Crazy Credits Length: What Changed?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the length of movie credits and how they have changed over time. Participants reflect on their experiences with credits in films, comparing current practices to those from previous decades, and share personal anecdotes related to watching credits in theaters and on television.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express surprise at the length of current movie credits, recalling that they used to be much shorter, typically around five minutes.
  • Others argue that credits have always been long, often featuring multiple songs, and that staying to listen can be enjoyable.
  • A participant mentions the lengthy credits of "Return of the King," noting that they included extensive acknowledgments.
  • There is a discussion about how television stations often fast forward or shrink credits, making them difficult to read.
  • Some participants indicate that few people stay for credits, while others enjoy waiting to avoid the rush of exiting the theater.
  • Concerns are raised about the legal obligations to display credits and whether current practices fulfill those requirements.
  • There is mention of "cookies," or post-credit scenes, and how their popularity has fluctuated over time.
  • One participant notes that the increasing complexity of modern films leads to more people needing credit, suggesting a comparison to a phone book.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the length and significance of movie credits, with no clear consensus on whether they have become longer or if this is a perception issue. There are competing views on the enjoyment of watching credits and the practices of theaters and television broadcasts.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention personal experiences that may not reflect broader trends, and there are references to specific films that may not generalize to all movies. The discussion includes subjective interpretations of audience behavior in theaters.

Pengwuino
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The end of some movie just came on and I'm thinking "... it's 4:15... and curb your enthusiasm is on at 4:30... what do they do to fill the gap?". Then i realized it was credits time and thought "oh ok, this stlil won't be long". 11 minutes later the credits are still going. Did it use to be like this a decade or two again? I remember credits not lasting more then 5 minutes back in the day. What's going on here? Am i dillusional?
 
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Pengwuino said:
The end of some movie just came on and I'm thinking "... it's 4:15... and curb your enthusiasm is on at 4:30... what do they do to fill the gap?". Then i realized it was credits time and thought "oh ok, this stlil won't be long". 11 minutes later the credits are still going. Did it use to be like this a decade or two again? I remember credits not lasting more then 5 minutes back in the day. What's going on here? Am i dillusional?

I'm sure it ended after 3 minutes, but the rest of it was just filler.

Executive Janitor

Bill Tan

Janitorial Coordinator

Bill Tan

Controlling Janitor Duty

Bill Tan

Scheduling Janitor

Bill Tan

Lead Janitor

Bill Tan

Studio Lead Janitor

Bill Tan

Assistant Janitor

Bill Tan

Assistant Studio Janitor

Bill Tan

Janitor #1

Bill Tan

Assistant Janitor #1

Bill Tan

Janitor #2

Bill Tan

Assistant Janitor #2

Bill Tan

Janitor #3

Bill Tan

Assistant Janitor #3

Bill Tan

Replacement Lead Janitor

Bill Tan

Replacement Studio Janitor

Bill Tan

...etc...
 
As long as I can remember the credits are always long. Like they play three to four songs at least. If you go to the theatre, sometimes it's fun to sit there and listen to the songs while everybody leaves, then when you leave there is not that big crowded rush.
 
Mental Gridlock said:
As long as I can remember the credits are always long. Like they play three to four songs at least. If you go to the theatre, sometimes it's fun to sit there and listen to the songs while everybody leaves, then when you leave there is not that big crowded rush.

Rush to leave?

I've never seen that at the theatres. I've even been during some big openings and there was no crowded rush.
 
I did not watch them all, but the credits for "Return of the King" lasted about 20 minutes. They managed to thank every person of their fan club by name. Did anyone stay for that?
 
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Pengwuino said:
The end of some movie just came on and I'm thinking "... it's 4:15... and curb your enthusiasm is on at 4:30... what do they do to fill the gap?". Then i realized it was credits time and thought "oh ok, this stlil won't be long". 11 minutes later the credits are still going. Did it use to be like this a decade or two again? I remember credits not lasting more then 5 minutes back in the day. What's going on here? Am i dillusional?
You might have noticed that most stations now fast forward the credits at the end of movies usually also shrinking them into a corner of the screen while they play commercials at the same time. I barely even notice when credits roll for movies any more when they're played on TV.

And I did see the credits for Return of the King. That was horrendous. Fortunately I was cuddling on a couch with the girlfriend and didn't really care.
 
JasonRox said:
Rush to leave?

I've never seen that at the theatres. I've even been during some big openings and there was no crowded rush.
Really? That's always been my experience, that as soon as the movie is over, everyone gets up at once and heads for the door. Only a handful of people ever stay for credits. Personally, I could care less about the credits. I know some people who really do watch them all and like to know who did what, but not many. But, I often do what Mental Gridlock does, just hang out and listen to the music until the crowd thins enough to leave. No point standing in a big crowd to exit when I can wait a few minutes (unless of course I had too much soda and have to pee really badly by the time the movie ends, then I'm right in the thick of things pushing and shoving until I get to the ladies room :redface:).
 
  • #10
TheStatutoryApe said:
You might have noticed that most stations now fast forward the credits at the end of movies usually also shrinking them into a corner of the screen while they play commercials at the same time. I barely even notice when credits roll for movies any more when they're played on TV.
I hate when they do that. Even though I don't usually watch the credits, it seems to make it entirely pointless to show them at all when they shrink them so small that you can't even read them if you want to (and, once in a while, I do want to scan for who played a particular part or what the name of some song was in the soundtrack).
 
  • #11
Moonie said:
Only a handful of people ever stay for credits. Personally, I could care less about the credits. I know some people who really do watch them all and like to know who did what, but not many.
I watched V for Vendetta yesterday with a friend. He decided that he wanted to know the names of the pieces V played over the loud speakers when he blew up the buildings. Ofcourse the music credits are always the very last part of the credits so I sat there waiting through the whole list of credits with him only to find out that they didn't even list those particluar pieces.

Moonie said:
I hate when they do that. Even though I don't usually watch the credits, it seems to make it entirely pointless to show them at all when they shrink them so small that you can't even read them if you want to (and, once in a while, I do want to scan for who played a particular part or what the name of some song was in the soundtrack).
I'm sure that they wouldn't even show them if they didn't have a legal obligation to do so. I've wondered if they could actually be failing their legal obligation since they are making it nearly impossible to read the credits.
 
  • #12
Moonbear said:
I hate when they do that. Even though I don't usually watch the credits, it seems to make it entirely pointless to show them at all when they shrink them so small that you can't even read them if you want to (and, once in a while, I do want to scan for who played a particular part or what the name of some song was in the soundtrack).

There is a large crowd leaving, but no one is rushing.
 
  • #13
Anyone stick around to see if there're any "cookies"? The last bits of film after the credits? It was popular a few years ago, but not so much anymore.
 
  • #14
My idiot brother likes to stay in case there are any "cookies".
I don't.
 
  • #15
Do you remember Ben Hur ? "Back in the day" ? With that pretentious overlong "Overture" ? At the *start* ?!
 
Last edited:
  • #16
Speaking of cookies, they're fun when they're humorously done - I think The Naked Gun and Hot Shots did this sort of thing.

But the best after credit "cookie" came after "Dawn of the Dead" (the remake, haven't seen the original). Changed the whole ending, actually.
 
  • #17
Movies are so much more elaborate now than they used to be that there are necessarily a lot more people involved in making them. I'm pretty sure that each union has its own regulations regarding who has to be given a screen credit, which includes 'farmed-out' work such as model making and CGI. Might as well just display the greater Los Angeles phone book.
 

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