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I tried that once but I didn't like it. If it was a movie I really enjoyed it's cool to see some of the behind the scenes stuff so sometimes I'll watch some of those extra videos after the movie is over.
Ir depends on the movie. And sometimes I want special features, and there aren't any!
Often I am curious to know the motivations of the director, and hear how everyone works together to make the film.
Recently, I watched Seabiscuit, then watched it all over again with the director's commentary.
I did the same thing with The Widow of Saint Pierre (I had no idea that one of the actors was still learning French) and would have loved to with Kontroll, but all it had was a 'making of' featurette.
In case the above sounds pretentious and highbrow, let it be known that I also purchased the Criterion DVD of Dazed and Confused. The back story on that one was good fun.
I also don't like it when they don't have anything. I get a kick out of the problems that they encounter as well.
I wish that they would include interviews with the writers. Also the camera people. It is so cool to pick up information.
Sometimes, I pick up the first two seasons of whatever at Target for like $20. I picked up NYPD Blue. I remember when that came out and the camera movement. I never watched faithfully.
Sure enough they did this extra where they talked about how they were filming from this lower angle. I guess the cameras where usually very high and looking down into a room. And that they had incorporated this technique with the camera movement and had to back off of that. I think I remember them saying that the guy who began that left the show and did not give it a name but that afterwards others began doing it and had perfected it.
I wish that they would include interviews with the writers. Also the camera people.
Sure enough they did this extra where they talked about how they were filming from this lower angle. I guess the cameras where usually very high and looking down into a room. And that they had incorporated this technique with the camera movement and had to back off of that. I think I remember them saying that the guy who began that left the show and did not give it a name but that afterwards others began doing it and had perfected it.
I think that stuff is super cool.
I agree, that is indeed cool, especially if new ground is broken.
Some of this stuff becomes a bit technical for me, but it seems like they usually speak in enough layman's terms that I can understand and appreciate it.
They did talk a lot about camera angles in the Seabiscuit commentary; obviously filming galloping thoroughbreds is not always easy.
Does anybody, besides me, watch the commentary by the directors on films?
This is my pet peeve about DVDs and Directors. Obviously, when they go to "director school" they don't have a class in DVD commentary. Some of the best directors are the WORST at doing commentary and some of the unsung directors do a really good job.
If you don't mind I will digress for a minute. Have you ever listened to commentary for TV show episodes? Some of the ones who do BAD commentary base their whole commentary on the good experiences for them as a director as opposed to the things audiences would be interested in hearing. Their favorite episodes have absolutely nothing to do with telling a good story/how it came out at the end and everything to do with their personal experience in making Episode X versus Episode Y. For example, no one really cares that you hated an episode because you couldn't get the kind of wood you wanted for a scene that lasts 30 seconds and no one is impressed with you going on and on about some technical aspect of direction. The commentary should not be about the director but about the movie/tv episode he/she made.
On the other hand, I once heard a basically unknown movie director (now deceased at a young age) who had all of these little stories to tell about unexpected things, some very funny, that happened while filming this movie on a shoestring budget and talked about how they managed to get an actor replacement at the last minute and what the interview meeting was like. I just enjoyed his commentary so much because it wasn't about HIM and because he had a good handle on what the audience wants to hear in commentary.
The purpose isn't to educate/WOW the general public on the art of direction or the wonder that is you, the director. zzzzzzz. The purpose is to entertain the public on the making of that particular movie with behind the scenes stories.
I find I enjoy actor's commentaries a little better. The conversation is a bit less technical, given by people who are trained to be entertaining. I find sometimes when I am watching director commentary I get somewhat bored. Like LauraC said, sometimes directors aren't very good at being interesting for the length of the movie. I suppose it depends on what your interests are. I really like having both actors and directors together, though. Then it is pretty all encompassing.
My absolute favorite commentary is the actor commentary on the extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring. It is both very interesting and side-splittingly funny.
Sometimes. I hate the ones where there's so much dead space. I want to hear you talk about the experience, not listen to the movie over again. My husband absolutely loves all the Bruce Timm commentaries from Batman, JLU, etc cartoons.
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