Titles and Credits That Look Professional

Keep text on screen long enough. A good rule is to leave each title up for as long as it takes you to read it aloud twice. Then add a beat more. Viewers are watching a new film, and they need time.

Choose one readable font. Skip decorative fonts that look cool but are hard to read at a distance. Pick one clean typeface for the whole film. Big, plain letters work well on a projector.

Stay inside the safe area. Keep words away from the edges of the frame. Some screens crop the picture a little, and letters near the border can disappear.

Pick strong contrast. White letters on a dark background, or dark letters on a pale one, are easiest to read. If your picture is busy, add a soft shadow or place the text on a simple colour panel. Open with the title, not the cast list. Show the film's name early, and save the long list of names for the end.

Order the credits sensibly. A common approach is to start with the main cast, then list the key crew by their jobs, and then thank extra helpers. Ask each person how they would like their name written, and check the spelling twice.

Credit locations and music. Thank the people who let you film in their space, and list every song and sound source with its creator and licence details. Scroll or fade, not both. Choose one style and stay consistent.

Watch it on a big screen. Typos are easy to miss on a laptop and impossible to ignore on a cinema screen. Have a friend proofread the whole list aloud.