Template talk:Cast indicator

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I think that the article "a" is unnecessary here and leaving it out would make the list of notes easier to read. Currently the template produces

• A ^A indicates an appearance through archival footage.

But I think that the following is easier to read:

• ^A indicates an appearance through archival footage.

I would do this myself, but I am rusty with templates and I think it would take me three times longer to do this than the template's original creator, Alex 21. Cheers, Secundus Zephyrus (talk) 18:46, 23 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Secundus Zephyrus,  Done Good idea, cheers. -- /Alex/₂₁ 00:44, 24 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It doesn't look like the media param is being used in all the correct places, for example at Marvel's ABC television series the media is set to series but the notes explaining G and R are using season. - adamstom97 (talk) 23:16, 14 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

 Fixed @Adamstom.97: let me know if fixting this has caused any other errors. El Millo (talk) 00:04, 15 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Looks right to me. Thanks! - adamstom97 (talk) 00:52, 15 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Can I suggest a new indicator?

L: indicates the likeness of the actor was used to create the character.

This can be used for cases such as Tarkin in Rogue One and Egon in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, where they're being played by body doubles but the likeness of the original actors replaces the stand-in's likeness. giftheck (talk) 14:03, 21 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't "S" cover that? Gonnym (talk) 14:10, 21 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It could, but it feels really vague. That would apply to an actor who appears as any SFX character - regardless of whether their likeness is used or not. I think this creates more of a distinction. giftheck (talk) 14:16, 21 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Regardless of the so called vagueness, "S" is exactly that and SFX character is covered by "MC". Gonnym (talk) 14:37, 21 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Very much against this... this template is already over the top, because these elements are not in any way actual "appearances" as they are considered in sources i.e. in credits:

 A indicates an appearance through archival footage.
 M indicates an appearance in onscreen movie footage. [not clear how this is different from A]
 P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs. [honestly?! a photo?!]
 S indicates an appearance through use of special effects.

Calling these "appearances" grants the notion a legitimacy it 100% does not deserve. An appearance should be a new and credited performance by the actual person (except for a sourced uncredited role), not a visual, especially a STILL (!!!), that resembles them. Similarly, "likeness of the actor" is another misinterpretation. —Joeyconnick (talk) 03:35, 24 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

While I was rummaging through this template's contents through edits to Draft:Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, Draft:List of DC Universe cast members, and my sandbox for an eventual The Batman franchise that will go to this draft, I noticed that the media parameter, as per the #Media discussion above, does change the media type for G and R. Now, my sandbox work and the Chapter 1 use cast tables for films and series, and as such, the media type uses both. However, I was wondering if there was a way to change what media is displayed for G and R as a switch option, as to prevent it from listing "film and series" for what is clearly a TV credit system. I was also wondering if we could incorporate an M (main cast) indicator akin to the one used by Template:MCU cast indicator, as it would be helpful where there are multiple series credits and a distinguish would aid in that. Trailblazer101 (talk) 06:27, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

If the problem is with the cast indicator in the Draft:Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, remember that that won't be the actual table there, as that section is Recurring cast and characters, where tags such as guest and recurring won't be used. In Draft:List of DC Universe cast members, where the actual long table with not only recurring but all DCU cast will be, you won't have this problem, as films and TV series are listed separately. —El Millo (talk) 17:06, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

You could create a Template:DCU cast indicator or something to that effect that would be tailored for the DCU. It could also include the DCEU, so that its creation is more justified, but I don't know if it would be justification enough. As it currently stands, the List of DCEU cast members includes a total of four additional tags under the regular {{Cast indicator}} tags. —El Millo (talk) 17:10, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

There is also Draft:List of DC Universe cast members, though that will probably not be moved to the mainspace anytime soon. InfiniteNexus (talk) 17:20, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

There's likely going to be years until that article has enough additional tags to the standard Cast indicator template to justify a DCU-specific template all on its own. —El Millo (talk) 17:27, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the input guys. I was unaware of the Cast indicator/note option, so we could probably use that when needed as I think it would be too soon for a separate DCU-specific template. A combined one with the DCEU could work to denote which characters transfer from the DCEU to the DCU with the DCEU-specific notes applied. I'm kind of thinking long-term here to be fluent and provide enough clarity between these two franchise's casts. Trailblazer101 (talk) 18:54, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I should note that the problem is mostly present with my The Batman sandbox as that table is for two films and a series, the latter of which has a recurring role cast and the R indicator states R indicates a recurring role in the film or television series. as the media is set to film or television series, and naturally, recurring roles don't apply to films. So, it's a small issue but I just wanted to inquire about it. Trailblazer101 (talk) 19:01, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I tested it and figured I can just manually generate the recurring tag to avoid the films and series phrasing for it when needed. The DCEU/DCU indicator would be a good thing to come back to once more cast/characters and projects are known and in the mainspace, though I'll look into what it could be like. Trailblazer101 (talk) 02:16, 7 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]