Do DVD Extras Sometimes Affect Your Impressions Of A Film?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Jefhart, Nov 20, 2003.

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  1. Jefhart

    Jefhart Senior Member Thread Starter

    Curious about how people react to a film after seeing certain DVD extras such as "making of" documentaries and "special effects" features. Sometimes I find that after watching the extras, mainly the ones concerning how the movie was made, and how certain special effects scenes were shot, I look at the movie somewhat differently. I find that in certain scenes I flash back to how they were filmed and watch them, saying to myself, "that's how they did that " rather than just being absorbed in the scene. This takes away some of the magic and illusion of the movie. Fortunately, this doesn't happen too often or I'll have to stop watching the extras.:)

    Anybody else experience this?

    Jeff
     
  2. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    No, I don't think about how they did things as I watch - other than thoughts like "that CG sucks!" Extras DO influence me in that they sometimes make me better appreciate the movie - or hate it more, in the case of bad pieces. For example, I didn't think much about "The Talented Mr. Ripley" initially, but the commentary was so rich and insightful that it really warmed me up to the flick...
     
  3. fjhuerta

    fjhuerta New Member

    Location:
    México City
    Yep. I watched Battlefield Earth, then watched the extras (directors' commentary).

    I laughed even more :)
     
  4. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    At least you watched it:laugh::thumbsup:
     
  5. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    For me, The Extra's are the icing on the cake! I watch the movie first. The extra's have no effect on the impact of the film.
     
  6. Scotian

    Scotian Amnesia Hazed

    Watching the extras on the first Lord of the Rings extended edition, gave me a much deeper appreciation of the work that went into the details in this movie. There was a great deal of money & time put into details that might only get a half a second of screen time or never seen at all.

    Sleepy Hollow is another one that amazed me when they showed all the forest scenes being built inside a sound stage. I think they said that none of that movie was shot outside (if I remember right).

    If its a movie I like, I watch some or all of the extras. Most rentals I don't bother with. If the movie was barely watchable then deleted scenes aren't a big attraction.
     
  7. levi

    levi Can't Stand Up For Falling Down In Memoriam

    Location:
    North Carolina
    I think my favorite extras were the ones for High Fidelity -- not exactly a special-effects extravaganza, I know. but each of the deleted scenes is hilarious in itself, especially the one where Rob goes to check out a record collection being sold by a scorned wife.

    on almost every other DVD i can think of, I watch deleted scenes and think "well, no wonder they cut it." but HF is a different animal.

    wish the Coen brothers would do more with DVD extras.
     
  8. Matt Ellers

    Matt Ellers Senior Member

    Location:
    Australia
    A different angle here, and please don't mis-read this as a thread crap, but I marvel at some of the lavish deluxe special edition 2 disc treatment given to some really useless movies. Unfunny comedies, human dramas without a point, and all the cast saying how amazing everything was on Star Trek: Nemesis. Seeing Patrick Stewart and co. effervesce over what I thought was the nadir of their career added to my distaste for the film. And shot their credibility to pieces.
     
  9. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    But these are movies YOU regard as useless. It's rather arrogant to look down on those, since someone else may really like them. I never "marvel" at packed SEs for movies I don't like, because I think it's great when ANY movie gets that treatment. I may not enjoy it, but someone else will, so why be snooty about it?
     
  10. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    Some yes, some no. I loved the out takes from Grumpy Old Men with Burgess Meredith as they were hillarious, but thought that the X-men out takes weren't that interesting at all. The cut scenes are sometimes great, but all the technical stuff puts me to sleep and it doesn't generally change my opinion of the film. Either I like it, or I don't.
     
  11. Matt Ellers

    Matt Ellers Senior Member

    Location:
    Australia
    Don't mean to offend. Conversely, too many certified classics (i.e. NOT my opinion) are treated arbitrarily. I don't mind taking shots at Star Trek as I am a fan, it's like Beatles fans complaining about LIB....N, no?
     
  12. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    The extras on UNBREAKABLE were very good. The highlight was a deleted scene of the young Samuel L. Jackson character, Elijah Price, at a street fair, where he gets on a disastrous carnival ride. The scene was cut because the director felt the bright outdoor light and quicker editing didn't fit the feel of the rest of the film.
     
  13. b&w

    b&w Forum Resident

    Well so what if an individual regards a movie as useless? This has nothing to do with being snooty, the whole point of the thread was to ask for an opinion. Obviously if he's giving his opinion then those thoughts are obviously his. I'll second the opinion he stated that there is as much waste of celluloid coming out of Hollywood as there is something good. This thread was asking for an opinion. That person gave his opinion and is just as justified in saying some movies are useless as you are as saying that someone else may like them. It's a fact of life that not everyone is going to like the same thing and that at this site we try to not thread crap and post negative comments about a subject when someone is asking about the subject in one way specifically. This thread however asked for an opinion as to do or don't they, that should mean that even if the opinion is different then yours when someone posts an opinion they don't get jumped on for it.

    As to the specific question, extras on a dvd have never changed my opinion of what i thought about a movie. They may help me understand why the movie didn't become what the director wanted, or how it could have been different, or why it was the way it was. Now changing the cut of a movie, that's a whole other matter.
     
  14. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    "Treated arbitrarily" would mean that there was some random process that decided "Casablanca" got an SE and "Gone with the Wind" didn't. Many factors affect these issues - the studios involved, access to materials, and - most importantly - what they see as their bottom line. These pieces cost money, so studios don't want to devote the resources if they won't get a real return...
     
  15. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    If you're going to be strict about who should discuss what in this thread, note that Matt indicated he was going "off-thread" a little. He expressed his opinion about his reactions to packed DVDs for movies he thinks are "useless", and I expressed mine that I didn't feel anyone should judge the matter based on whether or not they alone like a flick.

    You can't defend his right for an off-topic opinion and then slam mine...
     
  16. Damián

    Damián Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Spain now
    I don't watch many movies these days but yes, those 'extras' on DVDs do affect my impressions of movies. That's why I tend not to watch them, much like I tend NOT to read prologues and back covers on books.
     
  17. Claviusb

    Claviusb A Serious Man

    Let's everyone take a deep breath.

    There've been some movies that I've come to appreciate more after listening to the commentary tracks or special features. There've been some movies that I disliked more after hearing the commentary track. How is that possible? Well, sometimes the director explains what he is trying to communicate in a scene and I find myself feeling that the director has failed at his job, because his key job is to communicate specific feelings and impressions. Without the explanation on the commentary track, I'd have never had a clue of the director's actual intent, baseed upon what he's presented. [As an aside, it's easier to blame the director for my not getting what he's saying than to feel that I'm at fault for not interpreting what I see correctly, in case you're wondering! :)]

    I also get annoyed when the director says "[Insert Big Name Star] was really a trooper here. He/She did this very difficult thing on his/her own five or six times and there was never a complaint." And the very difficult thing is something ridiculous like simply falling down on the ground (with a mat waiting for them to land on) or walking down the street on a (production-created) windy day. It makes me wonder what kind of babies these actors are.
     
  18. -=Rudy=-

    -=Rudy=- ♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪ Staff

    Location:
    US
    I'm mixed on it...I'm someone who likes to see how things work. What bothers ME is how some of these films brag about having extras, and they turn out to be "production stills" (which are usually just a couple of mediocre photos) and/or one or two pages of text and short actor bios. I'd rather have a good half-hour documentary on how the film was made. And in many cases, it makes me appreciate the film more. If it was a marginal film to begin with, then I wouldn't have bought it anyway.

    Ironically, while we like these documentaries, I've heard that some actors are now demanding to be paid to take part in them. :rolleyes:
     
  19. Claviusb

    Claviusb A Serious Man

    That's why featurettes are all less than 15 minutes now, Rudy. After that, the money meter starts running.
     
  20. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Probably the first well-known example of this was when Governor Arnie got paid $75,000 to do the commentary for "Total Recall". People were up in arms, but I don't begrudge him the money. I begrudge him the fact his comments weren't interesting, but the fact is that commentaries and other supplements sell DVDs, so why shouldn't the talent involved get paid? Do we expect the folks who shoot them to work for free? I guess one can argue it's all part of being in a movie - gotta sell it as well - but for non-current flicks, this stuff is above and beyond that call...
     
  21. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Best recent example: the track for "Santa Clause 2". Granted, I didn't think much of the flick anyway, but I actively loathed the director's chat. He tries very hard to convince us Santa's real, they shot the film at the North Pole, etc. It's cute for about three minutes and then gets old.

    Admittedly, this commentary is probably meant for younger audience members - if any actually listen to commentaries - but that makes the director's occasional remarks about shooting the flick all the more bizarre. He goes into some highly specific and technical details and then will talk about how much he loved working with the Tooth Fairy! It's absolutely nuts...
     
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