I listened to a commentary track..

sfoster

sfoster

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I can't believe we don't have a thread like this here..
I did a search but couldn't find one, so having said that..

I will kick off with a couple of my favorite audio commentaries

Platoon
This was a fantastic commentary by oliver stone, the writer/director of platoon and an actual veteran of the vietnam war. He reveals how significantly the script is based upon his own experiences.

Evil Dead 2
This is a great commentary that gives a lot of tricks and shots away. I enjoyed it a lot as an aspiring director.

Apocalypto if i spelled that right, by Mel Gibson.
This was a surprisingly good audio track, which revealed history and some film making tricks too. Here is where I learned about spider cam.. probably spelled that part wrong too :)
 
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There's an old-timey IT member, sonnyboo, who still comes around here, though not as often as he used to. Anyway, do a search through the threads he's created and you'll find an excellent thread in which he details a vast amount of commentary tracks that he thinks can be a great educational source for us small-timers. I think he titled the thread something like "DVD film school", or something like that.

My favorite commentary track of all time -- "Tropic Thunder". It's not so much educational, but it's HILARIOUS.
 
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Eli Roth's commentaries are pretty good. Cabin Fever is often cited as an example of a great commentary (which it is), but Hostel and Hostel 2 both have some good commentary.
 
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Great question, I'd also love to know what are some of the best commentaries to listen to for filmmaking tips and advice.

I listened to the start of the 'Elf' one earlier which had some good tips for shooting forced perspectives.

I really wish Spielberg would go back and re-release all his films with audio commentaries. Doesn't seem likely though. :(
 
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I really enjoy the commentary for Big Trouble in Little China with Kurt Russell and John Carpenter, even though they talk more about their families it's still an interesting commentary to listen to and hearing about Kurt's acting process, what he brings to the table and his professional approach to the craft is great information.

I too think Spielberg should reconsider his choice of not doing commentary, same with Christopher Nolan.
 
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I'm not usually one for commentaries, but Penelope Spheeris' commentary for Suburbia is great, particularly if you have any interest/knowledge in the early 80s punk/hardcore scene. I mean, the movie is good for that too, but the commentary really delves into what was going on. Highly recommended.
 
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Cracker Funk said:
There's an old-timey IT member, sonnyboo, who still comes around here, though not as often as he used to. Anyway, do a search through the threads he's created and you'll find an excellent thread in which he details a vast amount of commentary tracks that he thinks can be a great educational source for us small-timers. I think he titled the thread something like "DVD film school", or something like that.

My favorite commentary track of all time -- "Tropic Thunder". It's not so much educational, but it's HILARIOUS.
Click to expand...

IndieTalk.com: DVD Film School By Peter John Ross


I haven't listened to nearly enough commentaries.

Two (three?) of my new favorites are the commentaries on Prometheus, both the one with the writers and the one with Ridley Scott. Very nice.

I don't remember the one on Apocalypto very well, but I do remember really liking it.

From Hell. Not only is it one of my favorite films, but I think I remember (it's been a while) the commentaries being really nice on that one too.
 
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Just finished the Donnie Darko commentary.
Meh. Nothing special here, hardly any insight from a technical perspective. They just talk about background stuff in the movie that you probably didn't notice. They being Jake and the director richard kelly
 
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The Score I got this movie without realizing I had already seen it before. It's the one where edward norton acts mentally handicapped to avoid suspicion.

What a joy it was listening to this commentary track, featuring the director and DP both. There is much talk here about lighting, camera movement, actors, etc. and the dvd also features some of the improv done between brando and de niro.
 
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2 Guns 1/5 for commentary
Features director and producer. Half way through they keep talking about how no one is listening to the commentary anymore.. they keep saying stuff like that, even near the end. I guess even these guys knew how bad their commentary was.
 
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Scream commentary 3/5
Featuring the director and also the writer

Had a few interesting bits, but overall not a bad commentary as the two had a good chemistry / back and forth so it was entertaining at least
 
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We Own the Night 4/5

Featuring writer/director James Gray this was an extremely candid commentary about what his aims were, where he fell short, production mistakes he made on the job, etc. It was also interesting hearing how many ride alongs he did with cops, and how much research went into this film. I've seen some reviews on netflix blasting a part or two for being unrealistic. I'm usually a stickler for those kinds of things and it didn't bother me in this film at all. So that was great to hear from him about how those questionable moments were actually based on historical fact of things that have occurred, and that it was realistic all along

Also i thought the falling stunt in this film and the car chase were both excellent. so i can't say i'm terribly surprised that the stunt man hurt himself falling, and two cars had a head on collision filming the chase.. both of those scenes got my blood pumping
 
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Gladiator 3/5

Featuring director, dp, and editor.
I always enjoy ridley scott's commentaries, and this one wasn't bad at all. I can't say I really learned a lot about the film except for them mentioning stuff that was cut out and phoenix being told he needed to stop gaining weight in the middle of filming


- come on guys, I can't be the only one here that watches commentaries ?
 
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"Casino" by Martin Scorsese with a bunch of crew and actors. Sharon Stone's commentary was very interesting made me respect her as an actress.

"Requiem for a dream" D.Aronofsky

Watched long time ago,basically he explained all the technical stuff which was quite interesting.
 
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Rescue Dawn 3/5
Good commentary track here. Not a lot of film making tips, but very interested to hear about the real life guy and how much of the story was based on fact. That they even administered lie detector tests on the guy for this story, and that the writer/director was trying to get the film made for about 10 years.

Also interested the filmmaker Werner Herzog said he has made about 60 feature films and never had anyone get sick or injured. That's a great track record! bravo to him.
 
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Cry Baby 3/5
By John Waters starring Johnny Depp

Not any behind-the-scenes knowledge here that will help you be a better director. But it's interesting hearing john waters talking about baltimore in the 50s. Since I live here.

Also he said that he thinks writing and editing are both more important than directing
 
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Last Picture Show 4/5
I enjoyed this commentary more than the film! The director made me laugh a number of times. Best moment was the shot when he is talking about the two dogs humping outside of the school window.

The camera was filming from inside, far away. And the two dogs outside had a big spotlight on them as they were humping. So people drove by and saw this huge light beam focused on the dogs without a camera and there was some kind of big backlash in the community :lol:
 
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