Guy Brighton's Wishful Thinking: SAT 27th MAR: DOV CHARNEY IN AMERICAN APPAREL

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SAT 27th MAR: DOV CHARNEY IN AMERICAN APPAREL

So I'm writing an article for my company on American Apparel and their great products and philosophy. I've been staring all week at their site, other blogs* talking about American Apparel and reading interviews with the brilliant if a bit crazy main man Dov Charney.

Dov Charney American Apparel

What would top the piece would be to get some feedback from their press office about the brand, I've been thinking. But who do I bump into in the Broadway AA store on Saturday afternoon but Dov!! I had to say hello. Man, I got nervous but we soon started speaking about my article and also about him setting up a new location in London.....

American Apparel Broadway Store Where The Event Happened

What a day! I'll post the article when I'm finished.

You should check out the site and also what other people have said about American Apparel clothing:

Wiretap
Cool Hunting
Sound Commons
The Broad Room
Kray Brown
Placeholder, coffee and clothing
Dynamic Driveller
Achewood
What Is The Message
Cool/Lame
Young & WithIt
Madame Insane
Grow Real
5500
Zero Boutique
Digs Magazine Forum
Hackneyed Central
Confessions of a girl in love
Vanessa Pam and Me
Solipsist
Hometown Unicorn
Tongues & Thumbs
Valloq.com
Up4
Secretly Ironic
Are Those My Panties On Your Face
Rupture
Urban Dryad
American Apparel Customer Feedback Page

March 27, 2004 in Diary | Permalink

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Dov Charney went to Tufts, I went to Tufts, 1971.

Here is another story:

Now let's just all stay in our seats
(...until the entire credits have rolled)

by Leinad Moolb
([email protected])

special to the Internet Herald

Webposted: August 1, 2004 and spydered globally

-----------------------------------------------

Paige Wiser is a newspaper columnist for the Chicago
Sun-Times in the Midwest, and as such, his articles
have a lot of influence nationwide since they also
appear on the Internet. So I'd like to ask him to
reconsider his feelings about movie credits, or at
least, give his readers some space to tell us their
feelings about STAYING TO WATCH THE MOVIE CREDITS AT
THE END OF A MOVIE.

In a recent column Mr Wiser confessed: "I'm always
fascinated by the people who stay in their seats after
a
movie to watch the credits. As the rest of us slink
out of the
theater, they impatiently peer around us, looking to
see who was on
second assistant camera, as if to say, "Perhaps you
saw 'Spider-Man 2'
for the pure escapist entertainment, but I am a
student of Sam Raimi."

In his humorous style, Wiser thinks he is making fun
of movie buffs or even people who enjoy the music and
quiet time during the credits sequence. But actually,
it is impolite and wrong to leave the theater before
the credits have screened completely. The credits are
part of the film, and those who paid for their tickets
have every right to ask for other patrons to stay
seated until all the credits roll. Among sophisticated
filmgoers, this is the norm. Among America's
philistines, and we are not accusing Mr Wiser of
being a philistine here -- after all, he is damn
good columnist and columnists must stick together,
even if they differ on how people should look at the
movie credits issue --but among America's movie
philistines, leaving the theater as soon as the film
is supposedly OVER is the norm. Hey, everyone, the
film is NOT over at that point. The credits sequenec
is PART of the movie experience. Don't run out, stay!

Wiser admits: "I don't stick around. I can never
remember if it's still socially
acceptable to leave a box of [candy] on the floor, so
I quickly
try to put as much distance between myself and the
evidence as I can.
And what's the big deal about movie credits, anyway?
It's just a bunch
of artsy types, congratulating themselves on doing
their jobs."

Again, the philistine in Mr Wiser gets carried away by
refering to people who like movies as movies, and not
as pure "I'm bored, let's do something" entertainment
segments in their lives, as ARTSY TYPES. See, whenever
you disagree with film buffs and movie lovers, who
merely ask that you stay in your seat and watch the
entire credits sequence, politely and with a sense of
wonder, just called these people ARTSY TYPES and the
argument is over.

People wonder what's wrong with American culture?
Paige Wiser is what's wrong with American culture,
although he is a good sport and a good egg and a very
kind man. HE JUST NEEDS TO RAISE HIS MOVIE CREDITS
CONCIOUSNESS, that's all.

Let's look at what some people, who know better than
Mr Wiser, have to say. These are normal, average,
every day people from all walks of life, not
opinionated, elite, VIP newspaper columnists who get
free tickets anyways to movies these days, so what do
they care about movie credits?

"So why do so many audience members linger, lurking in
the dark?" Mr. Wiser asked in his recent column making
fun of people who stay in their seats until all the
credits roll.

Recently, this Internet columnist, moi, asked people
around the universe what they felt about staying to
watch movie credits. I asked a simple question and
this is what they said in reply. Take that, Mr Wiser!

QUESTION: Simply put: do you and your friends always
stay and watch the movie credits at the end of a film,
all the way through, or do you bolt and run and why?

ANSWERS:

1. In Manhattan, people sit through them.
In L.A., people usually sit through them, either to
see if they know the best boy or the gaffer or
someone, or to give fellow patrons the impression that
they might.

2. I've never seen a movie in the Midwest, but I bet a
lot of people get up. If not, it's probably because
there was a surprise at the end of the credits to
''Wayne's World'' in 1990, so maybe there will be one
again.

3. Here in Portland, about 50% of the people get up,
but this is so predictable that if you are a
getter-upper, you don't usually sit in the middle of
the aisles. No one in Portland cares whether you know
the gaffer or the second second assistant director, or
even Gus Van Sant for that matter.

4. It's nice to start talking about the movie during
the credits, I find. And I often want to find out
about one song or another I might have heard in the
show and like to see the music credits which are
usually near the end of the roll.

5. In Los Angeles... about 2/3 leave and 1/3 stay till
the lighgts come up.
I stay, unless I desperately need to pee. The older I
get, the fewer credits I see to the end. Sigh.

6. I am sometimes the only person in a theater who
remained for the credits, and man, those ushers can
GLARE!

7. Credits gently guide me back to reality because
they are a part of the film, and I think it is
important to recieve all the work a director puts into
their art. Unless the movie was absolutely terrible,
I stick around until the lights come up.

8. like to sit through the credits so I can reflect
on the movie and absorb it. I only sort of half pay
attention to the names, most of them don't mean much
to anyone not in the movie business. However, for
example, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" has an
awesome/awful comedy bit after the credits. I still
can't get it out of my mind's eye weeks after seeing
it.

9. I live in the midwest, and I watch the credits,
always. But that's mostly because I married a film
buff who cares and remembers who did the film editing
or sound and whatnot on different films. I'm only
really interested if I liked the film a lot and the
"behind the scenes" stuff seemed especially critical
to the end result I enjoyed -- say, for example, the
color and cinematography of "The City of Lost
Children." Also, we're frequently either the only ones
or part of only a handful to stay. Don't know if this
reflects the rest of the Midwest, but I suspect so.
[NOTE: PAIGE WISER LIVES IN THE MIDWEST.]

10. I usually stay seated to digest the movie. But
some theaters turn the lights up at the start of
credits to speed-up turnover. This makes the screen
harder to see, like during Dawn of the Dead, which had
important plot stuff during the credits.

11. In Seattle, where I live, I do not sit through
movie credits unless I'm interested in them, or
perhaps if it's at a film festival and the people
involved are thus likely to be present. Everyone here
in Seattle seems to sit through them, no matter what,
and I have no idea why. Who, exactly, am I showing
courtesy to by staying there?

12. Why do I stay to watch the credits? I do and here
is why: The people... who worked on the movie. The
electricians, the carpenters, the foley artists
(ambient sounds, etc), the make-up, the food (craft)
service. The ones who don't make hundreds of thousands
of dollars, the ones who actually work 14-16 hours a
day without benefit of a comfy trailer to sit in
between shots. Occasionally, someone in the movie
industry attempts to get rid of the practice of
putting those people's names in the credits because of
the widespread feeling REPEATED BY PAIGE WISER IN THE
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES that "nobody sits through the
credits anyway." Considering the disparity between
their compensation and the "above the line" people
(actors, directors, producers, music,
cinematographer), it's criminal to suggest they
shouldn't even have their names publicly acknowledged
for their work. But, go figure, this is America!
Anyway, that's the biggest reason I try to stay till
the end. Plus, every once in a while, after a comedy
or animated feature, they have outtakes and extra
stuff. A nice big BONUS for being respectful!

13. There's always information in the credits that I
want to know after having watched the movie. (It
drives me crazy that I can't actually read the few
credits they do show on TV anymore, especially
cartoons, I'm always trying to read the voice castings
and the damn things go by so quickly, like at the
speed of light!)
Invariably there's something that's been in the film
(either good or really bad) that I want to ponder,
know more about and the credits give me info about it.
Plus, always the sociologist, I find it a good
reminder in this land that worships individuals, what
a collective, collaborative and social product a film
actually is. It's an hommage not just to the
individual people but the very social nature of the
endeavor I've just paid $10.50 to enjoy. (And, yes, I
actually do feel that way when I watch the credits and
it often gives me goosebumps -- or maybe that's just
the air conditioning or the very much too loud
manipulative music?)

14. In the past, credits ran at the beginning of the
film and were limited to title, stars and a few other
personnel. Now, the credits appear at the end and
include every person remotely connected with the film,
from stars to animal trainers and caterers. Why did
this credits-at-the-end format begin? Why are so many
people credited now?

15. Back in the day when the studios controlled
everything, there weren't many names listed in
credits. For that matter, there weren't many Oscars
handed out, either -- only a dozen or so. Like the
first Oscars, credits were quick and sparse and pretty
much stayed that way through the early 1930s. (I do
recall Fredric March's 1931 film Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde as one that repeated its major cast list at the
end of the movie.) Credits got a bigger bump in the
1940s and, especially, in the 1950s with the advent of
television. Lengthier credits seemed to give movies
more weight. So many names happen because various
guilds have urged on the practice. It even gets
written into job contracts. And a credit is an easy
way to soothe any hurt egos. Do we really need to know
the name of every single assistant -- and there are
always many -- assigned to Jerry Bruckheimer? No, we
don't. But ... their mothers sure do.

16. I always stay and watch. To me, not watching the
credits is like reading a book without glancing at and
reading the introduction, the acknowledgments, the
jacket copy, the cover page, the back cover page,
and.....the last page. A movie not just a movie from
narrative beginning to narrative ending. It also
creates a mood, and the credits sequence is part of
the mood, especially when the theme music or a totally
new song commissioned just for the credits come up.
EVERYONE should STAY PUT until the very end, lights
come up. PERIOD. IMHO. The credits help viewers come
down slowly from the "high" of being transported to a
magical universe called "THE MOVIES!"

17. My experience in Kansas City is that in the "art"
theaters, almost all the audience stays through all
the credits. In the first-run, mainstream theaters,
almost none of the audience stays. Go figure.

18. My policy is this: I stay if I want to know the
name of someone in the cast.
Or if movie was so transporting that I need to sit for
a while and let it settle. Of if I'm in the middle of
a row and the aisles will be crowded for a while
anyway. Or if the
end credits are worth watching as part of the movie.
Sometimes they really are, and sometimes not. Case by
case. Depends on the movie, and my mood.

19. My wife and I are always the last ones in the
theater. Partly because these days there's quite
often some easter egg at the very end for those who
stay (e.g. "mischief managed" at the end of the latest
Harry Potter), or some form of entertainment during
the credits (e.g. the sea creatures cavorting around
the text at the end of Finding Nemo), but also because
there's usually something interesting to us in the
text itself -- maybe some music, or obscure actor, or
something interesting about the location or effects.
Sometimes even some more interesting writing in there
at the very end.

20. My wife, a lawyer, ahem, but not an entertainment
lawyer, stays to the end to see the attorneys'
credits. Not that she knows any of those people, but
she likes to see them. Go figure.

Posted by: leinad moolb | Aug 1, 2004 1:10:42 PM

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