what's the differences between...

[Mark Malmstrøm]

Documentary and Featurette


when talking special features

[AeroK]

I would think a documentary is feature length and a featurette doesn't go over an hour.

[Moviefan2k4]

From my experiences, the terms are somewhat interchangeable, but documentaries usually follow the whole production of a film, and are longer. Featurettes usually focus on a particular aspect of the film in question (acting, writing, music, stunts, etc.).

[Mark Malmstrøm]

it's becaurse i'm making a list for my BD special features


you can see them here below my writings - i'm not sure if i have placed it all correct



Dirty Harry (1971)

Audio material
Feature-lenght commentary by Richard Schickel

Documentaries
The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry 25:31
Dirty Harry: The Original 29:45
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso 58:08

Featurettes
Dirty Harry's Way 7:06

Blu-ray exclusive, Interactive features and Image gallery
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows 86:48

Promotional
Interview Gallery (‘Play All’ option) 27:25
Dirty Harry trailer 3:28
Magnum Force trailer 2:21
The Enforcer trailer 2:18
Sudden Impact trailer 1:29
The Dead Pool trailer 1:29








Gone with the Wind (1939)

Audio material
Feature-lenght commentary by Rudy Behlmer

Documentaries
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind 123:18
Gable: The King Remembered 65:03
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond 46:06
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment presents '1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year' 68:20

Featurettes
Restoring a Legend 17:42
Dixie Hails - 'Gone with the Wind' movietone newsreel (Atlanta world premiere) 4:01
The Old South (Theatrical Short from 1940) 11:18
Atlanta Civil War Centennial 3:40
International Prologue 1:16
Foreign Language Versions 2:37
Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland 38:43
Gone with the Wind: The Legend Lives On 32:44

Blu-ray exclusive, Interactive features and Image gallery
Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara Wars 97:23

Promotional
1939 Announcement trailer 2 min
1961 Civil War Centennial trailer 3 min
1967 70mm Re-issue trailer 4 min
1968 Re-issue trailer 3 min
1989 50th Anniversary trailer 3 min

Awards text notes

[steve_dave]

Vignettes are generally between 1sec to 3mins.

Featurettes are generally between 3mins to 29mins.

Documentaries are generally 30mins and over.

Studios/distributors use the terms Featurette and Documentary interchangably.

[slimdude]

The difference between a documentary, and a featurette is: A documentary of a movie gives extensive historical information concerning the film's synopsis, with filmmakers, and a featurette shows behind the scene footage with the entire cast, and crew on location, when the movie was in production.