Criteria for Inclusion

Criteria for Inclusion
on Movierapture

Criteria for Inclusion

For a given work to be eligible for review on this site it must meet the following criteria.

1. The work must exist as a visual recording of some kind. The specific means used to create this recording are not, however, taken into account. A work can, thus, have been originally recorded on film, videotape, computer disk, or any other format on which a visual recording can be made. Furthermore, I do not take into account the place or medium in or by which a given work was originally or subsequently made available to the public.

2. The work must have been created with the intention that it be viewed primarily as a visual recording. This may appear to be a somewhat vague requirement, but I believe it is needed to exclude such things as filmed plays, operas, and the like. If a play is produced in such a way that it is clear that it was meant to be viewed as a visual recording, then it is eligible to be reviewed on this site. If a play is produced in such a way that it is clear that it was meant to be viewed as a stage production, then, even if that stage production has been filmed, it is not eligible to be reviewed on this site.

3. The work must have been created as a finite entity. I intend with this restriction to exclude any work that was or is being created as open ended. I do not, however, demand that a given work be shown in its entirety at one time. A television miniseries is as much a finite work as is any two hour film. Some television programs, especially a number of series from Japan, likewise have a definite duration and are, consequently, more like extended movies shown over a period of time than they are like open ended American television programs, which can, potentially, go on forever. If a given work has a defined duration, it can be treated as a coherent whole and is eligible to be reviewed here. If a work does not have a defined duration, if it is, potentially, of infinite length, it is not eligible to be reviewed here.

4. The work must be watchable as an artistic work. That is to say, it cannot be watchable only as a didactic work. By this restriction, I intend to exclude any work whose value must be determined, principally or exclusively, by the accuracy with which it conveys information to the viewer. A given work that has been created to convey information, but which, in fact, can be viewed as an artistic work, according to the standards outlined in my "Summary of Aesthetic Principles," is, however, eligible to be reviewed here.

5. The work must be at least twenty minutes in length.

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