Downloadable Film Commentaries Becoming Popular? 101
FilmFan writes "Now that Kevin Smith is offering a downloadable commentary for Clerks 2, will other Directors follow in his footsteps? Some studios think so and are already offering similar content for shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Dr. Who, and Star Trek: Enterprise. Other websites offer fan-created content and even offer a free DVD player capable of playing these downloaded commentaries in sync with a DVD."
Re:Why? (Score:2)
Re:Why? (Score:1)
It really works well for some films (Score:4, Insightful)
You watch the film once and you interpret it in your own way. Then you can watch it again (and since you've already seen it, the voiceovers don't ruin anything) and you learn why certain scenes were included, why they contributed to the plot, why the actors were directed in a certain manner, etc. I think it's a cool feature. I'm not so sure about downloading a commentary, but having it on the DVD is a "value added" service that makes it worth owning, IMO...
Re:It really works well for some films (Score:2)
The only thing that's missing is the outtakes and gag reels. There must be at least a DVD's worth - how 'bout it, Pete?
The extended editions were well worth the cost. (Score:2)
Maybe it's just because I'm such a LOTR freak.
Are there any other films that have such a depth of commentaries? I know I would LOVE to see a treatment of One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest...except it's far too late for the commentaries to be anything but Simpson Commentary-esque.
I suppose the money
Re:It really works well for some films (Score:2)
Agreed. (Score:1, Redundant)
Oh, can't wait. (Score:5, Funny)
"We really liked the way the "spreading the goo" scene... uh... brought out the... um..."
"Characters?"
"Yeah! The characters, and their, um... personalities."
"Yeah. It really heightened the dramatic..."
"Drama."
"Or something."
Re:Oh, can't wait. (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Oh, can't wait. (Score:5, Funny)
Director 1 : (snoring)
Director 2 : (snoring)
Recording Tech: Are you guys going to do some commentary, or just sleep out the rest of the episode?
D1: *wakes up* What?
D2: *wakes up" Where am I?
RT: You're recording comentary for "Enterprise", Season 4, Episode 11, titled "Observer Effect"
D2: Hey, are like one of those super-nerd fans that has every episode memorized?
RT: No. I've got it written on a fucking sticky-note so that there's at least a chance it will end up attached to the right episode on the DVD. No one - and I mean no one - has your show memorized.
D2: (Dejected) Oh
D1: Wait, so what was happening before we nodded off?
RT: Well, we got through the opening credits okay.
D1: Excellent.
RT: Then 3 minutes into act 1 you both got bored and wandered out to the parking lot and played hacky-sack for a while. Then you came back in here and slept for 20 minutes.
D1: Hmmm.
RT: I kept the audio track rolling the whole time.
D2: Really? Why?
RT: Frankly, the snoring was the most interesting thing I've heard come out of either of you.
D1: Can I have you fired?
RT: No. I don't work for you. And besides, I'm in The Union. I could piss in your coffee and all my boss could do is come in here and give me a stern look.
D1: Odd that he's standing right next to you, giving you a stern look right now...
D2: (distant slurp) Hey, does this coffee taste funny to anyone else?
RT: Okay guys, we've got 3 minutes left in this episode. Either of you want to share any of your "razor wit" before we put this one in the can?
D1: Yeah I got something to add.
(Clears throat)
At this point in the show I had the writing process nailed down to a science. It used to be that writers for Star Trek would use a little placeholder word, "tech," which would be filled in with other words, like "anomaly" or "photon torpedo", by the production staff.
I went one step further. I fired all the writers and replaced them chimps. Chimps chained to typewriters. And those typewriters, had just two keys - "dialog" and "tech".
And those chimps produced page after page of glorious manuscripts. They were like two-note symphonies of "dialog" and "tech". And those chimps did all of this for me out respect for my talent as a director. And fear of getting hit with a cattle prod. But mostly respect. And fear.
So I would take these manuscripts and I'd have them sent off to some third-world country where 8 year old children, who spoke not a word of English, would slave away 20 hours a day in squalid and dangerous conditions to replace those "dialog" and "tech" placeholders with the dialog you hear in the show.
D2: And the quality of that process really shows in the finished product.
RT: Why, exactly are child labor and "squalid and dangerous" conditions necessary for this?
D1: You have to suffer to produce great art!
(contemplates)
Anyway, someone has to suffer for my art.
RT: Well, we are all suffering because of your art.
D1: Yes, well. The streamlining of this process really helped me manage my time. I'm a very busy man.
D2: Why don't you tell us all what keeps you so busy.
D1: Ah yes. You see, I'm destroying science fiction. I buy the original master prints of classic science fiction films, and then I burn them.
D2: You burn them?
D1: Yes. Sometimes I shit on them first. But mostly I just burn them.
In fact, while filming this episode I spent most of my time on the Paramount backlot burning the last master copy of "2001: A Space Odyssey".
Actually, I didn't burn the whole copy, though. The makeup for the alien in this episode is made from little fragments of the famous "Starchild" scene. It gives the eyebrow ridges a
Re:Oh, can't wait. (Score:1)
Re:Oh, can't wait. (Score:3, Funny)
In any case, its pretty fuckin funny
Re:Oh, can't wait. (Score:2)
You nearly owed me a new laptop, sir.
Bravo.
Re:Oh, can't wait. (Score:2)
Scrubs did this too (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Scrubs did this too (Score:2)
Re:Scrubs did this too (Score:2)
But I never heard of the Scrubs commentaries before, thanks for the link!
iPod + Movie (Score:3, Interesting)
More seriously (and less grumpily) though, it's definitely a neat way for fans who really enjoyed the movie the first time to get more out of it the second time. I give them credit for coming up with a new *positive* experience for watching movies, instead of advertisements and commercials, and etc etc.
Prepare for the next buzzword: Moviecasts!
Re:iPod + Movie (Score:1)
Re:iPod + Movie (Score:2)
I think most people will come to see it (downloadable commentaries) as a cash grab by the ever-faltering MPAA. Go see the same movie twice at the *shudder* theatre? Not a chance. Wait for the DVD commentary if I care that much.
It's already hard enough to enjoy a movie in a theatre. Apparently, the majority of parents have failed to raise respectful, considerate people.
Second Aduio Program (Score:5, Interesting)
The Burn (Score:1)
What makes you think that everyone in the United States speak English? It's absurd how little you have to know to become a citizen here. My grandmother recently took the citizenship test. You only have to answer six questions correctly in a oral exam, and much of their judgement of your English is based on that and some spelling/grammar things. Whether you can understand a conversation or not is barely a factor. Most people can pick up on key words and predict the questions,
Re:The Burn (Score:1, Troll)
Re:The Burn (Score:1)
It seems to me that using the SAP for something like an additional commentary track would bring in many more viewers (ie: higher ratings, more money) than setting it to a language that only immigrants who don't know the native language require.
Then again, if the number of immigrants who can not speak English well enough to
Re:The Burn (Score:1)
Re:The Burn (Score:1)
Americans love to swim with dolphins, amigo.
Re:The Burn (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The Burn (Score:1)
Re:Second Aduio Program (Score:1)
Re:Second Aduio Program (Score:1)
Children don't care about commentary.
Re:Second Aduio Program (Score:2)
about events on the screen (increaaing the "watchability" of a show for the blind).
This use might be more prevalent on PBS though.
Poorly written joke (Score:1)
The thing about 'Everyone speaking english' was meant to be funny, and I suppose wasn't.
That said, it did raise a few interesting discussions. Most programs that I view do not have any SAP information, and rarely provide French programming.
My bad
Re:Second Aduio Program (Score:2, Interesting)
Anyway, I can't remember why I switched on SAP, but when I did, I was surprised to find out that all it did was add narration to the whole thing. Whereas the normal show just has the dialog, the SAP added what I assume was the original text from whatever book this
Like watching movies with smart people (Score:3, Insightful)
I always thought it would be interesting to have different people commenting on movies than those involved with making them. Critics, sure, but maybe directors influenced by the film or historians or other knowledgeable folks.
It'd be like watching the movie in the company of someone interesting.
Wow. That is such a Slashdot comment. "Uh...I have a date with Natalie Portman tonight. We're watching...uh...Casablanca."
That said, I do sometimes prefer the "Pop-Up Video" style commentaries (formatted like a subtitle, maybe).
Re:Like watching movies with smart people (Score:2)
Sharecrow... (Score:1)
Re:Good ploy... (Score:1)
Great for students (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Great for students (And for Teachers, Too) (Score:1)
I teach film/TV studies and I could see an assignment in which students create an audio version of an analysis of, say, Citizen Kane. They could talk about the film's visual and sound style right over the film itself.
I don't suppose Sharecrow (or another DVD player) allows you to program in pauses in the playback. That would make it even more useful for analytical purpo
Shiny! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Shiny! (Score:1)
Pitty these have nothing to do with Firefly at all. I started listening to the first one and it sounds like a few guys doing a radio show on geek related topics.
Re:Shiny! (Score:2)
I like conmmentaries (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I like conmmentaries (Score:2)
Good idea - gives insight (Score:2, Interesting)
I think this is a pretty cool idea. Most of the time, I am sure, most of us try (while watching a film we adore maybe for the 5th time ) to look through the glasses of the director(of an impressive film). I don't think that this will apply to mediocre action films or romantic comedies, however imagine that there is a thorough documentation by Kubrick ( with his lively and agressive style) while you are wathcing Clockwork Orange. OR imagine what Lynch had to say about the bizarre final of Mul
They can be great (Score:2)
In general, I've found that some of them are really good, and add a lot to the experience- especially if the commentary is by people who have some clue as to what was going on during the filming. Other times unfortunat
Re:They can be great (Score:2)
Re:They can be great (Score:2)
the page I intended to link to is here: http://the-leaky-cauldron.org/#static:filmcomment
Depends on the audience (Score:2)
They are not for everyone, I ag
MST3K (Score:1)
The views expressed in this commentary... (Score:2)
Re:The views expressed in this commentary... (Score:2)
They'll have to buy some new laws though that prevent you from scripting a performance atop an existing performance.
How did that case about Clean Flicks go? I haven't seen anything new since [slashdot.org] 2002 [slashdot.org].
Another related story [slashdot.org].
Fantastic. (Score:4, Interesting)
One wierd thing I've noticed on commentaries for movies that were released before the invention of DVDs is that they, too, were recorded years before the DVD came onto market... I've heard several introductions for commentaries mark that they were created in '92 or so. I've always wondered why film studios would go to the trouble of booking notable figures in the film industry as well as prominent actors for commentaries before they knew what the hell kind of format would support them. Just a thought.
One of the best ever... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Fantastic. (Score:2)
I was going to say the same thing... (Score:2)
LaserDisc may not have been huge, but it lasted a long time and it was WAY ahead of its time. The industry learned a lot from LaserDisc, not the least of which was how to soak top videophiles for enormous amounts of dough. LaserDisc players were expensive, and the discs also. And top tier of LD people went from composite to component and from stereo to digit
Chasing Amy (Score:2)
It's well summed up by the specially recorded new intro, in which Kevin Smith says 'and on the commentary you might hear someone who sounds a lot like me saying"fuck DVD" - I would like to go on the record as saying it wasn't me, I never said it, I love DVDs' in his usual dead-pan style.
Sure enough the commentary refe
Re:Fantastic. (Score:2)
For the (Pioneer) laserdisc release. These were available from the late 70s; especially popular in Japan. Criterion did a lot of laserdiscs movies with exras like commentary tracks.
Re:Fantastic. (Score:2)
Need more commentaries for bad films (Score:2)
One of the most interesting DVD filmmaker commentaries I've ever heard was for a bad movie. On the Lost in Space movie DVD, the filmmakers went into detail about what they'd aimed for in a given scene, why it didn't work, and what they originally planned -- which always sounded more interesting than what made it onscreen. That commentary told as much about the realities of filmmaking as do the commentaries you hear on far better films.
I'm not talking about an MST3K-style lampoon of terrible films, but m
Re:Need more commentaries for bad films (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Need more commentaries for bad films (Score:2)
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Score:1)
Tragically, it's never the same of course..... I miss that show.
TV Episodic Commentary via podcast - they're here! (Score:1)
DIY Commentary Tracks (Score:1)
Ok, not so exciting. But, it might be more interesting to hear extra commentary from the actors or crew after the DVD release, or from other interesting people (like, say, Kevin Smith or Joss Whedon's take
Re:DIY Commentary Tracks (Score:1)
We already have big groups like Renegade Commentaries, MMM Commentaries, DVD Podblast, Sonic Cinema et al all doing their own thing, with styles ranging from the serious (MMM Commentaries) to the totally irreverant (DVD Podblast).
Opportunity for shenanigans (Score:1)
Nerd Correction (Score:1)
Re:Nerd Correction (Score:1)
*shameless plug* (Score:1)
I really enjoyed watching firefly and battlestar galactica with my friends.. our emotional responces built on eachothers. buddytv may allow friends to give commentaries to other friends? I haven't looked into it that much...
Track Zero is the Way To Go. (Score:1)
http://www.trackzero.net/ [trackzero.net] has been doing this for a while, and sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's not, but hey, they're doing it.
Shocker ... (Score:1)
Cue the Peanut Gallery! (no, REALLY! ... read on!) (Score:3, Interesting)
Basically, it makes inventive use of some Mac OS X video technologies to allow people to do running MST3K-style commentary in real time over a LAN or the internet, complete w/ shadow avatars and a theatre-like presentation. It even comes with a bunch of public domain movies like Night of the Living Dead and Refer Madness so you can start heckling right away. Unfortunately, my Mac isn't powerful enough to use this software (my old ass 1999 vintage B&W is finally starting to get long in the tooth) but I've seen it demoed and it is KILLER. Tons of fun.
From the site:
"You and up to 7 guests can enjoy video or audio from local files, your
Interact with each other via Maya-rendered 30fps* animated characters, inline real-time text chat, and voice.
Peanut Gallery isn't just a video player - it's a Shared Media Experience!"
Check it out! Its quite a lot of fun.
Sharecrow... free DVD player? (Score:2)
Requirements:
A directshow compatible DVD player installed
It's a free add-on to an existing DVD player. It can't play DVDs by itself.
(This is an important correction, as I've been looking for a free DVD player for windows other than Media Player Classic for a while, and don't have a directshow DVD player installed)
Re:Sharecrow... free DVD player? (Score:2)
Have you tried VLC? I use it on OS X and FreeBSD to play DVDs, and it works on Windows too.
DVD players should be free... (Score:2)
Re:DVD players should be free... (Score:1)
Re:DVD players should be free... (Score:2)
Yes, it could truly achieve the impossible... (Score:1)
Sharecrow just links (Score:2)
I'd also like to plug the commentary [terrania.us]
Anything posted on the Internet is "Temporary" (Score:1)