How to Make End Credits for Film and Video
On Film Riot’s production of Onset Experience, verifying credits for 145 crew members took almost two weeks — and that was before anyone touched the NLE.
The software part of making end credits is the easy part. The hard part is collecting accurate data, establishing the correct hierarchy, and surviving the inevitable last-minute changes when a producer’s name is spelled wrong. This guide covers both: the organizational workflow that professionals use on real productions, and the technical steps for building the crawl in the most common tools.
how to make end credits
The Five-Step Process for Professional End Credits
Making end credits is a production task that spans pre-production through post. Treating it as a last-minute edit-room job is how names get misspelled and contractual credits get missed.
Step 1: Build your credit bible
Start a credit bible at the beginning of production — a single document (usually a spreadsheet) that tracks every crew member’s name, title, and credit status. Cross-reference it against call sheets, deal memos, and union contracts throughout the shoot. By the time you reach post, you should have a verified, sorted list, not a pile of names to reconstruct from memory.
Step 2: Establish the credit hierarchy
End credits follow a specific order governed by guild agreements and industry convention. Above-the-line credits (director, writer, producers) appear first — typically on individual title cards before the crawl. Below-the-line credits run in the crawl, organized by department. See our complete film credits format and order guide for the full hierarchy.
Step 3: Choose your format
Decide between title cards (static, one name or group per screen) and a rolling crawl. Most feature films use both: individual cards for above-the-line, then a full crawl for department credits. Short films often run everything in a single crawl.
Step 4: Build and animate in your preferred tool
Once your data is verified and your hierarchy is set, you build the credits sequence in your editing or motion graphics software. This step is documented in detail below for the most common platforms.
Step 5: Verify against contracts and guild requirements
Before locking, check every name against the original deal memos. Confirm that guild-required credits (DGA, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE) appear in the correct position with the correct billing. A single missing credit can trigger a grievance.
what to include in end credits
The Complete Credit Data Checklist
What belongs in your end credits depends on the size of your production, whether you are signatory to any guilds, and any contractual obligations in your talent deals. The following table covers the standard sections for an independent feature.
| Section | Examples | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Above-the-line (cards) | Director, Writer(s), Producers, Executive Producers | Individual title cards |
| Cast | Lead and supporting actors, with role names | Two-column crawl |
| Production | Line Producer, UPM, Production Coordinator | Department grouping |
| Direction | 1st AD, 2nd AD, Script Supervisor | Department grouping |
| Camera | Director of Photography, Camera Operator, 1st AC, 2nd AC, DIT | Department grouping |
| Sound | Production Sound Mixer, Boom Operator | Department grouping |
| Art Department | Production Designer, Art Director, Set Decorator, Props Master | Department grouping |
| Wardrobe | Costume Designer, Key Costumer | Department grouping |
| Makeup/Hair | Key Makeup, Key Hair | Department grouping |
| Grip/Electric | Gaffer, Key Grip, Best Boy Grip, Best Boy Electric | Department grouping |
| Locations | Location Manager, Assistant Location Manager | Department grouping |
| Editing | Film Editor, Assistant Editor(s) | Department grouping |
| Music | Composer, Music Supervisor, songs with publisher info | Separate section |
| VFX | VFX Supervisor, VFX Artists | Department grouping |
| Post Production | Colorist, Online Editor, Post Sound | Department grouping |
| Legal/Financial | Completion Bond, Legal, Accounting | Back end of crawl |
| Stock footage | Archive sources, photo credits | As required |
| Special Thanks | Locations, supporters, consultants | Final section |
For music credits specifically, the requirements are more complex — read our guide on how to credit music in a film for publisher clearances and synchronization licensing requirements.
how to make rolling credits in premiere pro
Platform-by-Platform: Building the Crawl
The technical steps for animating a credit roll vary by platform. Below are the professional workflows for the most common tools.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Premiere Pro’s Essential Graphics panel handles credit rolls natively:
- Open the Essential Graphics panel (Window > Essential Graphics)
- Click New Layer > Text and type your credits
- Select all text (Cmd+A / Ctrl+A), center-align it, and use the Align and Transform tools to center on screen
- In the Responsive Design section of the panel, check Roll
- Enable Start Off Screen and End Off Screen
- Set a Pre-roll (typically 2–3 seconds of black before crawl begins) and Post-roll (black after credits end)
- Add Ease In and Ease Out values (3–5 seconds each) — this ramps speed gradually so credits don’t snap to a halt
- Control crawl speed by adjusting the clip length on the timeline: shorter clip = faster roll
To save your layout as a reusable template: right-click the graphic layer and select Export as Motion Graphics Template (.mogrt).
DaVinci Resolve / Fusion
In DaVinci Resolve, professionals often use the Fusion compositor for credits:
- Format your credits in a plain-text file using tab spacing to create the two-column layout (role on the left, name on the right)
- In Fusion, paste the text into a Text+ node and enable custom Tab Spacing to control column alignment
- Animate the vertical position with two keyframes: start below frame, end above frame
- The Transform node handles the crawl motion — adjust keyframe timing to control speed
This tab-delimited approach makes it easy to email the text file to producers for corrections without rebuilding the template.
After Effects
After Effects is the tool of choice for productions that need precise control over typography and motion:
- Create a new composition at your target output size (typically 1920×1080 or 4096×2160 for 4K)
- Add a text layer and input all credits
- Apply Position keyframes: one at the bottom of the frame (or below), one at the top (or above)
- Use Easy Ease on both keyframes (F9) and adjust the velocity graph to create a smooth, cinematic scroll
- For professional results: adjust letter tracking, leading, and font weight to match broadcast standards
After Effects also supports the Expressions approach, where a time * speed expression drives scroll position automatically — more flexible for long credit sequences.
iMovie and Consumer Tools
For short films and low-budget projects, iMovie, CapCut, and Canva handle basic rolling credits:
- iMovie: Add a title at the end of your timeline, select the Credits title type, and adjust duration
- CapCut: Use the text tool to create credits, add the Scroll animation under the animate menu
- Canva: Use a Video Credits template and customize the text directly
These tools are adequate for simple credit sequences but lack the formatting control and output quality needed for festival or broadcast delivery.
how to make film credits
Professional Standards: Typography, Timing, and Guild Rules
Making film credits that look professional requires matching the technical and typographic standards established by decades of feature film production.
Typography
The standard typeface for end credits is a serif font set in white on black. Helvetica Neue and its derivatives (Arial, Neue Haas Grotesk) are common for below-the-line crawls. Above-the-line cards often use a display serif that matches the film’s title treatment. For a deep dive into typeface selection, see our guide on the best fonts for film credits.
Minimum readable size for a 1080p delivery:
- Above-the-line role labels: 40–52pt
- Crawl text (role/name columns): 28–36pt
- Special acknowledgments: 22–28pt
Card duration
Above-the-line title cards should hold for a minimum of 3 seconds per card. The DGA requires the director’s card to be displayed for at least 3 seconds with no competing visual elements.
Crawl speed
The industry standard for reading comfort is approximately 3–4 words per second at normal reading pace. A feature film’s end crawl typically runs at 4–6 pixels per frame at 24fps — slow enough to read individual names, fast enough to keep pace with the music.
Guild requirements
If your production is signatory to guild agreements, certain credits are not optional:
- DGA: Director receives a single-card credit at the end of opening credits (if used) and/or at the start of end credits. Card must be on screen for a minimum duration.
- WGA: Written by / Screenplay by credit must appear in the size, position, and form specified in the MBA (Minimum Basic Agreement).
- SAG-AFTRA: Principal cast members who worked under a SAG-AFTRA contract must receive screen credit as specified in their individual contracts.
- IATSE: Some below-the-line categories (especially local labor) may have minimum credit requirements depending on the agreement under which they worked.
Non-union and student productions are not bound by these rules but following them results in credits that read as professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should end credits be?
For a short film (under 20 minutes), a 60–90 second credit roll is standard. A feature film with a full crew typically runs 4–8 minutes. Marvel and major studio productions with large VFX rosters can run 10–12 minutes.
What order do end credits go in?
End credits begin with above-the-line cards (director, writer, producers, cast), then move into the department-by-department crawl. Camera and sound departments typically appear early in the crawl; catering, transportation, and legal appear near the end. Full hierarchy is covered in our film credits format and order guide.
Do end credits need to be rolling, or can they be static?
Either format is acceptable depending on your distribution context. Rolling crawls are standard for feature films. Short films and broadcast segments often use static cards or a combination. Streaming platforms increasingly allow mixed formats. Verify requirements with your distributor or festival submission guidelines before locking your deliverable.
How do I make end credits for a short film?
A short film credit sequence typically covers: director, producer, writer (on a single above-the-line card or two cards), then a crawl covering cast and all crew departments. Keep it tight — a three-person crew does not need seven sections. Group by role (camera, sound, art) and include a Special Thanks if you received location or equipment support.
Start building your credits sequence with an end credits maker built specifically for film and video productions. Import your crew list, set the hierarchy, and render broadcast-quality output without rebuilding your template from scratch on every project. When you are ready to go further, EndCreditsPro is the film credits maker that supports guild-standard formatting and multi-format export for festivals, streaming, and broadcast delivery.