KNP Source Term Creation Guideline
Criteria
Principle 1
Fewer is better.
The terms must be plot-pertinent and must appear in dialogue or on-screen text (excluding the ones appear in scripts but never made it into the dialogue).
1. Person
a)- Main characters’ names;
b)- Exclude the names of historical figures whose localized names can be found on credible dictionaries/websites, e.g., George Washington
2. Location
a)- Main fictional location, e.g., Neverland;
b)- Plot-pertinent but not a well-known, real, location
c)- Exclude non-fictional locations with localized names found in credible dictionaries/websites, e.g. US, Russia;
Organization
a)- Main fictional organization/company names, e.g., Avengers;
b)- Plot-pertinent real organization/company names that are not well-known, e.g., Caffè Sicilia
c)- Exclude well-known non-fictional organizations with localized names found in credible dictionaries/websites, e.g., UN, Apple, Microsoft
Phrases
Phrases can include plot-pertinent recurrent fictional item names, catchphrases, or anything important but do not belong to all other categories.
a)- Key phrases, e.g., “Sweet Christmas” (Luke Cage); “How you doin'?” (Friends)
b)- Fictional items, e.g., Deck (Star Trek)
Principle 2
Please follow this template when adding relevant information about the same character:
1. First Name and Last Name as one entry, which would be the “main term”.
E.g., Barbara Holland
2. Create a separate entry for each AKA and add notes referring to the main term. The notes should always start with “AKA for” so that the tool will append them to the main entry in the future. If extra note needs to be added, add AKA for xxx in first line. then any additional note in separate line below the AKA.
E.g., [Source term]: Barb, [Note]: AKA for Barbara Smith.
Check for existing entries before adding new ones, and modify existing entries if present.
Appendix 1: Questions to ask yourself before adding a source term
-
Is it the name of a main character?
E.g., Friends
Joey Tribbiani (a main character who appears in almost all episodes) => Yes
Stephanie Schiffer (a singer who only appears in one episode) => No
-
Is it a plot-pertinent location/organization? Is it fictional or real?
E.g., Friends
Central Perk (the fictional coffee house where main characters always hanging out) => Yes
New York (Well-known real location) => No
E.g., Chef’s table
Milk bar (a real bakery but not well-known in other countries )=>Yes
Appendix 2: Examples of a good KNP
Example 1: Friends
Genre: Sitcom
A Comedy Series about 6 young friends living in New York City.
|
TYPE |
NAME |
SOURCE TERM NOTES |
|
PERSON |
Rachel Green |
Female, a fashion enthusiast and Monica Geller's best friend from childhood. |
|
PERSON |
Monica Geller |
Ross Geller's younger sister. A chef. |
|
PERSON |
Ross Geller |
Monica Geller's older brother. A paleontologist. |
|
PERSON |
Phoebe Buffay |
An eccentric masseuse and self-taught musician. |
|
PERSON |
Joey Tribbiani |
Male, a struggling actor and food lover who becomes famous later. A simple-minded womanizer with many short-term girlfriends. |
|
PERSON |
Chandler Bing |
Male, an executive in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration for a large, multinational corporation. |
|
LOCATION |
Central Perk |
A coffee house in New York |
|
PHRASE |
How you doin'? |
Joey often uses the catchphrase pick-up line in his attempts to win over most of the women he meets. |
|
PHRASE |
could I BE... |
Chandler's most famous catchphrase |
Example 2: Chef’s table: Season 4 (Episode 1-3)
Genre: Documentary
Each episode of the series profiles a single world-renowned chef.
|
TYPE |
NAME |
SOURCE TERM NOTES |
|
PERSON |
Will Goldfarb |
[Ep401]Male, owner of Room 4 Dessert |
|
LOCATION |
Room 4 Dessert |
[Ep401]Will Goldfarb's dessert restaurant, originally located in New York. |
|
PERSON |
Christina Tosi |
[Ep402]Female, owner of Milk Bar |
|
LOCATION |
Milk Bar |
[Ep402]Momofuku Milk Bar. Bakery of Christina Tosi. Opened in New York with other growing locations. |
|
PHRASE |
Cereal Milk |
[Ep402]A trademark brand of Christina Tosi. |
|
PERSON |
Corrado Assenza |
[Ep403]Male, owner of Caffe Sicilia |
|
LOCATION |
Caffè Sicilia |
[Ep403]Corrado Assenza's restaurant, located in Noto, Sicily, Italy. |