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blamofilms 08-30-12 08:50 PM

Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Hey everybody,

I'm interested to hear what DVDs and blu-rays you feel have the best extras that provide insight into the filmmaking process.

Far too often extras are just PR fluff pieces that reveal very little in how the filmmakers were able to pull off particular camera moves or create certain effects. David Fincher and Robert Rodriguez films usually have a plethora of in-depth behind-the-scene featurettes. I'm looking for more extras like theirs, more stuff on making-of (pre-production challenges, shooting, etc.), something similar to the "10 Minute Film School" series where tips, tricks and secrets are revealed -- basically anything aimed at aspiring filmmakers.

Any suggestions?

Spottedfeather 08-30-12 09:41 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
The documentary on the collector's edition dvd of The Thing is great. The behind the scenes stuff on the Back To The Future blu-rays is great, too.

Doctor Who : Revenge Of The Cybermen has a feature talking about how it was the first episode released on VHS.

The stuff on ELF is pretty cool.

They're not very long, but the behind the scenes stuff on Haunted Mansion is interesting.

If you're into 80s cartoons, the stuff on the He-Man sets is pretty fun.

Though you may not like the movie, the documentary on Highlander 2 Renegade Version is cool. And Highlander Endgame has some good stuff.

The stuff on the Shrek movies is pretty good, too.

The stuff on Independence Day Five Star Collection is good.

Of course, the "making of" stuff on the Jurassic Park movies is very interesting.

The Magical Legend Of The Leprechauns has some interesting, though short, stuff on it.

Man From Earth has some really interesting behind the scenes stuff.

I also like the stuff on Perfect Storm.

Tron has some interesting stuff, too.

And of course, the Disney, Pixar, and Star Trek movies (the versions in the Motion Pictures DVD Collection. Don't pay any attention to the blu-ray set. It doesn't have everything.) almost always has some great behind the scenes stuff.

Mondo Kane 08-30-12 11:21 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Rob Zombie's Devil's Rejects & Halloween.

Pre-production,location scouting,table-reads,daily shooting schedules....The only thing that's missing is post-production (Something that I've been wanting to see re-appear on extras since Hamster Factor/12 Monkeys)

gp1086 08-30-12 11:43 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Thanks for the recommendations, all.

Mondo Kane - may have to check out Rob Zombie's Halloween one when I watch it as part of the October Horror Challenge.

mrcellophane 08-31-12 12:43 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
A lot of the extra features for Magnolia might interest you. P.T. Anderson talks about his creative process, and there is some great raw footage of rehearsals and filming. The same goes for the features on The Royal Tenenbaums Criterion release. Some of the features delve into the art direction and attention to detail.

I was also really impressed with the commentary on Chicago (2002). The filmmakers tell some stories about making due with little money and creative ways to get around special effects.

Happy viewing!

DonnachaOne 08-31-12 12:49 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Blade II has several useful bits, but something I really liked was the inclusion of daily progress videos from the art department, showing Del Toro (and now YOU THE VIEWER) how the prosthetics and props were coming along.

spartickes 08-31-12 01:13 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
The Signal, The House Of The Devil and Brick have all supplied tricks that I've been able to use in low budget productions.

For fancier big budget stuff The Fountain is pretty interesting. The documentary portion basically follows the process of putting the film together in pre-pro only to see it fall apart, and then you watch Aronofsky put it back together again with what he can get his hands on. Actually pretty much anything he does has good info. Same with Fincher and Soderbergh.

blamofilms 08-31-12 01:51 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Great suggestions, guys! Thanks! Looking forward to hearing more.

At one point I owned The Devil's Rejects on a blind buy but disliked the movie so much I immediately traded it. Hopefully I can find the extras somewhere because I really don't want to own that movie again.

b2net 08-31-12 09:16 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
On some older releases of Field of Dreams there was a documentary that was as long or longer than the film itself.. very insightful about the movie and the movie making process..

mike7162 08-31-12 11:40 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
I would also recommend the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I don't think a set of films have ever been so thoroughly documented) and the King Kong Post Production diaries.

obscurelabel 08-31-12 01:44 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Good commentaries for this:

Robert Altman's commentary on 3 Women is great, he talks at length about his approach to filmmaking in general, not just the movie at hand.

Jack Hill's commentary on Coffy is very informative and has a lot of insight into low-budget filmmaking. I may be combining this with my memory of his commentary (with Quentin Tarantino) on Switchblade Sisters but both of them are great. For another Jack Hill extra, the feature on how he shot the house on the Spider Baby DVD is fascinating. The house, in the 1960s as now in a bustling neighborhood not too far from downtown Los Angeles, is shot with careful angles to appear to be in the middle of nowhere. On another feature on the same DVD, Hill talks about some subterfuge he had to engage in to get a print of the movie made.

Elliot Gould's thoughtful commentary on Little Murders is outstanding, it talks about the pressures of getting the movie produced (he was co-producer) and the difficulties of his sudden stardom. Unfortunately it's out of print and pricey.

inri222 08-31-12 05:54 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
This comes with "The Sacrifice" and is one of the best supplements on the filmaking process

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61j4v3OYHDL.jpg

Giles 08-31-12 07:20 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
^ thanks - I hope my video store had this.

Mondo Kane 08-31-12 07:47 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 

Originally Posted by gp1086 (Post 11366181)
Mondo Kane - may have to check out Rob Zombie's Halloween one when I watch it as part of the October Horror Challenge.

You're gonna watch the movie and the documentary? That's about 5-hours total!

gp1086 09-01-12 08:26 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 

Originally Posted by Mondo Kane (Post 11367186)
You're gonna watch the movie and the documentary? That's about 5-hours total!

Haha - probably just the commentary.

The Bus 09-02-12 02:17 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Not a great film but the extras to <b>Atlantis: The Lost Empire</b> (on the CE, I believe) go into pre-production detail. One of the producers (IIRC) wanted to copy Mike Mignola's style and eventually just got Mike himself to come in and explain it.

The Bus 09-02-12 02:17 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Not sure if this is just on the original or also on the follow-ups, but the score + commentary track on <b>The Matrix</b> is really well done.

davidh777 09-02-12 10:08 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 

Originally Posted by blamofilms (Post 11366022)
David Fincher and Robert Rodriguez films usually have a plethora of in-depth behind-the-scene featurettes.

Yeah, Panic Room (which should be on BD) is particularly amazing

Trevor 09-02-12 01:37 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Great thread! Makes me want to make the next Make-Your-Own Challenge a special features one.

kurupt 09-03-12 04:41 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
The making of Alien (I think it's called The Beast Within) from the Quadrilogy and Anthology is pretty great.

bboisvert 09-04-12 03:36 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Going a bit off-topic here (since this is a book), but... if you've got $45 burning a hole in your pocket or want to start your Santa list early:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Kubric.../dp/3836523353

Giles 09-04-12 05:25 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 11368840)
Great thread! Makes me want to make the next Make-Your-Own Challenge a special features one.

you gave me a thought!

I do however like the Criterion Challenge which DOES allow you to watch all the ancillary supplements

Jay G. 09-05-12 09:51 AM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 

Originally Posted by mike7162 (Post 11366647)
I would also recommend the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I don't think a set of films have ever been so thoroughly documented) and the King Kong Post Production diaries.

The King Kong Post Production diaries are great, as are the separately released King Kong Production diaries. As these were released on the web before the film was out, they focus on a lot of nuts and bolts of the process instead of revealing a lot about the film.

Struckworld 09-09-12 08:04 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Dangerous Days: The Making Of Blade Runner

Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

manicsounds 09-10-12 10:21 PM

Re: Best extras that show the filmmaking process?
 
Community season 3: "Documentary Filmmaking Redux"


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