The database is divided into sections chronologically, each section representing a year. Within the year, films are arranged alphabetically. Each film has its own web page, where a filmography is followed by information on the film’s survival status and the location of its script if one exists. When it is possible to locate a film libretto – an original film synopsis – its full text is published after the filmography. If there is no libretto, a new synopsis based on other existing sources is substituted whenever possible. Illustrations such as production stills, posters, and frame enlargements are added to the page.
In principle, the database is bilingual, Russian and English. Many sources, such as film posters and photos, do not require a translation, but all the filmographic and bibliographical references for each film, as well as the plot summaries, are being translated into English. However, this process is in its initial stage at this point; only individual materials have been translated. It will be possible to translate a wider range of materials, should the team get the desired funding. In this case, the database will become an essential instrument for scholars from many fields and backgrounds. At the same time, the website will be of interest to cinephiles all over the world.
To get a more vivid idea of the database structure, please see sample pages for the film The Golden Shoe (Zolotaia tufel’ka; 1916, directed by Alexander Geirot and Boris Tchaikovsky) in the additional supporting documentation section. It includes a filmographical reference, images (promotional stills and a poster), a libretto, and reviews in Russian and English.
Materials for this film and all the others have not been collected with the purpose of researching a particular movie. It would not be possible to collect a complete dossier of sources for every early film with materials scattered across archives and periodicals all over the world. That’s why, rather than researching information title by title, we must start building up the database by investigating the most relevant sources (periodicals, archives, museums, and private collections) and adding the material to the web pages of its respective films.
Since each film entry consists of different sections, it is essential to characterize some of them briefly and discuss relevant methods that the team applies while working on this or that section.
Please checkout subpages of this page: Filmographies, Librettos, and Images.