The Art of Commentary

If you are a film fan, chances are, you've listened to the commentary on one of your DVDs/Blu Rays. First introduced with the laserdisc format, commentaries have given directors, actors, and film historians the chance to discuss films while the viewer watches said film. At best, the commentary provides a unique insight into the actual making of the film, or the themes behind it. At worst, however, they are boring dribble that aren't worth including. Here's a few do's and don'ts of making an audio commentary:

Film commentaries are not all created equally. Some are meant to be informative and teach. Others are just supposed to be enjoyable and get a laugh. There are many different types of good audio commentaries. Here are some "do's" that will ensure your audience will actually pay attention to what you have to say:


DO GIVE US FILM SCHOOL IN A CAN

Commentaries are not for everyone. Most viewers probably won't sit through a track for the latest Transformers or other big blockbuster. However, there are tons of us movie lovers that want to learn how the film was actually made. We want to know why the director used a particular angle, or how the writer tied all these events together. A really good film commentary can go a long way to educate a burgeoning film maker. Ronald Moore's commentaries for the Battlestar Galactica series are perfect examples. As the head of the show, and of the writer's room, Moore explains the intricate process of taking the show from the page to the screen. While he usually focuses on the writing side, he also brings in directors and actors to explain other areas of television production. (Alternate cuts of certain episodes are included on the discs that really demonstrate the fluidity of television editing.)


DO BRING BACK UP IF YOU NEED IT

There are a number of directors out there who aren't comfortable doing commentaries. That's ok. You are a visual artist, not an orator. If you don't like doing them, then you have 2 options: don't (the studio will find someone else to do it), or bring help. In his commentaries for X-Men and X2, Bryan Singer enlists his cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel for help. Although he seems fairly adept at speaking about the film, Singer relies on Sigel to boost his memory and keep him rolling. The two turn in really entertaining and insightful commentaries for their films. Even directors who enjoy the process sometimes have interviewers in the studio (though often they are edited out of the final track. ) John Waters, for example, uses an interviewer during his commentaries, though he rarely seems to need him.


DO ENTERTAIN US

If you are going to do a commentary for a film, you should provide us with the information and the scoops that we want. However, you should also remember to entertain your audience. There will be plenty of film nerds who want to know details about what light you used, or how many takes the scene had. There will also be an entire audience who doesn't care about that at all. Remember, films and their features are ultimately meant to entertain an audience. John Waters is one director who never forgets this. His commentaries are packed with information, to be sure. They are also full of his spirit and joy. He is very animated throughout each film and laughs constantly. He tells us stories of his youth and how they inspired his films. He thoroughly enjoys reliving his life and reminiscing; and that excitement comes across. Some of his commentaries are even more enjoyable than his films.

For a really entertaining track, check out This is Spinal Tap. Micheal Mckean, Christopher Gest, and Harry Shearer appear as their characters. They continue as if it really was a number of years later and that the film had been a true documentary. The track provides just as many laughs as the actual film, although you get no real insight as such.


DO PROVIDE US WITH AN INSIDE LOOK

The whole point of doing a commentary track is to provide the audience with information that they didn't know before hand. For most films, that's gonna boil down to what it was like working with actors, the locations you shot, and how got the gig to begin with. Other films, however, have such a sordid history, that a commentary track becomes a document of the surreal. One of the best examples of this type of track is Richard Donner's take on his Superman films. The track for Superman is fairly straight forward, though he does go into depth about his troubles with the film's producers. He describes how he became involved with the project and the changes he brought to it. He discusses the difficulties in the special effects and the attempt to really bring seriousness to the superhero genre. Very interesting track on its own merits alone. However, his track for his director's cut of Superman II is the real gem here.

As most of you know, Donner filmed the first two movies at the same time; however, he ran out of time to finish the second one. After a troubled relationship with the producers, Donner was not invited back to finish Superman II. Instead, comedic director Richard Lester stepped in. In accordance with union rules, Lester added new material and changed previously filmed takes to bulk up his percentage of work and get his name attached as director. Even if it was more campy than the first, Superman II was still a big hit. Many years later, Donner was allowed to recut the film for DVD release. The commentary he provides for the cut is fascinating. He expounds on the material he originally shot, compares it against Lester's footage, and explains his vision of the franchise.  To this day, you can tell Donner remains emotional about his treatment and missed opportunities of the Superman series. This is a special feature at its finest.

DO TRY NEW THINGS

Commentaries don't just have to be audio tracks. They can be textual, and even interactive. Films like Terminator 2 and the Star Treks use subtitle tracks to provide little snippets of information that wouldn't fit anywhere else. Even if you are making an audio commentary, you have some room for ingenuity. In the tracks for the Back to the Future trilogy, Bob Gale provides the actual commentary (as Robert Zemeckis declined). In order to get Z's input, a Q&A with film school students was recorded and spread across the three films as alternate commentaries. They not only provide Z's point of view, but they also offer some laughs we wouldn't have gotten otherwise.



Some people are just not meant to do commentaries. Either they don't enjoy them, or just don't know how to do them. Either way, they become the wrong choice for a commentator. Here are some of their mistakes you will want to avoid:


DON'T JUST SIT THERE

You would think this would be the most obvious don't ever. Unfortunately, I have run across numerous "commentaries" that are essentially blank audio. For example, Lorne Micheals and his son provide the commentary for a season one episode of 30 Rock entitled "Hard Ball". After the introduction, we virtually never hear Lorne speak. His son occasionally tries to interject some conversation, but it ultimately goes nowhere. Mel Brooks is also guilty of this commentary crime. In the track for Spaceballs, Brooks watches the film for the first time in years. Unfortunately, he clams up for most of it. Being the comical genius he is, it's especially unfortunate that he couldn't have taken the time to familiarize himself with the film first. I understand that the studio wants to have extras to sell you the discs, but why waste the time and money doing these types of commentaries? If they're not gonna talk, don't bring them in the studio!

DON'T JUST REHASH THE PLOT 

The second deadly sin of the audio commentary, after not speaking at all, is telling us what's happening on screen. We are watching the movie. We don't need the actor/director/whoever to tell us what's going on. The Total Recall commentary, as voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a notorious example of just such a transgression. In the track, Arnold explains how hard is trying to look at the television while Sharon Stone jumps on top of him. In case we were confused, Arnold also explains that his character is a construction worker....while we watch him drill into concrete. Again, if you are going to spend the time and money (Arnold charges for doing these things, by the way.) then get something interesting. If this is what you end up with, then at least call it "A commentary track for the visually impaired."


DON'T FORGET PEOPLE WILL LISTEN TO THIS

Sometimes, the people doing commentaries sit and watch the film without talking. Sometimes, they tell us what's going on. And then, sometimes, they get caught up in talking to each other or goofing off, that nothing gets accomplished at all. Such is most of the tracks on the Arrested Development DVDs. Being one of my favorite shows of all time, I was really hoping for an in depth look at the writing and directing. I really wanted to learn how this show was created and how all the intricate pieces were tied together. How far did they plan events? How did they write that great piece of dialogue? Did the actor improvise that line? The commentary gathers almost all of the actors and creator Mitchell Hurwitz. Unfortunately, they are all such good friends that the tracks quickly devolve into side conversations, in jokes, and laughing at each other. At one point, Hurwitz even calls actor Jeffrey Tambor. While kind of funny, the tracks are useless and hard to get through even once. With no other real documentaries on the disc, its a shame that there wasn't a more serious effort to explore the series through commentaries.