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April 1992

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Subject:
From:
Jeremy Butler <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 13 Apr 1992 13:15:02 CDT
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Thought I might post a little additional information about the film
credits databases available on SCREEN-L FILELIST and grouse about the
general state of affairs with film credits databases.
 
On SCREEN-L FILELIST are two comma-delimited database files containing
credits for films released in the US during 1990 and 1991.  Several
hundred films are listed in each, with their principal credits and cast.
 
"Comma-delimited" means that these are, basically, text (ASCII) files
and that each line of the file contains the information for a single
film.  A typical line might look like this (shortened for clarity's
sake):
 
8,"SWEETIE",900119,"Avenue Pictures","Jane Campion","Gerard Lee"
 
Between each comma (i.e., "delimited" by the comma) is information about
the film--given in the same order for each film in the list.  This entry
tells you info about SWEETIE in the following order:  number in the
list, film title, release date (done in the funky style of year, month,
day or YYMMDD in order to make the number easier to manipulate),
production company, director, scriptwriter.
 
Many database programs can read comma-delimited files and suck the
information directly in.  Each line of the file becomes a "record" and
each comma-delimited item becomes a "field," in database parlance.  Once
in a database you can do all kinds of things to this data--arranging it
by film titles or directors or actors or whatever.
 
Because comma-delimited files put one record on each line, the lines
themselves may be 150 or 200 characters long.  This is something that
needs to be taken into consideration when viewing or transferring these
files.
 
These two databases are available from SCREEN-L FILELIST by sending
e-mail to LISTSERV@UA1VM (or [log in to unmask])
with the following commands in the very first line of the body of the
text:
 
GET FILM90 DAT SCREEN-L
GET FILM91 DAT SCREEN-L
 
I believe these files must be requested individually--that is, do one
e-mail message for each.  The files will come to you via e-mail
channels.
 
----------
      It takes an active sense of humor to survive in Big Tuna.
                               --WILD AT HEART
----------
 
|                                      | BITNET   :        JBUTLER@UA1VM |
| Jeremy G. Butler - - - - - - - - - - | Internet : [log in to unmask] |
| SCREEN-L Coordinator                 | GEnie    :           J.BUTLER27 |
|                                                                        |
| Telecommunication & Film Dept * The University of Alabama * Tuscaloosa |

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