My Mom was a Calligrapher, so I’ve always been drawn to fonts/typography/etc. While in Miami and LA, I worked a few years as an Executive Administrative Assistant. I understand the importance of clear, concise communication. End Credits creation is a natural extension of all that.
I started studying how to create them while living/working/surviving in LA. I think of it like housekeeping; not very sexy, but it has got to be done.
Kentucky Entertainment Incentive
This is one more service I can provide for when Film/TV projects shoot in KY. Producers will be able to get a portion of that money back thru the state Film Incentives program. KY has one of the highest film incentives program in the country; 30-35% depending on where they shoot. Here is a link to some older examples. I will be updating with more recent work as soon as possible.
Inflatable Screen & Projector
A couple of months ago, I bought a huge inflatable screen (16 feet wide x 9 feet height) and projector. Amazon had a crazy 1 Day Only Sale where they were half off. If Production hires me at start of the shoot, I can work on the End Credits and project them onto it at the Wrap Party. That is always a huge morale booster!
History
Opening Titles appear at the beginning of a work. Closing credits appear close to, or at the very end of a work. A full set of credits can include the cast and crew, but also production sponsors, distribution companies, works of music licensed or written for the work, various legal disclaimers, such as copyright and more.
Typically, the closing credits appear in white lettering on a solid black background, often with a musical background. Credits are either a series of static frames, a single list that scrolls from the bottom of the screen to the top. Occasionally closing credits will divert from this standard form to scroll in another direction, include illustrations, extra scenes, bloopers, joke credits, or post-credits scenes.
The use of closing credits in film to list complete production crew and the cast was not firmly established in American film until the late 1960s and early 1970s. Films generally had opening credits only, which consisted of just major cast and crew, although sometimes the names of the cast and the characters they played would be shown at the end. Two of the first major films to contain extensive closing credits – but almost no opening credits – were the blockbusters Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and West Side Story (1961). West Side Story showed only the title at the beginning of the film, and Around the World in 80 Days had no opening credits at all.
How Created
For the first Opening Titles, they would hand letter the text onto a clear piece of acetate (or white text onto large pieces of paper/cardstock) and hold it in front of the camera. For the End Credits scroll, the text was originally hand lettered onto long rolls of clear acetate and hand cranked in front of the camera. In the 1960s Letraset letters were pasted onto the rolls. By 1990s, computer software was used to create the text.
Billing
Above the Line (Director, Producer, Stars, etc.) people often want a Single Card with their name on it. This refers to when their name would be the only name on the Card that is held up in front of the camera. This is also regulated by their union contract.