AVID:Tutorial Guide

Hello, there! Welcome to the Audiovisual Identity Database; we're glad you've joined!
Now, what's the most important thing you do to improve the site? Why, writing articles, of course!

This tutorial will show you how to write a suitable entry for the site, and how to improve your page. You'll also see examples of templates, categories, and other miscellaneous stuff.

To see demonstrations of what a typical logo description looks like, click any of these three links.

Page Elements
All pages have a basic form that everyone follows. They are:

Page Buttons (optional)
Where a page also has a Logo Variations page or you intend to create them, you should add the  template to allow for easy navigation between these pages. The markup for this is as follows: ,

which results in:

You can add or remove any of the three additional parameters depending on your needs, for example:

,

,

If using this template, be sure to put it on all the pages you added buttons for to ensure coherent and smooth navigation between them. ''See AVID:Credits for guidelines on how to add credits. An example is provided below.''

This is the background. The paragraph you type here will describe the history of the company whose logos you're describing. Talk about information such as who founded the company, when it was founded, the company that owns it, any subsidiaries they have, and more. It's a good section to write for those who may not know about the company's backstory, and we recommend to write this for many articles.

If the background needs to be split into multiple paragraphs, you are able to do so.

To the right is an example of an infobox. Infoboxes can help make page navigation much easier, and will supplement very long background sections by offering "at a glance" information.

(The below is an example of what's known as an ImageTOC. Use this template to make a visual Table of Contents for any article.)

(Additionally, if the company you're writing about used more than one name in its lifespan, you can add a SeparateTOC template, like so)

(resulting in this)

(The below is an example of a Year heading.)

??? Logo/ID/Open/Trailer (????-????)
''The first set of question marks are used to identify if the logo is the 1st in the article, 2nd, 3rd, and so on. The second set is to signify what year the logo is introduced. If specific dates are available, use those. If the logo is still being used today, omit the third question mark set, otherwise insert the year/date the logo was last used.''

''Additionally, you can use the boilerplate template to make editing simpler. It will contain an  template. When adding logos, simply add the number you're up to into this template and it will output as 1st, 2nd, etc. This template simplifies the process of renumbering if a logo is removed or relocated on the page for some reason.''

For example, the code below

will output this:

Logo (????)
(The space below is where you will add image and video embeds.) Images= Put any images here, using the gallery template. Videos= Put any YouTube videos here, using the YouTube template. Nickname(s) (optional): Just something people call the logo by. Nicknames are often made from a certain theme shown in the logo. They do not necessarily have to be on a description.
 * ONLY limit to just 5 nicknames since more than that can cause clutter.
 * Also ONLY put nicknames if they are either official or notable enough to be included. Otherwise, this is an optional section.

Logo/ID/Trailer: The heart of it all. This is used to describe what happens in the logo. Start by stating what the background looks like, and then describe any animations that happen during the logo. Be very descriptive on this part - use adjectives if possible, and try to describe every little detail.
 * If the logo is still, describe the image as best as possible, including the background and whatever else is on it.
 * Take your time on these, and make sure you revise, because if you leave an important detail out, you can easily confuse people.

Trivia (optional): If there is some trivia about the logo, put them in this section. Examples include: the person/company that designed the logo, what software was used, some behind-the-scenes facts, etc.
 * Avoid putting information that is pop culture related/doesn't relate directly to the logo.

Byline(s) (optional): If the logo uses multiple bylines during its period of use, add them here.

Variant(s) (optional): If there are different variants of a logo (such as a prototype or an extended variation), add and describe them here.
 * Do not describe one-off variations here. In other words, the variant is specific to only one movie/show. These should go on a separate Portal:Logo Variations page.

FX/SFX: This is a short section. State what kind of effects that are being used in the logo, such as if it is CGI, stop-motion, Scanimate, or simply live-action. Don't just simply say what objects are moving in the logo. If you have to make mention of those, at least describe what effects were used in said moving objects.
 * If possible, also state who created the animation and/or where it was done if such information is available.
 * If the logo is still/has no effects, simply say "None."

Music/Sounds: Describe the music theme played and/or the type of sounds are being used in the logo.
 * If possible, also mention how the theme or sound is made and who made it.
 * If a specific piece of music is used, identify it and consider inserting a link to an upload of the music on YouTube, Vimeo or a similar site if available. Especially where the music and/or artist is less well-known.

Music/Sounds Trivia (optional): If there is some interesting trivia about the logo theme or sounds, such as who composed it, add them in this section.

Music/Sounds Variant(s) (optional): If there are one or more variants of the logo theme or sound, add them here.

Availability: This section is important - gather all of the information about where this logo can be found. State any programs, movies, etc. the logo is found in and/or where it was last seen. Don't forget to italicize titles (or use "quotation marks" for episode names of television shows) from where the logo can be found.
 * Use this scale for determining the availability of a logo. This can prove helpful in some pages, however you are not required to mention a tier in the section.
 * Ultra common/Extremely common: You find this logo nearly everywhere from shows/movies released from this company (also if this logo plasters most if not all of their older logos on newer prints).
 * Very common/Common: You find this logo on newer releases of shows/movies of that company, or is seen/intact on reruns, home releases or streaming prints.
 * Uncommon: While not too common, you may be able to find this logo on a few releases/prints of films/shows of that company.
 * Rare/Very rare: You don't find this logo much; it only appears on a few releases/prints from the company.
 * Extremely rare/Ultra rare: You don't find this logo many times, if at all; it only appears on old releases/prints that haven't been widely distributed.
 * Extinct/Near extinction: Has been replaced with newer logos on current prints, but can be found on older releases/prints.
 * Unknown: Very few information on which films/shows the logo has appeared.
 * Unused: This logo has not been used officially by the company.
 * Current: Can be used to describe the current logo of the company.
 * Brand new: For logos that debuted within the past year.
 * Please note that some factors may affect if a logo is actually "rare" or not. For example. older home video logos that at first could be considered "rare" may potentially be found on many prints, if one knows where to look.
 * When describing where logos are found, include specific examples where possible.
 * Also specify if something that should have the logo doesn't for some reason.
 * Be specific! Don't just say "found on the company's releases at the time", name at least some of the releases the logo is known to be on.
 * Don't make predictions on any upcoming shows or films that you think new logos will appear on, as they may not even use them.
 * For similar reasons, do not attempt to predict when a logo will make its final appearance.

Legacy (optional): Write about how the logo has affected the logo community and/or broader popular culture and how much of an impact it's left on them. If not that important, omit this section.
 * Unless the logo's reception is notable, avoid adding subjective opinions that others may disagree with.

Final Note (optional)
This can be used on defunct company pages. Here, write on the fate of the company and/or how it became defunct, whether if it merged with another company or if it filed for bankruptcy.

External Links (optional)
If there is a site you believe will further inform our readers on the history and/or branding of the company, you can create an external links section. Examples of what you might list here include: If you have level 2 headings on your page, this should be a level 2 heading to ensure the table of contents is formatted properly. Otherwise, a level 3 heading is acceptable.
 * A relevant Wikipedia article
 * An IMDB filmography for the company
 * The company's official website
 * A site or article discussing the branding of the company, e.g. a page on TVARK or a similar branding compilation site/forum, an article about how the logo was made.

Notes: When having two or more logo descriptions, make sure you hit "Enter" two times in between each one so each description will have enough breathing room. Furthermore, when listing name changes for a company, use a level two heading for each name.

Navboxes
You can add a Navbox to the bottom of your page for easy navigation between related pages. You can add more than one Navbox if you choose, though typically an article would have a section Navbox, e.g. TV, Film, Home Entertainment and a company navbox, e.g. Sony, Disney, Comcast. For a full list of currently available Navbox templates, see Category:Navboxes.

Boilerplate
When creating a new page, you can load a standard template to simplify the editing process. When creating a new page, a box will appear above the editor asking you to choose a boilerplate. Ensure that you have selected the appropriate page template, then click load. This will load in a blank description template that you can use to build your page. We currently have boilerplates for standard pages and Logo Variations.

Linking
If your page mentions a company which has its own article on this wiki, please add a link to said article by wrapping the name in square brackets- for example: 20th Century Studios produces 20th Century Studios. This allows users to browse through the wiki more effectively and helps tie our site together.

Categories
Once you've finished your page, you should add it to our category system. You can add a page to a category by adding. You can see this in action at the bottom of this page, where you will note that this page is in the "Tutorials" Category.

Alternatively, you can turn on HotCat, which can be found on the Gadgets section of your Preferences. This will enable buttons to remove, change or add categories on the category bar.

Which categories do I use?

 * Logos appearing in film, including theatrical film, short film, direct-to-video film and newsreels are categorized into Category:Film logos.
 * Logos appearing in television series and films are categorized into Category:Television logos.
 * Station IDs are categorized into Category:Station IDs.
 * IDs are considered distinct from television logos; therefore they are not categorized into Category:Television logos.
 * Logos appearing in home entertainment (VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.) are categorized into Category:Home entertainment logos.
 * Direct-to-video films should have both Category:Home entertainment logos and Category:Film logos.
 * Logos used by animation studios are categorized into Category:Animation logos.
 * Logos (trailers) used by movie theaters/cinemas are categorized into Category:Cinema trailers.
 * Logos appearing in music entertainment are categorized into Category:Music entertainment logos.
 * Logos appearing online are categorized into Category:Online logos.
 * Logos appearing in educational media, including classroom films and educational videos, are categorized into Category:Education logos
 * Logos appearing in video games are categorized into Category:Video game logos.
 * Logos and trailers used by technology companies are categorized into Category:Technology logos.

After adding the section categories, be sure to add the country categories according to the company's country of origin, and if available, the company category. For example, the categories for Sony Pictures Television are as follows:

Bringing a Page to the Top of a Category
If you want to make a page more distinct in a category you can add this:  to create the following markup:

Moving your page
If your page title has a typo in it or the subject of your page has changed their name, you may wish to move your page to a new title. To do this, simply go to the "More" menu at the top of the page and select the move button. You will be prompted to provide your changed title. If you are simply moving your page to a new namespace, click on the dropdown that says (Main) and select the namespace you want.

Once you have made the desired change, click the button to confirm your change and the page will be moved. Your original title will be preserved as a redirect, so you won't need to update any wikilinks to your page. If your move was to correct a typo in the title, please blank the resulting redirect page and mark the page for speedy deletion using. An admin will then delete your page promptly.

Creating a redirect manually
If the subject of your page is known by another title or an abbreviation, you might like to create a redirect so that any user who searches or links using this alternate name will easily find your page. To make one, simply create a new page with the desired alternate name and put the following on the page:

.

The markup should produce something like this:

Once you save your redirect page, any user who follows a link to this alternate title will be sent directly to your page.

If your page has Level 2 headings, you might want to use this markup to create a redirect to a certain section of a page:

.

The markup should produce something like this:

More Information
To learn more about MediaWiki's capabilities, including more advanced markup and "Magic Words", see MediaWiki Help

That's about it. Have fun!

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