Some thoughts on crew types.

tnt wrote 8 years ago: 1

There are some duplicates in the list. First, CG and CGI staff are the same. So CG Artist and CGI Artist don't have to exist separately, it's the same job. Same goes for CG / CGI Supervisor etc. And it's definitely CG and CGI, not "Cg" or "Cgi". It seems that CGI is used more often nowadays, so all CG jobs can be merged into their CGI siblings.

Then Visual Effects Supervisor / Visual FX Supervisor is also the same job. As are Compositor and Visual Effects Compositor. Compositing Supervisor is also Visual Effects' job. And Visual Effects in all job titles can be substituted with VFX.

Director of Photography is rather a guest crew type. They've often changed on the same principle, as directors. The same is for the Editor, because often different directors work with different editors.

Also there's some odd job called "TV Photog". Looks like mistype or something.

I don't know if it's possible to change crew types without breaking already existing data, but at least some typographic errors can be fixed I hope?

Gadfly wrote 8 years ago: 1

DoPs and Editors typically change more often than the various Producer types, yes. There's a larger pool per season, but there's not the sheer variety you get with writers and directors.

Gotham, for instance, alternates between two different DoPs this season, Editors, three to four. Sometimes CW varies DoPs through about each four episodes. But then Supernatural has Serge Ladouceur as DoP for at least 95% of its episodes for every season.

As another example, Corey Robson has been DoP for four out of nine episodes so far of Arrow this year. It looks like he did... 7 out of 23 episodes the preceding season. I don't believe there was one director on Arrow who did seven episodes in one season.

IMO, guest crew really refers to the "top" crew: the ones listed at the top (or top of the bottom) of that credits of every episode of almost every show, and that would show up on each main episode page at TVMaze. I don't think users care that much if the DoP and Editor are listed "up front" on the episode pages here, at the same rank as writers and directors.

tnt wrote 8 years ago: 1

Gadfly wrote:
DoPs and Editors typically change more often than the various Producer types, yes. There's a larger pool per season, but there's not the sheer variety you get with writers and directors.

I think it really depends on the show. GoT, for example, had 19 directors, 15 DoPs and only 5 writers over 7 seasons. The Shield had 14 editors over it's run. But anyway, it was just a thought. If that's BS – just scratch that :)

What about my other question, about consolidating some jobs?

Gadfly wrote 8 years ago: 1

I'm fine with consolidating jobs that have different versions of the same name.

Gadfly wrote 8 years ago: 1

I don't think it's BS. It's just that "Guest Crew" is rather a misleading title, and not one I've heard used anywhere else.

Is Rod Serling really "guest crew" on Twilight Zone after having written 75% of the episodes? Or J. Michael Straczynski on Babylon 5?

Plus on U.S. CW and Fox, there's always 3-4 crew members tossed in near the end of the end credits that are different every week. Assistants to the Executive Producer, B Camera First ACs, and so on. Production Staff members on Once Upon a Time pop in credit-wise for one episode a season, and then don't get credited again until the next season. Wouldn't they be "guest crew" as well?

tnt wrote 8 years ago: 1

Gadfly wrote:
I don't think it's BS. It's just that "Guest Crew" is rather a misleading title, and not one I've heard used anywhere else.

Yeah, that's a bit misleading. Cast / Guest Cast and Crew / Guest Crew despite similar names are totally different concepts. It's more like "Episode Authors" or something. And of course it's not a place for DoP or Editor :)