Credits Tropes

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The credits! The chance for everyone who contributed to a production to have their moment in the limelight! Some people pay attention to them, some people ignore them completely.

When it comes to the big stars, however, there seems to be strange math at work. The actors have stipulations, the studio has stipulations, the agents have stipulations, the stipulations have stipulations... trying to make sense of the order of names in the main cast can really bust your noodle.

Tropes that have to do with credits:

• Action-Hogging Opening: The opening sequence is more action-oriented than the actual show.
• As Himself: An actor literally plays themselves and is credited as doing so.
• And Starring: The opening gives one of the actors an "And Starring" credit.
• Animated Credits Opening: A live-action work has an animated opening sequence.
• Bait-and-Switch Credits: The opening/ending credits give the audience a false image of what the show is actually about.
• Billed Above the Title: The name of a work's creator (or a person who is prominently featured in it) is put above the title, to emphasize how important they are.
• Billing Displacement: More noteworthy actors are credited upfront even though they are not playing the main characters.
• Character as Himself: Rather than credit the actual actor playing the character, a character is credited as being played by themselves.
• Close on Title: The work ends with a shot of the logo.
• Closing Credits: A credits sequence that appears after the work has ended.
  • Creative Closing Credits: The opening/closing credits feature interesting imagery, to make them more engrossing to watch.
• Copiously Credited Creator: The creator of a work who worked on almost every aspect of it is extensively listed in the credits.
• Credits Gag: The credits contain something funny in them, or something happens to them to make them funny.
• Credits Jukebox: The opening/ending credits have a sizable number of theme songs (or variations of the theme song) attached to them.
• Credits Medley: The ending credits features a medley of songs from the work.
• Credits Montage: The ending credits include a montage of previous moments from the work.
• Credits Pushback: The end credits of a show are replaced by or shrunken to fit the network's advertisements for other shows.
• Credits Running Sequence: The opening/ending credits feature a shot of the characters running.
• Dancing Mook Credits: The end credits of a video game features animations of the game's enemies.
• Diagonal Billing: Two supporting actors, or two actors who are equally important, are billed together with their names arranged diagonally.
• Directed by Cast Member: The work is directed by one of the actors.
• Evolving Credits: The title sequence of a television series changes between episodes or seasons to reflect expansion of the cast and other significant changes to the story.
• False Credit: Someone is credited on a project they did not contribute to.
• Finale Credits: Rather than use the same old ending credits, the Grand Finale has its own unique closing credits.
• Framed Face Opening: The opening credits show the cast framed inside some sort of shape, to present them to the audience and make them more familar with the characters they play.
• In Memoriam: The credits feature a dedication to someone who died before the work was released.
• Mini-Game Credits: A video game's credits contain a minigame you can play within them.
• No Animals Were Harmed: A ubiquitous and oft-parodied disclaimer found towards the end of the closing credits.
• Not Named in Opening Credits: One of the cast members who plays a Walking Spoiler is not named in the opening credits, to keep it a secret.
• Opening Credits Cast Party: The opening credits show clips of the main cast goofing off and having fun.
• Posthumous Credit: The credits acknowledge the contributions of someone involved with the work's production who died before the work was released.
• Pre-Ending Credits: The credits are played before the climax takes place.
• Produced by Cast Member: A cast member who later becomes the producer for the show ends up being credited in the opening/ending credits.
• Real-Person Epilogue: The ending credits to a Biopic or a work that is Based on a True Story contain images/footage of the person/events it was based on.
• Silent Credits: The credits are not accompanied by music.
• Solemn Ending Theme: The normally upbeat theme song is played in a more somber mood during the credits to reflect the installment's darker tone.
• Special Thanks: Individuals who were not directly involved in the work's development (ie. family and friends) are dedicated near the end of the credits.
• The Stinger: A scene that follows the end credits.
• Thanking the Viewer: The credits feature a message thanking the viewer.
• Theme Tune: The music that plays during the opening/closing credits.
• Through-the-Years Credits: A long-running series uses footage from past seasons in the credits, mostly to show how far the series has come since then.
• Title Sequence: Plays before the show proper begins to show the audience the title of the work.
• Top Billing Argument: An argument about whose name should be mentioned first in the credits.
• Unique Pilot Title Sequence: The pilot uses a completely different title sequence than that which is used in the final product.
• Unspecified Role Credit: An animated work credits the voice actors but doesn't specify which characters they played.
• Variations on a Theme Song: The title sequence changes whenever the episode is special enough to demand a change of mood/setting.
• Video Credits: The opening/ending credits bill the actors next to short clips of the characters they perform. Most common in sitcoms.
• Viewers Like You: The credits contain a message thanking the viewers who helped support the work's development.
• Written by Cast Member: A cast member writes or co-writes the episode.