Closing credits of Sesame Street.

Closing credits, inside a motion picture or television program, come at the end of a movie or show and list all the cast and crew involved in the production. They are usually shown on the screen in small characters, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or crawl from bottom to top of the screen. Credits which crawl 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 wound past in front of the camera. Increasingly, post-credits scenes are being added to the end of films. Image File history File links Tv_sesame_stret_credits_season_35. ... Image File history File links Tv_sesame_stret_credits_season_35. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... A post-credits scene (also called a stinger or tag) is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits of a movie have run. ...

History

The use of closing credits in film to list complete production crew and cast was not firmly established in American film until the 1970s. Before this decade, closing credits usually consisted only of a list of the major cast members, and in many cases, particularly in silent films, movies were released with no closing credits at all. For instance, David Lean's version of Oliver Twist (1948) lists all who had a speaking part in the film -but not the extras- plus all of the major credits at the beginning. The final credits list only the cast of characters. Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist (2005), on the other hand, lists everyone, cast as well as crew, who worked on the picture, and boasts quite a long list of closing credits. A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... Sir David Lean, KBE (March 25, 1908 – April 16, 1991) was an English film director and producer, best remembered for big-screen epics such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Doctor Zhivago . ... Oliver Twist (1948) is the second of David Leans two film adaptations of Charles Dickens novels. ... Roman Polanski (born Raymond Liebling, August 18, 1933 in Paris) is an Academy Award-winning Franco-Polish film director, writer, actor and producer. ... Oliver Twist is a 2005 film directed by Roman Polański. ...

As in motion pictures, most television programs until relatively recently did not list the entire cast and crew. In the Baryshnikov version of The Nutcracker (1977), for example, the list of closing credits shown obviously does not include every single dancer, technician or designer who appeared in or worked on the program, while in more recent film and/or television productions of the work, the closing credits do tend to be quite long, and to list literally every single person who was seen in or who worked on the production. Mikhail Nikolaevitch Baryshnikov (Russian: ) (born January 28, 1948) is a famous Russian dancer, choreographer, and actor. ... (left to right) Sergei Legat, as the Nutcracker, an unidentified child as a gingerbread soldier, and Lydia Rubtsova as Marianna in Vsevolozhskys costumes for the Ivanov/Petipa/Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker, St. ...

Humorous credits

Some closing credits include out-takes from the show for humour. Sometimes, a parting scene is edited in after the credits conclude as a final joke. For example, in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris appears and says "Are you still here? ... Go home!" The Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker films have included cooking recipes and song lyrics in their closing credits, while Monty Python have included credits for ridiculous and non-existent production staff. On some occasions, the filmmakers will have a character come back and pop in during the credits to see the goings-on (a noted example is Finding Nemo, another noteworthy example is Daffy Duck appearing in the credits of Gremlins 2: The New Batch complaining about how long they run). On other occasions additional scenes to advance the storyline may occur after the credits roll (prime examples being Wild Things, and Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End). Many Jackie Chan films include in their closing credits camera takes of stunts gone wrong. In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense. ... Ferris Buellers Day Off is a 1986 comedy film written and directed by John Hughes. ... Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (ZAZ) is a comedy filmmaking trio consisting of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. ... Monty Python, or The Pythons, is the collective name of the creators of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. ... Finding Nemo is an Academy Award-winning computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released to theaters by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. ... Daffy, as Duck Dodgers, faces off against Marvin the Martian in the 1953 short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, a parody of Buck Rogers. ... Wild Things is a 1998 erotic crime film starring Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards, Neve Campbell and Bill Murray. ... Chan Kong-Sang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) or Jackie Chan SBS, (born on April 7, 1954) is a Chinese martial artist, action star, actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, singer and stunt performer. ...

Reallocation of opening credits to closing credits

The elimination of full opening credits from many films has resulted in some films showing the major acting and production credits that would previously have been seen at the start of the film as part of the end-credits (often preceded by the main title which no longer appears at the start of every movie). Notable movies which omit opening credits include the Harry Potter and Star Wars series of movies. In such movies the credits are shown at the end in a page by page format followed with the bulk of cast and crew credits as a crawl (for example, About Schmidt). These credits would have ordinarily been shown at the start of the movie or within a created opening credits sequence such as those made famous by the James Bond Series of movies. Opening credits, in a television program, motion picture or videogame, are shown at the beginning of a show and list the most important members of the production. ... About Schmidt is a 2002 American film directed by Alexander Payne and starring Jack Nicholson as Warren Schmidt and Hope Davis as his daughter Jeannie. ...

Marginalization for television promotion

On American television, closing credits have started to become more of an afterthought. Most networks now run, instead of a show's usual credits, a split-screened version of the show's credits to allow for running a promo (known in some circles as "generic credits").^[1] On some shows, the credits are reduced to either a rapid-fire crawl, or quick-flashing cards. In some cases, each credit would appear on-screen for less than one second. Many networks have begun a trend of placing credits at the lower third of the screen, in this format. Sometimes a promo would run shorter of the normal time it would take to run the credits at normal speed. Thus, the credits even "sped-up" near the end in order to show all the credits before the promo ended (a prime example of this is NBC's showing of "Titanic", in which there were so many credits to be shown in so little time that credits would switch almost every frame, making it impossible for anyone to read even with a slow motion capability) However, full closing credits are still created by the production company and used in syndicated reruns of a program, and are always seen if the program is released as a DVD box set. Titanic is a 1997 dramatic movie released by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. ... Look up Frame in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ...

Most daytime soap operas used scrolling closing credits for many, many years. Most of the shows aired during the week (e.g., Monday through Thursday) would list just the main people involved with the production and a few of the principal actors and actresses. However, given the large amount of people involved with the production of each serial, a full cast and crew credit crawl could last three minutes or longer. Because of this, an expanded credit roll (listing everyone involved, including all the actors and actresses) would often air at least once a week, such as on the Friday show. The closing theme often was an expanded version of the show's opening music. Starting in 1999, soap operas began eliminating the full-screen crawl in favor of the one-third screen credits/promo combination. While NBC and CBS soaps use the upper portion of the screen to show advertisements for primetime programming, ABC soaps show previews for the next episode. Soaps that are rerun on SOAPnet continue to use full-screen credits. The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of Our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... SOAPnet (stylized from 2000 to 2002 as SoapNet) is an American cable television channel. ...

Daytime game shows worked in much the same vein as soap operas. A shorter version might list one or two people involved with the production, along with such plugs as for prizes and wardrobe providers. At least once a week, a full-length credit roll would air over the extended main theme (along with camera shots of such things as the contestant talking with the host and/or celebrities). By the late 1990s, The Price is Right was the lone daytime game show remaining, and it would switch to marginalized credits. “Quiz show” redirects here. ... The Price Is Rights US 35th season logo. ...

Some cable channels have used credits to blur the lines between the end of one show and the beginning of the following program. TBS and TNT frequently run the previous show's end credits in small (sometimes illegible) type at the bottom of the screen while the next program begins at about three-quarters height. Similarly, on E! the program-to-program transition is seamless, using a full-screen E! logo between shows that opens up to the next program. To do this, the network has moved the closing credits for their programs to air within the first minute of a show, usually on the bottom 1/3 of the screen in small, translucent type, and sprinkling high-profile credits that must be legible and apparent (such as clothing mentions) throughout the show coming out of commercial breaks. TBS also stands for Tokyo Broadcasting System, a Japanese television network. ... Turner Network Television, usually referred to as TNT, is an American cable TV network created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner. ... E!: Entertainment Television is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite network. ...

Despite some objections by television production unions, some programs, such as those that air in the Discovery Networks family and the US version of the National Geographic Channel only air the credits during a program's premiere broadcast, referring viewers to a website to view the credits in subsequent broadcasts. See also Discovery Channel Discovery Communications Inc. ... The National Geographic Channel is a subscription television network that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. ...

Some networks, such as GSN, have even begun cutting off the credits before they finish, most likely to allow more time for commercials. Many animated shows, however, still maintain and air the full version of the credits. The Game Show Network logo (1997-2004) The Game Show Network Logo (1994-1997) GSN (formerly known on-air as Game Show Network) is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows, casino game shows, interactive television games, and reality shows. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Notable exceptions

American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance? have proven to be an exception to this, showing the full credits in a regular scroll as the shows close due to the live nature of the programs (along with voting disclaimers) precluding Fox from doing a split-screen. Saturday Night Live has always done a full-screen credits scroll, though the credits are regularly cut off by NBC before the end to get in a promo. ABC's Dancing With The Stars also airs their intended credits, as Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris close out the show. The credits are in a Helvetica font, and are located at the bottom of the screen, against a shaded transparent background. Starting with the 2004 season, ABC's sitcoms air their closing credits at the bottom of the screen, during the closing scene in a format that keeps in-line with the networks generic credits look. These credits, however, air without the dark-colored bar that airs during their other primetime programs. In other words, the credits are superimposed over the closing scene's action. AMERICAN IDOL HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO DEATH OF SIMON ... So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance reality show and competition that broadcast on the Fox Network and on CTV in Canada. ... The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late night 90 minute American comedy-variety show based in New York City that has been broadcast live by NBC on Saturday nights since October 11, 1975. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Countries with their own version Dancing with the Stars is the name for a number of international television series based on the format of the British series Strictly Come Dancing. ... Tom Bergeron (born May 6, 1955 in Haverhill, Massachusetts) is an American television personality and a popular one-time game show host, best known to the public as the host of Americas Funniest Home Videos, which he has hosted since 2001, as well as the TV game show Hollywood... Samantha Harris (born November 27, 1973), an American model and TV presenter. ... This article is about the typeface Helvetica. ...

Trivia

• Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) had one of the longest and most elaborate closing credit sequences of any film. It provided an animated recap of the movie's three-hour storyline, identifying the actors in the order in which they appeared.

• The 2006 film Clerks 2 by Kevin Smith features an extended closing credits that included a list of anyone who joined Smith's "friends network" on Myspace.com in the months building up to the film's release. The very long list of credits (in multi-column format) has forced some theaters to either stop the projector early or to cut out sections of the film reel so that the theater can be cleaned in time for the following showing. Smith announced that he will continue the myspace friends-credit list through 2006 and will include any new names on the DVD credits when the film is released on DVD.

• The film adaption of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders has the end credits (as well as the ending of the book) in the beginning of the movie and the end.

Around the World in Eighty Days is a 1956 movie based on the novel of the same name by Jules Verne, involving a dare proposed to English aristocrat Phileas Fogg by his gentlemens club to undertake a bold journey to travel around the world in only 80 days. ... Clerks II is the 2006 sequel to Kevin Smiths 1994 movie Clerks. ... Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American screenwriter, film director and the founder of View Askew Productions. ... MySpace. ... Susan Eloise Hinton (born on July 22, 1948 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American author who wrote five young adult novels in the 1960s and 70s. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed. ...

See also

• WGA screenwriting credit system
• Billing (film)
• Opening credits
• Title sequence
• Post-credits scene
• Glossary:Japanese film credit terms

Credits for A Christmas Story. ... Billing is a film term denoting the amount and order in which film credits information is presented in advertising and on the film itself. ... Opening credits, in a television program, motion picture or videogame, are shown at the beginning of a show and list the most important members of the production. ... This example of a title sequence, from long-running serial drama Another World, was seen from 1966 to 1981, making it one of the longest-running continuous title sequences on television. ... A post-credits scene (also called a stinger or tag) is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits of a movie have run. ...

References

Charlie (Charlton) Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is a British comedy writer, cartoonist, reviewer and television presenter. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• End credit guidelines - by the BBC