Seeing Red Credits

[Buffy obsessed fan]

Okay, so Amber rocks, and I'm so glad she was put in the opening credits, even just once, but why was she only in for ONE episode, and in the episode, she was alive for all of about 5 minutes, to be honest I don't see the point, anyone have any views on this?

[Lyri]

i don't think there's ever been a definite answer on this, but the main rumor is that Amber and/or Joss wanted to thank the fans for accepting Tara so completely, so they did it by putting her in the main credits for her final ep. Amber was considered a main cast member since the fifth season, she wasn't in the credits for reasons only she and Joss know.

[Buffy obsessed fan]

Oooh, okay then, that clears things up slightly, thanks =]

[Senior Watcher]

that brings up a good question, is there something in the actors contracts that deal with being in the opening credits? what i mean is, if you are in the credits one week, and then not the next, eventhough you will be in both episodes, do you get paid less or more as a result?.....or is being in the opening credits just a cool perk to have?

[Joyce Summers]

I think in an interview Joss said that he put Amber in the opening credits for that one episode because he had always wanted to kill someone off who was in the main credits.
and as for pay opening credits wise, I presume that main cast stars get paid more than guest, even if they've previously been main or vice versa, but I do know that Opening Credits people get paid for every episode even if they do not appear in it while guest stars are paid per ep and 'Special Guest Stars' are paid more than the just 'guest stars'
Also, order of credits shows how much each is paid. I think it's first in credits is paid the most, followed by the person who has "and suchandsuchabody as 'character'"

I do not know *how* I know this information, I think I read it somewhere. Either way, the info is there...kinda like Season 5 Gunn, haha.

[Keanoite]

I think in an interview Joss said that he put Amber in the opening credits for that one episode because he had always wanted to kill someone off who was in the main credits.
and as for pay opening credits wise, I presume that main cast stars get paid more than guest, even if they've previously been main or vice versa, but I do know that Opening Credits people get paid for every episode even if they do not appear in it while guest stars are paid per ep and 'Special Guest Stars' are paid more than the just 'guest stars'
Also, order of credits shows how much each is paid. I think it's first in credits is paid the most, followed by the person who has "and suchandsuchabody as 'character'"

I do not know *how* I know this information, I think I read it somewhere. Either way, the info is there...kinda like Season 5 Gunn, haha.

Thats pretty much it, Joss said it in some interview that it was the network controlling the budget that kept Tara off the opening credits until the ep she died, she was essentially a full-time cast member in everything but name, which is really shitty I think.

[Buffy obsessed fan]

Ah, that makes a lot more sense :) Thanks :) :p

[Elithustra]

Pft. That's a totally pathetic reason to keep someone out of the main credits. At first I was like 'Joss, you fool!' but then I couldn't be mad at him.

I really wish that she'd been in at least a few more. I mean Angel was in them for a while! I can't recall if Spike was ever, or not, but that's beside the point! Tara ought to have been!

I dedicate post 60 (In Two Days...) to TARA!

[Jules]

I think in an interview Joss said that he put Amber in the opening credits for that one episode because he had always wanted to kill someone off who was in the main credits.

I thought it was something like that, especially after hearing Joss say that in Welcome to the Hellmouth he had wanted Jesse in the credits just so he could kill someone off who was supposed to be a main character.

[Rowan Hawthorn]

I remember reading back then that Amber was okay with not being in the credits because it left her open for other projects, also, but I don't know if I could find that now. I'll take a look whenever I have time and see if I can find a link.

[Elithustra]

Any luck with your search, Rowan?

[Rowan Hawthorn]

Actually, I haven't had time to look. I'll see if I can find it this evening (if I don't get busy and forget...)

[BepperGirl]

I can't recall if Spike was ever, or not, but that's beside the point!Spike was in the credits since sometime in season 4, maybe season 5.

It really is unfortunate that Amber was only in the credits for one ep.

Hope you find that info, Rowan.

[Lindsey McDonald]

I'm sure if Amber had wanted to be in the credits, or had asked to be, Joss would have let her. I think it was more to do with the creative mischeviousness of having Tara fans going "*SQUEE!!!* Tara's a main character! She'll be in more episodes now!" then killing her off. Especially after he never got to do it in WttH to the desired effect. I'm sure I read/heard in a commentary Joss saying something to this effect, but I don't know where it was. It could just be that I've seen it dotted across the web so many times though.

Edit:

Wooo... just realised how old a topic this is! I was going to karmafy Joyce, but she wouldn't have a clue what it meant. I was just going to say that the order thing was interesting. As of OMWF, the order of how much they were paid went: Sarah, Alyson, Nick, Emma, Michelle, then James. I thought James would have been higher myself.

[Lyri]

The order in which they appear on screen doesn't always relate to how much an actor is paid. The cast of 'Friends' were listed in alphabetical order, for example.

[Rowan Hawthorn]

Since the topic has been revived, I'll mention that I did a cursory search and didn't find what I was looking for and then promptly forgot about it. :dork: I know I read that somewhere, but 'ellify know where...