General Edit

This section of the Contribution Bible serves a guide for adding new content.

If you would like to contribute by adding a missing entry, we recommend that you thoroughly search the database first (you can read our search tips here).

Please read the guidelines below to find out which types of content are supported by TMDb, and which ones aren't. The guidelines should also help you choose the right section and settings for your new entry.

Creating a new entry

Before clicking on the Add New Movie or Add New TV Show buttons, think about which language you want to use to create the new entry. You do not have to create the entry in the original language of the content, but it is often easier to do so. Set your Default Language to the language of your choosing.

Only the original title and an overview are required to create a new movie entry, but please add as much info as you can. For TV entries, data from one episode (title, overview, air date) is also needed. If the required info is not available, you may add a bogus overview or air date, but only if you delete them as soon as the entry is created.

The new entry won't be created until you click on the Finish button. Only click once and wait. Each extra click might create a duplicate entry. The page will be redirected to your new entry.

Fix the Status and the Original Language if needed. The status of new entries is always set as Released and the Original Language is set to the language in which the entry was created.

Feel free to add images and as much confirmed data as you can!

If you realize afterhand that the entry you created is already in the database: No biggie! But please report it as a duplicate with the Report button.

Deleted entry

Moderator are tasked to remove unsupported content (e.g. video games), as well as entries created in the wrong section. When an incorrect entry is removed, the creator receives a private message letting them know that the entry "did not meet our new content guidelines." If you received such a message, please read the guidelines below to understand why the entry was deleted—and avoid repeating the same mistake in the future.

Not Supported Edit

Below is a list of different types of content that we do NOT allow in the database.

• Video games
• Ads
  • rare exception (mod call): a few long-form ads that do not "feel" like an ad, have a famous director and/or cast and typically a film festival screening or similar release. Example: Castello Cavalcanti by Wes Anderson.
• Music videos
  • rare exceptions: only extended music videos screened as a movie at a film festival and/or reviewed as a movie by most professional critics (e.g. Michael Jackson's Thriller). Visual albums reviewed as a movie by professional critics (e.g. Lemonade) are also allowed in the movie section as movies.
• YouTube videos, including viral videos and videos created by popular YouTubers or famous actors
• Fan films or fan web series
  • rare exceptions: properly released content.
• Amateur content
  • exceptions: please read our amateur content guidelines.
• Alternative versions, including 3D/IMAX, director's cut, extended versions, dubbed versions, remastered versions, commentary (e.g. RiffTrax), fan events and special screenings.
• Fan-made content: fan cuts/fan edits, fan compilations, fan dubs, video reviews, fan-made trailers, and other types of videos (best of, AU, etc.).
• Extra DVD material
  • exception: some extra DVD material such as documentaries, making of and short films are allowed as a movie in the movie section provided they have a director listed in their credits. TV extras have their own set of guidelines and are usually added as specials.
• Live sport events e.g. hockey games, the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl or Formula One races
  • exception: pay-per-view sporting events (e.g. UFC, WWE) and sport DVDs are allowed in the movie section marked as videos.
• Virtual reality projects
  • exception: Oscar nominated short Pearl (2016).
• 3D/4D and simulator rides found in amusement parks
• Blu-ray Pure Audio Discs
• Video reviews
• Any show (concerts, theatre, stand-up) without an official video recording.
• Illegal bootleg recordings of shows including concerts filmed by fans and uploaded on YouTube. Officially released "bootlegs" are allowed
• Audio-only content including audiobooks, narrative podcasts, radio dramas, and audio movies (e.g. Bullit et Riper).
  • exception: motion comics are allowed.
• Filmed podcasts or radio shows
• Photographic motion studies (chronophotography) - for example the over 100,000 works by Eadweard Muybridge.
• Online courses (Masterclass or internal university classes)
• Promos (aka bumpers, trailers).
• AI generated movies (for example deepfake content).

How Should I Add...? Edit

Alternative versions?

We currently do not support alternative film versions—including extended editions, director cuts, 3D versions and fan cuts of previous films (e.g. a cut of all The Hobbit films as one film). Exceptions to this rule are very, very rare and DRASTIC changes are required. An example is The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla 1985. The former had extensive amounts of footage removed and added for localization. Another example is Nebo Zovyot and Battle Beyond the Sun. Any alternative version added without Travis' approval will be deleted.

This is also true for TV series. Duplicate entries for alternative episode splits are not allowed.

Multiple-language versions?

Content filmed simultaneously in two or more languages (e.g. Tamil and Telugu) should be added as one entry. The tricky part is to figure out which version is the original version.

If the original version is in Tamil, the Original Language and Original Title will be in Tamil. The Spoken Languages and the Cast will be the ones used in the Tamil version. However, if the original version is in Telugu, Original Language and Original Title will be in Telugu. The Spoken Languages and the Cast will be the ones used in the Telugu version.

Theatrical films split in multiple parts?

Movies split in two parts and released theatrically or physically with close release dates are usually added as one movie. Until multiple versions are supported, we sometimes make exceptions (e.g. Nymphomaniac).

It is common trend to split the last book of a YA series into two proper movies (e.g. Harry Potter, Hunger Games). These movie sequels should, of course, be added as two entries.

Two-part TV movies and miniseries?

Television movies split into multiple parts and miniseries should be entered exactly as they originally aired on television. A TV movie originally released in two parts should be added as a TV entry with two episodes. A miniseries originally released as a film should be one entry in the movie section.

Anthology movies?

An anthology movie should be added as one movie, not one entry for each segment. They should not be marked as videos.

Film serials?

Movie serials (popular in the first half of the 20th century) should be added as one entry in the movie section. For examples, please browse the movie serial keyword.

Theatrical cartoons?

During the Golden Age of American animation, many beloved cartoon series began as animated short films screened in American cinemas. These shorts films should each be added as one individual entry in the movie section. Popular examples are the Tom and Jerry, The Pink Panther, Looney Tunes, Goofy and Donald Duck theatrical shorts.

Award shows?

Until we have proper support for award shows and the like, each annual television special should be in a new season. One episode per season (e.g. The Academy Awards) is easier to manage from a data standpoint.

Training programs?

Each part of a training program can be added as one entry marked as a video (e.g. Insanity Max30).

TV Pilots (or projects "In Development")?

While it might be tempting to add all the new and exciting pilots being filmed during pilot season — or projects announced as being "in development" — do not create an entry until a project is — at the very least — ordered. One exception is when the pilot is made available to the general public (for examples, the pilot programs of Amazon and BBC Two). These pilots for future or potential series should be added to the TV section. Pilot episodes should be entered as the first episode of the first season (1x01).

Pilots that were never picked up to series and were subsequently released to the general public should be added to the TV section with the TV Show Status set to "Pilot". This includes pilots that are leaked on the web, are released digitally, air on television in foreign countries and are released as a special feature on a DVD. Please blank out the first air date field for pilots leaked online. We like to track those pilots with the failed TV pilot keyword.

The pilot episode of an existing series can be added to the special season if it didn't air on television as part of the original first season. This might be the case when there is, for example, a significant cast change and a new pilot is remade with the new cast. Unaired pilots are often released as bonus content on the series' DVDs.

To avoid creating unnecessary duplicate content, unsold television pilots which aired as part of anthology series such as CBS Summer Playhouse and Comedy Lab shouldn't be re-added as individual entries.

Pilots which originally aired as proper television movies or one-offs and later became a television series belong in the movie section. We try to replicate the format of the original release.

There are many older TV pilots that were not—and will most likely never be— released to the public in the database. The pilots will be deleted in time, as per our guidelines for unreleased TV content. We tolerate them for now, but please refrain from creating new entries for old, unreleased pilots.

Please report misplaced and unqualifying pilots using the report button. :)

Animated series with multiple segments?

When the episodes of children animated series are composed of proper stand-alone segments with individual titles, descriptions and credits, each segment should be added as one episode.

Anime series?

As a general rule, we try to follow the original Japanese data.

Long-running series with continuous episode numbers are added as a single season.

Sequels series are added within the same entry. When the episodes numbers are continuous, all episodes are added to the same season. When the episode count is restarted (i.e. the first episode is Episode 1), the new episodes are added as a new season.

Reboot series, spin-off series, series set in an alternative timeline, new adaptations based on the same source material and new prequel series, to only name a few possibilities, are added as a new TV entry.

The complete guidelines for anime are located in the TV Bible.

Movies Edit

Content allowed in the Movie section:

• Movies released in theater
• TV movie originally released in one part
• Movies released directly on video
• Movies released via a professional digital platform
• Professional movies screened at a selective and relevant film festival festival
• One-off TV specials, including Netflix specials e.g. Ali Wong: Baby Cobra
• Film serials released in theater

Content allowed in the Movie section (only if marked as video):

• Thematic television episode compilations released on VHS or DVD
• Official best of compilations
• Some special theater screening of multiple TV episodes e.g. Game of Thrones The IMAX Experience, Marvel's Inhumans: The IMAX Experience
• MTV Unplugged
• Professionally filmed and released music concerts
  • exceptions: concerts originally released as a TV special, released theatrically (excluding event cinema content) or reviewed as a movie by professional critics are allowed as a regular movie.
• Professionally filmed and released theatre
  • exceptions: plays originally released as a TV movie or TV special are allowed as a regular movie.
• Professionally filmed and released stand-up show
  • exception: content originally released as a TV special is allowed as a regular movie.
• Professionally released fitness or health videos
• Sport DVDs
  • exceptions: proper sport documentaries with a credited director and reviewed as a movie by critics are allowed as regular movies.
• Some live movie theater events e.g. National Theater Live productions
• Official movies made of video game cutscenes (no fan edits)
• Official THX/DTS/Dolby/Auro demo discs

Content NOT allowed in the Movie section:

• TV movies originally released in two parts. They should be added to the TV section as miniseries.
• Miniseries
  • exception: a few miniseries screened in full at a film festival or as a film in theater are still allowed.
• Films originally released as a web series or as a season of a web series.
• Multi-series crossover events. Each episode should be added only to its respective TV series.

TV Edit

Content allowed in the TV section:

• Television shows
• Miniseries
• TV movies originally released in two or more parts
• TV pilots
• Web series
• Annual award shows

Content NOT allowed in the TV section:

• Film serials (popular in the first half of the 20th century). They should be added as one entry in the movie section.
• No diet, training, religious, language learning programs, or other types of instructional video sets. They should be added to the movie section and marked as a video (if properly released).
• TV and digital movies originally released in one part.
• Any TV specials or one-off event. These should be added as a movie.

People Edit

Missing people entries can only be created while adding the credits on a movie or television entry. After clicking on the Add a New Cast/Crew Member buttons, you have the options to select an existing people profile or to create a new one.

People entries have to be attached to at least one acceptable movie or television show. New people entries with no credits or incorrect credits will be deleted.

People entries with only (uncredited) roles will also be deleted.

For more elaborate people entries guidelines, please read our cast and people name formatting sections.

Collections Edit

Collections should be created from a brand new entry. Please do not turn a good movie entry into a collection.

To create a new collection, you have to first create a "dummy" movie e.g. Wonder Woman Collection. All the fields on the movie entry should be left blank except for the title and the description (e.g. no IMDb ID, cast or crew).

Once the movie has been created, head into the "Primary Facts" edit area and convert the item to a collection under the "Convert to Collection?" option. Save it and the page should reload as a collection.

Find your way to the "Parts" section of your newly converted entry to add movie sequels to the collection.

Before creating a new collection, please read our collection guidelines. Collections are only intended to group sequels together and movies can't be in more than one collection.

Tip: If you accidentally convert a good movie entry into a collection, just head to the collection's primary facts and use the "Convert to Movie?" field to convert it back to a movie.

Content allowed in TV and movie section Edit

Some content is allowed to exist in both the TV and the movie database. These are:

• TV movies originally released as part of an umbrella series
• Episodes of an anthology series that are treated like TV movies (e.g. individual DVD release, theatrical release).
• TV episodes edited into a proper theatrical movie (e.g. Pippi Longstocking)

Amateur Content Edit

Amateur films and series as well as school and/or student films and series are generally not allowed.

Should an amateur project be screened at a selective and relevant film festival (e.g. a small town festival, a youth film festival or the Cannes Short Film Corner do not qualify), have a proper theatre release (e.g. a private/rented screening do not qualify), be on national TV in a country (e.g. small, local channels do not qualify), be on Netflix or an equivalent (e.g. content uploaded to your own YouTube channel, Vimeo or website, or Amazon Prime do not qualify), or picked up and sold by a proper distributor (e.g. local stores do not qualify), it might be allowed.

All non-qualifying entries found in the database will be deleted.

Should you wish to contest the deletion of your entry, please provide us with the following information: a clear explanation of why the entry qualify based on one of our exceptions and at least one reference to an independent online source (e.g. a professional newspaper, the official website of a festival, the verified social media accounts of a broadcaster).

If no eligible reference is available on the internet, it is your responsibility to provide us with eligible documents (e.g. the scan of a festival programme).

We reserve the right to deny the request of anyone suspected of forging or tampering with such documents.

When you add a new amateur content entry to the database, we strongly recommend that you add all relevant screenings to the Release Information section (i.e. date + name of the festival/theater/TV channel/distributor).

No promotional links (e.g. pay-per-view) or links to the actual video (e.g. YouTube or Vimeo).

YouTube content:

• Short films, feature length films and series uploaded directly on YouTube (excluding YouTube Red original content) are subject to the amateur content guidelines.
• Popular Youtubers do not qualify for an exemption.

These policies are subject to change, we review them from time to time.

Adult Content Edit

If you plan to add an adult entry (pornography), make sure you first set your account to include such items ("Include Adult Items in Search?" in your profile settings) or you will add duplicate persons to the database since adult cast/crew profiles are hidden for regular users. Furthermore, please keep in mind these guidelines:

• Porn web scenes are NOT allowed.
• Porn web sites should NOT be added to the TV-section. We support porn movies only.
• Nudity and sexual situations are allowed in adult movie posters and backdrops, but not for people profile pictures.
• Many publicly available images carry watermarks or logos. Be careful when you go picture hunting.
• It's always a good idea to check whether the person you want to add, is added with a different name already. A recommended resource for that is iafd.com.
• The industry standard is to credit the female performers first, then the men. The exception is porn with one big plot, such as this entry (NSFW).
• For regular porn credits, it is custom to leave the character field empty. That means you don't add "Herself" or "Alexis Texas" (if it's a credit for Alexis Texas). Using that example, you can see that apart from a few stray credits this practice is well established.
• Commercial links are not allowed. This means most of the time the homepage link should be left blank for adult entries.
• If the actor/actress is part of a compilation, make sure to add (archive footage) to the character field. A compilation is when a scene has previously been part of a regular movie and is then released again.
• It is common for scenes from an adult movie to first be published online as a web scene. When such a movie is released it does not count as a compilation.
• For adult titles, we go by numbers only, avoiding any Vol. or Volume in the titles. e.g. "Women Seeking Women 116" with variations ending in #116, Vol. 116 and Volume 116 added as alternative titles.

Please read these guidelines to learn how to use our adult movie tag.