Skip to content

2.1 Attributes of a Moving Image Work

2.1.1 Work Description Type1

The description type establishes the general focus of the Work being catalogued, whether it is a complete Work in one part, a Work made up of several parts, or a physical group or collection of Works. Providing this information helps the cataloguer and user understand the context of the Work/Variant being described, and whether it has any relationships with other Works/Variants. For example, a television series could be catalogued as a Serial, which implies that there could be related Works (episodes) catalogued as Monographs.

Record the level of description of the work being catalogued, for example, “analytic,” “monographic,” “serial,” etc., according to a controlled vocabulary. The terms used in this Manual are derived from traditional bibliographic cataloguing rules and from EN 15907, but an institution may choose to create its own list of terms.

The Types below reflect terms used in Section 4.1.2 Attributes in the CEN standard EN 15907. 2

2.1.1.1 Analytic (component part)

Content that is contained in another content. A component part may itself be either monographic or serial. Component here means intentional component part not fragments or excerpts of a moving image, e.g. an individual element from a larger newsreel issue.

Example

Work [Monographic] – Topical Budget 657-1

Manifestation: Theatrical Release - 35mm - UK - 27th March 1924

Work [Analytic (component part)] – One way of solving the traffic problem

Manifestation 1: Internet – digital file – UK -2015 – BFIplayer (streaming channel)

Example

Work [Monographic] - Kwaidan Manifestation: Theatrical Release - 35mm - Japan - December 1964

Work [Analytic (component part)] - The woman of the snow Manifestation: Theatrical Release - 35mm - United Kingdom - October 1968

2.1.1.2 Monographic

Complete content in one part or intended to be completed in a finite number of parts. This is also applicable to television episodes. The record for the television series itself is catalogued as a Serial.

Example

Coronation Street [1960-12-09]

Example

Spaced. Series 1 Episode 1. 1999-09-02

2.1.1.3 Serial

Content issued in successive parts and intended to be continued indefinitely, or across a span of time. A Work record for a television series is catalogued as a “Serial.” Individual episodes may be catalogued as a Monographic record.

Example

Gaumont British News (1934-)

Example

Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (1938)

Example

Chemistry Essentials (1996)

Example

Breaking Bad (2008-01-20 – 2013-09-29)

2.1.1.4 Collection

Content issued in several independent parts; an ‘umbrella’ work title covering a number of different Works/Variants/Manifestations3.

Example

Pleasure (Joan Littlewood, c1963) (Footage shot on behalf of Joan Littlewood as part of her ‘Fun Palace’ project.)

Example

The ‘Dogme’ films (Each individually numbered.)

Example

Shadows of progress: documentary film in post-war Britain 1951-1977

Other uses for Collection:4

Archive-acquired collections of works not originally intended for general release or broadcast all have component parts that form the collection as a whole, usually acquired on a series of numerous film reels or videotapes, etc. each with an identifying title.

Example

David Lean home movies

Example

William Butlin personal films

Example

Hollywood interviews (unedited production material for series Hollywood)

Example

BFI London Film Festival Awards 2010 – production material, etc.

Example

Fifties features (videotape collection of production material, with each of the tapes given an identifying acquisition title:

Example

B1-3 Sylvia Syms I/V

Example

B4-6 Sylvia Syms I/V & Jill Craigie I/V

“David Lean home movies,” “Fifties features,” etc. would be the Work titles for the collection-level description, with Collection as its description level.

The individual components of this collection would also be created as individual Monographic Works.

Example

Egypt

Example

India

Example

India no.2

Example

Kenya

These titles should then be linked to the collection-level description and assigned “part of” relationship.

Aggregate compilation videos/DVDs that are collections of individual works existing as entities in their own right, e.g. Portrait of a miner is a DVD of various Mining review shorts which had their own individual release as complete entities or works.

  • Portrait of a miner would be created as the work title, with the description level of Collection.

  • Each of the Mining review Works used in Portrait of a miner would then be linked to it and assigned a “contained in” relationship (see Modelling Aggregates).

Provide a list of the compiled works contained in the Collections Work in its Synopsis or Summary field.

  1. EN 15907, 4.1.2 Attributes—description Level, p. 8; BFI CID Stylistics Manual, A.1.3 Filmographic Level, pp. 7-8 ↩

  2. https://filmstandards.org/fsc/index.php/EN_15907. The terms and their definitions used in the EN 15907 Standard itself are rooted in those from UNESCO CCF/B (Common Communications Format / Bibliographic, UNESCO PGI-92/WS/9, Paris, 1992,(INSERT LINK) which related to bibliographic information.) ↩

  3. This aligns with EN 15907 definitions relating to Work types and is different and distinct from Collection Aggregates ↩

  4. BFI CID Stylistics Manual, A.1.3 Filmographic Level, p. 8 ↩