Not many moviegoers sit through the credits. On TV and streaming services, they whiz past our eyes and get popped into a small box in the corner of the screen in the service of autoplay.

But Destin Daniel Cretton is determined to make up for it. In the lead-up to the release of his new feature, Just Mercy, on December 25, Cretton turned his Instagram over to his film’s crew. From script supervisor to hairstylist, first assistant director to second assistant camerawoman, Cretton has been posting an Instagram photo with a short interview every few days—heartfelt tributes that are also a miniature film education in just how many people it takes to make a movie.

“My films would not exist as they do without the help of every one of these people,” said Cretton over the phone from the set of his newest and biggest (in terms of budget, scope, and crew) film, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. “Despite how big or small it seems their role is, everybody is a contributor. It’s a very unique art form that can be immensely influenced by not only the director or the cinematographer or the actors, but also the caterer or the intern. Everybody plays a role with what ends up being up on the screen. And I think everybody is equally as important.”

Some directors will tag their top-line crew in social media posts surrounding the release of a project, and many will give sincere thanks to “the crew.” But Cretton started going the extra mile on his last film, The Glass Castle, and has made the social media tributes a more formal process this time around.

“I think audiences forget the amount of real people that it takes to make a movie,” said Cretton, who used to teach high school and likes to keep in touch with those students who often ask him what really goes into filmmaking. “I think it’s so easy for people to watch a movie and sit in a theater for two hours and not think twice about it when they leave, regardless of what they thought of the movie. I think it’s nice to remember the amount of real people that poured themselves into it.”

The interviews are also a chance for Cretton to hear how the crew members got into the business, something he’s genuinely curious about: “Everybody’s story usually roots back to something kind of childlike and very rooted and creativity.”