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Art of the Credit Roll
PBS National frowns on the standard credit treatment of white text over black because it “prompts a viewer to grab the remote”. Though it’s the most cinematic looking, there’s no visual design that holds the attention of today’s casually-viewing audience through to the next program.
What fun visual treatments have you all done/seen recently that maintained your viewership – or were just plain ol’ cool?
My favorite of all time was the PIP outtake clips in Smokey and the Bandit… but that really only applies to comedies. Also loved the last shot in Jaws – everyone sat through credits until Brody and Hooper were safe on the beach.
Moo?
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\`(=)`/…Pixel Monkey
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12 Replies
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Pixar?
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Hey! You’ve hit upon one of my pet peeves! It seems to me that having something far more interesting than the credits running simultaneously as the credits defeats the whole purpose of running the credits. You can’t watch the visuals and read the credits at the same time, so why run the credits at all if nobody cares enough about reading them in the first place to stick around to watch them? If you put visuals, it’s not to make people watch the credits, it’s to get them to stay tuned and not leave. I am a fan of running the credits over black or some non-distracting background in order to give “credit” where credit is due. And don’t roll them so fast that even Evilyn Wood couldn’t read them, and squeeze them into a tiny corner to boot. It’s insulting to me as one of those names. If you can’t read it, why bother to even put it on? Am I crazy?
That being said, sure, figure out a clever way to alternate between something “interesting” and the “readable” credits to keep people there so that they actually do wind up reading them, I’m all for that. But don’t have them compete!
Ahhh, thanks for opportunity to vent. I feel a little better now.
Chaz S.
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[Chaz Shukat] “alternate between something “interesting” and the “readable” credits to keep people there so that they actually do wind up reading them, I’m all for that. But don’t have them compete!”
Hee hee – I think we’ve found the best cheat. It’s a program centered around architecture. I’ve just sold the producer on white text over black, with dark gray blueprints slowly moving in the background (The moves are done in Stage Tools, yet again. What a great little piece of software).
PBS has to accept it. It’s not “just black” like they hate… although I am in Buffalo. The NHL did change the goal crease rules after Brett Hull won Dallas the cup by breaking them… PBS might follow suit…
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\`(=)`/…Pixel Monkey
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Hi,
One of my favorites is Finding Nemo (I have kids). Slow credit roll, un-assuming background, fun graphics but what keeps me most is a great song played in its entirety in full cinematic sound!
thankyouverymuch
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We technical people watch the credits more than most that is for sure. Just to keep up with who is doing what. But isn’t the real value of the credit how it pertains to our personal resume? A listing on the movie credit is worth much more than the screen viewing. That just makes it official.
Isn’t it amazing how some of the Bigger Stars have built into their contract that the credit must show for a certain amount of time. Amazing, these guys don’t even need head shots anymore and they’re worried about how many seconds their name displays on the opening credits.
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Chip Johns
chip@chipjohns.com
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Ditto for “O Brother”. If you liked the music in the movie, you’ll sit through the credits just to get a little more.
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I add bloopers and extras int he credits. I realize this makes nobody watch the credits but that’s the same nobody who wouldn’t have been readin em anyway.
wha?
just keeps em around until the segment is to time. They get a cackle out of it sometimes too.
bonus
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I’ve seen plenty of shows that break things up by having graphic “icons” and elements that roll along with the credits and in between them. Instead of just putting each name and title on a line, try building whole “pictures” that incorporate the names and linking them together vertically with graphic elements that tie them together.
I don’t know what your program is about, but let’s say it was about fishing…
The “Producers credit” could be on the bow of a fishing boat (like it’s the name of the boat). Move into the boat and the tackle box opens and the directors name is printed on the inside lid of the box. A lure could have another credit printed on it. Follow the fishing line down through the water and you could pass all sorts of things that allow for “iconic” placement of the credits. (Seaweed could spell out a name, a fish could have a name on it, someone names could be drawn in the mud at the bottom of the lake. etc. etc.
Granted, you may not have the budget for something like this, but you don’t have to do it for every name on the credit list, as you move down the list you can have groups of names on objects and eventually you might just have simple names appear, as long as they still follow the theme.
You could go simpler and just go with type styles that incorporate a few letters that incorporate pictures (even “clip art” styles) instead of just plain fonts. (For instance a “J” could be a fishing hook, an “S” could be a worm. etc. etc.
If you show is about music, do the same thing with instruments, if it’s about baseball, do it with baseball gear, bases, bats, scoreboard etc. etc.
I’m sure others here can think of other examples of what I’m talking about.
-TJA
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“Secondhand Lions” ran the open titles and the end credits with a theme related to one of the main characters, who was a cartoonist. So we saw sketched-out credits, blobs of ink, names on erasers, etc. …a bit hard to describe. If you’re looking for inspiration, the open and close on this one would be worth renting.
At least one of the Harry Potter movies has end credits that explore a treasure map. So we saw an ‘ancient parchment’ with all the names and titles on it. The camera wandered around following a moving dotted line – maybe the path to the treasure…?
The Beatles movie “Hard Days Night” had the end credits roll over a chase scene (the Fab Four running from a crowd of fans) with the title song playing in the background. The chase scene was not one used in the movie …not expensive or complicated to do.
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Most of the stuff I do doesn’t see a credit roll and since I act as a one man band, the few things I do need credits on need some ‘filling out’. So I usually use the gag credits intermixed with the real ones. You know the type….’catering by Eda Nuff’….’Casting by N. O’talent’ kind of things. Kinda silly I know but it might help hold the viewers attention through the credits.
Doug
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