What sources need to be cited in the end credits of a documentary?

Answer 1

The end credits on a documentary are often determined by what kind of production it is, and the medium for which it's intended. At one end of the spectrum, if you're doing a 10 or 15-minute video for your local cable access channel and you did all the shooting and editing yourself, you may be able to get away with, "A film by John/Jane Doe." If the cable channel provided equipment or editing facilities, they may require some credit or acknowledgement for their support, and possibly the names of individuals who worked on it. A station where the employees are union members will have specific rules on who gets credited and how. An independent film for theatrical screening may not. The most common credits are: Executive Producer [usually somebody who signs checks], Producer [the one who pulls a project together], Director [the one who decides where the camera is pointed, and what shots are kept in], Writer [if there is one], Camera Operator or Director of Photography [who actually runs the camera], and Editor [responsible for final assembly of the film or video]. Others may include people who did audio, lighting, makeup, or production assistants, who may have helped carry and set up equipment, or fetched coffee. You also want to credit any person or organization that provided money for the projct, as well as archives or libraries that supplied film or video footage or photographs. Lastly, if the project uses music, you will need to credit the composers and possibly performers if you used original music; or the composers, original artists and their publishers if you use previously recorded material.