How Should I Arrange My DVD Collection?

[arwalden]

Should I arrange them strictly alphabetically? That would make individual titles easy to find... but it could be problematic if I was in the mood for a comedy, and all the comedies were strewn throughout the shelves.

I could arrange them alphabetically by genre... but where does one put something like Thelma & Louise? Comedy or Drama? Same thing for Steel Magnolias? Comedy or Drama?

And what should I do about all my James Bond movies? Regardless if it's strictly alphabetical, or alpha within a genre, should I break the alpha rule and group them together?

And if I do group the Bond movies together, should it be by title, or by release date?

-- Allen

[Pacifist Patriot]

1. Save yourself the trouble, just...

send them all to me. I'll be happy to arrange them in my entertainment center.

[tjdee]

2. By genre, and then alphabetically in that genre.

If not genre, then "kind of movie" or "how it makes you feel".

If you laugh when you watch it, but it's technically a drama, put it with your "funny" section.

That's how I'd do mine, except I don't like enough movies to buy them.
I have to *really* like a movie to buy it.
I think I own less than five. I am thinking of buying some to show my kid good films when she's older, some classic films...

[Lex]

3. Here's what I might do.

Arrange them alphabetically on the shelves.

As you are arranging them, fill out an index card with the title of the movie and its genre. Then arrange the index cards by the genre--Comedy, Drama, Horror, etc.

That way you have a cross-referenced system pretty easily.

And you can look on the shelf by alpha, or in your card file by genre.

:)

[arwalden]

5. Now THAT's What I Call ORGANIZED!!!

I'm impressed!

[Lex]

7. One other tip

.
leave your index cards clipped together near your DVDs or put them in a little plastic box (they make those just for index cards)--that way your index cards and your DVDs stay in the same place together pretty easily.

It really only takes a second to fill out an index card when you are arranging them.

:hi:

[fishwax]

12. Or put them in a spreadsheet

We have DVDs located on several different media shelves (we always bought small storage things when needed, rather than a big one that would hold an entire collection).

We put the list in a spreadsheet, with entries for the title, the genre, and the director, but you could add any categories that you wanted (like one for a favorite actor), as well as what rack and shelf it's located.

If you're looking for a comedy, you can simply reorder the spreadsheet so that all the comedies are grouped together, pick which one you want, and then see where it's located. Or if you're in the mood for a specific actor or director, reorder the spreadsheet based on that criteria.

We did the same thing with our CDs, because we have hundreds of them and finally got tired of trying to figure out where the hell a specific disc was when we wanted to listen to it.

[Lex]

Yes, that would do it too.

Of course, I'd forget how I saved that spreadsheet file--I'm pretty disorganized in that way.

[prolesunited]

4. Arrange them first by genre

and then alphabetically. For the Bond movies, I would go by release date.

[ET Awful]

6. I can recognize all of mine by the color of the binding and the font

style of the label. I don't put 'em in any particular order :)

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. Do what most people do, just pile them randomly on tables,

floors, chairs and here and there. You have to conform somehow. THis is a good time to practice.

[TheDebbieDee]

9. This is how I arranged mine.....

I put the cds from the male music groups and solo artists in the left section.

I put the cds from the groups consisting of both male & female artist in the center section.

I put the cds from the female music groups and solo artists in the right section.

The only time I can't find the cd I'm looking for is when one of my damned kids wanders into my cd collection looking for some of their newfangled crap that they CALL music. :-)

ETA: Sorry, I thought you wanted to arrange music cds - but I'll leave the tip in case it could help someone else.

[ghostsofgiants]

10. I organize mine alphabetically by director

But I dunno, do whatever the crap you want, it's your collection.

[Worst Username Ever]

11. Arange them alphabetically by the name of the set designer.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

14. Okay, so that would take care of the 99% of the movies done

by Edith Head... what about the other 5 or so?

[Worst Username Ever]

15. Arange those by the name of the Best Boy.

[Borgnine]

13. Here's what I do.

Alphabetically unless it's a franchise. For the Bond movies, I group them under J for James Bond, but put them in order of release date. Dr. No is first, and Die Another Die is last.

[eyesroll]

16. I don't have enough DVDs to worry about it...but my books

are arranged by genre, then by author, then by title EXCEPT when there's a series -- and then the series is grouped together in order, and then put on the shelf based on the first title.

[Worst Username Ever]

17. My books are a disaster.

There isn't even close to enough bookshelf space. Books on top of the shelf, on top of books already in the shelf, on piles on the floor, spilled over in the corner, in the magazine rack, everywhere. But amazingly, I know exactly where every single one is.

[Samurai_Writer]

18. By color of the case

it's more asthetic that way.

*grins*

Actually, mine are by genre and then alphabetically.

[Joe Power]

19. Porn closest to TV

That saves you steps.

[sir_captain]

20. How many dvds are we talking here?

As for the Bonds, definitely by release date. You don't want Sean Connery having to rub elbows too much with Roger Moore, et al.

[arwalden]

22. 300 or so.

[sir_captain]

23. Ah nice

that's about what I have too. Personally, I've got mine sorted by genre and director. So I have all my super classic films (Citizen Kane, etc) together, and I have all my Hitchcock and Chaplin and so on together. And so on so on. And then finally, I have my miscellanious action movies, and comedies and so on--those that don't fit into a real section--and I group them together with no particular order, as I feel that scanning through 20-25 comedies isn't that big a deal...

Anyway, that's what works for me.

[arwalden]

25. That Sounds Like A Reasonable...

and EASY TO MAINTAIN plan. I'm going to have to start carrying a LIST with me whenever I head to the video store... I've picked up a couple of duplicates without realizing it. Ahh---age!

[AllegroRondo]

21. Heres how I do it

Shelf 1 - movies I like

Shelf 2 - movies I hate

Shelf 3 - movies I havent seen yet

[Bok_Tukalo]

24. By height

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