Minutes of closing credits are still not long enough. Trade unions and contracts decide who gets on the list

In the early days of the development of the film industry, very few people's names could appear in the final subtitles. Even now, the number of places on the end of the film staff list is in short supply. Who is holding this power?

Editor's note: In the recently released "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" staff list, the tree man Groot appears from time to time, making it boring. Waiting for the egg time adds some color. Nowadays, more and more Hollywood movies have end eggs, and audiences have to patiently read through the long staff list. But in fact, in the early stages of the development of the film industry, very few people's names could appear in films. Even now, the number of places on the end of the film staff list is in short supply. Who is holding this power? Is being on the list really that important to film practitioners? The New York Times recently published an article titled "Waiting for the Credits to End? "Movies Are Naming More Names" analyzed this matter.

Now, every Hollywood blockbuster has a long staff list after it is screened. This list can take up five to ten minutes or more of movie time, and we often stay and read the list patiently so as not to miss the eggs that follow. In fact, most people simply don't understand what the people on these lists do. However, even so, there are still many people whose names cannot appear, and some people in the industry think the list is still not long enough.

In fact, this was not the case in the past. In the early 20th century, the earliest films did not have any personnel lists, only titles.

"But eventually, people start to know the stars they like." said Dave Kehr, curator of the film department at the Museum of Modern Art. Staff lists have grown longer over the past two decades, but not as numerous as they are now. They all appear at the beginning of the movie and usually include the actors and key technicians.

Mr. Kehr said: "In the 1960s, unions had more power and put more staff names on the screen. Having names on screen helps film practitioners gain visibility and make it easier to find jobs." As the production became more luxurious and complex, there were more and more crew members. But in the film era, studios had to pay attention to how long their lists played because each additional reel of film had an impact on the budget.

Now that movies are mainly released in digital form, this cost is no longer an issue. In the past ten years, the list has become super long. In the movie database IMDB.com, at least 50 films have more than 2000 actors and crew members. The 2013 movie "Iron Man 3" list includes more than 3700 names (and 24 special effects companies). You can also see the "uncertified" sign next to many names on IMDB, which means that some names don't appear on the screen. But no matter what, the broadcast time of this list is still 7 minutes.

Visual effects and computer graphics scientist Aaron Estrada had previously been unable to appear on the list of people at the end of the film. He has worked at Sony Pictures, DreamWorks and Rhythm & Hues Special Effects. He said that no matter how long the staff list is, there will always be some people who silently contribute behind it who cannot appear on it.

Who holds power?

Unions and contracts determine who can appear on the list at the beginning of the film. Individual performance contracts will negotiate this issue separately. Ann, a lawyer for Independent Pictures. Ann B. "In contracts, you often specify the size, style and duration of a name on the list," Clark) said. However, the list after the screening of the film is decided by the producers. "A list of all visual effects company staff is generally provided by the company, and then sometimes there is a negotiation," Ms. Clark said. "For example, if a producer receives 100 names from a visual effects company, they might say, no, you need to reduce it to 20 names." For example, Mr. Estrada works in lighting, rendering and compositing effects, as well as animation-related work. He worked two different jobs, but was told his name could only appear once.

Mr. Estrada said he didn't get a name on the list in "The Amazing Spider-Man" because he didn't work long enough. He explained: "I only took three or four shots and worked for a month and a half. This does not meet the internal criteria for listing." Mr. Estrada said that in most of his contracts,"it is clearly stated that names cannot be guaranteed to appear in films."

So, there is no clear stipulation in the contract, so how can staff members get the opportunity to be named on the list? "I think it depends in part on whether someone comes to pay for you, and also on your personal relationship with the person making the list," Ms. Clark said.

Editor: jessica