Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

TITLES AND SPECIAL EFFECTS 201
psychological flaws which could ruin (and have ruined) a pro-
gram?
Questions of taste enter into titling even as they do in the con-
tent of the show. "Corny" cliches and weak puns or maudlin senti-
ment are all poor showmanship. Not too long ago a major production
of Romeo and Juliet ended with a wreath and "The End" in
big letters in the middle. Even "RIP" could not have been much
more corny. Not many people liked it and some were openly
critical.
The third title is one which has not always been used as much
as it should but is likely to be seen more and more as television
grows. This is the credit title. It includes the names of the players,
and what is even more important sometimes, the names of the
technicians and artists who produced the show. Whenever the
name of the head of a department appears as taking a hand in a
production, it is usually technically excellent. After a while, dis-
criminating moviegoers
learn to look for screen credits in the
production list. This title is often on the screen longer than any
of the others because of the number of people who have to be
mentioned. It usually ends with the name of the director or producer.
But no matter how long it is, it is always in keeping with
the rest of the titles and the mood of the play.
The last title is one which is no longer used, normally the
subtitle. When talkies came in, this went out. Today we only
see it used for humor, or a necessary explanation when the plot is
complicated and usual editing devices fail to indicate the message
the producer wants to get across. It often consists of only one, or
perhaps two, words.
As far as literary effort is concerned in writing titles, there is
little scope for a second Milton or Shakespeare. The main title is
generally already determined, the credit title does not require
much composition, and "The End," or "Finis," with variations,
is common. Sometimes the opportunity for a punny, humorous,
or novel ending occurs, but generally it offers little in the way of
literary masterpiece construction. However, variety does offer it-