Would you listen to more commentaries if they were offered as MP3 files?

[Jar Jar Stinks]

I have to be honest, I'm always interested in commentaries, but I never listen to them because I don't have the time to sit through another viewing. (Or, in some cases, multiple viewings.) If studios made commentaries available as a downloadable option, would you be interested?

[VanKilman]

If it were an added option, similar to a digital copy, I would find it to be an enticement. But not in place of the presence of them as a feature on the disc.

My feelings are actually opposite of yours, I consider the inclusion of a commentary as almost doubling the value of the purchase for me, because I'm guaranteed to watch a film at least twice that way. Or more, if there are more commentaries. In fact, the more commentaries, the higher the percentage chance that I'll blind buy a blu-ray or DVD. They are my absolute favorite extra.

Also, I'd prefer that they include commentaries with the digital version on all streaming services that the digital copy can be redeemed on (VUDU, MA, iTunes, etc) rather than a downloadable version. But I understand that that could be a logistical nightmare for them and that they can't necessarily dictate the terms of what these services offer extras-wise.

[erixon20]

Um..no.

[Moviefan2k4]

I don't download a lot of movies, preferring to buy them on Blu-Ray instead. Having said that, I enjoy commentaries a great deal, but I wouldn't want to store them separately instead of with the proper feature.

[Rzzzz]

Absolutely! I would listen to them in my car (I have actually done this).....

[Mockingbird]

Originally Posted by VanKilman

My feelings are actually opposite of yours, I consider the inclusion of a commentary as almost doubling the value of the purchase for me, because I'm guaranteed to watch a film at least twice that way. Or more, if there are more commentaries. In fact, the more commentaries, the higher the percentage chance that I'll blind buy a blu-ray or DVD. They are my absolute favorite extra.

Entirely my perspective - for some films, like say, Gladiator, I've actually watched with commentary more than without. Other films that didn't resonate are sometimes worth buying (or keeping) because of the commentary track. Criterion usually put together very good commentaries, and I've blind bought based on their inclusion. The Lady Eve springs to mind.

A digital file might be necessary for fan-composed commentaries, but I would never want this to come at the expense of the original.

[nosearmy]

I've ripped around 900 of them into mp3s

[slimdude]

Hell no! I don't listen to commentaries because they're boring. Just imagine listening to a 3+ hour commentary, after watching the movie. That's 6 and a half freakin hours! The time I waste listening to commentaries, I could be watching another movie, or doing something else useful. I can't see how anybody can sit through them.

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Originally Posted by nosearmy

I've ripped around 900 of them into mp3s

That's amazing. How do you organize them?

[nosearmy]

Originally Posted by Jar Jar Stinks

That's amazing. How do you organize them?

They're just dumped into a folder alphabetically. No real organization beyond that.

[Ranger517]

I can see how the commentary could get slightly awkward if the said person is going really in-depth talking about a certain specific scene within the film without the visual commentary you aren't watching, despite knowing the scene they are discussing assuming you've already seen the film. Still be a bit awkward though.

It's like certain audio podcasts or radio hosts going off on a tangent but you aren't there in person to fully understand the context or inside joke. I totally get what your saying though OP and it's something I wouldn't mind if it was offered nor am I opposed to the idea.

[Warm Gun]

No. I can listen to commentaries from a little Window and even extract them, since all my movies are played from my computer, but I still almost never listen to them. I have so much else I want to waste my time on and very few years to waste it.

[kevin87]

No, but I personally don't watch/listen to them on disc anyway. Since the commentaries are typically them watching the movie, they, to me, should be listened to while viewing the movie.

[Akibiyori]

The reason why I mostly don’t use commentary tracks is because if I’m watching a film, I want to watch the film. It’s a dilution of the experience any other way. I think the information in commentary tracks can be delivered in more efficient and focused ways (video essays, etc.) anyway, few commentary tracks are exceptional.

If I listen to commentaries, I try to set it up so I can be doing something else that doesn’t require my full attention while listening, like playing an old game that I can breeze through. In that regard, yes indeed an MP3 would make it a great deal easier to utilize commentary tracks. Commentary tracks usually talk more generally about a film or in the cases that it is scene specific, it’s not really hard to recall what they’re talking about since you just watched the film, so a more flexible audio form is far preferable to having to sit with the entire film all over again just to hear it.

[joonskeezle]

Definitely not. And this is something that's been brought up from time to time for years, pretty much since commentary tracks have been a thing.

And I just don't think a true commentary track works as audio-only. I mean, unless you have the entire film memorized front to back, and you can just intuitively know exactly what scene they're talking about at any given time. Most of the ones I've seen have been relatively scene-specific, albeit with tangents and filler for those times where nothing in the scene is worthy of note.

If it's not going to be scene-specific, then it doesn't have to be a "commentary" at all. Just make it a podcast or something. Doesn't even have to be the same length as the movie. Just put people in a room for an hour to talk about the movie. That isn't a commentary track.

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by joonskeezle

Most of the ones I've seen have been relatively scene-specific, albeit with tangents and filler for those times where nothing in the scene is worthy of note.

If it's not going to be scene-specific, then it doesn't have to be a "commentary" at all. Just make it a podcast or something. Doesn't even have to be the same length as the movie. Just put people in a room for an hour to talk about the movie. That isn't a commentary track.

Who ever said a commentary had to be scene specific? Those are the most boring commentaries, they just tell you trivia or things you could easily figure out on your own just by watching the film. The better commentaries provide insight into who the creator is, why they think the way they do, and how these things shape their work and the particular film in question. It’s all about providing information and while it can certainly be done in other perhaps better ways, there’s nothing that says a commentary has to be that rigidly defined.

[Ranger517]

I think certain commentaries could be entertaining to listen too without having the visual of the movie playing itself. The one commentary that comes to mind that I found quite enjoyable and amusing is one Bruce Campbell did for Evil Dead (1981) where he was just casually chilling while chewing the fat off that movie. He had some interesting things to say as well about certain scenes but nothing that required watching the whole movie over again. Overall, it was a fun commentary.

RedLetterMedia's MP3 commentaries off their website are always fun to listen too as well.

It just depends really if the commentary might come off as super deep where insightful discussions may happen or it's just a commentary where everyone discussing the film is having fun with it.

[Stanis]

Originally Posted by slimdude

Hell no! I don't listen to commentaries because they're boring. Just imagine listening to a 3+ hour commentary, after watching the movie. That's 6 and a half freakin hours! The time I waste listening to commentaries, I could be watching another movie, or doing something else useful. I can't see how anybody can sit through them.

Shameful.

[raptors661]

I've been slowly ripping commentaries into mp3s over the past couple of weeks.

[Leslie Dame]

That's like listening to a song without the music, like ordering Spaghetti and Meatballs but you only get Spaghetti.

Seems a weird thing to do IMO, especially if the commentary goes deep into certain scenes or pointing out specific things onscreen.