The end of movie credits at the start of a movie.
Posted by Soggy-Imagination236@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 36 comments
As the title suggests, after having a nostalgic movie night at home. It dawned on me that at some point, the credits moved from the start of a movie, to the end.
Great decision by someone, but I can't remember the exact timeframe that it happened?!
Just watched a movie from 1985, now watching a movie from 1992.
Both had the credits at the start.
Was there ever a movie you watched and thought it was weird that the credits were at the end?
I have no recollection of the trend shift.
anarkust@reddit
George Lucas quit the Directors Guild of America (DGA) over his refusal to place credits at the beginning of A New Hope. His argument was that credits would lessen the impact of the appearance of the Tantive IV being chased by Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator during the opening scene.
DoookieMaxx@reddit
They used to put previews for new movies at the end after the credits …it’s why they were called trailers for so long (and still are in some instances)
Scuba_Steve_500@reddit
The timing changed with The Birds or Psycho from what i have read. Hitchcock didnt want people walking in the theatre in the middle. As for credits, can you imagine sitting through the 10-11 minutes of credits on a Marvel movie BEFORE the movie starts?! I’d never watch another one. However, most movies still have some type of credits rolling over the opening sequence even if it’s just a gag (lookin at you Deadpool)
Soggy-Imagination236@reddit (OP)
Hitchcock was revolutionary in cinema. Made movies to be watched and enjoyed. Legend
Jordangander@reddit
The credits at the start were mostly to show top billing.
I think they stopped it because so many stars were demanding that they get to have their name first when you made a movie with a bunch of Hollywood must be named
montbkr@reddit
Not to mention the aggravation of 17 different production company and “in association withs” above-the-title cards. It sometimes seemed like you’ll never get to the actual movie.
Lobster70@reddit
Family Guy did a perfect bit about this. I think if it every time I watch a movie! https://youtu.be/EvpNdwh__Fc?si=wfC6oElnf7nzQjte
montbkr@reddit
That’s so good!
siryoda66@reddit
Similarly, the "Coming Attractions" used to be AFTER the movie, not before. That's why they are called movie "trailers."
TripMaster478@reddit
Interesting. That I do NOT remember at all.
tunaman808@reddit
It started in the 20s and lasted into the 50s. This was when even a single "movie" included previews, newsreels, cartoons and the like. You local cinema would splice the trailers at the end of the movie, hence "trailers".
If you're GenX, I'm surprised this is news to you. Unlike today, when movies are a timed event, it used to be that you'd show up at the cinema whenever. If you came in in the middle of a movie, you'd watch to the end, then watch the trailers, newsreels and cartoons. When the next screening of the movie came on, you'd watch to where you came in.
My grandma did that when I was a kid, and it drove me nuts. If we were going to a 7:15 movie, she'd insist on getting a "real dinner" before the movie. So we'd go to our local meat & three, or Ken's Pizza or the local Chinese place... and show up at the cinema somewhere between 7:45 and 8:15. We'd sit through the movie, then sit in the empty auditorium until the 9:30 showing started and watch until we to where we came in.
siryoda66@reddit
Apparently, the switch was decades ago. And, you can't go watch a movie and then some trailers afterwards without going back in time! But, you CAN watch old movies that have have the Credits at the beginning.
Specialist-Fan-1890@reddit
Star Wars. 1977.
InvestigatorJaded261@reddit
Yes. Lucas was punished by the director’s guild for refusing to put his own name at the start of the film.
supenguin@reddit
I think the full credits for the movie have always been at the end, but there used to be credits at the beginning with the main people from the movie (director, major stars, the soundtrack composer, etc)
I don't know an exact year they stopped doing any credits at the beginning, but I think it's sometime in the 90's.
My teenage kids have been enjoying 80's movies, especially light-hearted fun sci-fi like Short Circuit, Batteries Not Included, Flight of the Navigator, and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey.
tunaman808@reddit
No, all credits used to be at the beginning. Take Casablanca, for example. The credits are at the beginning. At the end Rick and Renault walk into the fog, the opening bars of "La Marseillaise" are played, "The End" comes up on the screen, then it fades to black. That's it.
Movies moved the credits partially thanks to TV. TV put the credits at the end of a show because they wanted to grab your attention immediately, not make you sit through 2 minutes of credits and bore you into changing the channel to something else.
Also, the number of people making movies generally and the number of people eligible for a screen credit exploded in the 1960s. Credits for most films made in the 30s and 40s took 20-30 seconds to show on the screen because they only had to credit the principals; credits for a movie like Oppenheimer take 8-10 minutes because every SFX and CGI worker gets a credit, along with every animal wrangler, personal assistant and catering company that worked on the film.
TheJokersChild@reddit
I always remembered a few credits at the start (stars, main crew, produced, directed) and then a full crawl/scroll at the end. Old movies, up until maybe the '60s, had everything up front.
Common_Scale5448@reddit
Y'know, what we now call previews and are also known as trailers used to come after the movie, hence the name "trailer". It must have been late 70s or 80s when they started showing them before the main feature. I remember staying to see the previews after the feature in the early 70s when I was very young.
Chibi-Skyler@reddit
Back in the late 70s, my mom would be watching Looney Tunes with me and would tell me that those used to be shown in the theaters before the movie, back in the 40's.
BlownCamaro@reddit
Up to the 70's even. I remember them.
abbot_x@reddit
Pixar shorts are part of this tradition as well, so you could say it lived on.
montbkr@reddit
They also used to have news reels that played before the movie.
Original_Rent7677@reddit
I read somewhere that the original Star Wars (1977) was the movie that changed this. George Lucas negotiated with the studio to have the credits at the end because he wanted to start the movie with the scrolling introduction he did in all the Star Wars movies.
Not sure if this is true but the article said he had to fight to get the credits changed from the beginning to the end of the movie. I wish I could remember where I read about it.
idrathern0tsay@reddit
He was very anti establishment in the early days and pissed off a lot of studios putting the credits at the end.
montbkr@reddit
I did not know that, but I love it.
Soggy-Imagination236@reddit (OP)
This is the answer , see other comments.
I had no idea until it was said!
How can that iconic opening happen if it had credits at the beginning!
It seems weird that the trend continued after they broke the rules. It's a much better decision to have them at the end.
crewsctrl@reddit
According to Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opening_credits
IamTheMan85@reddit
Weren't they in both places? Then the dropped the beginning in some films?
Not universal of course but more common now.
Available_Actuary977@reddit
I was litterally just thinking about this yesterday!
Credits started going at the end when movies became bigger and bigger productions. Too many people to fit at the beginning. And then union rules and such. And now everyone who touches a prop gets a credit. Names at the beginning now are to emphasize a big star or only for artistic reasons.
Soggy-Imagination236@reddit (OP)
Definitely! It makes sense, it's like a decision was made one day and it changed the entire industry. I just can't remember the timeline of it changing? Maybe late 90's??
tamsui_tosspot@reddit
I remember that by the 90s it was part of Woody Allen's directorial schtick to stick with the old practice. You were sitting there watching names appear on a dark screen to some old-timey music before the movie ever got underway. How hipster.
AuNaturellee@reddit
I think it was later than that that it became commonplace to omit opening credits. I hate giving that daughter-marrying narcissist any credit. It can't be as late as MCU movies starting with Iron Man (2008), can it?
OreoSpeedwaggon@reddit
The original "Star Wars" from 1977 was very groundbreaking in that regard. I think I remember reading that George Lucas had to fight for the contractual right to do that, and even paid a bunch of money in fines from the DGA and WGA in order to have all the credits at the end of the film.
Soggy-Imagination236@reddit (OP)
YES! So Star wars did the epic worded and beautifully soundtracked opening in that iconic scene and there was no credits!!
So that is where the trend started? When I was born?!? That's epic.
Obviously if fines and fighting the trend was frowned upon, I'm kind of glad that George Lucas made it happen.
It's a massive change that affected the whole industry.
On top of making Star Wars, George also fought the rules to make cinema better!!
OreoSpeedwaggon@reddit
I can't confidently say that it started with "Star Wars" because there were probably other lesser-known films that did it earlier. However, the fact that "Star Wars" was such a huge, mainstream blockbuster meant that the door had been opened to other movies of that scope to do the same. It just didn't start becoming widespread until the '90s.
RandomObserver13@reddit
Some movies did it before Lucas. Not sure why the DGA picked a bone with him over that, and it was specifically because he didn’t include the director, which was himself. But he kicked off the trend, and eventually more movies started doing it through the 80s to the point where it’s become common now. What used to be the opening titles are now added at the end before the traditional closing credits, which have grown massively (and it was common until the early 70s to have none).