Bringing back the DVD.
I’m planning the mastering for the Lilith DVD, and I’m hell-bent on packing as many special features that I can onto the disc. From a business standpoint, I want to make sure that I’m delivering bang-for-buck. DVDs aren’t cheap, and as a consumer I often feel ripped-off when all I get is the movie and and the trailer for the film (along with trailers for other movies). I can get those for free online - so what am I paying for?
I also think one of the negatives of streaming / VOD is that we really lose out on the experience of special features. The VOD experience is completely lacking in this, and no, Spanish subtitles are not a special feature. It never was. In this sense I want to bring the DVD back into relevance.
Watching a DVD with tons of special features is, for me, a huge treat. Maybe it’s because I’m a filmmaker and I love to learn about production and the magic of movie making. I love to know what goes into making a vision a reality - hence this blog. A lot of this blog wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t spend hours watching DVD features.
Commentaries are fantastic but they have to be really thought out. You can totally tell when a commentary is done from the hip, because it usually is the filmmaker and cast remembering what happened on a given day. Which can be fine if the stories relate to the filmmaking process. But most of the time it’s just anecdotes of practical jokes and how smashingly well the cast got along with each other. Which is boring. Either that they’re Schwarzeneggers:
A good DVD commentary is one that is thought out. It is in many ways scripted, but in a very loose way. More just bullet points that can be elaborated upon, or a detailed outline that is reviewed and talked through before recording. We should never read essays in a commentary, which is quite prevalent in many Criterion releases. Spontenaiety is gold, and to accomplish that, a sense of humor is an absolute must. Commentaries should have an improv element where the commentators give anectodal gifts to one another, and allow each other to build on each story.
I also strongly believe that there shouldn’t be more than two commentaries - one technical and the other more interpretive. If you can do both in one, then even better. Commentaries should also only have two people maximum - any more and it gets diluted. Give me the director and the lead actor, or two of the actors, or the DP and a PA. Each should be able to find the value of what is behind each scene, and not simply translate the action that we already know.
David Fincher does incredible DVD commentaries. Watch any of his films with the commentary and you get a brilliant insight into his process, and the way he does it is entertaining as hell. He’s got a great sense of humor about the ridiculousness of production, all the while giving very valuable tips to aspiring filmmakers and students of cinema.
One of the greatest DVDs ever made, in all aspects.
But why do this? What is Fincher’s gain to do commentaries like this? I view it as the innate desire to push the medium, to create a conversation between filmmakers and audiences. Budding filmmakers will find daunting tasks demystified, and they can try those techniques on their own projects. When filmmakers reveal the mechanics behind the magic tricks, then they’re forced to come up with new tricks. It’s all done with the intention of pushing the medium to greater heights, because I want to see great films being made. We can all learn to be better from each other.
Aside from commentaries, I want to do some really cool stuff. We didn’t have the budget to do behind-the-scenes vignettes, but I want to do small video essays on the departments, as well as access to production notes and designs. Basically I want to make it a Criterion-grade DVD without the exorbitant cost. Make it accessible to everyone. The Lilith DVD should not only be a showcase of the film, it should be a tool for filmmakers to use to create their own films.
Plus I want to bring back the magic and value of owning a DVD. We’ve lost that magic online. If I have the budget I want to add printed materials. A slipcase or a box is an unnecessary expense, it’s just something to be eventually thrown away. But an insert should have insight and value, artwork and interviews. Its graphic design should be beautiful.
I know also that once the film is release on DVD or VOD, that it will find its way to the torrents and will be available for free. I’m not against that, but I have to make a living on my product. Which is why I’m investing in a quality DVD product, something that gives you more than just a film. I’m pricing it competitively, likely less than a VOD download. I’m not engaging in a price war, because nobody wins in a price war. I’m rather delivering a value-add.
All of this amounts to a hell of a lot of work, and the mastering process is going to take me some time. But I want to deliver quality, and quality can’t be rushed. When you buy my product, I want you to have the best of my talents. I want you to feel that you got something worthwhile, and I refuse to abuse your investment of time and money. I have that respect and consideration for my audience. Call me old fashioned, but it’s what I believe in.
And what of Blu-Ray? In my opinion they’re just too expensive, and they’re not delivering anything that much more different. The resolution is amazing and cinematography-wise I think there is benefit. But with an upconverting DVD player, the image is still quite beautiful, and hey, beautiful images are made by the filmmakers, not the format. The mastering has to do the image justice, and not the other way around. I also just don’t think we’re at the point where I can justify the price of a Blu-Ray to my customers. But if I need the storage space for the extras, only then will it come into consideration. We’ll see.
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stevewyshywaniuk said:
As someone who’s spent a lot of time on DVDs, I also suggest you scan and present your storyboards along side the film. The worse the storyboards the better too. I think it’s awesome to see your idea on paper next to the final image in the film.
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davethatcameraguy said:
I love watching the making of films. I’m ordering a copy when it comes out!
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lilithfilm posted this
