Frequently asked questions / FAQs

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1. About Crew United

Mission

We connect people to make great films together!

To this end, we unite all filmmakers in front of and behind the camera, production and distribution companies, service providers and talent agencies via their joint films. At the same time, we are committed to a strong film culture and film industry that is shaped by fairness, sustainability, transparency, diversity, courage and tolerance.

Who are we?

In 1996, Vincent Lutz and Oliver Zenglein, two filmmakers from Munich, founded Crew United with the vision to unite all film professionals in one place. This was 2 years before Google, 8 years before Facebook and 11 years before Netflix.

Today, Crew United is the largest European online network for all people and companies involved in the audiovisual industry and their works. With comprehensive, up-to-date and transparent information and innovative tools Crew United enables the networking of all industry players.

Crew United is based on a moderated, participatory model: All new entries made by our members are checked by the editorial team. Errors can be reported by email, phone or directly via the system and we will correct them immediately.

Where are we going?

Our goal is to make an essential contribution to the development of the European audiovisual industry. That is why, after more than 20 years of presence in German-speaking countries, we are extending our work to other European countries: With the French (2019) and Polish (2021) version of the website and the local adaptations for Spain, Italy, Greece, Lithuania and Romania (launch during 2023), the team of editors welcomes new members and partners to join the platform and develop the film industry together.
The approach is to develop national networks that take into account each country's identity, language, film culture and structures, and to join them to a common European network that will decisively promote the collaboration between the countries, and the European film identity within and outside Europe.

This process is supported by Creative Europe Media.

How does Crew United work?

Crew United can be briefly described as a cross of a film database combined with a professional directory. A Crew United profile allows you to reference your own filmography in a very precise and verified manner, to find out who has worked on which film and with whom, and to search with detailed criteria among the filmmakers’ profiles.
All professions and activities in the sector are represented, meaning that all types of audiovisual work are covered.

There are active and passive profiles on Crew United. You can tell if they have a small circle next to their name:
Basic Member (free of charge), Premium Member, Premium video+ and Agency complete.
These are different account types, you can find more information in the „Benefits” section.
The so-called "passive" entries do not have their own profile, but are merely a database entry. If you have a passive entry on Crew United, you can convert it into an active profile by identifying yourself with this entry during registration.
If you are not yet in the database, and you are a professional filmmaker or run a business, you can also create a new, active profile.
You can find information about our admission criteria in the next section.

Who can register?

- All departments working behind the camera - we currently have over 450 different professions listed
- Actors and actresses
- Production companies and film distributors
- Talent agencies
- Facilities in hundreds of different business areas from catering to lighting rental
- Film Commissions and other industry-specific institutions

Our most important premise is that only professional filmmakers with sufficient practical experience can register. We check every registration for various criteria such as professional references (projects with a commercial orientation like feature films, TV movies, series, etc.), training and others. Moreover, we are currently working on a solution to provide access for upcoming professionals as well.
If you are unsure whether your work experience is sufficient for a profile on Crew United, feel free to send us your CV and filmography to [email protected]. We will be happy to answer your questions.

2. Registration

I haven't received a text message with a verification code!

Please check that the displayed mobile-phone number is the right one, and contact us by e-mail or telephone.

I can't complete my registration because I can't add reference projects

At the moment, only Premium Members can add new projects to the database.

BUT: You can ALWAYS add yourself to projects that are already there that you were involved in. Here's how:
Type the name of the project into the search bar at the top of the screen (just below our logo). When the project is found, click on it. You can add yourself and your position to the project by clicking on the "Add entry" button further down on the right. If you don't find the project in the database, e-mail us your CV and filmography, and we will use them to check your registration.

Why should I add myself to more reference projects? I've already entered projects

We check every registration very carefully, and if the information provided does not suffice to activate it, we ask you for further (commercial) reference projects. We may also consider the registration not to be sufficient even if you have entered one or more reference projects. Also, projects that are in the planning phase are not considered as references adequate for an activation.

Here is how you add yourself to existing projects: Type the name of the project into the search bar (below our logo at the top of the screen). When the project appears, click on it and then on the "Add entry" button at bottom right to add yourself to it with the position you had.

If you like, you can also e-mail us a vita with your filmography. We will then review your registration on that basis.

What are the advantages of a paid membership?

You will find a list of all membership types and their prices and benefits here.

What does a Premium Membership cost?

You can choose between the free Basic Membership, the Premium Membership and the Premium video+ Membership. You will find a list of all membership types and their prices and benefits here.

3. Login

I've forgotten my login details / password

If you have forgotten your user name, click on "Login" and then "Forgot your user name?".
Enter your e-mail address into the applicable box and we will immediately e-mail you information about your user name.

If you don't know which e-mail address you used for your registration, or if you can't access the registered e-mail account anymore, just call us.

If you have forgotten your password, click on "Login" and then "Forgot your password?" to request a (new) one.

I can find my name in the database, but my access details don't work / I haven't logged in for over 13 months and now my access details no longer work

We deactivate members who have not logged into their profile for more than 400 days (despite being reminded by e-mail). It is also possible that only colleagues have entered you into a project during that time. In both cases, your profile is considered inactive. To (re)activate your inactive profile, you have to re-register. When doing so, upon logging in, an existing entry is displayed under your name/company name. Click on: "I am: ..." in the circle. This reactivates your profile.

We will send an activation code text to your mobile device. Log in with your user name and password, and enter that activation code. Then you can complete your profile.

4. Adverts

I want to advertise a job

You generally don't need to register with our portal to use our jobs forum. Instead, you can just go to "Jobs" on the Crew United homepage and place your job advertisement for free.
Please note that you can only submit Normal and Low Budget job offers during our business hours: Mo-Fr from 9 to 5.

If you are an active member, log into your account and click on "Jobs".

Crew United reserves the right to delete job offers that are already published on the site. This is in particular the case if a published job offer does not meet the stated requirements. New offers are deleted after 20 days if not updated beforehand.

I can't find my job advert. Why?

Every newly entered Normal Budget job offer is only visible to Premium Members for the first 24 hours. After that it becomes visible for all visitors to the job forum.

5. Editing your profile / adding projects

I can't enter new projects

You may have overlooked the fact that only Premium Members can enter new projects.
BUT: you can ALWAYS add yourself to existing projects that you have been involved in. Here's how:

Type the name of the project into the search bar (below our logo at the top of the screen). When the project appears, click on it and then on the "Add entry" button at bottom right to add yourself to it with the position you had.

How can I change or hide my contact details?

You can update your contact details by clicking on the pen below your name in "Links, Agency, Contact".
There you can make changes, additions and determine with "Visibility" which of your contact details are displayed to Members only, to all visitors, or to nobody. Don't forget to click "Save" when you are finished making your changes.

I don't want my profile to be visible in Google

In your contact details you can choose whether your profile is indexed in search engines or not. The default setting here is: "Allow my profile to be found in search engines".
If you don't want that, you have to remove the check mark by clicking on it, and then click on "Save".

Please note, however, that the search engines generally need about 2-4 days to execute this change.

How can I enter or change my agency?

You can choose or alter your agency by clicking on the pen below your name in "Links, Agency, Contact".

Under "Agency" you can select or change your agency in the drop-down list.

But don't forget to click on "Save" when you are done!

How can I add or delete a profession?

To add a new profession, you have to have first entered enough commercial reference projects within that profession. Also, these projects have to be set to "Display" and be at least in the production stage (projects in the planning or preparation phase do not apply for an activation). Only then is the new profession available for you to choose.

Click on the pen ("Edit") next to the profession(s) and add your desired profession.

Please note: We check newly added professions using the same standards as for a new registration in that profession. Furthermore, you can only add professions that you still work in! When you delete a profession, all projects in that profession are moved to "Projects with other professions".

How can I add a film project to my profile?

Premium Members can add new projects at any time by clicking on the "Add entry" button (to the right of "Projects as ...") in "My profile".

Basic Members generally can't enter new projects, but they can add themselves to existing ones.

Here's how: Type the name of the project into the search bar (below our logo at the top of the screen). When the project appears, click on it and then on the "Add entry" button at bottom right to add yourself to it with the position you had.

Who entered my project?

Crew United receives most of its entries by means of colleague networks. Any (active) members involved in a given film project can enter your name. Every project entered is also checked by our editorial team and added to where necessary. This is what enables us to provide information that is so much more comprehensive, up to date and reliable than other media. We also integrate data from press releases, funding institutions, broadcasters and selected media.

For data protection reasons we don't disclose which member created a project entry. If there is an error or if changes have been made to the project, use the "!" button (report an error) in the vertical bar on the right of every project.

There are mistakes in my project / profile. How can I correct them?

Only Crew United can make changes and deletions. The "!" button (report an error) is the fastest and easiest way to tell us about errors or corrections in a project or your profile. It can be found in the vertical bar on the right of every project.

How can I remove or change images or documents from projects?

You can't delete or change images or documents in projects yourself. Please send us your change request by e-mail.

I have two different profiles. How can I combine them?

As actors, freelancers and companies have entirely different types of profile, with varying requirements and options, they cannot be merged. You can only activate the different profiles individually at Crew United at the moment. But we are working on this right now, so that in future it will be possible to manage more than one profile through just ONE login.

How can I change my name or my company name?

You cannot change your name or that of your company yourself. Please send us your change request by e-mail.

6. Media Manager

Is there a tutorial for the Media Manager?

Yes, there is! You can find the complete tutorial for the Media Manager under
https://www.crew-united.com/en/croft/render/mediaPlayer/showreel/14312

My showreel/video/audio is not displayed in my profile

Please check whether you have unlocked the clip or showreel. To unlock, click on the pencil icon. Then click on the pencil “Edit clip/showreel visibility”. You can now see whether the visibility is set to “Public”, “Private - only accessible via link” or “Locked”. Don't forget to click “Save” at the end of the process.
Showreels:
As long as you see the lock symbol under the showreel title, the corresponding showreel is not displayed in your profile. Click on the pencil icon “Edit showreel” and then on the pencil icon “Edit showreel visibility”. Choose your visibility settings and save.
Videos and audios:
Individual clips can only be displayed in your profile when at least one of the options “Show under About Me / Featured / All Videos / audios” is chosen. Click on the pencil “Edit clip visibility” in order to choose one or several options.

How can I link a clip to a project or change / delete the linked project?

Under “Clips”, click on the pencil icon “Edit clip” next to the relevant clip. Then click on the pencil icon “Edit link to project” and select or change the linked project. In order to unlink the project, click on the small x to the right of the title in the selection field. Click “Save” at the end of the process.

I would like to show the title of my showreel in other languages

First, select the language in which you would like to change the title in the top right-hand corner. Click on the pencil icon next to your showreel. A pre-translated title of the showreel will be displayed. In order to change it, click on the pencil icon next to the title.

What Media Manager features will be available soon?

* Download showreels
* … and much more

Are you missing functions? We are happy to receive your feedback and suggestions at [email protected].

7. Invoice

How can I receive my (latest) invoice?

Log into your profile.
In the black section at the top of the screen you will find "Account" and "Latest invoice".

You can't find older invoices in the database. To receive them please send an e-mail request to: [email protected].

How can I upgrade from the Premium to Premium video+ status?

If the button "Upgrade now" isn't visible above your profile picture, please go to your account settings (top right in the black area). There you'll find the button "Upgrade now" next to the first item "Your member status".

The total amount of the Premium video+ fee will be due.

The remaining credit from your Premium status will be credited to your Premium video+ status as a term (plus x days). However, an upgrade from the Premium status is possible by compensating the difference amount, when the initial upgrade took place within the previous four weeks. Please contact us in this case.

Why have I received an invoice? I cancelled my membership / I didn't want to extend it

You can cancel your Premium status before its automatic extension. If you don't meet that deadline, you will receive a new invoice on the day of the extension.

You can check this as follows:
Log into your profile.
In the black section at the top of the screen you will find "Account" and "Your membership status".

How can I withdraw my cancellation?

Just send an e-mail request to: [email protected]. We will be happy to delete your cancellation.

8. Crew Call

I haven't received an invitation to the Crew Call

We generally send all invitations to the Crew Calls to all active members about four weeks in advance. If you haven't received that e-mail, please check that the "News and information about Crew United" setting is activated in your account, that your e-mail address entered there is the right one and that the e-mail hasn't ended up in your spam filter.
You don't need an invitation to register for a Crew Call, however.

You create the ticket for the Crew Call yourself in your profile. To do so, log into your profile and click on "Crew Call" at top right.
Here you can register yourself and a guest as long as there are places free. And don't forget: you have to present your tickets at the entrance to the event. You don't have to print it out. The PDF on your phone is adequate.

How can I get a ticket for the Crew Call?

I want to change the name of the person accompanying me

Only we can change the names on the tickets. So please send a brief mail to [email protected] with your desired changes.

Is it enough to have my ticket on my smart phone, or do I have to print it out?

In the interests of the environment, we are only too happy for you not to print out the ticket and just show us the ticket (QR-code) on your phone.

9. Cinearte / Crew United Newsletter, Info Mails

Subscribe to Cinearte / Crew United Newsletter

Please subscribe at https://www.crew-united.com/newsletter/.

Unsubscribe from Cinearte / Crew United Newsletter

In the footer of each issue you will find a link to unsubscribe from the newsletter.

Unsubscribe from Info Mails

To stop receiving notifications about things that happen at Crew United (Cinearte, invitations to the Crew Call, updates, surveys, etc.), log into your profile and disable 'News and information about Crew United' within your account-settings.

10. Any questions?

If you have any further questions, write us an e-mail: [email protected]
or call us: +49 89 20244030 (working days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CET).