Billing (film)

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Billing is a film term denoting the amount and order in which film credits information is presented in advertising and on the film itself. Information given in billing usually consists of the actors appearing in the movie, the directors, producers, the companies producing and distributing the movie (by name and/or logo), and artistic and technical crew. The title of the movie is also considered to be part of the billing.

Historically, on-screen billing was presented at the beginning of a film, with only a restatement of the cast, with perhaps a few additional players, at the end. Since the early 1970s, however, at least some significant amount of the billing has been reserved to follow the end of the film (generally also including a recap of the billing shown at the beginning); and by the 1990s, some films had moved all billing except company logos and the title to the film's end. Although popularised by the Star Wars series (see below) and used sporadically in films such as The Godfather and Ghostbusters, this 'title-only' billing became an established form for summer blockbusters with the release of Lethal Weapon 2 in 1989. This has led to an occasional practice of even leaving the title to the end, e.g., The Mummy Returns (2001), The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto.

1 Main billing
2 Competitive top billing
3 Filmmaker billing
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Main billing

Generally speaking, the order in which credits are billed signify their importance to the film. For example, the first is usually the motion picture company, followed by the producer (as in "A Jerry Bruckheimer Production"). Next, depending on his/her standing, the director may be granted a second, more prominent credit (as in "A Ridley Scott Film"), generally then followed by the major starring actors, the title of the movie and the rest of the principal cast.

The following production credits usually form part of the main billing:

If their contribution is deemed significant, other personnel (such as Visual effects supervisor) may also be included. These are then followed by the other producers, the screenwriter(s) and again the director (as in "Directed by..."). The order in which the latter are billed is usually directly related to an individual's status in the film industry or role in the film. If the main credits occur at the beginning, then the director's name is last to be shown before the film's narrative starts. However, if all the billing happens at the end, then his/her name will be displayed first, immediately followed by the writing credits.

Some directors are so highly regarded that they even receive what seems to be a producer's credit, even if they did not produce the film. Victor Fleming was one such director: his films always featured the credit "A Victor Fleming Production", even when someone else produced the film. James Whale was similarly credited.

The actors whose names appear first are said to have "top billing". They usually play the principal characters in the film and have the most screen time. However, well-known actors may be given top billing for publicity purposes if juvenile, lesser-known, or first-time performers appear in a larger role: e.g., Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman were both credited above Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978), despite Reeve playing the main character. Frequently, top-billed actors are also named in advertising material such as trailers, posters, billboards and TV spots. Having a particular star at top billing can often draw audiences to see a movie regardless of any other aspect of it.

Also, an actor may also receive "last billing", which usually designates a smaller role played by a famous name. They are usually credited after the rest of the lead cast, prefixed with "and". In some cases, the name is followed by "as" plus the name of the character. This is obviously not the case if that character is unseen for most of the movie (see Ernst Stavro Blofeld).

The two or three top-billed actors in a movie will usually be announced prior to the title of the movie: this is referred to as "above-title billing". For an actor to receive it, he/she will generally have to be well-established, with box-office drawing power. Those introduced afterwards are generally considered to be the supporting cast, not the actual "stars" of the movie.

Actors that may have higher status in the industry won't always get top billing: if they only played a bit-part then it would go to the person whose character was the main focus of the movie. Some major actors may have a cameo, where they are only noted within the other cast during the end credits. Sometimes top billing will be given based on a person's level of fame. For example, besides his brief appearance in Superman, Marlon Brando received top billing in both The Godfather and Apocalypse Now: his role in the latter could also be considered an extended cameo.

If an actor is making his screen debut, and has an important but supporting role, he may be listed last in the list of principal supporting actors, his name prefixed with "and introducing" (as Peter O'Toole was in Lawrence of Arabia). Sometimes, he may not receive special billing even if his role is crucial. For example, William Warfield, who played Joe and sang "Ol' Man River" in the 1951 film version of Show Boat, received tenth billing as if he were merely a bit player, while Paul Robeson, an established star who played the same role in the 1936 film version of the musical, received fourth billing in the 1936 film.

If more than one name appears at the same time or of a similar size, then those actors have "equal billing", with their importance decreasing from left to right. If a film has an ensemble cast with no clear lead role, it is traditional to bill the participants alphabetically or in the order of their on-screen appearance. An example of the former is A Bridge Too Far (1977), which featured 14 roles played by established stars, any one of whom would have ordinarily received top billing as an individual. The cast of the Harry Potter films includes many recognised stars who are billed alphabetically, but after the three principals.

If an actor is not an established star, he or she may not receive above-the-title billing, or even "star" billing; they may just be listed at the head of the cast. This is the way that Judy Garland was billed in the opening credits to The Wizard of Oz. F. Murray Abraham was billed in a similar fashion in Amadeus, which did not even say "starring" after the title, but rather "with F. Murray Abraham".

[edit] Competitive top billing

Sometimes actors can become highly competitive over the order of billing. For example:

In the film Ocean's Twelve, Catherine Zeta-Jones received billing over Julia Roberts, which reportedly led to a feud between the pair.^{[citation needed]}
In The Bonfire of the Vanities, award-winning F. Murray Abraham asked for above-title billing. This was rejected as too many other stars were getting it (Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith). Thus, Abraham asked for his name to be completely removed, even from the credits.
Gary Oldman requested his name be completely removed from the billing and credits of Hannibal, though Nathan Murray is still credited as "Mr. Oldman's assistant".
In the film Miami Vice, Colin Farrell originally received top billing. However, after Jamie Foxx won an Academy Award he requested top billing and received it. Foxx's name appears first in the opening credits, while Farrell still receives top billing in the closing credits.

[edit] Filmmaker billing

In 1980, George Lucas resigned from the Directors Guild of America after it insisted, against his wishes, that Irvin Kershner, the director of The Empire Strikes Back, was credited at the beginning of the film. (This was after it had allowed the original Star Wars, which had a similar opening sequence, to go unchallenged.) Since he got his way, he has been generally viewed as being responsible for popularising the "title only" style.