Screen Credits Guidelines Long Form & Episodic Credits Guidelines March 2019
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Screen Credits Guidelines Long Form & Episodic Credits Guidelines March 2019 1 | Page - Viacom Screen Credits Guidelines Contents Starting Screen Credits ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 Opening Titles ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Title Card ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Series Regulars ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Producers ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Guest Stars .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Casting Director .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Casting Associate ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 Director or Photography, Production Designer and Editor............................................................................................... 5 Director of Photography .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Production Designer/Art Director ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Edited by ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Editor Shared Screen Credit Waiver .............................................................................................................................. 6 Created by/Developed by .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Written by ........................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Directed by ......................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Requesting A Waiver from the DGA for Combined Credit ............................................................................................ 7 Requesting A Waiver from the DGA for Resized “Directed by” Credit ......................................................................... 7 End Titles ................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Source Material .................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Co-Producer ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Associate Producer ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Co-Starring .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Staff Writers and Other WGA Screen Credits .................................................................................................................... 9 Unit Production Manager (UPM), First and Second Assistant Directors ........................................................................ 10 DGA Credits/Residual Determination (CRD) ............................................................................................................... 10 Hair and Make-Up ............................................................................................................................................................ 10 Re-Recording Mixer .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 IATSE and Teamster Logos ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Copyright .......................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Role Spelling/Punctuation ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Credits Approval ................................................................................................................................................................... 11 2 | Page - Viacom Screen Credits Guidelines Starting Screen Credits The final credits of every episode must appear on screen as they appear on paper, which is to say they must be in the same placement, spelling, timings of credits, etc. Any deviation would expose the company to grievances from the guilds or talent and costs attributed to correcting the errors after an episode of the series has been delivered. There are the four types of locations where screen credits can appear: • Main Titles Sequence - The main title is the music (or theme song) that is heard at the beginning of a show that plays while the opening credits are rolling over a fixed set of sequences. The credits can either be just the show’s title, or include the “Created by” or “Developed by,” the series regulars and in some instances, the writer and director of an episode (this was common during the 1960s and 1970s). The main titles don’t change during the run of a show. • Opening Titles Sequence – Credits placed over action at the top of the show. • Cold Open - A cold open (also called a teaser, or just a cold) is a narrative tactic. It is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. • End Titles Sequence – Credits placed after the conclusion of a show. Opening Titles Title Card A card with the show’s name must be placed where the show title will appear on the credits template. This will assist in being sure it’s in a good placement in relation to the other screen credits and that union requirements are met. Series Regulars Series regulars should be credited in the order that their personal services agreements dictate. For example: An artist may be promised first position among series regulars, where another may be guaranteed second positon, etc. There may also be other series regulars who should be placed on a shared card with other series regulars. If positions aren’t guaranteed, placement is at producer’s discretion. Producers Although credit placements are per the guilds, be sure to check an artist’s personal services agreement to determine where they should be placed within the credits. For example: A producer should be credited as “Co-Executive Producer” during the first cycle of a show, and placed in first position among all Co-Executive Producers. Guest Stars Guests stars have the option of being placed in either the opening or end titles. When crediting guest stars, be sure they are placed together and not separated by other credits that aren’t guest stars. The first card of the guest stars in the opening titles must include “Guest Starring” at the top of the card. If there are remaining guest stars after the first card, whether they are single or shared cards, it isn’t necessary to have “Guest Starring” listed on those cards. 3 | Page - Viacom Screen Credits Guidelines Guest Starring ACTOR’S NAME (character name) ACTOR’S NAME (character name) ACTOR’S NAME ACTOR’S NAME (character name; character name) with ACTOR’S NAME (character name) and ACTOR’S NAME (character name) “with” and “and” – When an actor’s credit has been guaranteed to include the word “with” or “and” as a guest star, it isn’t necessary to include the words “Guest Starring” in the credit (i.e. “with Guest Star” or “and Guest Starring”). The words “with” and “and” should be in lower case. Please Note: there are no timing restrictions for cast credits in the opening titles, but they should be easily readable on screen. If guest stars are placed in the end titles, the same rule applies, but their character names should be included on screen. Also, be sure to place no more than six names on a card and include the timing on screen based on the number of actors listed. Guest Starring ACTOR’S NAME as Character Name ACTOR’S NAME as Character Name ACTOR’S NAME as Character Name ACTOR’S NAME