BBC squashing all credits still more

charming, aren't producers allowed any credit anymore

very soon we'll have credits like this

NEXT TONIGHT
ITV PHONE LINE SCAMS FROM HELL

CORONATION STREET
Ken-Willam Roache, Deirdre-Anne Kirkbride, Chesney-Sam Aston, Sophie-Brooke Vincent, Sally-Sally Whitaker, Rosie-Helen Flannigan, Ashley-Steve Arnold, Joshua-Benjamin Berisford, Liam-James Rob Collier, Paul-Liam Gallenger?, Michelle-Kim Ryder, Carla-Alison King

based on an idea by tony warren

ete etc

you get the drift

if you can read this you have bloody good eye sight

Let me guess..

a) Reduce credits length dramatically.

b) Do it US style and also do accelerated flow (aka no adverts before next programme)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Up5_dwbNDls
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5URdYPKaJJQ

or

c) Squeeze the living day out of them

or

d) Do the credits in the programme before it's finished.

That, I fear, is how things are going due to the ever-increasing powers of the TV marketing departments, when what ought to be happening is the marketing men be completely removed from the equation.

I'm not necessarily advocating credit squashing, ECPs or anything similar, but as more and more channels pop up, how else do channels promote upcoming shows? Marketing is essential, surely, in this day and age? Like it or not, we've come so far since the days of just three or four channels...

If they are so desperate to show trailers, I would prefer them to cut the programme length by 30 seconds and show the end credits in full, uninterrupted by VOs

But if the increased number of channels are so desperate for us to watch them, couldn't they at least adopt an approach which is more personal and less in-yer-face than current methodology? Cramming as many trails into each junction and at the same time flogging a particular promo to death might actually be turning people AWAY from programmes. As a case in point, I have taken the decision NOT to watch Maxwell tomorrow in response to its overpromotion. I only wish I had a BARB box so the fact could be registered!

As for ECPs, there's little point in going down this route again, but so hacked off are some viewers they, like me, have probably resorted to flicking over the moment the credits appear, ie. as soon as they hear the EastEnders drums.

An interesting point - what is the point of credits if they are squeezed so that you can't read them and they are talked over.

Maybe if the announcer, ECPs and OSNs left a programme alone until it had actually finished - it would be a trade off worth making for no credits?

I know that means that they have won but do we really want programme makers to lose badly?

We'd be better off with a fully clean programme with full credits available on a website (crucial for acknowledging work of freelancers). However I would like credits to remain if the programme makers specially requested it... but I doubt it would last long.


As for accelerated flow - no thanks!

Discovery Channel USA tried that years ago skipping the credits for a 5 second ID bumper and putting the credits on their website instead. They got a good moan from programme makers and then they re-instated the credits.

Channel 4 has the best system - when it does use video ECPs, instead of squashing the credit it crops them to the right width and moves that section to the left side of the safe area, freeing up the right side for the ECP and meaning the credits are still readable.

But what it also does is use next slugs over the credits, sometimes with no voiceover, which IMO is the best type of ECP.

Any suggestion as to what you'd prefer? Best will in the world, the channels are probably fully expecting a good proportion of viewers to start channel hopping the moment the credits begin. They need to do *something* to grab attention while they still can.



I thought the boxes registered what people DID watch, not what they chose not to! Nice idea, but say you did have a box, i doubt there's an option to register what you're NOT watching, let alone WHY not!

And, personally, I won't cut off my nose to spite my face. If I want to watch something, I'll watch it. Whether it's been over promoted, under promoted, I don't care. For me, the promotion or otherwise of a programme is only a small part of the whole thing.



SOME viewers, yes. Most I've ever come across (family, friends etc) really don't give two hoots. As long as their shows are still on at some time or another, they tend to be perfectly happy. A combination of trailers and EPG seems to work just fine.

I know their audience probably doesn't care, but don't some kids' channels stick the credits in a tiny irregular shaped box in the corner of the screen, so that even an eagle with wonderful eyesight sitting 1m from the screen couldn't even read them!