a) If it is in the background, it must be 'interesting enough' to merit someone asking the question 'what is that?' Thus if it has enough screen time and it is identifiable, it qualifies. If it is a random 'set dressing' or a 'shape' held by a extra, then it does not qualify.

4) the single firearm rule only applies if the firearm is real. If it is an obvious toy or airsoft gun, then it does not qualify. Having a lone character wave around an 'orange plug' airsoft toy does not merit a page. If the film is filled with various replica or high quality airsoft weapons than can fool the casual viewer, then it qualifies, if only to shine light upon the fact that the guns are fakes.

Short films do not qualify for inclusion, only features

Despite being listed on IMDB.com or listed for sale on Amazon, there are literally thousands of user created or amateur created short films in the world. Since server space on IMFDB is limited, we discourage each and every short made from being listed, moreso, the fact that many of them have only been seen in film festivals or are being sold via self distribution (and no, Youtube doesn't count as distribution) renders them arguably unavailable to the general public. We don't need to document the countless NYU, USC or UCLA Film School final year projects, where the students very cleverly used cheap airsoft weapons and digitally added the flashes in. Again, that rule must be implemented lest we experience an avalanche of student created short films.

Videogames must be professionally distributed titles

Videogames, must be a recognized title that is sold in stores or major online centers like Amazon, distributed via a recognized software company. Self made, user created or free online games do not qualify even if they manage to acquire some sort of internet distribution. The only exception to this rule is Mods for legitimate game titles that already qualify as a professionally distributed item (i.e. sold to the general public through recognized channels of commerce).

Quality, NOT Quantity: Lame or Weak Pages are discouraged

Contrary to the saying "Better something than nothing", it is actually better for IMFDB to not have a Movie Page entry rather than a lame or weak one. Thousand of viewers come to this site to check on weapons for a specific movie (or other visual media), and if they stumble on a terrible or lame page, that will reflect poorly on IMFDB as a whole. Mods will routinely sweep the site and delete weak or lame pages. It does not mean we don't want the pages, but there are minimum standards that must be adhered to, lest it make IMFDB look unprofessional. So don't put up a page that will eventually be deleted. We will wait until someone is ready to make a complete and professional page. But we actually don't encourage blank or lame pages as 'placeholders', because too many of them create the impression that half of our content is no content at all.

Standards: Format

DVD artwork, Box Covers or Theatrical Poster requirements

When you create a page, the least you should do is get a copy of the movie's poster or in the case of videogames, the official box cover. DVD covers and re-released Movie posters are acceptable but the original release cinema poster is preferred, if a good quality image of that can be found. For television shows the DVD cover or promotional art is acceptable.

Poster or Cover Art Size & Alignment

Please place the image at the top of the page so that it aligns to the upper right hand corner. Align it with the Wiki code |right| in the line. Please acquire an image that is at least 300px wide since that is the default size for all vertical posters and covers on IMFDB. (If a horizontal poster or promotional image is the only thing available, then the preferred default setting is 400px-500px depending on the poster.) For a standard vertical poster or box cover, set the thumbnail for the poster at 300px and be sure to put the correct title spelling in the text description as well as the release year in parentheses.

Standards: Edits

Make sure your changes to a page are correct!

It seems obvious, but we spend too much time undoing reckless or just plain wrong informational changes, usually made by anonymous or new members. Don't make or incorrect edits to pages. If you believe information on a page is incorrect but are unsure, comment on it in the "Discussion" section of the page so it can be confirmed. Fight the urge to add your "gut-feeling" insight to a page.

Standards: Layout

Spell the title correctly

When doing a new page for a film, make sure the title is grammatically correct and capitalized exactly. Don't use symbols unless they actually appear in the official title. For instance, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade‎ should not be "Indiana Jones & the last crusade". When in doubt, go to IMDB and copy-and-paste the title as it appears there. Note: we have many users on here from other countries, for whom English is not a first language. In Spanish, for instance, only the first word of any title is capitalized. So be picky, but be culturally sensitive, too.

The American Release Title takes precedence

When a film is an originally foreign film (even ones from English speaking nations like Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) the American Release Title is the official title on IMFDB. This differentiates us from IMDB, who insists on putting the original title in the first released country's original language. That would have created a problem since most people don't search movie titles by their Non-English language titles but IMDB has an exceptional search engine and can search on alternate titles. For example: in IMDB, Jackie Chan or director John Woo's Hong Kong movies are listed by their original Chinese titles, not the English language ones that most of us are familiar with. IMFDB uses the American Released title as the 'official title'. If the title was not released in the U.S., then the International English language title is the title. Ultimately, it must be the English translated title. If the film has been released elsewhere under the original title, then the original language title follows the English translated title in parentheses.

• Exception: There is no different American release title or International English language title For some foreign movie titles, there is no other title, or there is no obvious English Translation of the title, or the original is so internationally famous that everyone knows what it is. In that case, the original language title is allowed.

Usage of HyperLinks

Don't put hyperlinks to the gun pages in the titles of the sections. When creating a gun title section for a movie page, write a preliminary sentence like "A Smith & Wesson Model 10 is used by Joe Smith when hunting the monster" in the section above the gun image and screenshots. You don't put it in the title "==Smith & Wesson Model 10==" at the top of the section.

Standards: Spoilers

Unless it's is absolutely necessary, no Spoilers

Like IMDB.com, IMFDB frowns on spoilers. For most cases, details which as Spoilers are not necessary to depict and prove that certain guns were used by certain actors. Items which violate the 'no spoilers' rule can be edited to conform to IMFDB standards at any time. So remember:

(a) If a major character dies, and if you can avoid talking about it, then don't mention it! The obvious exception is that if the death is the first thing that happens in the film and is the impetus for the rest of the events in the movie.

(b) If a major plot twist happens and revealing it is not necessary to identifying the guns used in the movie, then don't blurt it out!

(c) If there is a major secret or hidden agenda that pushes the events of the story, then don't reveal it!

(d) Whether through screencaps or descriptions, recapping of the story (or even a major portion of it), including which characters get killed or what the mystery is, are not allowed. Regardless of 'how cool' the sequence is, don't give the audience a 'blow by blow' retelling of the plot.

(e) Speaking in generalities is better than specifics, when describing events of the film or show. Saying "John Doe uses a Beretta 92FS throughout the film" is preferable to writing "John Doe uses a Beretta 92FS to avenge his brother's death and kill all his enemies by the end of the film". You can be very specific in identifying the weapon used, and still leave a little mystery for the visitor who may not have seen the film yet.

(e) if it is unavoidable, truly unavoidable, then put a big SPOILERS warning at the top of the page and then again at the top of the specific section if possible.

Standards: Commentary

No sarcastic or insulting Commentary

Due to IMFDB's increasing role as a site of movie trivia research, we are clamping down on commentary which may appear sarcastic, insulting or denigrating. Criticizing an actor's firing stance or snickering at them 'flinching' during blank fire is becoming increasingly frowned upon by IMFDB. Pointing out how ridiculous a scene is due to mythical firearm ballistics, or lack of reloading, or lack of technical advisers can be done, but only in a non-insulting manner and only if it is relevant to increasing the public knowledge of the weapon and it's proper usage. If one has to point out a flaw or mistake, please try to do it as scholarly and neutrally as possible. Using the old 'management axiom' "Praise in public, Criticize in Private", we can move any casual discussions to the 'Discussions Pages', that is what they are there for. Looking for movie still frames where an actor blinks or flinches (just to ridicule) is not necessary and brings down the professionalism of the site.

Image Rules: General

• When you upload an image, categorize it properly. In the summary on the image uploading page, one should always put the image in the proper category, whether it be (a) Behind the Scenes Image (b) Gun Image (c) Poster and Cover Art or (d) Screenshot. Type the words "Category" within double brackets and type in the right information. So if the image is the cinema poster for the movie, be sure to type in [ [ C*tegory:Poster and Cover Art ] ] in the summary so that the image will be properly categorized for future searches. ("Category" not spelled correctly intentionally here so as to not create a wiki code error on this page)

• Images must have a minimum standard of quality. Any image, whether it be a gun image, poster or screenshot, must have a minimum level of quality lest it be deleted. Poor scans or low resolution images or small images will eventually be deleted, or IMFDB members will be encouraged to find better images and replace them.

Image Rules: Screenshots

• Screenshots should be in the JPEG format and no more than 1MB in size for HD Blu-Ray captures. GIFs don't re-size well and they are non-compressed. PNGs are a problem because they are huge files. Blu-Ray HD screenshots can be up to 1920x1080 in size but generally need to be scaled down to a width of 1280 pixels to meet the 1MB file size limit. Please make sure your screenshot uploads are JPGs only, lest they be downloaded, converted to JPG and uploaded by someone else.
• Movie screenshots should include syntax identifying what movie/TV show/game they came from. If you upload an image of a Beretta 92F being used in Die Hard 2, for example, the file should be given a label such as DieHard2-Beretta92F-1.jpg or even DH2-92F-2.jpg. If you upload an image titled Beretta92F.jpg, this would be confusing, since "Beretta92F.jpg" sounds like it might be a generic gun identification image.
• Quality take priority over bragging rights. A better quality screenshot can be uploaded over one of lesser quality. Blu-Ray images or high quality DVD images are preferable over standard definition images or older (lesser quality DVD) images.
• Widescreen takes priority over Full screen. If a member gets widescreen screenshots, they are preferred over 4:3 Full screen captures and can replace them. No member can complain if a higher quality image is uploaded on a page of the same screenshot. It's for the benefit of IMFDB to have the best images available.
• IMFDB's preferred page format is a thumbnail of either 500px or 600px wide. Exceptions are allowed for unusually wide high quality panoramic shots or images of particular interest but these should be kept to a minimum. Full screen images should be 500px wide, Wide Screen images should be 600px wide, except when the capture is of lesser quality. Grainy or low quality DVD scans should be 500px regardless (when something looks substandard, it is better to present it in a smaller size). Very high quality widescreen images should always be at least 600px wide to showcase their appearance.
• Screenshots should be relevant to their section. Putting in a variety of angles of the same weapon is not necessary unless one is trying to determine the identity of a 'mystery gun', thus the images help IDing the weapon. But putting in unnecessary images which don't show weapons clearly when there are other better screenshots is discouraged. Always go for the clearest shot of the gun. Don't try to re-tell the movie's plotline.

• Trivia related Images: Exceptions are trivia shots, but Trivia sections should be kept to a minimum and should be of general interest to movie buffs and not just re-iterate information that is on the DVD commentary. Acceptable trivia can mention military aircraft, vehicles and equipment in a film or television show or generally unknown information about a show or video game that is weapons related in nature, however small amounts of general trivia that is related to the scene is acceptable.

• Quantity Limit. You should never have any reasons to post 10 screenshots of the same weapon over and over again. If you see a variation of said weapon that hasn't been posted, you may do so, but do not post screenshots of an M4 with the same accessories of ACOG, foregrip, etc at 10 different angles. This takes up space and IMFDB is not unlimited. Have a limit. For a single character using a single weapon, the limit should be 7 screenshots. 10 is the limit if documenting multiple characters using the same type of weapon or specifically trying to validate a weapon which may be subject of debate.

Image Rules: Gun Images

• Redundancy not acceptable. If IMFDB already has the image in question, don't google a similar image and upload it. IMFDB technically should not be using 'jacked' gun images off the net. Their copyright belongs to someone else, and if the copyright holder requests it, we must comply in finding those images and deleting them from our site. Some items are unavoidable, i.e. prototype or rare foreign weapons which no one has access to (especially Russian or Chinese weapons or heavy military firepower from any country). However, the rule is, if the image of the gun already exists here, don't upload any more. There had better be a really compelling reason to do so, like a specific variant that best matches a variant in a movie, television show, Anime or Video Game. The Biggest exception is Screen used Hero guns. Having those on the site are self explanatory, but they may be an unusual configuration or just really worn or beat up guns. Having those and pristine examples of the weapons are acceptable to IMFDB.
• Every variant is not necessary. Unless it appears in a film, television show, anime or Video Game, don't upload every variation of every gun possible. This is not a race to see who can find and 'hijack' the most gun images from other people's websites. Also being that most of these unnecessary images are 'jacked' images, they can be deleted at any time at the request of the original copyright holder, so we all have been warned.

• Images of Customized or Rare variants not allowed on Gun Pages. Only "major production versions" that have appeared in something, or a customized version that has appeared in at least three completely different projects (either film/TV/Anime/VG) are allowed to have their image posted on the gun page. Custom versions (like unusual short barreled versions or nickel / gold plated versions or versions that have been mocked up into fantasy/sci-fi guns) have their images posted on the discussion page for the gun. This includes mockups that impersonate other real world guns (like mocking up the Norinco Chinese AK into AK74 look a likes). Too many films and TV shows use 'one-off' examples that would clutter up the gun's page. The written listing / table should mention all variants (including what makes them unique), however, the image of the rare/custom variant only belongs on the movie/TV/et. al page or the gun's discussion page. This keeps the gun pages from becoming too cluttered with rarely used versions.

• IMFDB is not a gun encyclopedia. We don't need pages for every gun ever made, only guns which have actually appeared in something. Please refrain from creating new pages for guns that don't appear in any movie, television show, anime or Video Game. Just because it exists somewhere doesn't mean we want it here.
• Keep the historical/background info brief. No one wants to scroll through pages of background history of a gun. Only a paragraph or two (at the most) should be at the top of the gun page to familiarize any visitor with the weapon. Specifications should also be brief, if there are large groups of variants of the weapon, move it to a special section at the bottom of the page.
• Minimum expected information of a gun page. One should at least identify the country of origin, the caliber (if many calibers than note it in the descriptions or specifications), the year of introduction, and if possible, the year of the end of production. If the weapon is a foreign one that not many people are familiar with, give a small introduction to the weapon. Small bits of trivia are acceptable as long as they provide the visitor with a enlightening and useful experience. Unfortunately IMFDB users must be keenly aware of two phenomena, no information or too little info or the other side, way too much information. Pages can be lean, but they must have some basic information on them.

Computer and Video Games Requirements

• No internet flash games. Any video game submitted to the site must be a legitimate title, released for the PC, Mac, or a game console. One-off flash games on Newgrounds or other such sites don't count. Any articles made about such games will be summarily deleted.

Anime: Rules & Restrictions

• No Cartoons. Anime is a work of art where the Japanese took time and effort to draw, sometimes in great detail, images of firearms despite from a country that prohibits civilian ownership of arms. Only take screencaps from sources that you know for a fact is an image of a gun. We do not accept caricatures of what is supposed to be a gun. Nor do we accept images from cartoons like the Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park unless you have an image for us and anyone can ID right away as a specific gun. If you give us an image of 2 rectangles with a poorly drawn trigger and tell us it's a 1911, then it will be promptly deleted. The same rules to quality images for movies, TV, and games also apply here. Do not post low resolution of anything here or they will be deleted and replaced.

• Animation pages must meet a minimum standard, this includes screencaps to prove the weapons IDs. This goes for any page, but in particular, Animated movies or television shows that are not Japanese Anime, will be heavily scrutinized and weapon depictions must be precise and the creators must include quality screencaps or the page will be deleted. There are literally hundreds of animated shows and even in high quality films (like Disney animation or CG animated features by Pixar), the weapons are just generic representations of "a handgun" or "a machine gun". If they are not, in the eyes of the animator, anything specific in the real world, they do not belong here. Screencaps proving one's case for inclusion are vital at this point. If you don't bother to provide screencap proof that these depictions qualify under the minimum standards of IMFDB, then don't be surprised if the page is deleted.

Principles

IMFDB is an information resource, not our private playground

• This is a source of Information for weapons and movie buffs around the world. Certainly it is tempting to think of IMFDB as one's own personal 'playground' but please realize that we do this work to serve others. It is harsh on one's ego to be corrected or to have one's information proven wrong, but it will always be in the best interests of IMFDB to maintain a high level of scholarly achievement in our analysis and documentation of the two worlds of firearms and film (which includes television and Anime as well as other visual media like Video Games).

Maintain professionalism in your conduct

• Maintain professional standards of conduct. Be polite. Keep swearing to a minimum and try to refrain from harsh or volatile arguments or bashing of another user. As in all things 'internet', try your best NOT to lose your temper. Refrain from posting while 'mad', believe me, everything looks and reads differently when you've had a chance to cool off. More importantly, be forgiving of your fellow members (and mods ;) ) if we break the "don't lose your temper rule". We're all human here (as far as I know) and always try to forgive your fellow human beings.
• Humor and teasing to be kept in the Discussion pages, please. Yes you CAN tease and make jokes on IMFDB. You don't have to check in your sense of humor at the door. But, as we all make fun or have a good laugh with each other, please try to relegate the non-scholastic 'fun stuff' to the discussion pages. Keep the main informational pages as 'encyclopedic' as possible.