Why do films ....

axisus · January 2018

... Insist on listing every Tom dick and Harry that did any work on them. Literally everyone. Nobody actually gives a toss about the info except their mum. When we buy a tv or kettle we don't get a list of all the people at the factory that put them together. Just seems like a massive ego driven friends-of-luvvies fest.

AlexC · January 2018

As someone who works in film and TV I understand that you don’t care who did what, but every single person put that piece of art together. Albums list the engineers, package designers and crew as well as the musicians and producer(s). It’s a list of people who put something together, that’s all. Dare I suggest a kettle isn’t quite the artistic endeavour requiring the level of expertise a film does? Obviously, I am sure you’re more than happy to work with no acknowledgment whatsoever... maybe?

Clashman · January 2018

Hey I was a Key rip once don't try dene rate my job.

littlegreenman · January 2018

AlexC said:

As someone who works in film and TV I understand that you don’t care who did what, but every single person put that piece of art together. Albums list the engineers, package designers and crew as well as the musicians and producer(s). It’s a list of people who put something together, that’s all. Dare I suggest a kettle isn’t quite the artistic endeavour requiring the level of expertise a film does? Obviously, I am sure you’re more than happy to work with no acknowledgment whatsoever... maybe?

That...

Who should get the Kudos for "anything" then? Only the originator? The collaborators? The financiers?

Daft OP IMHO... Think deeper

littlegreenman · January 2018

Who knows? The guitar solo's on Dark Side of the Moon could have been "really crap" if the tea boy had used the wrong tea-bags, but he didn't. And so it was great...

And Clare Tory should have kept her mouth shut...

richardhomer · January 2018

I only buy boutique, artisan-built kettles. I insist on knowing the builders’ names....

SimonC · January 2018

richardhomer said:

I only buy boutique, artisan-built kettles. I insist on knowing the builders’ names....

I didn’t know Terry Morgan made kettles.

mistercharlie · January 2018

Credits. All those people can say they had a credit on that film. That’s important for getting future work. Movie credits are a kind of currency, and a CV. It’s also some union requirement.

You’re not really supposed to read them. It’s like the small print of the film. Your kettle probably did come with some legal stuff in small print.

west · January 2018

Even as a kid i always stayed till the very end of the film ,as others bolted for the exit as soon as THE END popped up, i learnt the names of actors prducers directors key grip dolly grip continuity foley artist etc .... Did you know that jenny lee wright former benny hill girl /adolescent wank festival, become a foley artist ? or who stella rivers was ?

slacker · January 2018

I looked up boutique kettles and the Richmond company, gillie kettles and the netherton foundry don't credit their craftsmen. Not fair imho.

Chalky · January 2018

axisus said:

... Insist on listing every Tom dick and Harry that did any work on them. Literally everyone. Nobody actually gives a toss about the info except their mum. When we buy a tv or kettle we don't get a list of all the people at the factory that put them together. Just seems like a massive ego driven friends-of-luvvies fest.

Oh dear @axisus - I completely agree with you!

And of course you are right. Its an ego-filled industry and part of the earnings is 'your name in lights'.

Does your local caff list all the workers who prepared, cooked and served the fresh food this morning? Does your local council list all the workers who empty the bins, sweep the roads, maintain the parks, etc?

More importantly, does your local hospital list all the workers who saved a patient's life last week? No, because real people do a real job without needing something that shouts 'LOOK AT ME!'

.AlexC said:

It’s a list of people who put something together, that’s all. Dare I suggest a kettle isn’t quite the artistic endeavour requiring the level of expertise a film does?

Dare I suggest media folk are just too far up their own arse?

chillidoggy · January 2018

Chalky said:

axisus said:

... Insist on listing every Tom dick and Harry that did any work on them. Literally everyone. Nobody actually gives a toss about the info except their mum. When we buy a tv or kettle we don't get a list of all the people at the factory that put them together. Just seems like a massive ego driven friends-of-luvvies fest.

Oh dear @axisus - I completely agree with you!

And of course you are right. Its an ego-filled industry and part of the earnings is 'your name in lights'.

Does your local caff list all the workers who prepared, cooked and served the fresh food this morning? Does your local council list all the workers who empty the bins, sweep the roads, maintain the parks, etc?

More importantly, does your local hospital list all the workers who saved a patient's life last week? No, because real people do a real job without needing something that shouts 'LOOK AT ME!'

.AlexC said:

It’s a list of people who put something together, that’s all. Dare I suggest a kettle isn’t quite the artistic endeavour requiring the level of expertise a film does?

Dare I suggest media folk are just too far up their own arse?

And up each other's.

EricTheWeary · January 2018

They didn’t used to. Certainly in the forties and fifties the end credits could be just a single shot. Given the expense of film stock and the problems of projectionists adding a few minutes at the end that most people wouldn’t even watch full end credits must have seemed a daft idea. Google says West Side Story ( 1961) was the first film with full length credits.

I think in part it’s about playing music over the top so you can stick more stuff on the soundtrack album. IIRC Kiss From a Rose by Seal was only over the end credits of Batman Forever, as an example. There are also people who have financial links with nothing to do with the production who get credited and I presume having their name or logo enshrined forever on screen is part of the deal . I'm not really convinced how much film companies want to show their love for the outside caterers, more a mixture of union obligations, financial obligations and getting extra screen time.

Quite a lot of the time end credits are squeezed into a tiny box on TV showings. Bit annoying when you are trying to look out for the name of a song. I guess they are like the small print on the kettle warranty, most people most of the time aren't very interested but they are there if it's important to you ( oops - looks up, that's what @mistercharlie said).

My only problem with them is the will there won't there be a little something at the end approach so you sit through five minutes of scrolling writing just to see if there's an extra 30 second clip. Genuinely annoying process.

PC_Dave · January 2018

axisus said:

... Insist on listing every Tom dick and Harry that did any work on them. Literally everyone. Nobody actually gives a toss about the info except their mum. When we buy a tv or kettle we don't get a list of all the people at the factory that put them together. Just seems like a massive ego driven friends-of-luvvies fest.

Just a thought, but if you don’t want to see them, don’t watch them.....

merlin · January 2018

If thine eye offensive thee, pluck it out.

What @PC_Dave says is correct. If you don't want to watch the credits, raise your arse and use you legs to remove yourself from the vicinity.

kaypeejay · January 2018

PC_Dave said:

axisus said:

... Insist on listing every Tom dick and Harry that did any work on them. Literally everyone. Nobody actually gives a toss about the info except their mum. When we buy a tv or kettle we don't get a list of all the people at the factory that put them together. Just seems like a massive ego driven friends-of-luvvies fest.

Just a thought, but if you don’t want to see them, don’t watch them.....

But then there wouldn’t be anything to rant about and for you to say that about. I suspect he doesn’t watch them all but it doesn’t make his opinion any less relevant.

ICBM · January 2018

You can always leave...

The advantage is that not everyone then tries to leave at the same time.

I do sometimes want to find out who did something minor, or what the music was, so I can then choose when I’ve seen enough.

The post-credit clip thing is annoying, I admit. Usually if there is one it’s not that brilliant anyway though.

strumjoughlamps · January 2018

Chalky said:

axisus said:

... Insist on listing every Tom dick and Harry that did any work on them. Literally everyone. Nobody actually gives a toss about the info except their mum. When we buy a tv or kettle we don't get a list of all the people at the factory that put them together. Just seems like a massive ego driven friends-of-luvvies fest.

Oh dear @axisus - I completely agree with you!

And of course you are right. Its an ego-filled industry and part of the earnings is 'your name in lights'.

Does your local caff list all the workers who prepared, cooked and served the fresh food this morning? Does your local council list all the workers who empty the bins, sweep the roads, maintain the parks, etc?

More importantly, does your local hospital list all the workers who saved a patient's life last week? No, because real people do a real job without needing something that shouts 'LOOK AT ME!'

.AlexC said:

It’s a list of people who put something together, that’s all. Dare I suggest a kettle isn’t quite the artistic endeavour requiring the level of expertise a film does?

Dare I suggest media folk are just too far up their own arse?

This cannot be compared tho as they are personal examples whereas a film is made for a world wide audience...

I know the names of all the people who work in my local caff..

I know the names of the people who tried to save my Mums life and know the names of the people who treat my Dad..

JezWynd · January 2018

With the advent of digital effects in pretty much every movie nowadays the credits have become a bit longwinded but as some have already mentioned, they are a part of the participant's CV.

I think there's a good arguement for just listing the production house/facility that provided the work. Anyone in the industry knows that if you're working for Ind Light & Magic or The Mill that you know your stuff and realistically, who is going to trawl the endless credits at the end of the latest super hero flik to check that J Bloggs was indeed a Compositor. But hey, it's nice to have your work recognised.

axisus · January 2018

AlexC said:

As someone who works in film and TV I understand that you don’t care who did what, but every single person put that piece of art together. Albums list the engineers, package designers and crew as well as the musicians and producer(s). It’s a list of people who put something together, that’s all. Dare I suggest a kettle isn’t quite the artistic endeavour requiring the level of expertise a film does? Obviously, I am sure you’re more than happy to work with no acknowledgment whatsoever... maybe?

I'm always happy to see counter arguments when I start a thread like this, that's the whole point after all. I don't get acknowledgement on the whole for my job, I run a branding dept for govt and I made a decision 20 years ago that no designers could put a personal credit on anything they did, to be honest it looks unprofessional to do so.

For what it's worth, I sit through 100% of the film credits every time I see a film and I read as much as I can of them (speed dependent!) I am interested in film details - how many people did what, what obscure roles are there, what interesting names come up, location info, songs etc. I see it as part of the film to relax and absorb the closing music - something which has been specifically chosen by the director for that purpose. What's more, I have always made my kids sit there as well and now it is what they insist on when going with their friends.

Sassafras · January 2018

The only thing that annoys me is that some films list the assistant wardrobe supervisor or the second assistant film editor before the cast listings go up.
I'd also like to see the soundtrack list before the catering and driving credits.

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