(Pic via alvinology.wordpress.com.)
LA Observed guest blogger Ellen Alperstein brings up a uniquely L.A. phenomenon: Unlike the rest of the country, much of L.A.'s movie audiences sit through the closing credits.
It's something I definitely noticed when I moved here. Elsewhere, people dash out the second the first name hits the screen. Here, people patiently wait for the scroll to end. Ellen writes:
In L.A., a movie isn't over at the fadeout; we want to see who was the best boy, who stood in for Julia Roberts and who got the catering gig. For Angelenos, the movie isn't over until the Dolby Sound System logo has appeared, and the house lights have come on.
I used to believe L.A. movie crowds watch the credits with as much interest as the story action because they want to see how many people they know making below-the-line appearances. To recognize names, to claim relationships, is a gauge of professional status in an industry town; it's a competition as much as a curiosity satisfier.
I'm sure that's true for some people, but I'm equally sure that's not the only reason people everywhere linger in the dark while the credits roll.
Take "Atonement," a film with a complicated story that packs a breathtaking emotional punch. Almost from the beginning, the audience is obliged to pay careful attention to the narrative only to be whipsawed into an acutely powerful parallel reality when what we hear, what we see, isn't really what happened, forcing us to experience both extremes of the human passion that informs each version.
I usually want to stay until the end in order to read the soundtrack info. There's usually a song whose title or artist I want to find out. The music credits aren't usually until toward the end.
Plus, these days -- particularly among comedies -- audiences who stay until the end are rewarded with some sort of bonus clip.
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