# Director's Cut **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2009, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958 "2009-04-04T10:51:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/21 "2009-04-05T23:17:00Z")
> [@](#): > > why did you fail to attribute the quote? It’s a stylistic preference. I usually don’t bother quoting the entire post (as is the case here). I just copy the relevant portion I’m commenting on. I personally dislike seeing threads that are full of posts that just repeat other posts and then add one additional line. I prefer posts that are new text with as minimal an amount of quoted text as is necessary to establish the context. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/22 "2009-04-05T23:28:36Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Even big name directors with final cut privilege are still subject to contractual provisions regarding the film rating. This happened with **Eyes Wide Shut**. Kubrick had no choice but to edit the orgy scene to avoid an NC-17 rating because his contract required him to deliver an R rated product to the studio. I imagine similar provisions apply to overseas distributors dealing with their local censors. This was covered in detail in a doc I just saw from Netflix (and its deleted scenes extras) “this film is not yet rated”. Highly recommended. Professionally speaking, I can confirm that he who pays for the movie to be made, _and_ distributed, gets to decide what movie is made and distributed. Money talks. People like Mel Gibson can make movies like Passion of the Christ because people like Mel Gibson pay for movies like that out of their own pockets. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/23 "2009-04-06T03:19:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s a stylistic preference. I usually don’t bother quoting the entire post (as is the case here). I just copy the relevant portion I’m commenting on. I personally dislike seeing threads that are full of posts that just repeat other posts and then add one additional line. I prefer posts that are new text with as minimal an amount of quoted text as is necessary to establish the context. Continuing this hijack, there is one consequence of doing this. More than once, someone has quoted me and asked a question, but removed the attribution in some manner. This has resulted in me missing the question until it’s far too late to answer. I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, that’s not too big a deal, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/24 "2009-04-06T03:53:01Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > (Can I blame work stress instead of my own innate airheadedness?) It depends: do you have final cut authority? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/25 "2009-04-06T14:06:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I prefer posts that are new text with as minimal an amount of quoted text as is necessary to establish the context. I agree with this wholeheartedly. My preference is to quote with attribution and then delete all non-relevant portions. It really takes no longer (you highlight and copy the relevant portion, I highlight and delete the non-relevant portion) and, as **Cerowyn** said, it makes it easier on everyone else. > [@Cerowyn](#): > > I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, that’s not too big a deal, of course. Yeah, well, this is also true. Nevermind, **Little Nemo**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/26 "2009-04-06T20:48:08Z")
I typically attribute the first post I quote from someone, then any subsequent quotes from the same person I do not attribute. If I interleave another quote from someone else, then I will attribute both quotes. The idea is to be clear that I’m quoting and who I am quoting, not to post the person’s name repeatedly. Also, I do not like the auto-formating of the quote= tag. It forces italics. Since many people use italics in their posts for visual cueing, it is frustrating to quote something and desiring the formatting of the quoted text to remain the same, and the auto function to force italics over it. But I do try to bold poster names. I do that to help visually stand out on the page and because many poster names are not readily identifiable as _names_. ---
**Author:** ![Varrius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e9a140/32.png) [@Varrius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Varrius)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/27 "2009-04-06T23:20:32Z")
Speaking of director’s cuts. I don’t mean to hijack the thread (someone please let me know if you think I am) in a somewhat related topic, I recall reading some years ago that if a director did not like the film, he/she could replace their name in the credits with some other name. It was one name that was always used in this case, but I can’t remember the name, nor can I find any reference to this practice. Anybody have any information about this or did I just dream it? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/28 "2009-04-06T23:23:42Z")
> [@Varrius](#): > > Speaking of director’s cuts. I don’t mean to hijack the thread (someone please let me know if you think I am) in a somewhat related topic, I recall reading some years ago that if a director did not like the film, he/she could replace their name in the credits with some other name. It was one name that was always used in this case, but I can’t remember the name, nor can I find any reference to this practice. Anybody have any information about this or did I just dream it? > **[Alan Smithee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smithee)** > > Alan Smithee (also Allen Smithee) is an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project. Coined by the Directors Guild of America in 1968, it was used until 2000 when it was largely discontinued. It was the sole pseudonym used by DGA members who were, on paper, directors of a film but were dissatisfied with the final product and able to prove to a guild panel that they had not been able to exercise creative control over its filming process. The director was also required ---
**Author:** ![Varrius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e9a140/32.png) [@Varrius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Varrius)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/29 "2009-04-06T23:37:03Z")
Thanks KneadToKnow. I knew I didn’t dream that up. I also searched Wikipedia but apparently I was using the wrong search criteria. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958/30 "2009-04-06T23:38:04Z")
Alan Smithee. It’s no longer used, though, since now everybody knows what the deal is with Alan Smithee. The DGA will instead make up a random name to use once for each case. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-cut/491958.md?page=1)