The short description/abstract is a summary of the entire movie page. Like a short encyclopedia entry, it is intended to provide information about the origin, context and meaning of the movie. You can also go into the plot of the movie in one sentence. Primarily, however, the effect and the context of the movie should be described (pure plot summaries are bad short descriptions!).
The short description of a movie is displayed in various search queries, so it has a meaning that goes beyond the actual movie page. This enables every visitor to make a quick pre-selection without having to have any prior knowledge of the movie in question.
In the short description you should use superlatives of any kind sparingly. Designations such as “most successful movie”, “milestone” or “key work” should only be used in exceptional cases. In addition, the naming of actors’ names is only rarely necessary, with the exception of course if an actor has influenced the movie to an above-average extent.
If it is a movie that was not produced in Germany, you should still give the title of the German version of the movie. Under certain circumstances, you can also mention the original title in brackets.
The short description appears automatically in bold font. Here are some examples of good short descriptions:
- A well-regarded and often-cited milestone in the science fiction genre. Cult director Stanley Kubrick presents a central work with ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. (from: 2001: A Space Odyssey)
- Jean-Luc Godard’s debut film is now a French classic. The innovative film style tested in À bout de souffle helped boost the Nouvelle Vague and revolutionized cinema. (from: Breathless)
- Brokeback Mountain is director Ang Lee’s highest-grossing movie to date. It is based on the story of the same name by Annie Proulx and tells the tragic love story of two cowboys in prudish America in the 1960s. The gay western triggered a controversial social debate on the subject of homosexuality, especially in the USA. (from: Brokeback Mountain)
- Based on the socially critical novel by Michel Houellebecq, the movie tells the story of two dissimilar brothers and their inability to form human bonds. Despite the social criticism that was significantly toned down compared to the novel, the movie met with a mixed response when it premiered at the Berlinale in 2006. (from: Atomised)
- In a nameless small town, the destinies of a few average people combine in affairs and the hunt for a pedophile. With Little Children, Todd Field presents a tragicomic, parodic adaptation of Tom Perrota’s novel of the same name, which also does away with the cliché of the “evil” culprit. (from: Little Children)