12.2 Identifying Aggregates

12.2.1 Aggregate or Carrier

It is important to distinguish between actual intended compilation or multi-component moving images, e.g. Victorian cinema no. 8 (containing various short films from the 1890s edited together onto a new reel for a particular theatrical showing or publication), and an unintentional compilation, reflecting simple use of a single carrier (aka an individual reel, tape, or file), i.e. two short Charlie Chaplin films that happen to be acquired on one reel or transferred onto one tape for storage convenience.

Editing and creative assembly decisions were taken to create the first example, and it constitutes a Collection Aggregate (see Collection Aggregates). The second was just incidental or convenient assembly and is not technically an aggregate, and so would not have an aggregate Manifestation. The two Chaplin films could each have their own Work, Manifestation, and Item records, but those Items would have the same location/can id/barcode number on the same container (aka package), i.e. the number stuck or written on the physical container in which the individual film reels, videotapes, or DVDs are stored.

or where an institution's database allows for a many-to-one structuring then:

Any aggregate will have an element of intention, whether simple or complex. Assessments will need to be made, where possible, as to whether the intention was for creative/intellectual or convenient purposes, and then represented accordingly.

Equally, an institution may decide not to differentiate between whether something is technically an aggregate or a "carrier of convenience" and just follow the same structuring either way for any multi-component compilation reels, particularly where the original intent may often not always be clear or known.

In those databases where there are records for the individual reels/tapes/files that make up an Item and structured in a part of/parts hierarchical relationship (i.e. a parent-child structure), and where only a one-to-many structure is possible, then this option may be best in order to avoid multiple creation of records of both Items and reels for what is one physical object.

Decisions on which structure to use will depend on what structuring an institution's database will accommodate and allow.

Digital Manifestations, such as DVDs, Blu Rays, and streamed moving images, that have additional selectable language options chosen by the viewer are deemed to be Aggregate Manifestations under RDA.¹

12.2.2 “Hybrid” Aggregates and multi-component moving images (Anthology/Portmanteau films or TV programmes)

Multi-component Works are ones conceived and created from their inception to consist of multiple individual components that make up a whole, for example anthologies, portmanteau films and television programmes (e.g., Dead of night, Quartet, From beyond the grave).

These should be treated as straightforward Monographic Works. (See Works).

The different sections making up the whole were not independently created Works or Variants with an existence in their own right outside the film. It was one film intentionally structured as a series of different stories, sometimes linked together by scenes and characters, into one continual whole.

This is not the same as a later editing together of separate individual independent Works or Variants with their own earlier individual Manifestations, e.g.

Example

Portrait of a miner (Great Britain, 2002; BFI 2 disc DVD of various individual National Coal Board short films).

Other multi-component moving images often have a common theme, and usually comprise different shorts or elements made by different directors specifically as part of that Work, e.g.,

Example

Chacun son cinéma ou ce petit coup au cœur quand la lumière s’éteint et que le film commence. (France, 2007): Compilation film of 33 three-minute films by various directors for the Cannes Film Festival’s 60th anniversary

Example

11’09”01 September 11 (France, Egypt, Great Britain, Mexico, United States of America, 2002): 11 short films in which different directors give their impressions of the themes and events of the date September 11 2001 and the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon

Example

Ro.Go.Pa.G. (Italy, France, 1963): 4 episodes by 4 different directors, no common theme: R. Rossellini (Illibatezza), J.L. Godard (Il mondo nuovo), P. Pasolini (La ricotta), U. Gregoretti (Il pollo ruspante)

Example

New York stories (1989): 3 episodes by 3 different directors, common theme.Directors Woody Allen (Oedipus Wrecks), Francis Ford Coppola (Life without Zoe), Martin Scorsese (Life lessons)

Example

Tre passi nel delirio / Histoires extraordinaires (Italy-France, 1968): 3 episodes by 3 directors, common theme: L. Malle, (William Wilson), F. Fellini (Toby Dammit), R. Vadim (Metzengerstein)

With these there was no original intention for the components to be independent², and there should always be a single Monographic Work record with a single Manifestation for them. The different component titles may be added as alternative titles to the Work record to assist in retrieval or access, and/or details of individual component titles and content given in the synopsis field on the Work. For example:

Example

Aria (United States of America/United Kingdom, 1987)

Ten directors interpret various operatic arias:
On-screen titles [and sources] for segments (which are not numbered on-screen) are:
[1] Un Ballo in Maschera Nicolas Roeg/Un Ballo in Maschera [extracts from "Un ballo in Maschera" by Giuseppe Verdi]
[2] La Vergine degli Angeli Charles Sturridge/La Forza del destino ["La vergine degli angeli" from "La forza del destino" by Giuseppe Verdi]
[3] Armide Jean-Luc Godard/Armide ["Enfin il est en ma puissance" and other extracts from "Armide" by Jean-Baptiste Lully]
[4] Rigoletto Julien Temple/Rigoletto ["La Donna è Mobile" and other extracts from "Rigoletto" by Giuseppe Verdi]
[5] Die tote Stadt Bruce Beresford/Die tote Stadt ["The Lute Song" from "Die tote Stadt" by Erich Korngold
[6] Les Boréades Robert Altman/Les Boréades ["Suite des vents", "Lieu désolé", "Jouissons, jouissons!" from "Les Boréades" by Jean-Philippe Rameau]
[7] Liebestod Frank Roddam/Tristan und Isolde ["Liebestod" from "Tristan und Isolde" by Richard Wagner]
[8] Nessun Dorma Ken Russell/Turandot ["Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot" by Giacomo Puccini]
[9] Depuis le jour Derek Jarman/Louise ["Depuis le jour" from "Louise" by Gustave Charpentier]
[10] I Pagliacci Bill Bryden/I Pagliacci ["Vesti la Giubba" from "I Pagliacci" by Ruggiero Leoncavallo]
The beginning of Segment 10 is used as linking material between previous segments.

Credits and Cast (i.e., Agents) for all the components should be attached to this single Work record, following on-screen credits as far as possible but also including an indication of which component they belong to where the on-screen credits may not be clear on this. This also helps in distinguishing credits for the anthology moving image as a whole and those pertaining just to a particular component story of it.

Example

Aria (USA/United Kingdom, 1987)

Credits

Directed by: Nicolas Roeg (Un ballo in maschera)
Directed by: Charles Sturridge (La vergine degli angeli)
‘Images’: Jean-Luc Godard (Armide)
Directed by: Julien Temple (Rigoletto)
Directed by: Bruce Beresford (Die tote Stadt)
Directed by: Robert Altman (Les Boréades)
Directed by; Franc Roddam (Liebestod)
Directed by: Ken Russell (Nessun Dorma)
Directed by: Derek Jarman (Depuis le jour) Directed by: Bill Bryden (I Pagliacci)
©: LightYear Entertainment, Virgin Vision
Production company: Boyd’s Company
Production company: RSV Productions
Production company: Virgin Vision
Produced by: Don Boyd
Co-producer (for Virgin Vision): Al Clark, Mike Watts
Executive in Charge of Production: Arnold J. Holland, Joan Aceste
European Production Co-ordinator: Gabrielle Tana
US Production Co-ordinator: Elizabeth Moyer...
...
Director of Photography: Harvey Harrison (Un ballo in maschera)
Director of Photography: Gale Tattersall (La vergine degli angeli)
Director of Photography: Caroline Champetier (Armide)
Director of Photography: Oliver Stapleton (Rigoletto)
Director of Photography: Dante Spinotti (Die tote Stadt)
Director of Photography: Pierre Mignot (Les Boréades)
Director of Photography: Frederick Elmes (Liebestod)
Director of Photography: Gabriel Beristáin (Nessun Dorma)
Director of Photography: Gabriel Beristáin (I Pagliacci)
Director of Photography: Mike Southon (Depuis le jour)
Director of Photography: Christopher Hughes (Depuis le jour)

Each component title should not usually be created as a new Work, as this is not how the content was conceived (i.e., it was designed to be packaged and viewed together and is not separable) and none of them would then have any Manifestation record as an individual Work.

Those institutions that have the ability or desire to separate them out to tie separate descriptions (e.g., credits) to each component part (i.e. representing a parent-child relationship), may represent them as Analytic Works (see Work/Variant Description Types).

Should an institution acquire some or all of the components on different physical Items, then these should be linked to the Manifestation for the whole. In such cases it is simply a matter of a partial/incomplete acquisition, in the same way that only 2 reels of a 3 reel feature film might be acquired.

Intellectually these multi-component films are “hybrid” aggregates – they consist of semi-independently created Works, i.e. each can be very different and made by different directors and/or production companies – but they were always envisaged as forming a whole with the other components; although some or even all may sometimes subsequently also be released as individual shorts.

To use a music analogy they are rather like a concept album, which is made up of individual songs/tracks that may even have one or two released as singles, but they were created originally as part of a larger concept or unfolding story to be listened to and appreciated as a whole; and which is different in nature to a “Best of..” or “Greatest Hits…” compilation album.

Where an individual component does have a subsequent independent release, that component should then also be created as a new Work or Variant in its own right, with its own relevant Manifestation, and linked to the original multi-component Work in an associative “contains/contained in” relationship.

Toby Dammit, (episode by F. Fellini part of Tre passi nel delirio / Histoires extraordinaires, Italy-France, 1968): 2008 restored version on 35mm of the individual episode, with its own new Italian titles.

Where such individual releases of components have occurred, and a physical Item for a component is acquired, assessment would then be needed to establish whether it was a partial acquisition Item of the whole original Manifestation or an acquisition of the Item of the later individual component Manifestation.

12.2.3 Excerpt titles

Similarly, films that heavily utilise footage or excerpts from other films are not aggregates, e.g., Dead men don’t wear plaid, or Zelig, although these may have an associative relationship with the original Works/Variants from which the footage was taken should an institution wish. They are using partial footage combined with new and different footage shot for a new and different film entirely, rather than editing together whole individual Works into an aggregate.

12.2.4 Other compilations

The nature of some compilations means that creating Works for each component is neither relevant nor practical, i.e. compilation reels of unidentified or untitled content (not usual in the bibliographic world but common in moving image archives).

There may not always be the immediate available knowledge as to whether something is an intentional compilation (in which case it would be an aggregate) or simply a convenient carrier. Where there is doubt then create a single Aggregate Manifestation and Aggregating Work³.

Later research and cataloguing may then establish whether this aggregate record is retained and added to, or deleted after being used as a temporary working tool for initial record creation of acquisitions.

There may also be Pre-release compilations of production material and an aggregate of Variants, for example, where production firms may submit a compilation reel or file of pre-release material with different versions of the same film for different purposes, either as part of the production process for editing decisions and selections, or because different versions were required, e.g. different versions of TV public information spots or adverts with different lengths. Or else several different short films on the same theme or subject designed for TV spots aimed at different age groups or audiences.

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1. See: (https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/rsc/RSCOutreachMadrid.pdf) ↩

2. Although where these are made by both different directors and production companies there may have been dual consideration of potential future independent release ↩

3. It is easier for the Cataloguer to default to treating as an Aggregate initially and create a single Work, Manifestation, and Item, rather than potentially create multiple skeletal “unidentified” Works, Manifestations and Items that then have to be deleted subsequently if it is discovered the entity is an Aggregate. ↩