Motion picture credits
Encyclopedia
Opening credits
Opening credits, in a television programTelevision program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, motion picture, or video game, are shown at the beginning of a show and list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. Some opening credits are built around animation or production numbers of some sort (such as the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
films). Opening credits usually mention the major actors, guest stars, producers and director, as opposed to closing credits
Closing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
which lists the entire production crew.
Closing credits
Closing credits, in a television program, motion picture, or video game come at the end of a show and list all the cast and crew involved in the production. Almost all television and film productions omit the names of orchestra members from the closing credits, instead citing the name of the orchestra and sometimes not even that. They are usually shown on the screen in small characters, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or scroll from bottom to top of the screen. Credits which scroll either left-to-right or up-and-down are also known as rolling credits, which comes from pre digital days when the names were literally on a roll of paper and would pass in front of the camera. Increasingly, post-credits scenePost-credits scene
A post-credits scene is a short clip that appears after some or all of the closing credits of a film have run...
s are being added to the end of films.
Billing
Billing is a filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
term denoting the amount and order in which film credits information is presented in advertising and on the film itself. Information given in billing usually consists of the actors appearing in the movie, the directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producers
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, the companies producing and distributing the movie (by name and/or logo), and artistic and technical crew. The title of the movie is also considered to be part of the billing.
In the layout of film posters and other advertising copy, the billing is usually placed at the bottom of the poster in what is known as the billing block.
WGA screenwriting credit system
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, screenwriting credit for motion pictures and television programs under its jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
is determined by the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
(WGA). The Guild is the final arbiter of who receives credit for writing the screenplay, the original story, or creating the original characters, a privilege it has possessed since 1941
1941 in film
The year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
. If a production company is a signatory to the Guild's Basic Agreement, it must comply with the Guild's rules.
See also
- Intro sequenceIntro sequenceAn intro sequence is a non-interactive introductory sequence for a computer or video game. Previously, intro sequences were very often prerendered, hand drawn, or otherwise outside the main game engine...
- Production logoProduction logoA production logo, vanity card, vanity plate, vanity logo or vogo is a logo used by movie studios and television production companies to brand what they produce. Vanity logos are usually seen at the beginning of a theatrical movie , or at the end of a television program or TV movie...
- Title sequenceTitle sequenceA Title Sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound...