Movies have huge credit rolls that tell you everyone involved from the director down to the person who made the cups of tea. But why? I can understand why actors, who need exposure to maintain a career, would want this. But is it important for the person who drove the truck full of props around to be credited for their future prospects?
You don’t see a plaque when you walk into a building listing everyone who laid a brick as part of the construction. I assume there’s a historical reason why the entertainment industry, and only the entertainment industry does this.
Edit: To all those that took my geniune question about what historically lead to this, and turned it into accusations of me being some sort of thoughtless “asshole”, what is even the point of someone trying to contribute to these online communities if you are just going to be made to feel horrible?
Well, to be clear - not everyone gets a credit. I was recently an extra in a movie and even though I have a still image from it with me in the background and an A-list celebrity in the foreground, that’s the only proof I’ll ever have of it. Movies take a LOT of people to make, and it’s important to give credit to everyone involved.
It’s also the same at plays where they bring out / point out the crew to take a bow - They’re just as essential to making the art, so it’s important to give them credit too.
You don’t see a plaque when you walk into a building listing everyone who laid a brick as part of the construction.
We totally should do this though. Imagine how cute it’d be to have a construction worker be able to visit a building they helped build with their family or friends and point at their name engraved somewhere with a happy grin.
No one has such a tangible impact on shaping our world as people who create, they should be credited no matter the medium.
In short, proof.
They’re working project to project. Each one is basically a new company. Each one a new employment. It’s their resume.
I assume there’s a historical reason why the entertainment industry
Yep. From what I’ve read it started out as “This studio made the film”. But then you got celebrities who were part of the studio. The studio used credits to engage the audience and remind them why they are there “Studio presents Movie starring Celebrity”.
Eventually other people behind the camera wanted acknowledgement so directors and producers got in. Writers and others who were unionized wanted to be included. And eventually it became to industry standard. So that’s now just how it’s done. It’s probably also easy proof that you worked on a project.
Is it important to note the person who drove the props? I don’t know. I don’t think it was a question they were asking when they decided the standard. It was in the contract, they were making credits anyways, it wasnt worth fighting over.
I can’t imagine complaining about people getting credit for their work.
I’m not complaining, I’m wondering why no other industry feels it’s necessary to do this.
Because they can.
Plaques for construction don’t have the room that movie credits have.
Because they worked. They need to be seen.
Have you seen the video of Tom Cruise (still an asshole but) in COVID where he screams at someone on set who don’t have his mask ? He don’t scream on him about money, he screams because his recklessness could endanger the living hood of everyone on the production
Making a movie is a team effort and everyone that say otherwise is an asshole
