Re: Out-takes as credit roll

Wade T.Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Tue, 13 Apr 1999 13:19:35 -0400

Subject: Re: Out-takes as credit roll
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 13:19:35 -0400
From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>

>How did it enter Jackie Chan's mind and get him to replicate
>itself?

In the case of 'A Bug's Life' it's a way to make viewers stay for the
whole movie, supplies word-of-mouth distribution, enhances interest, and
allows the animation creators some high-falutin' fun....

It probably entered Chan's mind as a way to make the credits easily, save
film, and keeps production costs down, because he doesn't have to pay
much to an outside production company to make the end roll.... It is my
understanding that he makes films consistently under budget, and for a
lot less than 'comparable' competitors. Any way to cut costs (like making
yourself the star, the writer, the director, the producer, etc...) is a
bonus. I see no other motive here than economics, personally.

Because, in the case of 'A Bug's Life' it cost _more_ to make the
bloopers....

In the case of 'Being There' I understand it was a way to increase the
exposure of Peter Sellers, since it was well known it would be his last
movie.

As a 'meme'- the inclusion of bloopers in the credit roll is just another
cutesie gimmick, and variations of it have been done remarkably
consistently in TV production, especially in the work of Stephen J.
Cannell, also a notorious money miser....

So, IMHO, it's, well, a cheap trick, most of the time. Cheap tricks are
strong memes? Probably- look at the whole of usanian politics....

;-)

*******************************************
Wade T. Smith
morbius@channel1.com
wade_smith@harvard.edu
** http://www.channel1.com/users/morbius **

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