Who Gets The Credit?
Posted on August 26, 2011 by Early Jackson, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.
Understand that you will always acheive so much more with a team than by yourself. Team work makes the dream work!
Have you ever noticed the list of people at the end of a movie or TV show that runs up and down your screen? Probably not. Most of us don’t even realize what this means for the most part. Once we have been excited by the stars of the show, those countless others whose names we rarely recognize mean very little. But on a greater scale, we must understand that there would be no star, no show, and no memorable moment to captivate us without the cooperation of hundreds of people behind the scenes. If we are to be successful we must develop a healthy appreciation for those who support our efforts.
As I tried to gather more information about these faceless people who grace the rolling credits, I found out that as early as the 50’s the crew members, camera men etc had their names written in stencil and placed in front of the projector. At that time, their names were on the screen for several seconds to ensure the audience had time to read each name. But as times progressed so did the star’s egos. By 1984 the credits were minimized to provide more time for the episodes. And in 1994 NBC made the move to have the credits last less than a whole second. It turned into a quick ‘bleep’ and that was it. Back then it required less editing and other professionals to make a show. Today, there are anywhere between 65 to 90 people who should be mentioned for their work on a single thirty minute sitcom. Look at the ratio, 5 or 6 stars compared to 65 or 90 behind the scenes workers. Wow, that’s amazing.
I want to point out three simple principles about the credits that can change the way we relate, network and inspire one another:
(1) The credits roll at the end so you can see all the folks it took for you to enjoy it:
I think it is important to see the finished product then you know who to acknowledge for it. Those credits prove that being talented alone will not complete the job. It takes a collective effort of many.
(2) The credits are not listed in order of importance because they all are important:
From the boom operator to the editor, everyone is needed equally. We must never limit people’s credit to how important we feel they are. Just imagine life without their particular service.
(3) The credits prove there is greater power in community than individual stardom:
Forget what you’ve heard, even the stars know they would be nothing without their back stage support. Whatever you can do alone pales in comparison to what lies ahead of those who embrace the attitude of ‘WE’!
As you embark on your life’s journey, I hope you realize that it is going to take a lot more than your own talent to get you there; it will be the rolling credits that run after your big debut that tells the real story.
See you at the top!
Early
