Movie and TV Wiki
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WORK IN PROGRESS

Welcome to the wiki style guide! Some parts are recycled from Screened.com's wiki style guide. Don't let the wealth of information here intimidate you. Absorbing it all at once is not a good idea. Just refer to whatever section you need in the moment and if you need help just ask Mikex20 or DJames216.

Backup your work

We strongly recommend that you backup your contributions to this site so that your valuable work is not lost to unforeseen technical mishaps. You may want to keep copies of any images that you upload. Storing copies of your written work as basic text files (or other non-formatted document) is generally a good idea. This is because copy/pasting formatted text from a Word document (for example) doesn't always reliably paste the text correctly.

Creating A Page

  • Click "Contribute" in the top right corner and select "Add a Page".
  • Give a name for your new page following the guidelines below.
  • If given the option, select "Blank page", then click "Add a Page".
  • Click the "Source" tab at the top of the page or select "Source Editor" as displayed in the image below.
Visual Editor-Source Editor

Finding the Source Editor in the newer Visual Editor Interface





  • Copy/paste the appropriate block of code from one of our layout template pages. We have layout templates for Films, TV Shows, TV Episodes, Characters, People, and Image Galleries. You can find links to all these templates in the navigation bar at the top under the sub-menu Wiki Tools\Templates.
  • Further instructions can also be found on these pages on how to get started with your new page.

Image Gallery Page

Do you have pictures that you want to add to a page?  Pictures can help break up the monotonous of long blocks of text.  It can be screen captures, publicity photos, movie posters, or other pictures from the web.  However, we discourage fan art or photo manipulation or digitally altered pictures to be added.  All images should be organized on a separate page/section known as the Image Gallery that is attached to the Main Page of the Film, TV Show, TV Episode, Characters, or People in question.  These images should also be relevant to the content of the page in question.  Go to the Image Gallery Page (Layout Template) for instructions on how to create a correctly attached image gallery.

Naming A Page

When naming a new page please try to remember the following.

Films & TV Shows

Please include the year in parenthesis at the end of its name.

Example: Halloween (1978)

The above is a good example because it enables us to include another page for a different film of the same name i.e. Halloween (2007).

If a title starts with a small word such as "The", then do not put it at the start of the page name. Include it at the end after a comma.

Example: Walking Dead, The (2010)

If we hadn't moved "The" to the end, Walking Dead would have been filed under "T" in the A-Z which obviously makes little sense.

Characters

Please include the TV Show or Film that this character appears in, in parenthesis at the end.

Example: Jon Snow (Game of Thrones)

Some characters appear in more than one show or movie but try to pick the one they are best known for. Characters such as Hercules can have more than one page because they are portrayed so differently in various shows and films.

Example 1, the Disney character: Hercules (Hercules (1997))
Example 2, a TV show character: Hercules (Hercules:The Legendary Journeys)

People i.e. Actors, Directors & Crew

Please include their birth year in parenthesis at the end.

Example 1 for the director of Clerks: Kevin Smith (1970)

Example 2, TV Actor from Xena: Warrior Princess: Kevin Smith (1963)

Adding Categories to a Page

It's a good idea to add some categories to the page you are creating because this will increase its presence on the site and make it easier to discover. When you start typing a category name at the bottom of the page (or in edit mode), existing category pages will appear in a drop-down list below where you are typing for you to select. You can also create new ones, simply by typing it in and then clicking on the Create Link.

Please take note that although we love having many categories for pages for comprehension; we want clear and concise categories as well as relevant ones so please keep it in mind. A specific actor, composer, or director has their own section and does not fall into these categories for example.

Films

All Films need to be added to the Films category. This category is designed to list every film on the site in A-Z.

Other categories to include.

  • GENRE: Any relevant genres such as Action, Adventure, Comedy etc.
  • RATING: The film rating it was given; Rated G films, Rated PG films, and even Unrated / Not Rated films.
  • STUDIO: At least one film studio involved with its production e.g. 20th Century Fox
  • AWARDS: Any major or minor awards that the film may have been bestowed with.
  • FRANCHISE: A franchise page may need to be included but in many cases isn't necessary. If you need to create a new franchise page, please make sure to include the word "Franchise" at the end of the name. e.g. James Bond Franchise. If you are adding a Film to a character franchise category page, make sure that the character in question is a main character that appears predominantly. Supporting Roles and cameo appearances do not apply. For example, do not add Justice League to the Batman Franchise Category as he is only a supporting character in that instance. But adding The Dark Knight Rises to the Batman Franchise Category is appropriate as he is obviously the main character of that film.
  • OBJECTS/WEAPONS/LOCATIONS/TEAMS: Any items, groups, or locations that play a major role in the plot of the film itself. Minor or unimportant ones are to be placed in the Associated Pages Section of the film itself.

TV Shows

All TV Shows are added to the TV Shows category.

Other categories to include.

  • YEAR: The year the TV Show premiered. Example categories for TV shows: 1995 TV, 2010 TV, etc.
  • GENRE: Genre categories for TV are named a little differently. e.g. Fantasy TV, Adventure TV, etc. Add as many as you feel are appropriate.
  • TV RATING: The TV rating it was given; Rated TV-Y, Rated TV-MA, and even TV-NR.
  • TV NETWORK: Include the TV Network originally responsible for its broadcast but feel free to add more if it seems appropriate. e.g. CBS, NBC, BBC
  • AWARDS: Any major or minor awards that the TV show may have been bestowed with.
  • FRANCHISE: A franchise page may need to be included but in many cases isn't necessary. If you need to create a new franchise page, please make sure to include the word "Franchise" at the end of the name. e.g. Battlestar Galactica Franchise. If you are adding a TV Show to a character franchise category page, make sure that the character in question is a main character that appears predominantly. Supporting Roles and cameo appearances do not apply. For example, do not add Justice League to the Batman Franchise Category as he is only a supporting character in that instance. But adding Batman: The Animated Series to the Batman Franchise Category is appropriate as he is obviously the main character of that show.
  • OBJECTS/WEAPONS/LOCATIONS/TEAMS: Any items, groups, or locations that play a major role in the plot of the TV show itself. By major we mean that they are a regular fixture of the show or are a major focus or drive the plot forward for a good part of the show (or at least the majority of at least one season). Minor or unimportant ones are to be placed in the Associated Pages Section of the episode page in which they appear.

TV Characters

All TV characters are added to the main Characters TV category for an all encompassing A-Z.

If that particular character also makes appearances in a feature film, add them to the Characters Movie category as well. Be aware that there can be many versions of characters ranging from rebooted versions to a re-imagined versions that may or may not be considered part of the same continuity.

Usually if portrayed by the same actor/actress, then they're the same person. However unless specifically stated that a character portrayed by multiple people is the same one in a shared continuity, each version deserves their own separate page.

For example, Buffy Summers has been portrayed by both Kristy Swanson in the 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer film and by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the 1997-2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. It has been specifically stated that they are indeed the same character by their creator which follows an established continuity/universe. In this case, consider that she is both a TV Character and a Film Character and have each actress listed under those credits where it is appropriate.

  • GENDER: Please also include gender (if applicable). Select from the following TV gender categories. Male Characters TV and Female Characters TV. Some characters, such as monsters, aliens, robots etc, that do not have a definitive gender do not need to be included in either gender category above. Their presence in the main Characters TV category is enough.
  • CHARACTERS SUB-CATEGORY: This may not apply in all cases but feel free to add characters to a relevant TV Show Characters category. For example all characters from the show Game of Thrones are attached to the Game of Thrones Characters category. This category is, in turn, added to the Characters category.

Characters may have other categories that they belong to as well however please restrict yourself to relevant and non-trivial categories. Occupations are restricted to real world people and other miscellaneous data such as their height, weight, eye color, etc. are considered trivial. If the character is deceased/resurrected; is a member of a unique race/species; belongs to a special group/organization; wields or has possession of a noteworthy weapon or artifact; or is associated with a unique location than feel free to add those categories to their list.

Film Characters

All Film characters are added to the main Characters Movies category for A-Z purposes.

If that particular character also makes appearances in a feature film, add them to the Characters TV category as well. Be aware that there can be many versions of characters ranging from rebooted versions to a re-imagined versions that may or may not be considered part of the same continuity.

Usually if portrayed by the same actor/actress, then they're the same person. However unless specifically stated that a character portrayed by multiple people is the same one in a shared continuity, each version deserves their own separate page.

For example, Buffy Summers has been portrayed by both Kristy Swanson in the 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer film and by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the 1997-2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. It has been specifically stated that they are indeed the same character by their creator which follows an established continuity/universe. In this case, consider that she is both a TV Character and a Film Character and have each actress listed under those credits where it is appropriate.

  • GENDER: Please also include gender (if applicable). Select from the following movie gender categories. Male Characters Movies and Female Characters Movies. Some characters, such as monsters, aliens, robots etc, that do not have a definitive gender do not need to be included in either gender category above. Their presence in the main Characters Movies category is enough.
  • CHARACTERS SUB-CATEGORY: This may not apply in all cases but feel free to add characters to a relevant Movie Characters category. See the last item in TV Characters above for a Game of Thrones example.

Characters may have other categories that they belong to as well however please restrict yourself to relevant and non-trivial categories. Occupations are restricted to real world people and other miscellaneous data such as their height, weight, eye color, etc. are considered trivial. If the character is deceased/resurrected; is a member of a unique race/species; belongs to a special group/organization; wields or has possession of a noteworthy weapon or artifact; or is associated with a unique location than feel free to add those categories to their list.

People i.e. Actors, Directors & Crew

All people are added to the main People category for A-Z purposes. This refers to actual, real-life people.

Film Articles

Before you get started, you need to add the Movie Template to a blank page to get started!

The Movie Template has a block of code that includes a Header Tab Bar for the Main Page. Tab 2 is reserved for the Image Gallery Page if you got movie photos, cast pictures, behind-the-scene photos, alternate movie posters, etc. Photos are great to decorate the Main Article with but don't go overboard with them! Tab 3 is reserved for Quotes. Movie Characters often have funny, witty, or detailed monologues which can be put on their Character Profile Pages but they frequently also have dialogues and conversations between two or more people which don't fit on the aforementioned Character Profile Page! So when this happens, you can put those dialogue blocks and conversations on the Tab 3 Quote Page! Finally, Tab 4 consists of the Reviews. At this point of time, Reviews are only permitted in the form of personal blogs and to prevent cluttering up the Review Page, we are currently limiting it to a separate link to the blog in question and allow for multiple entries.

There is also the MOVIE INFOBOX which you will need to fill out. It will need at least a Title and a nice poster/image to get started. If you don't know some of the information; you don't have to list it; the auto-format will leave it blank but try to have the basic information before you get started.

The infobox is intended to be a brief summary of important data of the film. Emphasis on "brief". That's what the rest of the page is for; try to limit each entry to the main or most important information if possible.

If you have additional information; there are other places in the article for you to place it; a full and detailed cast list has it's own Cast Section; additional or alternate movie posters can be placed in the Image Gallery Page; additional producers, composers, cinematographers can be placed in the Production Section. Does the film fall under more than one Franchise? You can put it under the Categories List at the bottom of the page and additional taglines fit under the Production Section.

The main headings for any article page should be formatted to the "Heading" (Visual Editor) or "Heading 2" (Classic Editor, Visual Mode) format.  Sub-headings (such as "Season 1") should use the heading format one tier below the main heading.

Overview

Describe what this movie is about; what year was it released, what sort of genres and which country produced it, who was the primary stars in it. Try to keep this short and relevant if possible; notable creators, sequels, reboots, franchises, etc.

Give a brief synopsis of the film itself but try to keep it to one paragraph.

Plot

Summarize important and significant events of the film but avoid going into too much detail. Give the reader a good idea of the flow of the story but don't describe every little thing.

Cast

This should be in a bullet list format.

  • Actor/Actress as Character

Production

This section should provide any behind-the-scenes information on the making of the film in question.
If you wish to add any writers, directors, producers, special effects personnel, etc. who contributed to the making of this movie; be sure to create a Sub-Heading "Credits" and use a bullet list format with their job/occupation/profession.
A Sub-Heading "Alternative Movie Titles" and use a bullet list format in italics can be added here as well if the movie has more than 1 title it is known under. Sometimes movie titles don't really translate or are changed for foreign language markets and/or other countries.
A Sub-Heading "Additional/Alternate Movie Taglines" and use a bullet list format in italics can be added here as well if there are 2 or more taglines to prevent overfilling and bloating the Movie Infobox.

Reception

Don't add your personal opinion here. Objectively discuss why audiences/reviewers accepted or rejected a film such as ticket sales data, it's ranking in the theaters, quotes from professional movie critics or web sites are acceptable as well.

Trivia

This should be in a bullet format.

  • Put interesting facts and amusing trivia in this section. Pop culture references, etc.

Associated Pages

This should be in a bullet format.

  • Separate them by Objects, Weapons, Vehicles, Teams & Groups, Races, Locations, and Concepts if the list is larger than 5 or more if necessary.

External Links

Put relevant external links in this section. A link to the page's equivalent on IMDB is a good example.
Use the following format for your links.
Target page or URL: This should link directly to the specific Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page in question and NOT the site's front page.
Text to display: Just put the name of the site here.
I've used Guardians of the Galaxy in the below example.
Target page or URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/
Text to Display: IMDb
Go to our Guardians of the Galaxy page to see the final result.
We also want to raise our ranking in Google searches. One of the ways we can do this is to submit a link to our page to IMDB. You will need to be a registered user on IMDB to do this. Each Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page on IMDB has an attached page called "External Sites". This is where you submit the link and also where it will appear. Characters on IMDB do not appear to have an attached External Sites page.
  • Once you are on the "External Sites" page for the Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person in question, scroll down to the bottom and click "Edit Page".
  • Click the drop-down menu next to "Miscellaneous Link" and select "Add 1 item".
  • Click "Continue" at the bottom and wait for the new page to appear.
  • Now scroll down and you should see the following fields - Action, URL, Description.
  • URL: Copy/paste the link to our Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page in this field.
  • Description: to-hollywood-and-beyond.wikia.com - A Film & TV Wiki - Always use this as your description for the link.
Using Guardians of the Galaxy as an example once again.
  • Once you are done filling in the fields, click "Check these updates" at the bottom. It then checks for any errors in the submission and may automtically correct it.
  • All being well you should now be able to click "Submit these updates" at the bottom.
The link will not appear straight away as it has to go through their moderation system. Waiting time is 1 to 14 days.

Trailer

Embed a video of the trailer here. Ensure this is the last section of your article as embedded videos can otherwise disrupt the layout of the page. Don't forget to position the video on the left hand side of the page. This also helps to keep the layout tidy.

TV Show Articles

Before you get started, you need to add the TV Show Template to a blank page to get started!

The block of code includes a Header Tab Bar for the Main Page; an Image Gallery Page (if you got image photos, cast pictures, behind-the-scene photos, posters, etc.); and finally a Reviews Page (for reviews of the TV Show in question).

There is also the TV Show Infobox which you will need to fill out. It will need at least a Title and a nice poster/image to get started. If you don't know some of the information; you don't have to list it; the auto-format will leave it blank.

The infobox is intended to be a brief summary of important data of the film. Emphasis on "brief". That's what the rest of the page is for; try to limit each entry to the main or most important information if possible. We also like to keep the Principal Cast List to be clear and not too jumbled so if there are three or more names in the list; use a
between each actor/actress so they have their own separate line.

The main headings for any article page should be formatted to the "Heading" (Visual Editor) or "Heading 2" (Classic Editor, Visual Mode) format.  Sub-headings (such as "Season 1") should use the heading format one tier below the main heading.

Overview

The Overview Section should just be two or three lines that describe the basic premise of the show.

Notable Characters

  • Please format the list into bullet form.
Please put important characters in this section only. It should not be an exhaustive list because each episode page should have a more detailed cast list.

Plot Summary

Season 1

Summarise main events of each season but do not recap every little detail. Just cover the important stuff and leave more detail for individual episode pages.

Episode Guide

Season 1

Utilise the pre-made episode guide tables to input episode titles, episode numbers, air dates, and try to use an image relevant to each episode but avoid anything too spoilery. The easiest way of inputting this information is to copy/paste into the source code of the page and fill in info from there.
Due to the proliferation of so many TV series with simply having the title of "Pilot" for the first episode, we need to differentiate each one. So please, attach the name of the series to the title. For example, for the M*A*S*H Season 1, Episode 1: M*A*S*H Pilot.
In addition, unaired or lost episodes are considered part of the series' episode lists as well. If it is an unaired pilot episode, you can add to the beginning of the Season 1 and before Episode 1.01 by creating a special entry with Episode 1.00. If there are multiple pilot episodes, special entries can be written as Episode 0.01, 0.02, etc.
You can also attach unaired or lost episodes to the end of the final season. You may add in (Unaired) following the Episode Title or when someone makes episodes pages for them, they can explain that they were unaired or lost episodes.
On occasion, some TV series may have special episodes which do not fall into a regular production season. In these cases, consider them as a made-for-TV movie which deserves their own Film Article.

External Links

Put relevant external links in this section. A link to the page's equivalent on IMDB is a good example.
Use the following format for your links.
Target page or URL: This should link directly to the specific Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page in question and NOT the site's front page.
Text to display: Just put the name of the site here.
I've used Guardians of the Galaxy in the below example.
Target page or URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/
Text to Display: IMDb
Go to our Guardians of the Galaxy page to see the final result.
We also want to raise our ranking in Google searches. One of the ways we can do this is to submit a link to our page to IMDB. You will need to be a registered user on IMDB to do this. Each Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page on IMDB has an attached page called "External Sites". This is where you submit the link and also where it will appear. Characters on IMDB do not appear to have an attached External Sites page.
  • Once you are on the "External Sites" page for the Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person in question, scroll down to the bottom and click "Edit Page".
  • Click the drop-down menu next to "Miscellaneous Link" and select "Add 1 item".
  • Click "Continue" at the bottom and wait for the new page to appear.
  • Now scroll down and you should see the following fields - Action, URL, Description.
  • URL: Copy/paste the link to our Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page in this field.
  • Description: to-hollywood-and-beyond.wikia.com - A Film & TV Wiki - Always use this as your description for the link.
Using Guardians of the Galaxy as an example once again.
  • Once you are done filling in the fields, click "Check these updates" at the bottom. It then checks for any errors in the submission and may automtically correct it.
  • All being well you should now be able to click "Submit these updates" at the bottom.
The link will not appear straight away as it has to go through their moderation system. Waiting time is 1 to 14 days.

Episode Articles

The main headings for any article page should be formatted to the "Heading" (Visual Editor) or "Heading 2" (Classic Editor, Visual Mode) format.  Sub-headings (such as "Season 1") should use the heading format one tier below the main heading.

Plot Summary

Unlike character articles, these sections can be detailed but not too much.

Cast

This should be in a bullet list format.
  • Actor/Actress as Character

Production

This section should provide any behind-the-scenes information.
If you wish to add any writers, directors, producers, special effects personnel, etc. who contributed to the making of this episode; be sure to create a Sub-Heading "Credits" and use a bullet list format with their job/occupation/profession.

Trivia

An example of trivia are alterations in episodes aired in different countries (e.g. Censorship) and allusions/references to outside sources (e.g. TV Shows and Pop Culture).

Quotes

For quotes, remember to state who spoke the quote and ideally make their name link back to their character page.

Associated Pages

This should be in a bullet format.
  • Separate them by Objects, Weapons, Vehicles, Teams & Groups, Races, Locations, and Concepts if the list is larger than 5 or more if necessary.

External Links

Put relevant external links in this section. A link to the page's equivalent on IMDB is a good example.
Use the following format for your links.
Target page or URL: This should link directly to the specific Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page in question and NOT the site's front page.
Text to display: Just put the name of the site here.
I've used Guardians of the Galaxy in the below example.
Target page or URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/
Text to Display: IMDB
Go to our Guardians of the Galaxy page to see the final result.
We also want to raise our ranking in Google searches. One of the ways we can do this is to submit a link to our page to IMDB. You will need to be a registered user on IMDB to do this. Each Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page on IMDB has an attached page called "External Sites". This is where you submit the link and also where it will appear. Characters on IMDB do not appear to have an attached External Sites page.
  • Once you are on the "External Sites" page for the Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person in question, scroll down to the bottom and click "Edit Page".
  • Click the drop-down menu next to "Miscellaneous Link" and select "Add 1 item".
  • Click "Continue" at the bottom and wait for the new page to appear.
  • Now scroll down and you should see the following fields - Action, URL, Description.
  • URL: Copy/paste the link to our Film/TV Show/TV Episode/Person page in this field.
  • Description: to-hollywood-and-beyond.wikia.com - A Film & TV Wiki - Always use this as your description for the link.
Using Guardians of the Galaxy as an example once again.
  • Once you are done filling in the fields, click "Check these updates" at the bottom. It then checks for any errors in the submission and may automtically correct it.
  • All being well you should now be able to click "Submit these updates" at the bottom.
The link will not appear straight away as it has to go through their moderation system. Waiting time is 1 to 14 days.

Character Articles

The main headings for any article page should be formatted to the "Heading" (Visual Editor) or "Heading 2" (Classic Editor, Visual Mode) format.  Sub-headings (such as "Season 1") should use the heading format one tier below the main heading.

Main Quote

Feel free to include a single quote at the very top of the page that helps to represent the character. Put it in quote marks and italicise the text. Do not put a heading for this section.

Overview

Give a couple of lines here outlining basic info about this character.  Are they a major or minor character? What shows or films are they best known for? Are they good or bad? etc.

Background

Discuss the basic fundamentals of this character. This should be one/two paragraph(s).

Major Plots

Use seasons as sub-headers to divide the summaries. One can use episodes as sub-headers underneath the seasons. The plot section shouldn't be too detailed.

Personality and Traits

Include their personality, appearances, and traits that make them unique. You can include powers as a sub-header if the character has superpowers. These details regarding powers should pertain to the films and TV shows. Any details outside these mediums should not be included.

Trivia

This should be in a bullet list format.
  • Try to include little known but interesting information about the character or allusions/references to outside sources (e.g. TV Shows and Pop Culture).

Quotes

For quotes, remember to state which episode the quote is from and ideally make the episode name link back to its episode page.

People Articles

Has this person passed away?

Paste the code below as the very first line of source code on the person page. It is a simple banner used as a mark of respect for their passing.

{{Rest in Peace}}

Background

Biography

Use one or two paragraphs. Info to include here would be things like place and time of birth. Early life and how they started their career.

Personal Life

Information about current events and news about this person would go here.

Filmography

List their Film and TV work here (oldest first, newest last). Make the Film/TV title link to the corresponding Film or TV page (assuming it currently exists in the Wiki).

Trivia

Do not include trivia about a character they have portrayed here. That is restricted to the character page itself. Trivia may include things such as -

  • roles they were offered but they turned down
  • activities or interests they have outside of showbusiness
  • appearances at conventions etc

Quotes

Do not include quotes that this person may have made in any roles or characters they may portrayed. That is restricted to the character page itself. A suitable quote for this section might be something notable they said in an interview or press conference.

External Links

Put relevant external links in this section. A link to their personal IMDB page is a good example or their own personal website or twitter account.

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