Which do you think is more important?

[DoctorP]

I finished watching a movie tonight and as it finished I noticed that it ran through the gambit of names. Now each movie is different, but this one ran through directors, creators, producers, casting, costumes, etc...before ever mentioning the cast. I was just curious, in your minds, who should get top billing and why (in your opinion)?

There are no wrong answers to this as everyone will have a different thought process. I also suspect that the answer would depend upon the movie in question. If the script is weak, then maybe the cast can make it so much more right? What are your thoughts and maybe some examples if you like!

Looking forward to your input.


btw: The movie I watched was "House of Wax"...excellent movie IMHO...and I agree with the decision on this one for the screenwriters and director to be mentioned first. I think that they could have plugged in any actors and had the same results...but that is true with so many horror movies right?

 

[Davey]

Well I think that the top billing should be the Cast, because they are the ones you see, I want to see Edward Norton his name, before is see the costume designer's name, so I think that it should be in order of most important people. But yeah, who decide that costume designers are more important, than the people who do the Make up?

My list:

Cast, that runs from main characters toward the man in the corner.
Director
Producer
Screenwriters
Music
Film editing
Special effects
Photography
Stunt people
Make up
Costume designers
Casting
Other crew

but yeah like you say, it depends on what kind of movie it is, if its a movie that take just place in 1 room, with 2 people, and nothing else, don't put the costume designers on top * or it should be harajuki girls*, and with a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean, the designers, and the make up crew should be on top. But on top always the actors!

 

[misa.j]

but yeah like you say, it depends on what kind of movie it is, if its a movie that take just place in 1 room, with 2 people, and nothing else, don稚 put the costume designers on top * or it should be harajuki girls*, and with a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean, the designers, and the make up crew should be on top.

They are good points.

When there is something amazing in a movie I would want to know who did the job, so I can try to find other movies made by them, which means that the names of the actors are not that important for me since I would know who they are.

I usually skip the intro and stop before the end credit, so it doesn't really matter for me.

CC1, I liked "House of Wax" as well. I loved the part the house melted especially.

 

[Davey]

I usually skip the intro and stop before the end credit, so it doesn't really matter for me.

Me too, BUT, when it was a good movie, or when the soundtrack is good, I keep watching, mostly in the cinema.

for example; with LOTR I stayed for 10 minutes, to listen to the beautiful music, to watch the names, *dutch had a large part of the costume designers!!!!! *, to wait until everybody is gone, and to keep in the movie just a bit longer, i mean when you are running for 30minutes, you can't just stop, you have to walk out... hihi

also, there are some movies that have extra's at the end, like a lot of Jackie chan movies, have bloopers in the end, and some extra trailers.

But yes, as many others, do I skip the credits. NEVER the intro's, there the most fun part!!!!

thanks misa-san

 

[kokusu]

Hm . . . I think I like to see the cast first. A lot of the time it isn't because I am curious as to who the actors and actresses are (though sometimes I am), but rather I like to see the names of the characters. Although, why this is of interest to me, I'm not sure . . . :?

Anyway, usually at the beginning of a movie I see the names of the writers, editors, and directors, anyway.

"A John Doe production of a John Doe film . . . based on the original story by John Doe . . . screenplay by John Doe . . . directed by John Doe . . . (etc.)" :auch:

Oh, and sometimes I guess I like to know an actress' name if I don't recognize her and she is 窶堋ｩ窶堙ｭ窶堋｢窶堋ｷ窶堋ｬ - too cute! :sorry: So, I guess I would rather see her name first instead of the director's . . .

 

[Sensuikan San]

I love to watch the credits - it can be quite informative, actually - and it does offer a little salute to the many folks involved in making even the lousiest of movies. But even so - they never credit everybody involved ...

I have had the dubious pleasure of being involved in two lousy movies. (Grumble, Mumble, Grumble ...)

In "Mission to Mars" (... not exactly your average "blockbuster"!) I designed the structure that hid behind and held up a bloody great wall that figured in the climax of the film. This thing was fifty feet high, 250 feet long and took ten guys and two engineers about a week to erect in a rather bleak field just outside Vancouver.

Did any of us get mentioned in the credits? .... Nah! ... Our companies? ..... Nah!

(To be fair, this was possibly punishment for me allowing my cell phone to ring during a scene in the studio one afternoon! Lots of folks with clipboards glaring at me as if I was about to ....... I dunno ...! )

My other great failure was the HBO movie "Atomic Train" - I spent nights and nights of calculation to design the supportwork for a massive piece of scenery ... that ended up on the cutting room floor!

Did we get a mention in the credits? .... Nah!

...... the folks who supplied the toilets on location shots did, though!

I still always watch the credits, though .... and I often look to see if some of the engineers and technicians who are contracted to do this sort of work get credited .... do they? .... Usually.... Nah!

One day ... my 'Oscar' will come ..... won't it?

Nah!

ﾆ淡ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?

 

[Flashjeff]

My vote is for the writer being at the top of the food chain. Without someone to craft the screenplay, either adapted from a novel or created from scratch, there is no movie. Plain and simple.

 

[Tsuyoiko]

I have had the dubious pleasure of being involved in two lousy movies.

See, I was right, you are the coolest!

My vote is for the writer being at the top of the food chain. Without someone to craft the screenplay, either adapted from a novel or created from scratch, there is no movie. Plain and simple.

I've got to agree with that. But I also agree that it depends on the film. Whatever you remember most about a film should probably be at the top - but then again, that will be different for everyone - like for LOTR I remember the jewellery most of all, and for Matrix it would be the genius(es) who created bullet-time (mind you, everyone would agree with that, surely!).

Maybe they should get rid of credits and just put 'www.imdb.com' at the end of every film!