Instrumental, Yet Still Under-Credited
By Ben Shiverdaker
By Ben Shiverdaker
Over break, I had a blast kicking back, eating some popcorn and soaking in the latest content that the box office has to offer. But after staying through tremendously long scrolling credits just to see an extra 30-second scene, I noticed that every name of every person in any department who worked on making these movies rolled past the screen, except for one group –– the musicians.
In fact, a majority of movies do the same thing. For example, the score for Disney’s “Frozen 2,” played a pivotal role in setting the mood for the film. But, gave none of the musicians’ names in the scrolling credits.
However, there are some slight exceptions to this. In “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,” an attempt is made by listing the London Symphony Orchestra, but this simply does not do the musicians justice. This is the only general grouping given in the credits, as each department is listed with the name of their team followed by each person on it.
This begs the question — why not the musicians? The level of precision required by each musician, individually, as well as in an orchestra matches, if not exceeds, the difficulty of the work of a cameraman or editor. Many executive producers choose to not honor the work of these tremendous musicians, sometimes instead finding other humorous credits to put in. Even Carlos Benavides gets his name in the credits for select Disney movies under the category, “Caffeination,” for just merely picking up the cast and crew any caffeinated beverage.
What truly makes a movie beautiful, horrific or heart-wrenching, isn’t just the smooth camera work and great acting — it’s the music. So why not give credit to each of the tremendously talented people who dedicate countless hours perfecting their technique and recording in the studio trying to get the perfect sound to make each and every cinema enjoyable and what they are envisioned to be.
In fact, a majority of movies do the same thing. For example, the score for Disney’s “Frozen 2,” played a pivotal role in setting the mood for the film. But, gave none of the musicians’ names in the scrolling credits.
However, there are some slight exceptions to this. In “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,” an attempt is made by listing the London Symphony Orchestra, but this simply does not do the musicians justice. This is the only general grouping given in the credits, as each department is listed with the name of their team followed by each person on it.
This begs the question — why not the musicians? The level of precision required by each musician, individually, as well as in an orchestra matches, if not exceeds, the difficulty of the work of a cameraman or editor. Many executive producers choose to not honor the work of these tremendous musicians, sometimes instead finding other humorous credits to put in. Even Carlos Benavides gets his name in the credits for select Disney movies under the category, “Caffeination,” for just merely picking up the cast and crew any caffeinated beverage.
What truly makes a movie beautiful, horrific or heart-wrenching, isn’t just the smooth camera work and great acting — it’s the music. So why not give credit to each of the tremendously talented people who dedicate countless hours perfecting their technique and recording in the studio trying to get the perfect sound to make each and every cinema enjoyable and what they are envisioned to be.