I’ve noticed that the credits for films are now mostly at the end, aside from the big names - stars, producers etc. Watching older films, into the 1970’s or so, the majority of credits used to be at the beginning. Older still and all the credits were at the beginning - the only thing at the end was a “The End” screen.
Why the (gradual) change?
It seems to be other than just due to more people being involved in the movie-making process - films from the 70’s had relatively few people involved, and other current films for which there are few people involved (i.e.: smaller / indie films) tend to follow the credits-at-end trend as well…
DangerDan is on the right track. The number of names in movie credits has grown eponentially over the years, mostly due to increasingly stronger union contracts for actors, crafts persons, and technicians. The credits for Superman (1978) run for 12 minutes, and those for Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1989) last for 6 1/2 minutes.
But, as strong as union contracts have gotten, only the director’s guild has required that their members’ names be at the front of the movie instead of the end. So, the studios would rather allow the audience to file out of the theater while the credits are running instead forcing the audience to sit through them all at the beginning.
Directors credits can be at the end of a movie, and frequently are. But I believe they have to be the first credit after the film.
You’re thinking of The Empire Strikes Back, where they director’s name was put at the end, and the Director’s Guild got a judgment against George Lucas. (Boy, that really impacted his cash flow. ). Since then, the rules have been amended.
Getting back to the original question, credits in the old days ran maybe a minute and only included the top names. There was also occasionally a closing title card to identify the cast. It was decided that it was better to run the film and leave the credits at the end, and nowadays you’ll get films with just a title and nothing else at the beginning.
RealityChuck, I think you’re confused. The directors credit is usually the last one before the movie starts, not the other way around.
Wallon, you state that the number of names have grown, then say: “…The credits for Superman (1978) run for 12 minutes, and those for Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1989) last for 6 1/2 minutes.” The Roger Rabbit credits run 5 1/2 minutes shorter than Superman.
Titles (as the credits are properly called) have gotten more and more creative over the years, partly as a result of the James Bond films. These were among the first films in the sixties to do more with the titles than just list the cast and crew.
As a slight hijack, I seem to recall a movie where the credits were strung along through, it seemed, the first 30-45 minutes of the film. (A new one was flashed at irregular moments.) Anyone remember?
Goddam . . . Either my computer died or the Board died, but lemmee try again . . .
It was also due to creative-control issues. In the old studio days, each studio had its own “set credits.” MGM, for instance, showed credits bunched up at the beginning, inside a scroll. Warner Bros. liked to show film clips of the cast at the beginning credits. When the studios began to break up in the 1950s, individual producers got more leeway over where—and how—credits would be shown.
postcards, you might be thinking of Once Upon a Time in the West , a 1969 Sergio Leone film wherein Henry Fonda plays the bad guy. The opening is a long sequence of dudes waiting for a train to arrive, and the credtis (titles, sorry) kind of fly in and out at random times.
And, yes, I agree, in part: The director’s credit is always the last one at the start of the movie, but not, technically, before the movie starts. It’s just the last one before there ain’t no more until their are more near the end of the movie.
I make the distinction not to nitpick, but it’s because it bugs me sometimes when there’s credits going on and movie things happening at the same time. Mostly this is at the begining of movies, and rarely at the end. (I know I know a good example of the latter, but can’t think of it.)
Sorry to ramble on…but there’s more: I like to get the credits out of the way ASAP, unless they are creatively done, and then I like them to linger on. Good examples of more recent creative credits: The Panic Room and From Hell (no comment on the movies, just the credits).
I reckon there should be an accademy award for credits. Hollywood does not congradulate itself enough.
postcards, I believe RealityChuck is right – and so are you! Most movies do have credits before the movie, but some have them after. If credits are done at the beginning, the director’s credits is the last one before the film starts. If they are done at the end, the director’s credit is the first one after the file is over. It seems that the rule is the director’s credit is the “nearest” one to the movie.
The rule is, basically, the director is always mentioned last in any credits at the beginning of the film.
However, if there are no credits at the beginning of the film, the director is usually the first name mentioned at the end of the film. Director’s Guild rules allow this if the director requests it. For instance, in “Ocean’s 11,” Stephen Soderberg’s name did not appear until the end credits, where he was the first person named.
I believe Star Wars broke the rules for putting credits at the start of the film first. Lucas wanted that opening with the scrolling story, and that was incompatible with putting the names of the cast and crew at the front.
Two issues here: movies with the bulk of the credits at the end, but with opening credits as well; and movies with no opening credits at all, like Star Wars or The Abyss. Sometimes you don’t even see the title – didn’t Apocalypse Now end up that way? And Robocop 2, I think.
Anyway, part of the explanation is that, in the old days, folks didn’t arrive at the theater, sit down, then watch the feature. The show ran more or less continuously, with a newsreel, a cartoon, a short subject, and such. The opening credits of the feature were just one more element of the program.
I’m not exactly sure when the continuous seating practice ended. I imagine sometime after Psycho, since Hitchcock made a big deal about not allowing patrons in the theater after the movie had started.
All the titles were at the beginning of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Brilliant, albeit a little tedious when you’ve seen the film 10 times though it allowed that ending. Ho ho.
I’m surprised it’s not been mentioned.
Since IMDB and www.(nameofmovie)-the-movie.com type sites arose I’ve not really sat through the end titles.
). Since then, the rules have been amended.