MOS:FILM

The following is a manual of style for film-related articles under WikiProject Film. The majority of the guidelines focus on writing articles about individual films. Sections under "Primary content" are content that is expected in articles about film on a regular basis. Sections under "Secondary content" are content that may be uncommon. There is no defined order of the sections; please see WikiProject Film for examples of appropriate layouts. Since the page is a set of guidelines, it is subject to change depending on Wikipedia policies or participant consensus. For other guidelines, see Manual of Style.

Naming conventions

 * 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.

Article italics
In running text, the film's title should be italicized per Wikipedia's Manual of Style on italic type.

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 to the infobox.

If both the 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.

Cast
Actors and their roles can be presented and discussed in different forms in film articles depending on three key elements: 1) the prominence of the cast in the film, 2) the amount of real-world context for each cast member or the cast as a whole, and 3) the structure of the article. Editors are encouraged to lay out such content in a way that best serves readers for the given topic. If necessary, build toward a consensus. The key elements are discussed in detail:

If roles are described outside of the plot summary, keep such descriptions concise. Interpretations in the form of labels (e.g. protagonist, villain, main character) should be avoided. A well-written plot summary should convey such roles. Also, per Wikipedia's BOLD, please limit boldface to table headers and captions. Actors and roles should not be bolded.

Production
The "Production" section can be organized into four parts, coinciding with the chronology of a film's 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: actual 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

Soundtrack
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 can be used for the score or the collection, although WikiProject Film consensus is against having cover images in the album infoboxes in the film article.

Adaptation from source material
A significant number of films are adapted from other works of fiction, including literature, plays, musicals, and even other films. When filmmakers adapt the source material for their films, they make changes for creative and conventional reasons.

Images
Critical commentary and discussion of the film must come from reliable sources and not original research from the editors themselves. Critical commentary should be embedded in the body of the film article. A non-free image can be used to illustrate the target element of the critical commentary only if it cannot adequately be substituted by a free equivalent image or descriptive text. The non-free image should be significant in increasing the readers' understanding of the topic. Non-free images can illustrate technical or thematic aspects of the film. Examples include, but are not limited to: production design, makeup, costume design, camera technique, visual effects, lighting, and iconic shots.

Infobox
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.


 * Category:Films by year
 * Category:Films by country
 * Category:Films by language
 * Category:Films by genre
 * Category:Films by studio
 * Category:Films by director
 * Category:Films by geographic setting

Lists
Once an article has been created for a film, it can be entered into a number of lists to allow easier browsing for viewers.