Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Using the site

How can I submit/correct something?

To submit a mistake, some trivia, a question, or an easter egg, browse to the relevant title's page, then click "submit something" in the navigation bar to the left, which will allow you to submit something for that title. Then just change the type to whatever you're submitting (type of mistake, trivia, question, easter egg, etc.). To submit a quote, follow the procedure above, but then click "quote submissions" at the top of the page - you'll then be taken to the right area. Alternatively, when viewing any quotes, click "submit something" on the left, and you'll go straight to the quote submission page.

If you're submitting something for a film or TV show I don't have listed yet, please use the "submit something" link in the navigation bar on the left when NOT looking at a specific film.

To correct a mistake (you can correct corrections as well), click the edit icon underneath the relevant entry, then choose the appropriate option from the drop down box that appears next to each mistake - correct a mistake/spelling, etc.

Why can't some entries be corrected?

Some entries have been marked as uncorrectable, either because there's a screenshot proving them, or because they're the kind of mistake for which some people constantly submit bizarre corrections. However, this doesn't mean they're necessarily 100% right - if there's no option to correct a mistake but you know it's wrong, please contact me with the entry's ID number (hover your mouse over the blue blob or other image beside it) and your proposed correction (in this specific case, please ignore the message on the contact page about not using it for corrections, and set the "broad subject" as "other"). Any e-mailed correction must have those 2 bits of information and can ONLY be for entries which can't be corrected using the regular method.

What's the "minor" link in the navigation bar for some films?

The site's now got so many entries on it that some films are getting overwhelmed, listing enough mistakes that a lot of people get put off browsing through, because there are too many! As such, some entries are now classified as "minor" - valid mistakes, but usually hard to spot or otherwise not as significant as many others. They get excluded from all the counts shown around the site, but you can read them by clicking the "minor" link in the navigation bar when viewing any film's page. They can still be voted on, corrected, etc. like any other entry - it's just easier if they're separate. You can nominate entries yourself by clicking the edit icon under an entry, then choosing the "minor entry" option from the drop down list. You can only vote once per entry. If you come across a great mistake which doesn't warrant being listed as minor, please get in touch.

What if you haven't got the episode I need?

If the episode you want isn't listed (often the case for shows which aren't in the database yet, or else episodes which were aired after the last update), just submit it under "across whole show", being sure to include the episode title in the mistake. Then when the titles are added, it can be put in the right place by using the "change episode" option when making changes.

What's the drop down box at the top right of a page with "exclude?" by it?

If you don't check the "exclude" box, picking a mistake type from the list will only show mistakes of that type. If you tick the exclude box, then picking a mistake type will show all types EXCEPT that mistake type.

Can I send you pictures?

Of course, and what's more, for every 30 screenshots you send in, you'll be entitled to a year's membership FREE! Just click the edit icon under the entry you want to add one to, then choose "add screenshot" on the drop down list - more information will be on the page you go to. I'm afraid I can't give specific help for capturing screenshots, but Power DVD by Cyberlink is extremely good.

What are "timecodes"?

Timecodes are the specific times that mistakes occur - not all entries have them, but I and others do add them from time to time. There's an "add timecode" link on every film's page as part of the edit options if you know the precise time a mistake occurs and want to submit it. There are spaces for two timecodes - "before" and "after" times. Submitting both isn't essential for mistakes which occur within a few seconds - it's mostly for mistakes a few minutes or more apart. They're all taken from DVDs, as videos are too imprecise, and while they might not be perfect, what with different versions, different DVD players, etc., they should all be accurate within a minute or two (with obvious exceptions like the Lord of the Rings films - the extended versions can throw times out by up to half an hour!). If you find one that's wrong, please e-mail me. Timecodes are only visible to members.

What are the voting icons for?

Primarily they're there for you to say whether you think a mistake is entertaining or not - the mistakes are listed in the order of their voted score, so the "best" mistakes will be listed first, and any which people think are really dull will be towards the bottom of the list. The votes also go towards forming the "top mistakes" lists. Voting is different to nominating a mistake as a classic (see below) - quite a few mistakes deserve high scores but without necessarily gaining classic status.

What are the message boards?

The message boards are semi-experimental - as part of trying to build a better community, I thought it was about time I provided a method for you all to comment on things and discuss the movies and TV shows we all love so much! Ultimately they're for anything and everything you can think of - no doubt there may be a bit of overlap between them and the different sections for each title, like mistakes, questions, etc., but hopefully everything will balance out. There's not really any way to stop people posting new mistakes, etc. there rather than submitting them by the proper channels, but please be aware that nothing posted on the message boards will be treated as a "proper" submission - the boards are more for discussing things with other users. If anyone's posting anything offensive or abusive just use the "report abuse" link.

If you've got any thoughts/suggestions/ideas about how to improve them, please get in touch!

What's the "connect to facebook" button?

This is a new feature which I'm experimenting with - clicking the button will link this site and your Facebook account, making it easier for you to share your favourite mistakes and pictures, and also let you easily post your submissions to Facebook. At the moment you still need to register as a member on this site to get credited for your submissions, but I'm looking into how to streamline that. Watch this space for more info...

About the site

Who runs the site, and what's its history?

Just one man - me, with help from my beloved members, who deal with a lot of the submissions. My name's Jon Sandys, and I live in the UK. Much to the shock of most people who hear it, this is actually my "proper job" - I'm 25, and started this back when I was still at school, in September 1996. We'd just got access to the internet at home, and had some free webspace, so I figured I'd have a go at designing a website. I've always been a big film fan, and had a tendency to look for random bits and pieces, so a website about mistakes in films seemed logical. If you're desperate to know more about the history, you can read a waffly/nostalgia-ridden page here.

If you want to get in touch with me for any reason (suggestions, interviews, questions, job offers, invites to premieres, large cash donations), please click here.

What sort of traffic does the site get?

This site gets around 25,000 visitors a day, generating about 2,500,000 page views a month. It often gets press coverage when a major new film comes out, and this can boost traffic dramatically - traffic's been as high as 150,000 visitors a day.

Do you spot all of these yourself?

An emphatic NO. In fact, I hardly spot any in relation to the total on the site. I probably notice a few more than average film goers, simply because of the effect running this site has had on me and the number of DVDs I watch, but 99.95% (that's actually accurate) of the site is made up through contributions from around the globe. I've only got one pair of eyes, after all.

Are you just trying to undermine the film industry?

Again, no. I'm a film lover, with a massive video and DVD collection which I've built up because I like the movies. In fact, as any of my friends would tell you, I've got an unfortunate tendency to like most films I see on some level, if nothing else because of the sheer effort and talent that goes into making them, plus I tend to judge films based on the level they were aiming at (there are three exceptions - Crash (David Cronenberg film from 1996, not the Oscar-winning 2004 one!), Robocop 3, and Batman and Robin. Each of them is a cinematic disgrace, Batman and Robin most weirdly, as everyone involved is very talented, it just fell apart more than anything else I've ever seen). That mini-rant side, this site is just a bit of fun, pure and simple. It's just meant for people to spot stuff they wouldn't have thought about before - expanding horizons, if you will. Of course, it also feeds the anally retentive side in all of us. That's a horrible image.

Some people seem to think that listing mistakes means I'm criticising the films, which just isn't the case - a great film could have hundreds of mistakes, but they don't spoil it in any way. They're just little things which the majority of people won't have noticed, even in a film they've seen many times. They're technically mistakes because they're not actually meant to be there, but I don't think they affect anyone's opinion of a film. Unfortunately "things-in-a-movie-you-missed-the-first-few-times-you-saw-it-and-might-be-interested-to-see.com" doesn't really trip off the tongue quite as well. It may be geeky, but it's certainly not malicious.

Is everything verified?

Not specifically, although any mistake is open to correction/removal - click the edit icon under any entry to give you some options. That's what the bits in square brackets are in the corrections section - contradicting thoughts or facts from visitors. Because I can't check everything, I've got to make it clear that I take no responsibility for any text here which is incorrect or copyrighted. Understandably, I have no way of knowing or finding out whether the mistakes people send me have been copied directly from other sources, or just made up. Therefore, can people please make sure that they're not just stealing mistakes from other people, but only send in mistakes they have actually seen on film. I will gladly correct any errors or remove any copyrighted material.

How many DVDs do you own?

If you're desperate to know, a fairly accurate and up to date list can be found here, together with links to the relevant films/shows. TV shows are a tricky one - I'm a bit of a completist, ie. tend to have everything or nothing, but DVD releases tend to be sporadic. As such, for any TV shows listed, I've generally got whatever DVDs are currently available in the UK (eg. for Cheers and Frasier, only up to series 2 at the time of writing). This list serves no particularly useful purpose, unless you're absolutely desperate for a screenshot of a specific mistake from one of these films, in which case get in touch and I'll see what I can do.

Membership

What's membership about?

Membership was introduced in April 2003 as a way to help keep the site going while also providing benefits to people who wanted it. For the oh-so-low price of just $10 a year, payable through Paypal, you'll get an advert-free site, get access to all the screenshots whenever you want, be able to post in the forum, get your name mentioned after everything you submit/correct, and much more. You can get a year's membership FREE by sending in 30 screenshots - see "Can I send you pictures?" above for more info.

Click the membership link in the navigation bar on the left to read about it in more detail - the sign-up information is also on that page.

I've signed up to membership but where's my password?

First off, be sure you're checking the right address! You need to check the SAME address you used to sign up to Paypal. A member's initial password is automatically set as the unique subscriber number which should be e-mailed to you by Paypal after signing up. If that e-mail doesn't arrive for some reason, or you forget your password, on the login page there's a "lost password" box - simply enter your e-mail address in that box (again, making sure it's the right one!), press the button, and your password will be e-mailed to you. The subscriber number will also be listed as an active subscription within your Paypal account, so remember to look there too!

If you have any problems after trying the lost password AND checking your Paypal account, please contact me, being sure to INCLUDE YOUR SUBSCRIBER NUMBER. There's no way you can't have access to your Paypal account to retrieve it - after all, you just signed up!

I've got my password, but I can't log in!

First off, be absolutely sure that you're using the same e-mail address as you signed up to Paypal with (for the first login, anyway - once you're in you can change your address). If you're using the wrong address, even the lost password form won't work. Also, make sure you're typing the password correctly, especially when it comes to mixing up 0 and O. Be sure to include the hyphen too! You should be able to just copy and paste it straight into the password box to avoid any mistyping. Last but not least, remember that unless you've logged in already and changed it, your password is the subscriber number sent to you by Paypal (also listed within your Paypal account). You'd be amazed how many new members try and log in with something completely random, conjured out of thin air.

If after checking that lot it's still not working, please contact me, being sure to provide your subscriber number and e-mail address.

Can I just sign up for one year?

Absolutely! Just sign up via the regular method, then immediately go into your Paypal account and cancel the subscription. That will just mean that next year you won't be billed again - the membership will work as normal for the current year.

My e-mail address has changed - what do I do?

Not a problem - just click "members' homepage" at the top left of the site, and there's a link at the bottom of the next page where you can change your username, password, and e-mail address.

Can I cancel membership at any time? What about a refund?

Absolutely. Your subscription will be listed in your Paypal account and you can cancel it from there (go to your history and show subscriptions, being sure to specify the date (roughly) on which you signed up). Be sure to look up the subscription, rather than payments - they're listed separately. Cancelling your subscription in Paypal simply means you won't be billed again a year after your initial sign-up - your moviemistakes.com login details will still work for the remainder of your year. As such, if needed you can sign up and cancel the subscription immediately if you only want a year's membership - after a year your login details won't work any more, but you can then decide if you want to continue at a later date (see below).

If you cancel within two weeks of your first or any subsequent payment and do not want to keep your membership for the rest of the year, you're entitled to a refund (contact me about that - be sure to cancel your subscription first, as I can't refund payments for active memberships). After two weeks you can still cancel at any time, and your membership will remain valid for the rest of its term. After it expires, credits for mistakes, etc. are no longer displayed, but these are kept on record in case you resubscribe (see below).

Apparently I've cancelled my subscription - what's going on?

Your Paypal subscription is different to your moviemistakes membership. The subscription ensures you pay your membership fee every year, so if that gets cancelled your membership will still work for the rest of the year. Paypal occasionally cancels subscriptions if the relevant credit card has expired or other information changes. If you've had a cancellation notice, either read the bit below about how to reactivate your account, or else visit the members' homepage (link at the top left) and there's more information there. Any problems, please get in touch.

How do I reactivate my old account?

To reactivate an old account, just sign up as if you were a new member, but use the e-mail address associated with your old account. All of your old settings will then be retained and you can log in using your old password (use the "lost password" form if you can't remember it. If you no longer have access to the original e-mail address, either sign up as a new member and start afresh, in which case nothing further needs to be done, or else if you'd like to continue with your original account please contact me with your old email address and your new account details. Please then don't submit anything until the accounts are merged.

Problems

I'm not seeing any text, just one advert - what's going on?

This is a semi-persistent bug in the ad system - a few adverts seem to break the code and make themselves the only thing visible on a page. It only seems to affect a small number of people, but enough to be irritating. Unfortunately I can't replicate the problem myself so can't guarantee a solution. However, if you either press refresh while viewing the advert, or go back to the page you've just come from, click refresh, then try the link again, it will hopefully work.

I'm getting loads of popups! It's your fault!

From the 30th May 2004, moviemistakes.com has been a pop-up free zone - there's no longer any code on this site to generate popups of any kind. As such, if you're seeing pop-ups they're being generated from another source - check your PC for adware/spyware.

I clicked one film title and got mistakes for a film called something different!

Some films are called different things in different parts of the world. As such, in some cases both film titles are listed separately, but the links go to the same page, which uses the default film title. This is more used for different English titles, rather than foreign language titles, but there are no definitive rules. If you want to suggest an alternative title for a certain film, please contact me.

Why is everything laid out weirdly?

I changed the design of the site in early October 2003 to use style sheets rather than tables for layouts and positioning. In September 2005 the filename used was changed, so if you've only recently had problems, refreshing the page and/or clearing your cache should solve the problem. On the surface the effect should be minimal, but it makes for a more flexible design (plus being easier to update). It's been tested in Opera 7.2, Internet Explorer 6, and Netscape 7, and it all works fine - I've had very few reports of problems from other people using a range of browsers and versions. However, some older browsers may have problems with how the site's set out (IE 5 on the Mac is the main culprit), compressing text, moving navbars, etc. Unfortunately the only option I can suggest is to upgrade your browser - the standards for this kind of layout have been in place for quite a few years, so if it doesn't look right it's due to you using a browser which is either old, or just rubbish. Opera is by far the best.

I submitted something ages ago, and it hasn't come up yet. Why not?

If your submission hasn't appeared within a week or two, it's either because a) you didn't read the rules, in which case it was automatically removed, or b) I or a member disagreed with it. Feel free to contact me to find out what the possible problem was, but please bear in mind that I can't offer an explanation unless you include the mistake you sent (reprinted EXACTLY, including the # marks) and which film it was for - any e-mails not including that information will be ignored. If you received an e-mail saying your mistake was posted, but now can't find it online, I'm afraid that's because it was corrected/deleted quite quickly - take a look in the corrections section.