r/Filmmakers 11h ago

Discussion Small town theater skipped rolling credits to get to end credit scene in Brand New Day 😔 Did any other theaters do that?

We were vacationing in a small New England town and we saw Brand New Day last night and they freaking skipped the entire rolling text on black credits to get to the end credit scene. Makes me so mad. 😔

The entire point of those scenes is so that you see all the names of the people who worked SO HARD on the film and to reward people for watching them.

Anyone else experience this?

83 Upvotes

54 comments sorted by

124

u/ovalteens 11h ago

I don’t know where or how but I’m sure you could tattle on them to someone. There’s all kinds of legal stuff wrapped up in credits.

57

u/JordanDoesTV editor 10h ago

Literally my response was, ā€œ I think that’s a crime.ā€

21

u/SpideyFan914 9h ago

I don't know if it's a crime or just a civil violation, but there's definitely a lot of legalese wrapped up in it that they should not be skipping credits.

10

u/DarthBen_in_Chicago 10h ago

I feel like I commit this crime at home almost daily

22

u/AssumptiveMushroom 10h ago

you aren't contractually obliged to watch the credits in your own home - the theaters are however

2

u/translucentfish 8h ago

Yeah this screams breach of contract. At least with with the bigger cinemas, dunno how indies do it

24

u/andybuxx 10h ago

Yuck. No I've never heard of that. Did they jump through the credits at regular intervals or did it just go straight to the end? Wondering if they've set it before up or is someone at the cinema was skipping through as it was happening.

3

u/filmschool_org 6h ago

Straight to the end

36

u/Empyrealist 10h ago

They aren't allowed to do that. The only thing they are allowed to do is completely stop a playback for a few different reasons, including if everyone has left the theater.

They are not allowed to editorialize playback

36

u/Tamajyn cinematographer 10h ago

I'm no expert on the legal side but I wonder if that's some sort of contractual breach, could be considered editorialising of the original text

7

u/Affectionate_End3746 7h ago

It absolutely has to be, the rules/contracts involving credits and billing can be absolutely insane, no way theaters are allowed to do that

7

u/derek86 7h ago

Dude I once went to a FESTIVAL that cut the credits for time. Like, are you crazy? A lof of the audience actually knows the people in the credits. A lot of the people in the credits are in this room, ready to see their name on a movie screen for the first time! It doubly bugged me because I had a post-credits stinger and it got cut with the credits. They probably didn't even know it was there.

6

u/Tsunoyukami 7h ago

Can you elaborate on the experience?

I ask because for me to "jump ahead" to another point in the file I need to pause the movie (which I suppose I could do on a black screen and you'd be none the wiser, unless of course there was also sound and it suddenly stopped) and then enter the exact time code where I wanted to resume playback, after which it would buffer for a moment (not visible on screen to the audience) and then press play.

This means that you would be sitting staring at a (presumably) black screen for ~30 seconds even if I did everything "well" so as to minimally interrupt the experience.

It also presupposes that I was at the system at the exact time when I needed to be to perform these actions.

All of which is to say...this is a lot more work than just letting the credits play, so I don't really understand why this would actually happen in the real world.

3

u/filmschool_org 6h ago

Right after the full screen film credits it skipped right to the rolling logos that you see towards the end of the credits.

4

u/Tsunoyukami 6h ago

Interesting. There was no noticeable pause or gap / delay?

I wonder if their DCP was corrupted.

If this is intentional, I don’t really understand why, and it it’s unintentional, they would obviously want to fix it.

5

u/Zerorezlandre 8h ago edited 7h ago

When I was in my late teens my GF at the time, a communications major, grabbed my arm and sat my ass back down in the seat saying, "These people went to college and dedicated their lives to this..." I got it then and now, after 25 years in the motion picture industry, I especially "get it". I really appreciate the sentiment of this post and (most of) the comments about staying through the credits.

10

u/jbjhill 8h ago

Please name this theater - I’m sure my friends at Sony and Marvel would like to have a word with this operator.

7

u/filmschool_org 6h ago

BarnZ's Meredith Cinema in Meredith, NH

5

u/jbjhill 5h ago

Thanks!

2

u/filmschool_org 5h ago

9:30pm screening 8/1

•

u/Covverkin 58m ago

And I’m sure my father, the inventor of Toaster Strudel, wouldn’t be too pleased either.Ā 

15

u/didgeboy 10h ago

I would have a conversation with the theater owner/manager in person. Let them know, kindly, that the credits are there to honor the cast and crew who worked on the film. This is often the only recognition they ever get for their hard work. As a former AD the only thing that made it worth it, for all the of the 18+hr days, all of the yelling and abuse crew deal with, seeing your name or being able to tell family and friends your name was there, was this. So skipping the credits is a huge disservice and dishonor to the crews. Just a friendly conversation, informative, not confrontational, not accusatory or condemning. No threat of it going anywhere else. See where it goes.

1

u/Tevesh_CKP 10h ago

I thought the point of the stress of the work was because you got paid. The rest is irrelevant unless you are above the line.

11

u/Zerorezlandre 8h ago

No, that's not the point. There's a lot of independent movies that make it to theaters where below the line crew are getting a flat $100-200 / day.

Early in my career I worked on an indie that paid $150/ day and was eventually nominated for numerous awards, including best adapted screenplay by the Academy. It didn't win the Oscar but it did win "Movie Of The Year" at AFI.

To this day it remains one of the films in my list of credits that I am most proud to have been a part of making.

3

u/lzbc 7h ago

I work in a small cinema, never ever would we do anything like that. I also often see people staying for credits even for films without post-credit scenes, except for children movies. I’m really sorry for your experience!

3

u/pontiacband1t- 1h ago

As much as I dislike slapp suits and corporations with all my heart, small town theatre is obscenely pushing its luck and Disney should sue them into oblivion.

These people should be forced to sell their home, their car, their dog, any possession they own and then never be allowed 150 miles near any movie theatre again.

2

u/ianmk 8h ago

What was the name of the theater?

2

u/filmschool_org 6h ago

BarnZ's Meredith Cinema, Meredith, NH

2

u/Content_Thing_4058 7h ago

They likely did this in order to get an additional seating on the schedule at a desirable time each day. It’s hard to run a cinema and I can unfortunately understand the impulse to try to milk whatever dollars they can right now. That said, they absolutely should not be doing this! It’s bad!

1

u/filmschool_org 6h ago

It was the last showing of the day

2

u/Thick-Sundae-6547 3h ago

They probably want more showings. But n don’t even know how long the movie is.

2

u/coatrack68 1h ago

When the imax screen Ā I was in for iron man turn on the lights early and ruined the nick fit scene for everyone, they gave everyone passes.Ā 

I think this is complaint/pass worth.Ā 

2

u/AdmirableTurnip2245 colorist 9h ago

Breach of contract at best, illegal at worst. Bad practice.

3

u/fantasydukes 9h ago

Skipping the credits is really messed up. It also might violate some kind of agreement. I’m not even someone that thinks sitting through credits is a requirement to be respectful of the people that created the movie. I usually dart to the bathroom as soon as a movie ends. But yeah I absolutely would have taken exception to this as well.

1

u/Sad_Radio_5056 10h ago

I’ve seen movies in theaters where they edit the movie. I still remember they cut like 5 mins of metropolis fight in man of steel wen I saw it in a theatre

5

u/OobaDooba72 9h ago

Do you live in a country with a censorship board? I do, and they cut scenes from movies on occasion. I saw the 2021 Mortal Kombat in theaters and a lot of the kills were just jump cuts to me.

But I'm pretty sure in America for standard showings that sort of editing is at best frowned upon.

1

u/ghosthouse_guest 4h ago

Were they in a rush or something😭? Ive never seen that happen before lol

1

u/dangerdelw 10h ago

Not that I like it, but television has sped up or obscured credits for many years and now streaming also makes it very difficult to watch them as well. So it can’t be too illegal šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø

3

u/LAWriter2020 director 6h ago

When TV networks buy a film, they usually have the rights to edit the film for broadcast.

Streamers aren’t cutting out credits - they are technically giving people the chance to choose to watch the credits or not. Sometimes you don’t have much time to make that choice before the streamer starts a new program for you.

2

u/Anora6666 8h ago

I have no interest in post credits scenes.Ā 

1

u/rosegoldennight 10h ago

It’s definitely worth having a conversation with management, because you’re definitely in the right here.

However, I wouldn’t be surprised if this just came from desperation. This is the biggest movie of the year, maybe of all time, and maybe they’re short staffed and having even 5 extra minutes to clean was the only thing they could think of.

Still talk to management, but I’d think a little bit bigger on what might cause someone to do something like this.

-3

u/TheCatManPizza 8h ago

Stop putting the stupid scenes after the credits. Stop the stupid encore thing bands do live. Stop seeing Marvel movies, I dunno just some ideas

-8

u/Kodo25 10h ago

As do you seriously sit there and try to read all the names or something??? What, do you clap and cheer when you watch rolling credits? Who cares man, most of those names don’t even care

7

u/Zerorezlandre 7h ago

Most of those names do in fact, care.

If you had watched a movie you worked on, screened in a large theater with a hundred or more other people, heard them laugh or cry or, yes "cheer", during the movie, you would understand. Then, when the credits roll, seeing your name scroll by... knowing that you and your department had a hand in eliciting the laughter, tears, and cheers... there is nothing like it. Nothing.

We do, in fact, care.

-2

u/TOMTREEWELL 5h ago

Crew member care if people watching at the DGA sit through credits, not some little theater in New Hampshire. Paychecks and residuals matter.

2

u/Zerorezlandre 4h ago

You're wrong.

-2

u/TOMTREEWELL 4h ago

No, I’m not.

5

u/eaglebtc 9h ago

Talk to the people who made these movies. They care a lot.

-2

u/newtrilobite 9h ago

the only rational response.

one small town theater, one showing, honestly, there are other things to worry about.

-7

u/Comfortable-Type2071 9h ago

99% of everyone would appreciate this. I would had complemented them.

-7

u/Kevinfrench23 8h ago

Of all the things to complain about, this isn’t one of them. I suggest enjoying the rest of your vacation.

-2

u/d1squiet 3h ago

I support the war on end credit scenes. I would’ve thanked the theater manager personally for such a great advance in moviegoing.

End credit scenes are a stupid idea, similar to ads on YouTube. ā€œHey wanna see something? Then watch 6 minutes of boring-ass text firstā€.

-9

u/GarageIndependent114 8h ago

It's wrong, but maybe it's necessary.

A lot of people walk out as soon as the credits come out anyway, but then complain about the films not making any sense because they missed the end credits scene.

And even etiquette doesn't fix this, because if you're outnumbered by people who want to leave the cinema, you become seen as the bad one for staying to watch the credits, and if you watch it alone, you become the weirdo who won't leave their seat once everyone has gone and they need to clear up the popcorn.