Help - Add Release

This guide is here to assist newcomers and existing contributors with contributing information to the database via the Add Release form.

What is a Release?

A release in the world of Filmogs refers to a physical product such as a DVD, Blu-ray or VHS. All formats are currently being accepted from a wide range of genres.

The database currently contains a wide range of content including:

  • Feature films
  • TV shows and TV Films
  • Documentaries
  • Promotional Items

See the exclusions list below for items not suitable for the database:

  • Pornography/Adult Material (NOTE: currently optional)
  • Home Videos

  • Non-Physical Downloaded Digital Video Files (such as MP4, AVI)

Before You Begin

Before you begin submitting data into the database ensure you have a physical copy of the item in front of your person. You will need to input data as it appears on a phyiscal release. As with guidelines found on the parent website Discogs, entering information gathered by third parties or simply from images is not permitted.

Depending on the release you may need 30 minutes to 3+ hours to fully submit release information. You are welcome to complete some of the information at one stage, to return to complete at a later date. If this is your intention, please leave a note in the history of the release. You can most likely expect that large TV show boxsets are more complicated to add, and take hours over the minutes required to submit a feature film release.

There is no rush with submitting data - take your time to ensure what you submit is correct. If you notice something is wrong with your data at later date, go back and adjust as necessary.

Tools of the Trade

If you wish you can enhance the content you submit by making it more detailed with the following tools.

The data you submit to the database is extremely important to the validity and integrity of this project. To help provide evidence for the data you submit high-resolution images should be submitted for releases. The use of a flatbed scanner attached to your computer or taking photographs of your item will allow you to provide this information.

Tips on using an imaging device will be covered more in the Images section at the end of this guide.

NOTE: Using existing images found on the internet of your release is highly discouraged. If you wish to do this please check the image matches your release 100% and does not feature any watermarks.

Some of us suffer from sight issues, and some us will struggle to read hazy small text found on releases. I highly recommend looking over your releases with a good light and potentially a magnifying glass to read this text. This will ensure data you submit is spelt correctly and may also uncover further details that others may have not noticed (such as additional catalog numbers, part numbers, pressing information).

Playback Hardware / Software

Providing extra detail such as run-times, additional content and disc menu structure really helps complete your submissions. Using the relevant playback hardware for your release (such as a VCR for VHS, DVD player for DVD) will allow you to provide this information.

If your personal computer has a disc drive built in then you can use this instead of traditional hardware. There is plenty of free software for the playback of DVD discs including VLC Player and Media Player Classic. Blu-ray discs will require a compatible disc drive and additional software such as PowerDVD for playback.

DVD Information Software

Applies to DVD releases only To see encoded information about the DVD that does not appear on the release, there are various free / paid tools available online to provide this information.

This software can uncover details such as:

  • Number of Disc Layers
  • Accurate Region Coding
  • Disc press/manufacturer/record date

The Form

Ensure you are signed in with your Discogs account, click on the Contribute button and then Add Release. You will be greeted by a blank form.

Title (Required)

Add the title of the release as it appears on the release into this field.

For example: the film title for this release is Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle however the release features a region specific title which appears on the release as Harold + Kumar Get The Munchies. The correct title is the title as it appears on the release, not the title of the film contained on the release.

Sub-title

It is still a topic for discussion whether to include sub-titles of releases such as Collectors Edition, Widescreen Edition, Unrated Cut in the title field.

Companies

This field can have multiple parts. Click on the Add Company button to begin, add or remove entries using the buttons provided.

Enter any companies that appear on the release.

Role

Define what role the company listed has on this relealse.

Some examples of roles that companies can hold are as follows:

Role Description
Brand The brand of a release is usually the logo that appears on the spine of the release. It will sometimes include the words Home Entertainment or Home Video. For example on this release the brand is Universal, this release it is 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and this release is Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. If you are unsure of the brand of your release then please raise a discussion in the forums.
Series This field is currently used for sub-brands or series of releases from a brand. Some examples include Paramount's Widescreen Collection or MGM's Movie Time series.
Copyright © Enter any copyright information that may appear on the release in this area. You are likely to encounter two types of copyright on a release. The copyright for the film content itself (or "programme content") and then copyright for any additional packaging or trademarks. Please be sure to enter the copyright year into the Date field provided. Copyright companies can often appear in many variations on a release, be sure to select the correct one if it already exists in the database. An example of two different copyright entities appearing on a single release can be found here. Film copyright is accredited to the film/production companies name however the packaging copyright is credited to the brand's copyright company.
Distribution Enter the company reliable for distributing the release in this field. Distribution is not usually credited on releases as it is often a task undertaken by the brand company - however it often appears on releases from other countries such as this release. The distribution company often operates in a single territory and this territory apepars in their name, please ensure you include the full company name - i.e. Warner Home Video (U.K.) Limited.
Marketing This field is very similar to Distribution (may appear with the distribution credit as Distributed and Marketed By...). As with distribution this credit often appears on imported releases, and will often feature a territory specific company name such as Warner Home Video (U.K.) Limited.
Pressed By This company credit only appears on disc formats (such as DVD or Blu-Ray). It is often found on the disc hub/matrix area on the data side of the disc. Some examples of companies who press discs are Technicolor and Sonopress.
Manufactured By This company credit can appear on any release and can refer to the manufacture of any part of the release from the media itself (disc, cassette or cartridge) or its packaging (cases, inlays or boxes). Sometimes the manufacturer is clearly defined on the release.
Licensed From/Through/To This company credit may appear on a release which has been re-released by another brand. Only enter this information if it appears on the release.
Film/Production Company You may enter any "production company" logos with this role. Examples can be found here Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Please do not confuse Production Companies with Brand roles.

Date

Enter a date for a company entry when possible. For the role of Brand it is currently agreed this can be the date of the release, which can often be assumed from the packaging copyright year. If you are unsure, leave this field empty.

Format (Required)

Similar to the Companies field before it, add format fields via the buttons provided.

Quantity

Enter the quantity of the format. For example a 4-disc DVD set would be 4, a single VHS release would be 1. If there is one Blu-ray and one DVD in the package then the quantity is 1, but each format will require its own line.

Type

Enter the type of the format.

Examples of format types are as follows:

  • DVD, DVD-R
  • Blu-ray, Blu-ray-R
  • HD DVD
  • VHS
  • LaserDisc
  • Video CD
  • 8mm Film
  • 4K Ultra HD

Specifics about the format such as how many layers or the length of the film are to be entered in the Description/Free Text field.

Description / Free Text

Enter any specifics about the format in this area such as type, layers or length. For example DVD-9 (Dual Layer), DVD-5 (Single Layer) BD-50 (Dual Layer), BD-25 (Single Layer)

Packaging Information

For notes about the packaging of a release, such as the colour of the case, dimensions, any features (such as embossing or cut-outs) should go into the Notes field.

Identifying Codes

Please add any identifying codes on your release.

This is one of the most important fields on the submission form as they are key in differentiating one version of a release from another.

Identifying code is not a required field as not all items have one, but we strongly encourage you to add any and all identifying codes if your release does have them.

To add identifying codes use the buttons provided on the form.

Type

There are many different types of codes that may appear on a release. Enter these as accurately as you can, if you are uncertain then please raise this in the forum for the community to discuss and assist. Some common code types are covered below:

Type Description
Catalog Number The catalog number of a release will usually appear on the spine. However depending on brand the catalog number may be obscured as a part number for the sleeve or disc, instead of an inclusive catalog number. An example of this is a technique used by Buena Vista Home Entertainment who distribute and release home video for Disney, Miramax and Touchstone. The catalog number will appear in every single part number. This exact string is the catalog number. For example on this release submitters may mistake the code Z1 D888125 on the spine as the catalog number, however this is a part number for the sleeve - the catalog number is actually D888125 as it also appears on the back of the release above the barcode. This document will help you correctly locate and identify catalog numbers from popular brands.
Part Number A string of numbers/letters that appear in various orientations and sizes on the various parts (disc, inlay, booklets) of the release. Will usually include the catalog number in the string. Enter what the part number releates to in parentheses "()".
Barcode The barcode that appears on the release. Can be entered in as a scanned string or how it appears, or both. You can state if this is a EAN or UPC in parentheses "()". If there are multiple barcodes (as can be common in boxsets) then please enter in each using parentheses "()" to dictate where that string appears.
ISBN If the release has an ISBN printed, add this here. You can state what ISBN type this is within parentheses "()".
Disc Matrix Enter the disc matrix as it appears on the matrix ring to the best of your ability. On dual-layer releases enter in each layer's matrix as a seperate field (example.
BBFC Reference This identifier only appears on releases which have been certified by the British Board of Film Classification. It refers to the reference number of the certificate given to the release.

Region

This field only applies to modern disc based formats which feature region coding such as DVD or Blu-ray.

Enter the region code that appears on the release packaging, or use computer software to confirm the region codes for that release (these may not always match up with the packaging, if this is the case then state this in the notes field).

Aspect Ratio

Enter the aspect ratio of the main feature of the film - 16:9, 4:3. This can also be entered in as 4:3 Full Frame or 16:9 Widescreen. If the packaging does not dictate the aspect ratio then play back the release to find out this information.

Color

Enter in the type of color/colour of the feature film:

  • Color/Colour
  • Black & White
  • Sepia Tone

Color Encoding System

Use this field to define the color encoding system used by the release. They are as follows:

  • NTSC
  • PAL
  • SECAM

This should appear on the release packaging.

NOTE: Color Encoding System does not apply to all formats, exempt formats are: Blu-Ray.

Audio

Enter in the audio technologies present on the release. For most early formats this can simply be Mono or Stereo, however later digital formats will feature specialist audio technology from Dolby Digital and DTS.

It has been agreed that audio should be entered in as follows:

[TYPE] [CHANNELS] [LANGUAGE]

For example:

  • Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 (English)
  • Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 (Spanish)
  • dts-HD Master Audio 5.1

Add each audio type as a seperate line.

Languages

Enter in the languages present on the release in a comma seperated list.

For example: English, French, Danish, Spanish, Italian

Subtitles

List the subtitle languages available on the release.

If the release only states it has Closed Captions (CC) then simply enter English (Closed Captions).

If you are adding a VHS release and it features the NCI logo then simply enter English (Requires NCI Decoder).

If there are no subtitles available simply enter none.

Run Time

Enter the running time for the main feature that appears on the release in minutes (Example : 160 mins).

Running times for specific sequences of the release can be added in the chapters field.

If the running time stated doesn't match the actual running time of the feature then state this in the notes field provided.

Classification

With the assistance of this guide, type in the classifications this release has been given.

Type the name of the classification board (acronyms accepted) in Type and the rating given in Rating.

For Example:

  • BBFC 15
  • IFCO 18
  • MPAA PG
  • CHVRS G
  • FSK 6
  • NICAM 16

Chapters

For Digital Formats such as DVD or Blu-ray

Type in the structure of the disc menu, including chapters and special features. If there are pre-feature trailers or adverts then include this at the start of the list.

The widely accepted sequence for this area is:

1 - Pre-feature content
2 - List of Feature Chapters
3 - Special Features / Additional Content

Use chapter names where possible, however for untitled chapters simply enter Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3.

Type in all durations in this format HH:MM:SS where H is Hour, M is minutes and S is seconds.

Examples

For Analogue Formats such as VHS

Type in the sequence of clips as they appear on the tape. If your VCR has a counter use this to time how long sequences run for.

Example

Notes

Use this area to describe the release without the constraints of the fields above.

Examples of notes used in the database:

Some examples of content that can be entered here are as follows:

Bonus Features

Special features or bonus features that do not have any video content such as audio commentary tracks or CD-ROM/DVD-ROM only content.

Packaging Errors/Mismatches

Does the packaging list the wrong region code? The wrong languages or subtitles?

Encryption Technologies Present

List any encryption technologies that might be present on the disc. Such as Macrovision Copy Protect.

Packaging Information

Select the packaging type of the release from one of the dropdown options (e.g. slipcase, jewelcase, snapcase, keepcase, etc). Use the description part of the field to add details about the packaging; If the packaging is different from the standard explain it here. Is the release packaged in a cardboard O-Card? Are there any cut outs? How many panels are there to the digipack? Is the sleeve double-sided? Did the release come in a coloured case? Dimensions of the packaging? Does it include any additional booklets or flyers inside?

Note, if you're a editing a release submission that was added before the Packaging field was mandatory, you will be required to add this information before you can save your edits. In this case, please use the 'Other' option in the dropdown and make a note in the submission notes that you're unsure of the packaging type and request the original submitter to update the data.

Additional Certifications

For UK releases does the packaging feature a VPRC (Video Packaging Review Committee) approved symbol?

Films

This field is what ties it all together. Type in the name of the feature film, TV show or TV show episode into this box and choose from the drop-down the correct entry. This release will now show up on that film page.

TV Shows

At the moment TV shows are being submitted into the database as follows:

1 - Film entry for the whole TV show (e.g. The Simpsons, Doctor Who)
2 - Film entry for each individual TV episode

For TV show releases you will need to link to the the main TV show entry and then each individual episode.

See these examples for assistance:

Additional Help

Forums

This is a community driven website, and we are all here to help each other. If you are unsure about how to list something, do not fear - raise a new thread in the forums, a member of the community will be happy to assist with your query. If you wish to change something but are not sure about how to make the change or require further discussion - raise a new thread in the forum.

Odd Releases

There are many odd releases already in the database. A lot of promotional material is being added alongside the standard fare of feature films and TV shows. These releases often pose various hurdles to overcome during submission as they often do not follow any standards. Some example of odd releases include:
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