# Are you sick of DVD extras ?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sick-of-dvd-extras/357610>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 21, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sick-of-dvd-extras/357610 "2006-05-21T05:15:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-sick-of-dvd-extras/357610/21 "2006-05-22T00:19:05Z")

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I’m a huge fan of special features and generally go through a disc cover to cover as it were to watch/listen to everything available.

\*\*Commentaries \*\* can be extremely interesting. Only rarely have I shut one off becasue it was too vapid. Most contribute something. Director, actor, production design, music, etc.–it’s all part of the moviemaking process and I enjoy peeking through the window and seeing what people were thinking during different parts of the creative process.

\*\*Alternate scenes \*\* and \*\*endings \*\* are interesting, especially with commentaries. Most of the time there was a reason they were left out. But it just reinforces how the director is trying to feel his way through as he is making the film. Before DVDs, I just assumed the director knew all along exactly what he wanted to do. Now, I see how many tough decisions have to be made and how a good idea on paper may not translate to the screen.

Real \*\*documentaries \*\* are good. _Not promo clips_.

\*\*Trailers \*\* are good. Fun to see what was expected to sell a movie when it first came out. Many seem pretty lame, but that just adds to the interest. Reflection of a changing society and all that.

Cast \*\*biographies \*\* can be good if they include some personal tidbits. Some are almost like history dissertations (which is a good thing). Love some of these on the Hong Kong Legends DVDs.

In fact, the HKL documentaries, commentaries, behind-the-scenes, biographies, etc. are some of the best out there.

I don’t ever watch \*\*music videos \*\* on TV; I generally have no interest in watching them on a DVD. But based on my compulsive nature I usually sit through them.

I like \*\*bloopers \*\* and \*\*outtakes \*\* as long as they are things caught spontaneously. These days many look staged or hammed up because people know it makes good DVD filler. :rolleyes:

\*\*DVD-ROM \*\* content? – useless.

Likewise **image galleries**. I mean, I just sat there and watched the movie, which is full of images. Moving images at that! And now for my viewing pleasure I can look at those same images in still frame. Why would I want to do that? If I really wanted to, I could use the pause button and stare at the screen at any point in the film I wanted. My own image gallery! Yes, at times there are behind the scenes stills and maybe some of the alternate poster images are cool. But just stills form the movie?–what a waste.

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