A film catalogue solves a surprisingly practical problem: remembering what you already own when the shelves are somewhere else. The early iPhone app myMovies from Netwalk addressed that need. A June 2009 announcement by its integration partner, BinaryWorks, records support for exchanging collections between myMovies and eXtreme Movie Manager.
Record the edition as well as the title
For collectors, a movie title alone is often insufficient. Two copies may differ by format, region, cut, subtitles or included extras. A useful personal inventory separates the work from the object: the film is one record of interest, while a particular disc or box set is the item you actually own.
Start with one shelf and enter the details you repeatedly need. Title, release year, format and location make a strong beginning. Add edition notes when they explain why a second copy is intentional. A borrowing note can be more useful than another page of automatically imported trivia if you regularly lend films to friends.
The historical integration matters
BinaryWorks’ announcement describes an export archive used to transfer collection information. That is evidence of a specific historical integration, rather than assurance that its old endpoints or software still work. It nevertheless highlights an excellent purchasing question for any catalogue: how would you take the information with you if you changed apps?
Before committing a large collection, enter a small sample, export it and inspect what survives. Check non-English titles, personal notes, multiple editions and artwork separately. A beautiful shelf view is useful, but your time spent describing the collection is valuable too.
Make the catalogue answer a real question
Organize around the decisions you make: whether to buy a copy, where to find it or what to watch tonight. That keeps cataloguing from becoming a second hobby unless you want it to be. myMovies remains an interesting example of the phone making a physical collection portable.