DVD Audio Commentary Research Paper

Research Paper

Works Cited

Appendix A: DVD Lists

Appendix B: Interview Transcripts

Appendix C: Surveys & Data

Appendix D: Acknowledgements & Thanks

Appendix E: Contact & Reproduction Information
In March of 1997, a new home video format hit the market. DVDs are the same physical size as a Compact Disc (CD), but they can hold much more information. The revolutionary process allows it to hold a feature-length movie on this small disc with better picture and sound quality than any prior format. It offers consumers a chance to own their movies in a digital version that is smaller than its laserdisc predecessor. And unlike with laserdiscs, now the whole film can fit onto one side of a disc, so not only is it smaller and more portable, but it’s more convenient as the user no longer has to get up in the middle of a movie to flip the large record-sized disc over. Although cheaper than Laserdiscs, these new DVDs were more expensive than its stiffest competition, VHS. DVD’s advantage came in its size, its ability to skip instantly, forward or backward, to different scenes, and the lack of rewinding. To further boost the appeal, movies on DVD are available to purchase on the same day they are put on the rental shelves. VHS tapes had a window of a few months before hitting retail stores. All of these factors, along with unanimous support from electronics manufacturers and motion picture studios as well as the emergence of internet retailers (and their massive discounts of up to forty percent off), led to DVDs meteoric rise to popularity. In 2001, just four years after its initial release, DVD players had outsold VCRs (dvddemystified.com). According to the Consumer Electronics Association, since its initial release to the first week of December 2004 (the most current data available), 84,518,530 DVD players have been sold in the United States (thedigialbits.com). This figure does not include video game systems and computers that can also play the discs. The small discs have become the fastest growing home video format in history.

As if the higher picture and sound quality weren’t enough, some DVDs provide easily accessible bonus materials, such as documentaries and trailers, on the disc, which were previously unavailable to the consumer. While the format was in its infancy, special features like these were somewhat of a rarity, because the majority of motion picture studios wanted to make sure the format would be accepted before they spent extra money on bonus content. So, instead, they released what became known as “bare bones” editions, releases of a DVD that only contained the movie. As popularity increased, so did the number of special editions. These are releases that contain multiple special features along with the movie. These features include, but are not limited to, “making of” documentaries, featurettes on various aspects of production, movie trailers, deleted scenes, music videos, cast and crew biographies, promotional clips and interviews from various television shows, interactive games (played through a menu system and the DVD player’s remote control) and audio commentaries. Special features were not exclusive to DVDs: In fact, they emerged back with laserdiscs.

The idea of creating special features originated around 1983-84, when Robert Stein, founder and former head of Voyager/Criterion Collection, thought of creating laserdiscs with interactive features. He approached William Becker of Janus Films about releasing cinephile editions on laserdisc that would include these features. Laserdiscs were generally considered a niche format that only appealed to film collectors and aficionados. These extra features would provide added value and increase the desire to collect their favorite films. In addition, laserdiscs became the first home video format to offer original aspect ratios in high quality transfers, so that the home viewing experience matched that of a theatre as closely as possible. Criterion Collection worked closely with the directors and cinematographers when transferring the film to laserdisc in order to stay true to their original vision (Clubb).

Robert Stein also thought of working with the directors in another way. He wanted them to record a commentary on their work. In arguably the most innovative special feature, a separate audio track would be made containing the director’s thoughts on his film. He or she would talk about the production, relating any interesting information, stories, or filmmaking techniques and innovations used. The audio commentary track would be selected from a menu on the laserdisc and allowed the viewer to watch the film’s picture while listening to commentary instead of the normal audio. The concept provided film lovers the chance to hear their favorite directors talk in depth about their work, often including scene-by-scene analysis. They also gave film students a chance to hear straight from the filmmaker’s mouth what it takes to make a truly great picture. The tracks work as a one-sided question and answer session/interview or as an audio essay or lecture. The commentaries could be effective as entertainment for avid film lovers or as study material for students of film. Voyager (while still in business, released the Criterion Collection line of laserdiscs) didn’t limit themselves to just directors. Since most of their releases were foreign and classic films, often times the directors were unavailable or unable to record English commentaries. So, instead, the task was delegated to specific film scholars; people that had intently studied the particular work shown. While DVDs released by Criterion still hold true to these standards, the major motion picture studios have adapted commentaries to also include the film’s stars. Now, virtually anyone involved with the production can be tapped for use on an audio commentary track (Clubb).

Due to the overwhelming success of the DVD format, the special features have moved in the direction of catering to the mainstream. While Criterion Collection still exists (it has released over 250 titles on DVD so far) and targets the cinephiles by staying true to its mission statement of creating “the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer” by remaining “dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements,” the primary concern of the major studios is to sell as many copies of their disc as possible (criterionco.com). This can create an inherent tension between profitability and quality. The studios cannot be expected to solely appease one group. They must release their DVDs with broad appeal. Sometimes this means that the special features are created with entertainment in mind instead of advancing knowledge. Despite the increasing popularity of the DVD format and the general population that dominates the market, there is educational material to be taken from these special features. Although not every audio commentary offers a succinct informative essay on a film, they still can and should be used as educational tools.

First, to understand what makes a commentary track helpful to film students, it may help to examine what makes them bad or un-educational. Many commentaries sell themselves through the use of actors. The consumers are given the chance to hear their favorite stars talk about making the movie. Generally, the stars offer little insight into the process of making the film or even how they got into the role they played. The purpose they serve is to add star power to the release and maybe chime in with some trivia knowledge here and there. The problem gets worse when the movie is geared towards a younger audience, such as in Dude, Where’s My Car? or American Pie 2. In these instances, the actors tend to goof off and make jokes the entire time and rarely take the opportunity seriously. Sometimes, the participant narrates the action, relating to the viewer what they can plainly see themselves. Mel Brooks in Spaceballs tends to laugh at his own jokes and narrates frequently. Occasionally, the commentator just sits and watches the movie, causing long pauses and dead space. John Frankenheimer is the most frequent offender in Ronin and The Manchurian Candidate. Frankenheimer also can be used as a good example of a commentator that is monotone and speaks unenthusiastically, thus creating a boring track. The content on his commentaries are actually useful, but the information comes sporadically and he speaks in a manner that may put many people to sleep. The frequent occurrence in commentary tracks is loading them with useless production trivia. If a student or scholar was studying the history of a particular film, this type of commentary would be helpful to some extent, but rarely do these tracks contain insight about how the film was made. Cameron Crowe on his Almost Famous director’s cut relates to the viewer trivia about his days working for Rolling Stone (the time in his life the film was based on) and mentions several times how many of the props and some of the wardrobe are his own personal artifacts. Little time is spent discussing what went into creating a director’s cut or even the theatrical cut. The track on the Clerks tenth anniversary edition talks about cast and crew memories and how their lives have changed. They spend a lot of time discussing seeing the director’s mother naked and how two members of the cast met on the set and married afterwards. The same Clerks track also points out little tidbits like which crewmember played what roles (sometimes multiple) and various difficulties in clearing music. The commentary offers a few examples of how to make a small budget movie, but largely is meant for entertainment purposes.

When determining what commentaries are the best or most appropriate for use as a legitimate learning tool, one must take into account to whom the DVD is being made. For some of the larger studio releases, this can get tricky. When talking about Criterion Collection, the answer is clear. During an interview with Criterion DVD producer Issa Clubb, he defines a film student “as somewhat more expansive than ‘a person in an institution studying film.’ My sense is that anybody who is curious enough to put on the commentary track of a Tarkovsky film […] is interested in a little more substance.” To a film student, “entertaining” and “educational” are not mutually exclusive terms. What the average consumer may find dull or pointless in a commentary, a film student may find incredibly exciting. Good commentary tracks, or ones that provide adequate educational value, are those that go into detail on making the film, providing techniques for accomplishing the desired effect, or those that delves into the history behind the movie.

Walter Murch’s track on The Conversation gives him a forum to talk about how he edited and mixed sound for the film. He talks to the viewer as if he or she is planning to make a film, and gives appropriate advice. At one point he states that if there is a scene in which the dialogue has to be re-recorded, this should be done as soon as possible. The actors will retain their cadences and nuances and the recording will synch up perfectly, even if they aren’t watching picture to guide them. Murch is very useful in talking about the impact, implications and motivations for moving scenes around. A story, which is frequently returned to, tells the viewer how the sequence where Harry pieces together the tape used to be one long scene. The audience found it much too long, so it was cut in half and placed later in the picture. The resulting edits make the audience perceive emotions that Harry was never meant to have.

Roger Ebert’s commentary on Casablanca gives the listener insight into various aspects of the production. He talks about the history of the picture and how it went through the studio system, mentioning the quicker runs that productions went through as well as fake press releases (one of which announced Ronald Reagan as the star, just to keep his name in the news). Not only that, but he goes into detail on the historical era in which the film was made and is about. He talks about the technical points of making the film. Director Michael Curtiz needed every shot to have a purpose or motivation stemming from the action on screen. As a result, there aren’t memorable shots in the film, like in Citizen Kane. However, this creates a much more subtle effect for the audience. He also talks about the emotional impact of the scene and how films captivate an audience when he says in the beginning of the track, “When I think about the kinds of movies that make me cry, that make tears come to my eyes, I usually don’t think about sad films. Sad films I sort of just look at. It’s movies about selflessness, about sacrifice about humans that believe in the good of the human race that sometimes move me.”

Both Murch and Ebert have done multiple audio commentary tracks, each of them providing sufficient educational material delivered with obvious passion and interest, which carries through to the listener. It’s quite common to find that good commentaries come from the same people. Robert Zemeckis brings in various crewmembers for his tracks on Cast Away, Contact, Forrest Gump (among others), and they talk about all areas of production, from sound design to special effects. David Fincher’s films on DVD (Fight Club, Se7en, Panic Room) usually offer multiple tracks containing the director, writer and crew to talk about more detailed technical productions.

Commentaries do offer educational material to those who may be looking for it, but that does not guarantee interest from students, nor does it guarantee interest from the teachers that may use the tracks in the classroom. In order to determine DVD’s place in United States College/University Film and Video programs, a survey of teachers and students was conducted. When students were asked if the idea of listening to an audio commentary in class appealed to them, a resounding majority answered yes. Out of 506 respondents, only 5.8 percent said the idea does not appeal to them at all; 33 percent replied with an unqualified “yes;” 42.5 percent said yes, but it would depend on the movie/content; 14.6 percent said yes, but only if part of the movie was shown. 1.8 percent wrote in the option that the idea would appeal to them if they had previously seen the film without commentary. There appears to be no distinction in preference between class ranks, from freshman to graduate student. When teachers were asked a similar question, 94.6 percent replied that they would consider using audio commentaries in their class. With multiple responses allowed, 24.3 percent were unqualified yes; 56.8 percent said yes, depending on the subject matter; and a response of 21.6 percent came back on the options “yes, but only if there’s extra time in the schedule” and “yes, but only if part of the movie is shown.”

The study found that 91.1 percent of students surveyed had listened to a commentary track at home (4 percent did not know what one was). With multiple responses allowed, 69.6 percent of the students listened at home for entertainment purposes; 74.7 percent listened out of sheer curiosity; and only 43.3 percent had listened to a commentary track for the purposes of studying. This shows that the majority of film students have not personally found potential educational value in their DVD commentaries, yet they still believe it exists. Despite their personal feelings towards commentaries, an overwhelming 84.6 percent believe that they could be used as an educational tool.

Out of 48 respondent teachers, 22.9 percent of them had shown a commentary to their class before. When asked how they perceived the student’s reactions, with multiple responses possible, 81.8 percent believe their class found the track helpful; 54.5 percent, interesting; and 45.5 percent, boring. When students who have watched commentary tracks in class were asked a similar question, 43.9 percent found the commentary helpful; 75.8 percent found the track interesting; and 10.6 percent found it boring.

The survey shows a clear separation in the number of students that believe commentaries hold educational value and the number of students that have gained educational value from the tracks. Even if students merely found the commentary interesting, they still hold the opinion that the tracks have potential for classroom use.

It’s proven that teachers and students alike are willing to implement commentary tracks in a classroom to enhance the learning experience and broaden their knowledge. The next step is to determine whether or not the studios are equally willing to play along. In interviews with John Rosas, DVD producer for Sony Home Entertainment, he talked about the decisions that go into creating a commentary. When asked what consideration is put into slanting the content to fit the needs of students, he replied that “we are very aware that commentaries are very popular with film students and in some cases, offer real gems of information, but again, to be honest, it doesn’t effect which titles or who we go after for commentaries.” To some extent, the studio is to blame for lacking a more educational focus; because Rosas goes on to say, “If I ruled the world, actors wouldn’t get near my studio. Their commentaries rarely offer any insight into the process if [sic] film making.” To shed some light as to why actors are invited to participate in commentaries so frequently, Michael Stradford, Vice President of DVD Programming and Content for Sony answered some questions. He states in his interview that the studio has done research that determines that commentary tracks featuring actors and directors (as opposed to scholars or more technical crew members) are more likely to entice the customer. He also mentions that “a commentary track is one of the easiest pieces of added value to create, so in most cases if a filmmaker is interested, we’ll create it. […] It’s not a matter of ‘deserves’ as much as it is talent availability and the likelihood of recouping the investment.” Sony takes a more strictly business approach to DVDs, which means commentaries are reduced to part of the bottom line. That doesn’t mean that educational tracks can’t come from this environment, but finding tracks worth studying amongst the masses may prove to be difficult.

Contrast this approach to that of Issa Clubb at The Criterion Collection. When he’s recruiting someone to do a commentary, he does “research into who’s written about a given film or filmmaker. Then a phone conversation will usually tell me how a person sounds, although the act of sitting in front of a mic is a lot different than a casual conversation…. The scholars I work with tend to be more historical and analytical, rather than production-oriented.” In a recent interview, Professor Gary Rhodes of Oklahoma University talks about his approach to recording a commentary track on the White Zombie DVD for the independent company, The Roan Group. He was picked because he had written a book on the film, but found it particularly difficult to “go about trying to distill a book-worth of information into a short amount of time.” Even though, he couldn’t cover all the material as in depth as he may have liked, he still kept the student body in mind and “leaned completely towards an educational slant.” This is a welcome approach to Clubb who wants his work to be looked at and studied. “Well, I suppose I would like to think that our commentaries and other extras are useful to film students. We like to think of them as participating in film discourse rather than as some sort of ‘added value’ for a ‘consumer.’”

While the majority of companies focus on releasing DVDs with mass appeal (thus occasionally sacrificing a potential for educational supplements), other companies strive to fill that niche market. And they do a good job. When the Home Theatre Forum was asked to compile a list of commentary tracks they felt would be beneficial to film students, The Criterion Collection led the pack. Specific directors/participants’ names came up several times as well. Along with the suggestions came criticisms and thought-provoking questions. The most prominent of these asked how listening to commentaries from major motion pictures could offer a low-budget film student anything of value. An audio commentary will never be able to tell a student how to make their film. However, good commentaries can teach them certain techniques that they may not learn in class. For example, in the Criterion release of Silence of the Lambs, director Jonathan Demme talks about how he heightened the tension of the jail scenes by greatly reducing the depth of field. With only a very small area that’s focused to work with, the actors are more rigid and on edge so they hit their mark. The viewers subconsciously take note of and respond emotionally to the tightness of the frame and shallow focus. A film student doesn’t need to be part of a large-scale production to implement a similar technique.

Throughout this study, some students have expressed concern that the commentaries only be used to supplant an existing structure. Even the best speaker on the most informative tracks could not replace an entire class worth of material. A commentary cannot provide any of the needed interaction and feedback a young student needs to grow and enhance his or her skills. Most commentaries do not delve into the specific equipment used to make the film, such as lenses, cameras, lighting kits, etc. For these key reasons, the tracks will never be a substitute for an education at a university or for hands-on experience. However, the right audio commentaries can and should be used as a complementary educational tool in today’s classrooms.

Works Cited

Anderson, Jeff, Jason Mewes, Scott Mosier, Brian O’Halloran and Kevin Smith. Clerks: Collector’s Series – 10th Anniversary Edition. 1994. DVD Audio Commentary. 2004.

Biggs, Jason, Thomas Ian Nicholas and Mena Suvari. American Pie 2. 2001. DVD Audio Commentary. 2002.

Brooks, Mel. Spaceballs. 1987. DVD Audio Commentary. 2000.

Burgess, Don, Ken Ralston, Randy Thom, Carey Villegas and Robert Zemeckis. Cast Away. 2000. DVD Audio Commentary. 2001.

Carter, Rick, Steve Starkey and Robert Zemeckis. Forrest Gump. 1994. DVD Audio Commentary. 2001.

Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles. Perf. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton. RKO, 1941.

Clubb, Issa. E-mail interview. 27 Sept. 2004.

Clubb, Issa. E-mail interview. 18 Nov. 2004.

Criterion Collection – About Criterion, The. 10 Dec. 2004. <http://www.criterionco.com/asp/about.asp>.

Crowe, Cameron. Almost Famous: Untitled – The Bootleg Cut. 2000. DVD Audio Commentary. 2001.

Demme, Jonathan, John Douglas, Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins and Ted Tally. Silence of the Lambs: Criterion Collection. 1991. DVD Audio Commentary. 1998.

Dyer, Richard, David Fincher, Richard Francis-Bruce, Darius Khondji and Arthur Max. Se7en: New Line Platinum Series. 1995. DVD Audio Commentary. 2000.

Ebert, Roger. Casablanca: Special Edition. 1943. DVD Audio Commentary. 2003.

Fincher, David. Fight Club. 1999. DVD Audio Commentary. 2000.

Fincher, David. Panic Room. 2002. DVD Audio Commentary. 2004.

Frankenheimer, John. The Manchurian Candidate. 1962. DVD Audio Commentary. 1998.

Frankenheimer, John. Ronin. 1998. DVD Audio Commentary. 1999.

Hunt, Bill. CEA DVD Player Sales. 15 Dec. 2004. 15 Dec. 2004. <http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/cemadvdsales.html>.

Leiner, Danny, Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott. Dude, Where’s My Car?. 2001. DVD Audio Commentary. 2001.

Murch, Walter. The Conversation. 1974. DVD Audio Commentary. 2000.

Rhodes, Gary. E-mail interview. 29 Oct. 2004.

Rosas, John. E-mail interview. 25 Oct. 2004.

Starkey, Steve and Robert Zemeckis. Contact. 1997. DVD Audio Commentary. 1998.

Stradford, Michael. E-mail interview. 1 Nov. 2004.

Stradford, Michael. E-mail interview. 4 Nov. 2004.

Taylor, Jim. DVD FAQ. 11 Nov. 2004. 13 Dec. 2004. <http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html>.

White Zombie. Dir. Victor Halperin. Perf. Bela Lugosi. 1932. DVD. The Roan Group, 1999.

Appendix A: DVD Lists

For a list of all DVDs released by Criterion with commentary tracks, enter this website into your browser:

http://www.criterionco.com/asp/search_results.asp?openField=commentary&submit=submit&specialFeaturesCheck=on&colorFormat=&language_id=&aspect_ratio_id=&audio_format_id=&searchType=advanced

The Home Theater Forum was approached to give suggestions for DVD commentaries they felt could be useful to film students. To visit the original thread, enter this website into your browser:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=209488

Their list, as follows (in order of suggestion), while quite large, should not be used as an ultimate guide. There are many more commentaries out there that could be on this list, and new DVDs are being released all the time.

Appendix B: Interview Transcripts

Issa Clubb, DVD Producer, The Criterion Collection

Conducted September 27, 2004

How did you get started working as a DVD producer for criterion? How many years have you been in the film business before starting and how long were you working in DVD before this if at all?

I actually worked for the Voyager Company (the company which put out the Criterion line of laserdiscs) in the print production department. Realizing that graphic design was not my strong suit, I thought about going to grad school in cultural studies. Instead Peter Becker offered me the role of producing somewhat "academic" titles -- it was the Eisensteins in that instance -- which I've been doing since 1998. So I pretty much started producing right at the changeover from laser to DVD, and before that I wasn't in the film business.

Can you list which DVDs you have worked on?

Let's see... Passion of Joan of Arc, Eisenstein: The Sound Years, Häxan, The Blob, 8 1/2, La Strada, The Leopard, Solaris, Fassbinder: The BRD Trilogy, there's probably a few I'm forgetting. Those are discs with commentaries on them.

Now for the production side:

Do you take into consideration the film student when putting your content together (specifically commentary tracks)? Why or why not?

Definitely, although I suppose it depends on what you mean by "film student". For many of the commentaries I have produced, no one was alive who could have spoken in great depth about the production process. Or, just as likely, they wouldn't have spoken English, a requirement with the commentary track that is not true of a video interview, say. So I'm not sure how valuable my commentaries would be to a film production student, in terms of learning about lighting, etc. The scholars I work with tend to be more historical and analytical, rather than production-oriented.

I also like to think of the term "film student" as somewhat more expansive than "a person in an institution studying film." My sense is that anybody who is curious enough to put on the commentary track of a Tarkovsky film, for instance, or a Fellini film, is interested in a little more substance than someone just reading off an actor's filmography. So I'm not sure I think about students per se. Though with professors providing the commentaries I suppose it's unavoidable, in any case.

What kind of screening or recruiting process is involved when choosing who participates in the audio commentaries? Do you test their on-mic presence?

First I do research into who's written about a given film or filmmaker. Then a phone conversation will usually tell me how a person sounds, although the act of sitting in front of a mic is a lot different than a casual conversation. Sometimes that shows up as nervousness, but I feel like part of my job is to facilitate a scholar's ability to get their point across naturally and succinctly.

How active are the producers in the recording of the tracks? Do you ask the filmmakers and scholars specific questions? If so, do you have them in mind before hand, are they improvised or both?

I try to stay pretty hands on, because recording a commentary is a specific process that is very different from the type of things a typical film scholar typically does -- even if they think it is similar to getting up in front of a class, it's not. Most of the commentaries I've worked on have been scripted in advance, and I would consider my role something like that of an editor of an article in that instance. Even in the cases where it wasn't pre-scripted, such as Tony Rayns on Veronika Voss, there was a pretty well established "game plan" going in. So my questions -- or really, topics that I would like to see covered -- are addressed before the recording session.

What kind of editing decisions need to be made with the commentaries? Is there a list of priorities?

By "editing" do you mean choosing which topics to address, writing out the script, etc? As in an "editorial" process? Because of course there is a technical aspect, the audio editing -- although typically for a scripted commentary there isn't too much editing going on. For the editorial process, my personal preference is for commentaries which manage to combine good formal analysis with historical context and some amount of aesthetic evaluation of the film's style. (And again, I'm mostly talking about the scholarly commentaries I tend to work on, rather than a director/screenwriter style commentary.)

I try to avoid laundry lists of details which can be looked up on IMDB, and also I tell commentarists to cut any line where they find themselves telling us what's happening on screen, because it's not necessary. Also there is a danger in the commentary form of presenting a certain reading of the film as "the" reading of the film, so the more individual and opinionated a commentary is, the better.

Have you considered offering discounts/partnerships/etc. to teachers/schools that would want to use your discs for educational resources?

To be honest I have very little to do with the business/sales aspect of the business, although this is certainly a nice idea.

What kind of feedback to you get from teachers or students about your products (specifically commentary tracks)?

Well, I could always use more. A lot of people tell me they never listen to commentary tracks! Which I can somewhat understand -- as I mentioned before, you have to be quite curious about a film to want to watch it again with commentary after you've already seen it.

One idea Vida Johnson had while we were working on the Solaris commentary, was that she thought it would be a great assignment to ask students to produce their own commentary track, maybe for just a scene or two. I don't know if she's ever made that assignment but I still think it's a great idea.

Do you have any other comments to add?

Well, I suppose I would like to think that our commentaries and other extras are useful to film students. We like to think of them as participating in film discourse rather than as some sort of "added value" for a "consumer".

John Rosas, DVD Producer, Sony Home Entertainment

Conducted October 25, 2004

How did you get started working as a DVD producer?

I was approached by SONY in 1998 and asked if I would be interested helping them produce added value/special features for their titles.

How many years have you been in the film business before starting in DVDs?

I have been in "the business" since 1979, starting out as a Page at NBC in NYC, moving to Los Angeles with them in 1987 and going out on my own in 1990. From ‘90 to ‘98 I produced a wide range of videos (trailers, promos, marketing, sales, etc...) for .coms, pr firms, interactive gaming and educational companies, as well as the major studios.

I know this is on your website, http://www.rosasproductions.com/html/commentaries.html, but can you list which DVD commentaries you have personally worked on/overseen?

There are too many to list. The most recent titles include: Bad Education, She Hate Me, Head in the Clouds, Riding Giants, House of Flying Daggers, Baadassss, Touch of Pink, Underworld, Tap, News Radio Season 1 & 2.

How do you decide which films get commentary tracks? Or multiple commentary tracks?

That is a studio decision, usually from the home entertainment’s marketing department. To be honest, unless it¹s a catalogue release, just about every title released on DVD these days contains an audio commentary of some sort. DVD producers make suggestions, but the final decision isn¹t ours.

Do you take into consideration the film student when putting your content together (specifically commentary tracks)? Why or why not?

We are very aware that commentaries are very popular with film students and in some cases, offer real gems of information, but again, to be honest, it doesn¹t effect which titles or who we go after for commentaries. If I ruled the world, actors wouldn¹t get near my studio. Their commentaries rarely offer any insight into the process if film making. I would focus in on the directors, writers, special ex., music, etc...

What kind of screening or recruiting process is involved when choosing who participates in the audio commentaries (most likely, this means non-director/actor participants)? Do you test their on-mic presence?

Contractually, we must offer the director and writer of a film the opportunity to record a commentary. We often ask the director if he or she can suggest others who were vital to the project and would be interesting. There is no screening or recruiting process.

How active are the producers in the recording of the tracks?

It differs from title to title and often depends on the size of the film ($$).

Do you ask the filmmakers and/or scholars specific questions or do they just talk on their own based on what they're watching?

Again, it depends on the title and who we have in the studio. There are sessions when I haven’t opened my mouth after cueing the participants and there are sessions where I asked questions for the entire run of the film.

If and when you ask them questions, do you have them in mind before hand, are they improvised or both?

Both. I’ll often hand the participants a list of questions and “talking points” before recording. Time permitting, I go over this list before recording.

What kind of editing decisions need to be made with the commentaries? Is there a list of priorities?

Every unedited commentary is run past the studios legal department. After receiving their notes, I begin editing and mixing the tracks. I try to keep everything in that makes sense. I clean the tracks up re: coughs, sneezing, breaks. If they are not scene specific, I’ll occasionally move a sound bite around, until it feels right. We often record pick up lines to fill in parts of the film that we believe need a bit more exposition.

Has your studio considered offering discounts/partnerships/etc. to teachers/schools that would want to use your discs for educational resources?

This is a question for the suits at the studio.

What kind of feedback do you get from teachers or students about your products (specifically commentary tracks)?

It varies from title to title. I occasionally read reviews on a few of the web sites, but have never received feedback from professors or students.

Professor Gary Rhodes, Oklahoma University/Commentary Participant

Conducted October 29, 2004

First off, how many commentaries have you done and which films?

Two, but only one has been issued, which was White Zombie, which has now been out thru both Roan Group and Troma. The version I did the commentary for was a massive restoration of the film.

(In the case of the other commentary, it was recorded but the entire project went under. So it wasn’t as if they issued the film and canned my commentary. The film itself never came out.)

Who approached you to do them and how?

Cary Roan approached me. He was head of the Roan Group, which during the mid 90s had quite a great reputation for restoring public domain films like Suddenly, The Hitch-Hiker, and some others.

Were other people in contention, as far as you know?

No, I wrote a book on White Zombie (Mentioned amazingly in today’s USA Today newspaper!). I had earlier done printed notes for the Roan Group laserdisc of the film.

What kind of preparation work did you do before going in?

Since I had written a book on the film, it was in some ways little prep in other ways a lot. Meaning, I knew a ton of trivial stuff about the film, and mainly had to go about trying to distill a book-worth of information into a short amount of time.

How active was the DVD producer?

Not a lot, frankly.

Were you on the same page about what material to cover? If not, who eventually won out?

I think they would have preferred all history/production info, and I did introduce some film theory. But it was recorded here in Okla with a TV monitor playing the film (silently) in a studio while I talked. So without a producer here, I won out.

Do you lean more towards educational/informational or entertainment when recording the tracks?

I leaned completely towards an educational slant.

About how long does the process take?

The film runs a little over one hour. I took about 2 hours to do it.

Did you ever have to go back and rerecord?

Yes, had to rerecord some. Some fluffs. Also, though, the bigger problem was that sometimes I was still talking about the given scene even after it was over, which I thought might be a problem, esp. since the next scene had things I’d want to talk about. That meant re-recording and being more brief.

The biggest question I had was whether what I was saying at a given time needed to correlate directly with what the scene was playing at that moment. I tried to accomplish that.

The reviews were mixed, most very good. Some thought the commentary was too academic, particularly the internet reviews for some reason.

Michael Stradford, Vice President DVD Programming and Content, Sony Home Entertainment

Conducted November 1, 2004

How do you decide if a film gets a commentary track?

A commentary track is one of the easiest pieces of added value to create, so in most cases if a filmmaker is interested, we’ll create it.

What about multiple tracks?

Depends on the film what the tracks are. I don’t like to have more than 3 people on a single track (because it gets difficult to tell who’s who), so if we can split it up over a couple, that’s preferable.

Especially in the case of catalogue releases, do you consider whether the movie "deserves" one?

It’s not a matter of ‘deserves’ as much as it is talent availability and the likelihood of recouping the investment.

Could you give me a percentage for how many catalogue releases are given commentary tracks?

No Idea, I’d guess 30-35%.

Have you done any research to determine the profitability of commentary tracks? Meaning do consumers typically look for commentaries (and other special features) when making purchases?

The film is the first and foremost reason for purchase. Special features help sway a consumer if they’re considering a title that they may not have a lot of passion for. Definitely helps the impulse buys.

Are commentary tracks featuring actors and directors more likely to entice the customer than those with scholars or unrecognizable names?

Yes.

Have you done research to determine for what purpose people use DVDs? Or is it assumed to be purely recreational?

Primarily recreational.

Has Sony considered offering discounts to teachers wanting to use their DVDs in a classroom setting?

Don’t know.

Michael Stradford follow-up

Conducted November 4, 2004

What is your official title?

Vice President, DVD Programming and Content

What is your history with the company? With the industry?

5 1/2 Yrs. with Sony and the industry

Can you give me an idea of how much a commentary track costs to produce? Also, can you give a rough estimate of what percentage of the budget is devoted to a DVD with commentaries?

Can’t share that information, sorry.

You mentioned that commentaries by actors and directors entice consumers more than those with scholars. Do you have figures or research you could share to back that up?

Not that I can share.

How do you think special features might change with the next generation blu-ray and HD-DVD discs?

Hard to say until the technical specs are nailed down.

Issa Clubb follow-up

Conducted November 18, 2004

I don't know how involved you were with it all, or how much you've heard, but I'm really interested in the history of the commentary and in a broader sense, the history of DVDs.

As far as I know, the commentary track as an idea started with Bob Stein, the former head of Voyager. He had approached William Becker of Janus Films with the idea of doing cinephile laserdisc editions of titles in the Janus collection with these interactive features.

What can you tell me about the early, formative days at Criterion? What I'm specifically curious about is how the idea came about to present work in its original aspect ratio, to involve the directors and cinematographers with the transfer process (when available of course), and to provide supplemental material? (Hopefully I'm correct in assuming Criterion was the pioneer for these "movements.")

This was definitely all before my time, but my understanding was that Bob Stein in his role as "new media visionary" came up with the idea of the more interactive aspects of our laserdiscs. As far as the more "film purist" aspects of our laserdisc, I think there was a general sense of filling the niche of catering to cinephiles. As far as the year, this would all have been around 1983-84, I believe.

What goes into scripting the commentary? Do you break it down by scenes? By topics?

Both! It's a lot of work scripting a commentary -- I try to tell commentarists that it's like writing a small book. They always tell me afterward that it was a lot harder than they thought it would be. Breaking it down helps keep things organized.

How closely do you work with the participants in forming the script?

I look at my role as similar to the editor of a book. I suggest ideas, structure, framing, that sort of thing, but they do all the heavy lifting.

Do they have the script in front of them when recording, so they can cover all the topics?

Yes.

To what extent does ad-libbing of topics occur? In your experience, are these helpful or insightful, or is it better to stick with the script?

Very little, unless it is all off-the-cuff, as say Tony Rayns' commentary on Veronika Voss. You have to be a great performer to pull that off, and he certainly was. Usually we do record some general stuff at the end, not locked to picture ("wild" recording) that may be used to fill in a hole or something, but that doesn't get used all that often.

Percentage wise, how much recording is done without the film being shown to the participant?

As above, not much. Usually they are reading the script, trying to hit their timecode marks (places in the film where something happens that they want to point out.) and we are all watching the film go by to check.

Appendix C: Surveys & Data

DVD Audio Commentary Student Survey

Definition: An audio commentary is an alternate audio track available on some DVDs where people involved with the movie can talk about making it while the viewer watches the feature.

Please mark your responses with a check or “x.”

What is your major?

Production _____ Theory _____

Other (please note) _________________________________________

What is your class standing?

Fr_____ Soph _____ Jr _____ Sr _____ Grad _____

What college/university do you attend?

__________________________________________________________

How many classes in your major have you taken?

0-2 _____ 3-5 _____ 6-10 _____ 10 or more _____

Before reading the description, did you know what a DVD audio commentary was?

Yes _____ No _____

Have you ever listened to one at home?

Yes _____ No _____

At home, did you listen to the commentary track for: (mark all that apply)

Entertainment _____ Study _____ Curiosity _____

Other (please specify) _________________________________________

Have you ever listened to an audio commentary in class?

Yes_____ No _____

If you answered, “Yes” to Q. 8, please continue to Q. 9.

If you answered, “No,” please skip to Q. 12.

Which film(s) were screened in class?

__________________________________________________________

How much do you generally listen to in class?

Less than 30 minutes _____ 30-60 minutes ___________

60-90 minutes __________ The whole movie _________

Did you find it: (mark all that apply)

Helpful _____ Boring _____ Interesting _____

Other (please state) ________________________________________

Does the idea of listening to an audio commentary in class appeal to you?

Yes _____

Yes, but only if part of the movie is shown _____

Yes, but it would depend on the movie/content ________

Yes, but under another condition (please specify) ____________________

Not at all _____

In general, do you personally find audio commentaries:

Entertaining _____ Informational _____ Both _____ A waste of time ____

Do you think audio commentaries could be used as an educational tool?

Yes _____ No _____

Maybe (please specify) ________________________________________

Should other DVD features be used as an educational tool?

Yes _____ No _____

Maybe (please specify) ________________________________________

If yes, which features would you like to see used in class?

____________________________________________________________

What media, if any, do you use to learn about films and/or filmmaking? (mark all that apply)

DVDs _____ Magazines/Books _____ Websites _____ Television _____

Which ones__________________________________________________

Thank you for participating and completing this survey.

DVD Audio Commentary Teacher Survey

Definition: An audio commentary is an alternate audio track available on some DVDs where people involved with the movie can talk about making it while the viewer watches the feature.

Please mark your responses with a check or “x.”

1. At which college/university do you teach?

_______________________________________________________

2. What classes do you teach?

Production _____ Theory _____ Both _____

Other (please specify) _________________________________________

3. What are the class sizes/enrollment of your courses?

____________________________________________________________

4. How many years have you been teaching here?

___________________________________

5. How many years have you been teaching in the field?

___________________________________

6. Before reading the description, did you know what a DVD audio commentary was?

Yes _____ No _____

If you answered, “Yes” to Q. 6, please continue to Q. 7.

If you answered, “No,” please skip to Q. 14.

7. Have you listened to one before at home?

Yes _____ No _____

8. Have you ever shown an audio commentary in class?

Yes _____ No _____

9. If so, which film(s) did you screen?

____________________________________________________________

10. Did anyone bring the idea to you?

Yes _____ No _____

11. If so, whom and how?

____________________________________________________________

12. How much do you generally show in class?

Less than 30 minutes _____ 30-60 minutes ___________

60-90 minutes __________ The whole movie _________

Varies ________________

13. Do you think the students found it: (mark all that apply)

Helpful _____ Boring _____ Interesting _____

Other student reactions ________________________________________

14. If you haven’t used DVD audio commentaries in your class, would you consider it? (mark all that apply)

Yes _____

Yes, but only if there’s extra time in the schedule _____

Yes, but only if part of the movie is shown _____

Yes, but it would depend on the subject matter _____

Yes, but under another condition (please specify) ____________________

Not at all _____

Thank you for participating and completing this survey.

Total Student Respondents – 506

Did you know what a DVD audio commentary was?

Yes 486 96%

No 20 4

Have you listened to one at home?

Yes 461 91.1%

No 45 8.9

Did you listen to the commentary for: (mark all that apply)

Entertainment only 46 9.1%

Study only 13 2.6

Curiosity only 78 15.4

Entertainment/Study 20 4

Entertainment/Curiosity 114 22.5

Study/Curiosity 14 2.8

All 172 34

By Mistake 4 0.8

Have you ever listened to an audio commentary in class?

Yes 66 13%

No 440 87

How much did you generally listen to?

Less than 30 minutes 35 53%

Appeal:

Yes 13

Yes, Content 16

Yes, Only Part 6

No 1

30-60 minutes 11 16.7

Appeal:

Yes 4

Yes, Content 6

Yes, Only Part 1

No 0

60-90 minutes 4 6.1

Appeal:

Yes 1

Yes, Content 2

Yes, Only Part 1

No 0

The whole movie 14 21.2

Appeal:

Yes 8

Yes, Content 5

Yes, Only Part 3

No 0

Did you find it: (mark all that apply)

Helpful 29 43.9%

Less than 30 minutes 14

30-60 minutes 7

60-90 minutes 3

The whole movie 5

Boring 7 10.6

Less than 30 minutes 4

30-60 minutes 3

60-90 minutes 0

The whole movie 0

Interesting 50 75.8

Less than 30 minutes 27

30-60 minutes 7

60-90 minutes 2

The whole movie 14

Does the idea of listening to an audio commentary in class appeal to you?

Yes 167 33%

Yes, but only if part of the movie is shown 215 42.5

Yes, but it would depend on the movie/content 74 14.6

Yes, but only if seen without commentary 9 1.8

Yes, but only if part is shown & depend on content 10 1.2

Not at all 29 5.8

Total answering yes in some form 477 94.2%

In general, do you find audio commentaries:

Entertaining only 25 4.9%

Informational only 78 15.4

Both 365 72.1

A waste of time 32 6.3

Do you think commentaries could be used as an educational tool?

Yes 428 84.6%

No 23 4.5

Maybe 47 9.3

Do you think other DVD features could be used as an educational tool?

Yes 393 77.7%

No 52 10.3

Maybe 53 10.5

Which features would you like to see used in class? (Open Ended)

Making of/Behind the Scenes 215 42.5%

Deleted/Alternate Scenes 58 11.5

Interviews 30 5.9

Storyboards 22 4.3

Special Effects Material 12 2.4

Trailers 12 2.4

Production Notes 10 2

Scene Analysis 7 1.4

Screenplays 4 0.8

What media, if any, do you use to learn about films and/or filmmaking? (mark all that apply)

DVDs 428 84.6%

Magazines/Books 407 80.4

Websites 396 78.3

TV 327 64.6

All 238 47

Total Teacher Respondents – 48

Did you know what a DVD audio commentary was?

Yes 46 95.8%

No 2 4.2

Have you listened to one before at home?

Yes 42 87.5%

No 6 12.5

Have you shown an audio commentary in class?

Yes 11 22.9%

No 37 77.1

Do you think the students found it: (mark all that apply)

Helpful 9 81.8%

Boring 5 45.5

Interesting 6 54.5

If you haven’t used DVD audio commentaries in your class, would you consider it? (mark all that apply)

Yes 9 24.5%

Yes, but only if there’s extra time in the schedule 8 21.6

Yes, but only if part of the movie is shown 8 21.6

Yes, but it would depend on the subject matter 21 56.8

Not at all 1 2.7

Total answering yes in some manner 35 94.6

Appendix D: Acknowledgments & Thanks

Home Theater Forum (listed by their username):

Table of Contents

Conducted October 25, 2004

Professor Gary Rhodes, Oklahoma University/Commentary Participant

Conducted October 29, 2004

Conducted November 1, 2004

Issa Clubb follow-up

DVD Audio Commentary Student Survey

DVD Audio Commentary Teacher Survey