After movies, you have hundreds of people in the credits. Aside from perhaps the actors, I assume that most people don’t really care who all the production people are (although to quote Kermit from one of the Muppet Movies, “they have families too”).
Why is it so important to be in the credits? I assume that it is in the contracts that they have to be put in the credits, and the unions probably make a big deal about it as well. But aside from being able to stay late in the theater with a friend and say – “look, hey, that’s me!”, what do the workers get? Does it work like a resume, can you use it to prove that you really did work on that movie?
You got it, official credit is a resume item and is negotiated in the contracts in sometimes excruciating detail. In some independant films the credit may be all the individual received. Credits are a big deal and are always checked by the producers attorney for compliance with the contracts. Alternately, it is not unknown for parties to insist that they not appear in the credits of a project they do not wish to be associated with.
I tell you what, even though having my name in the credits isn’t that huge a deal to me now it’s happened a few times, to not have my name in the credits when I know it should be would really piss me of!
And also, it allows me to have this page. Which is, frankly, seriously cool, IMHO.
My nephew was a part-time receptionist at PDI/Dreamworks and got credited in Shrek. The family saw the movie together and we all applauded him but it kinda diminished the value of the credits for me.
Ok, lets try to put this question in more practical terms. If the producers of the movie were to offer you more money would you take that over being in the credits? How much money would it take?
Giving a credit is a cheap perk for the movie companies. Doesn’t cost them much, and feeds the egos of those involved. So if you’re negotiating anything that has to do with a movie, you can offer a screen credit to sweeten the deal.
well think about it… haven’t you guys ever been in a split second of some news coverage… and you were all excited and whatnot? glued to the screen to see when the camera would pan by your bare ass or something… it’s the same thing
