tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post924221667988226234..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: CreditsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59460857279267219992012-02-12T08:24:50.870-08:002012-02-12T08:24:50.870-08:00Somewhat lame Friday question: I'm rewatching ...Somewhat lame Friday question: I'm rewatching a highly serialized show from the 80s (LA Law) that starts every episode with "Previously on...". Do actors, writers, etc. get pay and residuals for those video snippets that are reused, sometimes for multiple episodes?<br /><br />I rewatched Cheers and a large portion of Wings last year, and it seems like all these shows were so much more leisurely 20 years ago. It might just be that I've forgotten the plots, but still remember the characters, so the show is very enjoyable. So many modern shows (dramas and comedies) just seem frenetic with interchangeable characters that are hard to distinguish. In the frenzy to create a hit show, it seems like everything has become quite shallow and one-note. Characters often don't evolve anymore.<br /><br />I also recently found and watched "The Class" (available on YouTube). Apparently it was a victim of the writers' strike, but I found it to be really competent comedy writing that consistently engaged me. The two creators (Crane and Klarik) certainly have extensive experience writing long-running comedy, and to my eyes, it really showed. (I don't remember it at all...it was paired with 2 1/2 Men, so perhaps I was reluctant to sample it.) After years of writing in the format, it must get easier to create character beats, to set up a physical comedy bit, and to service a character arc while still amusing the audience.<br /><br />As far as credits, I definitely pay attention to the creative people, because I've discovered that often it's the creators who determine the quality of a show. If I recognize a producer/writer of a show as being involved with something I thought was great, I will definitely try it. For most actors, I'll want to see a couple positive reviews from trusted critics before I sample their show. Sometimes it's quite disappointing to find out that that favorite actor is really quite limited after all and needed that great material to elevate their performance. However, I will try everything Ted Danson is in, because I think he's fantastic and picky about the roles he chooses. There's a very short list of actors that have earned that kind of loyalty from me.Ms. Frashesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22512318668260675072012-02-09T17:37:18.056-08:002012-02-09T17:37:18.056-08:00I seem to remember that when the film "Boeing...<i>I seem to remember that when the film "Boeing Boeing" came out, the ads had the names of Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis in the form of an X, so that neither of them had their name over the other.</i><br /><br />"Outrageous Fortune" did something similar with its posters; Shelley Long received top billing on one side of the Mississippi, while Bette Midler gained top honors on the other side. (Not sure who got which side, or who got dibs on the Twin Cities or New Orleans.)VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76939649436207708292012-02-08T08:34:33.981-08:002012-02-08T08:34:33.981-08:00I've always read the credits, at the beginning...I've always read the credits, at the beginning and the end. I'm not entirely sure why, but I do.<br /><br />Speaking of big credits, I think Garry Marshall movies have the hugest credits known to man. The titles take over the entire screen, as though you were about to watch Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur, when really it's only Katherine Helmond in Overboard.Bradleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13234640443710799061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41967705735001914232012-02-08T06:10:37.859-08:002012-02-08T06:10:37.859-08:00Seeing the evolution of credits in films since 192...Seeing the evolution of credits in films since 1927 and tv since 1948 is worth a book in itself - but I think one of the greatest beginning credit sequences is in IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1A7bJD3atk5w30https://www.blogger.com/profile/11576484521477341204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43121717099586981522012-02-08T05:56:07.950-08:002012-02-08T05:56:07.950-08:00I asked this before here, and didn't see an an...I asked this before here, and didn't see an answer but..it fits in with the theme.<br /><br />Here in Norway where I live, when film or TV show ends, they OFTEN minimize the current screen to show on another small screen what is coming up next, and announce. So basically they dampen the sound, talk over it, and make the screen too small to read while credits role. Now that I'm older I often want to see if I recognized a person in a movie or show (wasn't that a young Robert Duvall in that scene?) and this bugs me, but further...I keep wondering if this is even legal?<br />I just assumed there is some kind of agreement between tv stations that want to run a film, and the filmaker regarding showing the full credits. <br />Sometimes they just CUT, right as the credits begin. <br />Is this allowed? Aren't they required to show credits?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14833984099673080282012-02-08T03:56:33.459-08:002012-02-08T03:56:33.459-08:00Just be grateful you work in TV where writers get ...Just be grateful you work in TV where writers get credited at all. I work every day, making morning radio guys around the world sound witty, and only they know where the material really came from. Most civilians don't even know that what we do for a living (radio show prep) exists. And even when I've ventured out of the field, I never got any credit. I've punched up speeches for major politicians and written lines for them that earned praise for their wit from top columnists at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, London Telegraph and more. But it was praise for the wit of the guys who gave the speeches, not the schmuck who actually wrote the line. I often wish I could list those accolades on my resume, but I'm like a CIA agent: I have to just cash the check and keep my mouth shut. <br /><br />VW: "Riall" - Isn't that the woman John Edwards impregnated? Thank God he never asked me to help write one of his speeches. Although I could give him 10 minutes that would really kill.Pat Reederhttp://www.comedy-wire.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88894747891110238512012-02-08T03:25:32.816-08:002012-02-08T03:25:32.816-08:00I read all credits; I like recognizing names of wr...I read all credits; I like recognizing names of writers, directors and producers from earlier seasons or other shows.<br /><br />On M*A*S*H I thought the credits were too big, because they blocked the picture and the action. I would almost move in my couch, trying to look behind the big letters at what was going on. It didn't work.<br /><br />Another thing with most shows these days is that the names of the actors roll by in the beginning, but not any information about which character they play. When I watch a show for the first time, I don't know who's who. Why should I have to look it up online when I have the show and the credits right in front of me? Why can't the credits look something like "Actor Name as Character Name", or at least put the name of the actor on the screen at the same time as that actor's face is on the screen.Helenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64828950167956142902012-02-08T01:45:08.771-08:002012-02-08T01:45:08.771-08:00I watched a show's end credits as a kid becaus...I watched a show's end credits as a kid because I liked hearing the show's end themes and started to pay more attention to the people who work behind the scenes. It's unfortunate that network promotions trumps closing theme songs and credits. (Frasier credits must have gotten a waiver from NBC when it came to split-screen promo closes. Also, thank goodness for pay cable networks or else end credit themes would vanish.)<br /><br />Having worked behind the scenes at a local affiliate, it was nice to see my name on the screen, which was once every other month, time permitting. <br /><br />In re: IMDb<br /><br />The website is only as good as the people who submit the information. Some production companies and more than a few web volunteers take the time to transcribe the names and titles of shows currently on the air as well as shows from before IMDb existed.GMJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28617541531538552172012-02-08T00:35:57.607-08:002012-02-08T00:35:57.607-08:00I immediately thought of what Scott H said re Chee...I immediately thought of what Scott H said re Cheers, Laverne & Shirley etc - that is always such an obvious battle. But I've still always assumed that the bottom left/ Ted Danson position was the slightly better one to have. Do you agree, Ken?<br /><br /><br />Another thing that will sometimes be done - in movies - is that if there are 2 stars, it will be one order on the poster, and the reverse on the opening credits. Ie All the President's Men.Birdienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17214555642480659502012-02-07T22:35:40.614-08:002012-02-07T22:35:40.614-08:00I remember watching the restored version of "...I remember watching the restored version of "Lawrence of Arabia". The credits for the original movie were just a few screens worth. The credits for the restoration contained hundreds and hundreds of names.Dale Paynternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63031818728020338382012-02-07T22:20:17.674-08:002012-02-07T22:20:17.674-08:00I saw a show a few years ago that kept running cre...I saw a show a few years ago that kept running credits, one name at a time, for almost the first 15 minutes of the show. Sheesh!<br />And I hate when they shrink credits from old shows and flash them by so fast Evelyn Wood couldn't catch them. Let's face it, the networks don't give a damn about the viewers, they just want to promote. That's why they have their annoying logos on the screen all during the show.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7550661324010784812012-02-07T21:37:23.811-08:002012-02-07T21:37:23.811-08:00Potential Friday question, kinda related: when a c...Potential Friday question, kinda related: when a cast member who also writes, produces or whatever gets his credit at the same time he's on-screen (like Alan Alda for M*A*S*H), is that usually happy coincidence, or is there sometimes lobbying involved?<br /><br />Also, on "and" in final billing: Jimmie Walker got the redundant "And Also Starring" credit on Good Times. Did that mean he was REALLY special?<br /><br />PS to chas: I think the record speed for squeezed credits goes to Band Of Brothers when it's on Spike. Each page of credits gets about 3 frames.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41692900851242123152012-02-07T18:07:59.285-08:002012-02-07T18:07:59.285-08:00And if the network decides to run a lower third ad...And if the network decides to run a lower third advertising another show altogether... forget it. <br /><br />I worked at Game Show Network for a number of years - GAME SHOW NETWORK - and they would run lower thirds for their original programming during reruns of older game shows that used that same space to show the "clue" to the viewers at home. Maddening and stupid. <br /><br />Too many people who don't care about television make the decisions concerning it.Tv Food and Drinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12078373727086639506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63262571825947386152012-02-07T17:31:39.084-08:002012-02-07T17:31:39.084-08:00I've always wondered why some credits identify...I've always wondered why some credits identify an actor by his/her character and some don't. I first noticied this on HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET. Ned Beatty, arguably the best-known actor on the show at the time (Yaphet Kotto and Richard Belzer being exceptions, perhaps) was dumped into the end part of the credits AND identified by his character, Bolander. <br /><br />But I knew who he was -- in the days before IMDB, it was years before I knew who the other actors were because they weren't identified by character. Why ID Beatty as if we weren't famiiar with him?Dave Creeknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59981847746982319012012-02-07T16:42:50.287-08:002012-02-07T16:42:50.287-08:00I understand that someone in the business would wa...I understand that someone in the business would want the credits to be legible and that especially family would like to see them but as a viewer I've never cared about being able to read them or paid any attention to them. It isn't that I don't want to know who the actors are, especially when trying to place a guest star you just Know you've seen before, but you really don't need to read them real time these days. Just google the episode credits on imdb and if that isn't up to date (and what gives with that site being a week late so annoying) they will be listed in an article on the show.JJadziaDaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06077574891115381311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77370449771034910142012-02-07T16:02:16.310-08:002012-02-07T16:02:16.310-08:00I've never understood why a star having his na...I've never understood why a star having his name at the end of the cast list with a word "and" "with" or "and / as" was such a coup for the actor / agent. It would seem to me that the further down on the list you are, the less of a "star" you are.<br /><br />Oh and to the discussion of credits at the front or end of the movie. The first movie I ever saw with credits at the end only was HEAD. I thought it was very effective.DwWashburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057278992504418291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60010189275693242542012-02-07T15:31:29.146-08:002012-02-07T15:31:29.146-08:00I've been reading credits since middle-school,...I've been reading credits since middle-school, and I'm not in the business. I read this blog because I saw Ken Levine's name on so many episodes of MASH and Cheers. I read Mark Rothman's blog because I saw his name on so many episodes of The Odd Couple and Happy Days. I've never understood how people could enjoy TV shows or movies without having some curiosity about who wrote them. Do they think, as Billy Wilder and Charlie Brackett by way of Williams Holden once put it, that the actors make up the words as they go along? At certain times of the day, even Nick at Night and TVLand now use shrunken credits (the picture's compressed to make room for a promo) As a kid I used to get a kick finding out that the same guy, Aaron Rueben, produced both The Andy Griffith Show and the VERY different Sanford and Son. It would be difficult now for some kid to notice such a connection (well, I suppose the kid COULD be out playing instead of sitting in front of the tube reading credits, but still...)Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89103290095412829992012-02-07T14:21:13.088-08:002012-02-07T14:21:13.088-08:00Since it is possible to lookup credits, why are th...Since it is possible to lookup credits, why are they even needed? Books get the author but that is about it. Paintings get the artist and that is it. Computer games may have a little something buried away. It is extremely rare to find credits anywhere else - so why the obsession?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62580076543970074392012-02-07T14:04:07.703-08:002012-02-07T14:04:07.703-08:00Rather than post illegible credits, why not simply...Rather than post illegible credits, why not simply post them online? Let's face it, other than friends and family, nobody is really all that interested in who the Second AD is. This notion of TV production pros somehow "deserving" on-screen credit escapes me. You don't put up a sign in front of your house listing the names of the construction crew, after all. It's an odd, ego-driven quirk of the entertainment industry.Dave Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3911382188175356542012-02-07T13:45:09.793-08:002012-02-07T13:45:09.793-08:00Here's a question for friday: I've never s...Here's a question for friday: I've never seen a hilarious pilot (I'm talking about how funny the jokes are). It seems even the great shows become really funny (as in episodes you remember for the rest of your life) midway through the first season (the earliest). Why do you think that is? I would think writers would do all they can to make the pilot as funny as possible, or is it more about characters and how relatable they are?Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6200261437617747452012-02-07T13:26:00.640-08:002012-02-07T13:26:00.640-08:00I remember an episode of Top Gear where the ending...I remember an episode of Top Gear where the ending theme was something they had remixed over the course of the show, and was a feature in itself.<br />On its *first* showing on TV, it got minimized and spoken over for the entire duration.<br />Unimpressed.Thomashttp://www.radicaldog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89842453532119966032012-02-07T13:04:56.246-08:002012-02-07T13:04:56.246-08:00read the end credits on movies like Airplane and t...read the end credits on movies like Airplane and the Naked Guns. HilariousRandynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52338661653417470412012-02-07T13:04:29.573-08:002012-02-07T13:04:29.573-08:00Tom: You're right about the BOEING BOEING ads....Tom: You're right about the BOEING BOEING ads. Even better, the opening credits of the film configure Curtis and Lewis' names as a circle that revolves around a plane engine so that no one's name stays on top.jbryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88090803944628046012012-02-07T11:58:21.018-08:002012-02-07T11:58:21.018-08:00As someone who has produced main titles, it's ...As someone who has produced main titles, it's entirely about the actor's agent and the negotiation with studio lawyers. Oh, and ego. <br /><br />Also, IMDb is not 100% accurate, keep that in mind when you visit the site.<br /><br /><i>the end credits for Titanic took I think 11 minutes to complete. </i><br /><br />They currently try to limit who gets credit with all the companies who do VFX for all those big budget movies.<br /><br /><i>but if they can't be read how can they be deemed to have fulfilled that obligation? </i><br /><br />If everyone is equal size and screen-time is an equal blink-and-you-miss-it amount of time, it fulfills the contract. Stupid, huh?<br /><br />Ken, on a personal note, you're more a written blog than photo-driven, but will we get some pix of Tasmania/ NZ? <br /><br />thanks, StevenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84596218710809971452012-02-07T11:58:00.537-08:002012-02-07T11:58:00.537-08:00I grew up loving the name "Thad Mumford."...I grew up loving the name "Thad Mumford." Did he do his completely awesome name justice?Heidinoreply@blogger.com