I love watching movie credits. I know I’m weird. But I’m not alone. I’m not the only one still sitting in the dark theatre while nearly everyone else hops up and files out. There are a few of you out there.

I apply my own form of movie analysis through watching the credits. When I see the same name over and over—top-billed actor, writer, director, executive or associate producer—I know that this person wasn’t just the star of the show. They created this baby. If you look, sometimes you’ll catch family members’ names in the crew. This tells me that the star wasn’t just committed to the project. They were passionate enough to rally the home troops. Good for them.

I enjoy seeing the soundtrack list at the end of the credits, too. I’m always impressed when I see the names of the stars in the “performed by” or “written by” credits. This tells me that they immersed themselves, stretched their talents even, to bring this role to life. They had a dream, and they made it happen.

I’m at a writers’ conference this weekend. I spent yesterday listening to some amazing people talk about their experiences. They offered advice. I listened. I took notes.

My favorite speaker has been author/ columnist/ critic/ radio personality Candace Havens. She quoted one of my favorite Trek characters as she talked about how to handle the dreams you might have. She simply said, “Make it so.” Love her.

Last night at dinner the key-note speaker was Jodi Thomas, the wildly successful author. She told us that whatever you want, that’s what you’ll get. It sounds simple, but the message touched deeply. What a person desires most—what they’re willing to pour their effort into, heart and soul—that’s where they will find reward. Wow!

To me, movie credits represent the dreams of those writers, directors, cast and crew members. They worked hard to get that film created. They did nothing else for months, and in some cases years, until their dream was fulfilled. And then, most likely, they began all over again with the next dream.

That’s a wrap for this Toast to Cinema. Thanks for reading.