So I'm continuing to work on my contribution for "Aviation: A Filmed History" (781735603123), and I've gotten over the first hump of scanning and processing all 24 individual covers -- what a marathon ....

Now turning to the content of the individual discs I have a number of questions.

The National Archives Produces Filmed Histories on DVDs with Partner TOPICS Entertainment

The overview sections on the individual cover arts contain a lot of sales "fluff" and not a lot of specificity on the disc inside. Some of the first six discs in the 24 disc set are made up of many small shorts, accessible via the title menu, in black and white and silent except for a piano score.

The first disc has the following:

(running time / title)
00:02:48 Wright Bros. 1903
00:05:21 Wright Bros. 1909
00:09:50 Rickenbacker 1918
00:02:16 Ship to Blimp
00:10:24 Around the World
00:10:49 Reel 2
00:10:42 Reel 3
00:10:55 Reel 4

And the actual text / titles from the back cover go like this:

(All of Vol 1-Vol VI have this)
AVIATION
-------------
20 EXCITING FILMS
Aviation from first flight to the edge of space.

(and then, for disc 1 ...)
Volume I
1909-1924

Witness the official test flight of the Wright brothers' military plane in 1909, then join legendary ace combat pilot Lt. Eddie Rickenbacker in 1918 as he accepts the Distinguished Service Cross for his remarkable courage in dramatic air battles over France and Germany in WW I. Circle the globe by plane in 1924 with Lt. Lowell Smith in an adventure featuring dramatic rescues at sea, exotic locales, and desperate repairs to make it back home alive.
APPROX RUN TIME: 70 MINUTES

"Without a doubt, the invention of the airplane was one of the greatest technological achievements of the 20th century. Man's fascination with the ability to fly cannot be adequately expressed with words. But now, captured on these historic aviation films chosen by our film archivist, you will experience the wonder, witness the technological advancement, and feel the exhilaration of early flight in America." --Les Waffen, Chief, Motion Picture, Sound & Video Branch, National Archives and Records Administration

(This last quote is tagged on the back cover of 12 of 24 discs of the set.)

So I'd like to figure out how / where to list the individual shorts / segments in the overview section.

Another thing I'm trying to figure out is how to do some of the company crediting.

It seems to me that TOPICS/Topics Entertainment is playing the role of publisher / distributor, with their logo on the back of the box art.

TOPICS Entertainment, or
Topics Entertainment

I think they'd prefer the former, but I also see them indicated as the latter.

As archivists, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) produces no content, but for their role, at least half of the DVDs would not exist.

The official seal ("The National Archives of the United States" appears on at least 12 of 24 cover arts. TOPICS goes to great lengths to let you know of NARA's involvement.

I've seen the organization referred to in a number of ways and places:

US National Archives
US National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
The National Archives of the United States (seal)

Perhaps it will become clear as I look at more discs for credits (none on the first), but right now it's a little interesting.

So in tagging on the information "Wright Bros. 1903" which is 00:02:48, I should just drop at the end as:

Wright Bros. 1903 (3 minutes)?

Addicted2DVD: I got the idea from looking at another profile in my collection (I didn't submit):

Watching You ("Intriguing Lebian short Films") - 754703762054 (below)

If I follow your interpretation of the rules, this submitter got it wrong? In any event, thank you for your perspective.

4P.M. Winner, Best Girls Short- Melbourne Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. Humorous tale of a one-night stand that goes horribly wrong. 14 min.

BARE Winner, Best International Short-Brussels Int'l Film Festival. A couple of women bare all - and inadvertently set off fireworks in their neighborhood! 9 min.

INTERVIEWS WITH MY NEXT GIRLFRIEND Winner, Best Comedy- PlanetOut.com/HBO Short Movie Awards. A very particular single woman screens future prospects in a hilarious interview process. 13 min.

WATCHING YOU Winner, Best Lesbian Short Film-Philadelphia Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. A lesbian's hobby- photographing a captivating woman neighbor- causes trouble with her jealous girlfriend. 32 min.

DEAR EMILY Winner, IFFCON Pitch Contest A woman recalls the drama of her senior year and an intense schoolgirl crush. 7 min.

BONUS SHORTS!

THE TEN RULES: A LESBIAN SURVIVAL GUIDE "Best of the Fest"- Outfest, Los Angeles. A look at the pitfalls and pratfalls that happen when your friends aren't just your friends- they're also your dating pool. 28 min.

TRAVELING COMPANION Winner, Executive Director's Award-Newport Beach Int'l Film Festival. An upcoming trip to romantic Italy persuades a travel writer to tempt fate and place an ad for a travelling companion. 20 min.

DOUBLE ENTENTE Erotic tension builds when a stressed-out lesbian tries to meet her gorgeous lover for an after work cocktail. Will she settle for a stranger's touch? 11 min.

Other news:

I've just noticed that the box set was released twice. First, on 2008-01-01 under UPC code 781735603123, and then again, with new case / case artwork on 2009-10-27 under UPC code 781735603987.

The 1st is what's in the database and the 2nd is what I have.

Since the UPC is different, I think this means I can submit my own art for the custom 24-disc case.

Quoting Addicted2DVD:

Quote:
There is a load of stuff in the database that is not per Rules... I never go by other profiles to see how things should be done. Wrong info gets accepted all the time. Especially with Invelos' standard of accepting wrong info if the contribution is mostly right.

In this case we're talking about data that is not wrong, but rather extra / extraneous, and perhaps even useful.

"For Concert / Music Videos you may include a listing of Song titles and length, if available."

It's a series of short segments, some shorter than a music video, and I can hardly see the harm in including the information "if available".

It also allows for independent (math) verification of the claimed running time for the disc, which at 63 minutes and eight seconds is significantly different than the "APPROX RUN TIME: 70 MINUTES" as indicated on the case art.

Quoting lasitter:

Quote:
In this case we're talking about data that is not wrong, but rather extra / extraneous, and perhaps even useful.

"For Concert / Music Videos you may include a listing of Song titles and length, if available."

It's a series of short segments, some shorter than a music video, and I can hardly see the harm in including the information "if available".

There may not be any harm in it but, strictly by the rules, it isn't allowed.  Here is the rule:

If the Main Feature of the disc is a collection of some kind (e.g. shorts, TV episodes, multiple films, etc.) rather than one single feature, a simple list of the collection contents may be added to the standard overview. Example:
1. Title
2. Title
3. Title

So it turns out that in any number of instances there is a difference in the titles for the shorts when comparing the title / root menu on the DVD and the actual title as seen in the opening credits on the respective shorts.

Profiles of a Flight Test Pilot
"Profile of a Flight Test Pilot"

Helicopter Training
"Transitional Helicopter Flight Training"

C-130 Progress Report
"C-130 Progress Report 1955"

Bioastronautics Report
"Bioastronautics Rearch"

Small or large, that's a variance in four of five segments for this particular disc ...

I'm inclined to used what I see in the credits, versus the disc menu.

I agree with Rizor.  That makes the most sense.