[Dixielandjazz] Musicians credits in movies

[Musicmemry at aol.com]

There are two basic reasons that musicians are not generally credited in  
films. The main reason is that in most cases the musicians on the  soundtrack 
are employed for a very few days; contrast this with  writers / actors / 
directors / film technicians etc. who are attached to the  production for 
weeks or months.
This does not apply to musicians who appear on camera or who are heavily  
featured throughout the film; they usually do receive credit. Directors  such 
as Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen often credit the musicians. 
In more common instances, when a symphonic orchestra or large big band  
record a score, the studio musicians used may differ from day to day, making  
crediting even more complicated.
The second reason, and the real bottom line in this issue, is that the AFM  
(musician's union) has yet to demand that all musicians performing on a 
film  soundtrack receive credit. I have not been part of those particular  
negotiations, but it is likely that the AFM does trade screen credit for better  
pay and benefits; while it's certainly nice to be recognized, I don't think 
 most of the musicians who rely on this type of work for a living have a 
big  problem with it.
As a movie goer, I would love to see all the musicians listed! The concept  
of listing every single person who did anything on a film and then not  
recognizing the players does seem odd. 
Randy Morris