At the beginning and end of every movie/film, television show, video game, and some short videos, creators add credits. These credits are exactly what they sound like, they are giving “credits” to everybody involved in the creation of the content.
Movie Credits are usually seen at the beginning and end and are divided based on the categories of the people who are being given the credits. Usually, the opening credits of a movie make the audience aware of the production companies or studios involved in producing the movie. Additionally, they add the names of the major cast in the beginning, as well.
However, the most important credits are the end credits, which can last anywhere from 2-3 minutes to 9-10 minutes. These credits include not only the names of the actors who are in the movie but the entire crew from directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, photographers, designers, editors, composers, costume designers, and various others. The credits may be shown in transitioning still shots or a video of the names rolling down in a list.
These credits are important because they showcase how every single person, who was a part of the crew, worked hard in order to produce the said movie. Every single task involved in producing a movie is vital and no work is less important than the other.
There is a history involved in producing and showcasing movie credits.
Why do movie credits exist?
Movies were given end credits because people would enjoy the movies and recognize their favorite actors but could not put a name on their beloved faces. The ending credits allowed for audiences to be familiarised with their favorite actors. Things became much easier for the audiences when the inclusion of opening credits started becoming a thing, because that way they could recognize not only the production company or studio that the movie is associated with, but see the names of their favorite actors alongside their faces, on screen.
Watch these end credits from the movie Contact to get an idea of how end credits appear:
Importance of movie credits today
Since it has become a norm to find credits at the ends of movies, a lot of people stop watching the movie as the credits start rolling, or leave the cinema hall. This diminishes the efforts of the people who were behind the scenes, and the only recognition they get on-screen is through the ending credits.
A lot of movie franchises have come up with innovative solutions to this problem. They force the audience to sit through the rolling end credits by adding post-credit scenes in their movies. A very big name employing this strategy is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They are famous for their post-credit scenes and their fans know better than to walk away from those rolling credits, lengthy as they may be, in the hopes of catching a few glimpses of the next movie in the franchise.
As the quality of the movies we watch increases, so does the list of the rolling credits. This is because more and more manpower is required to create the cinematic masterpieces we witness. T
o many audiences, the ending credits may seem like a nuisance because nobody can read or register so many names, but when the audiences keep themselves seated for the credits, it boosts the morale of the creators, even if the audiences don’t register it. A lot of audiences may remain seated in the hopes of post-credit scenes, but that is enough for the creators to keep doing their jobs with enthusiasm.
