The Nines audio commentary
If you’re going to see The Nines this long weekend, you’ll be in a movie theater. You’ll have the benefit of a giant screen, good sound, and fellow patrons with which to partake (and debate) the film. There’s nothing like watching a movie with a crowd: it’s participatory and immediate.
One of my favorite moments of the Sundance premiere was listening as progressive waves of audience members realized that a story Hope Davis begins telling in Part One is, in fact, not a story at all. Hearing the little gasps, those who hadn’t yet caught on became more vigilant, wondering what they were missing.
It was a reminder that we make movies for an audience, not merely a consumer.
Yet there are some things a movie theater can’t provide, aspects which only work on DVD. The pause button, for example. Subtitles. Audio commentary.
But in the age of iPods, there’s really no reason why audio commentary has to be relegated to DVD. That’s why Ryan Reynolds and I recorded one last week for The Nines which is now yours to download. (47MB, right-click to save to disk)
This isn’t an original idea, by the way. Kevin Smith recorded an in-theater commentary for Clerks II, though I can’t find confirmation he released it into the wild. (Someone in the comments section will know.)
If you’re considering downloading it, here are some guidelines, ground rules and helpful hints:
- Trust me: don’t try to listen to it without the movie. It’s not that it’s full of spoilers; it simply won’t make sense.
- Don’t try to listen to it on your first viewing.1 The movie is confusing enough. Hearing me blather on about some esoteric detail will increase the bewilderment, not lessen it.
- There are two versions: an m4a and an mp3. (Right-click to save to disk.) If you’re on an iPod or iPhone, you want the m4a. It’s half the size and sounds great. The mp3 should work in your Zune.
- The commentary track is set up as a podcast, with four chapters. “Intro” plays before the opening titles start rolling, so you may want to listen to this and hit pause. “Music Begins” plays right as the Newmarket and Destination logos appear. We mention the Destination logo, so you’ll know if you’re in the ballpark.2
- If you’re using iTunes, you should be able to simply drag the file into your library and sync. Otherwise, do whatever four-step process it takes to load it.
- Be respectful: If you’re listening to the commentary, sit away from other people, so they’re not hearing it. Yes, that’s just common sense and common courtesy, but I thought I’d point it out.
- I speak quickly, and mumble occasionally. That’s me. It’s also Ryan in Part Two, for an extra meta-level.
I’d like to underline points 2 and 6. Please don’t ruin the movie for yourself or others.
Because you’ll ask, this commentary will likely also be on the DVD, along with other special stuff.
The files are relatively small, so the server should be able to handle the load. But if anyone feels inclined to set up a mirror, or seed a torrent, go for it. Leave a link in the comments. And let me know if you end up using it.
- Yes, I’m basically saying, “See the movie twice!” But if you’re listening to an audio commentary track, you presumably find the movie interesting enough (or befuddling enough) that you want to see it a second time or third time. ↩
- If you’re off a few seconds, it doesn’t matter much. This ain’t Dark Side of Oz. ↩
Articles
August 30th, 2007 at 9:30 am
It’s great that you did this. Now I just wish that the Movie was playing in Northfield, MN. Or just in Minnesota at all. Or even in an adjacent state. Ah well.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:54 am
This is a great idea. My understanding (as stated on his website) is that Kevin Smith did record the iPod commentary but was met with resistance by theater owners when they tried to roll it out.
It seems that theater owners were afraid the iPod listeners would disrupt the non-listeners viewing experience by laughing out loud at the commentary when nothing funny was actually happening on screen. Harvey pulled the plug. To my knowledge, the commentary was never even posted.
Looks like you’re breaking new ground here!
August 30th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Is this your first audio commentary, John?
August 30th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Scott (#4):
No, I did one for Go that never made it on a DVD. And the Wibberlys and I did one for Charlie’s 2 which is apparently pretty scathing, in that we make fun of how little sense the story makes.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Dustin (#2):
Luckily, our commentary is rarely funny, so it’s unlikely that there will be disruptive laughter.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:16 am
nice article in today’s LA Times, btw…
link
August 30th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Wow - what a lovely home! It looks very comfortable.
August 30th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I’ve mirrored the m4a version.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Superb thing to do for the audience John, I’m looking forward to the film coming to the UK to have a listen too.
Kevin Smith’s Clerks II audio commentary was pulled by the studio after there was a lot of pressure from the cinema owners. It seems they were concerned about other audience members.
My suggestion is get the earphones that fit snuggly inside your ears and then sit at the back. That’s what I’ll be doing.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
The Kevin Smith commentary was recorded, but not “released” while the movie was in theaters, because, yeah, the theaters (or whoever runs them) thought it would be disruptive.
The commentary can be found on the Clerks 2 DVD, though it mostly mirrors the larger cast commentary that was done later.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Great idea!
BTW, I may have missed it, but I don’t think you ever elaborated on the development of the poster for The Nines. You said, in the One Sheet post, that you were going to post about how it all came about. I’d love to hear how involved you were in the process, and what some of the marketing thoughts were. Clearly The Nines is a tough film to characterize and encapsulate in poster form. Would be interesting to hear how you all arrived at the poster you did.
August 30th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Suggestion: First nine minutes of movie on iFilm, first nine minutes of audio commentary from here. Worked nicely, now I can’t wait to see/hear all of it.
Also, John, do you think you could release the audio commentary for Go on your site? I own the DVD & would love to have your commentary. Thanks.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Great idea! I wish more filmmakers were as interactive and including of their audience in the process of filmmaking. As an aspiring DP it is so refreshing to hear about the actual production of the film from the writer,director and crew members. I think it is a tribute to film as art rather than just entertainment for mass consumption. Thank you again for your contribution to the industry!
August 31st, 2007 at 8:58 am
Thanks so much for making this available…hopefully The Nines will make its way to Denver at some point. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:39 am
Posted a notice about and link to your commentary over at our film blog, Twitch. I think this is a fantastic idea - can’t wait to see the movie (when it comes to Indiana!!!).
August 31st, 2007 at 11:35 am
I also blogged this bad boy (and pinched the podcast art!) on ObsessedWithFilm.com. Good luck with The Nines, John!
August 31st, 2007 at 2:45 pm
It’s not big enough to be worth setting up a torrent for, but it’s mirrored here: http://erikandcolleen.com/thenines/
September 5th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Hey, I am a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds, one of the reasons being we share the same name, but I am curious why this movie was not released throughout the US?
Will it ever be, or do I have to wait for the DVD? That would suck pretty bad:-.
December 12th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
I just caught the film tonight, on its penultimate evening in cinemas in the UK….. If I wasn’t doing anything tomorrow night, I’d go and see it again, but I am, unfortunately, busy….
Will this commentary be on the DVD itself?
I really want to see it again - so here’s waiting for the DVD to be released….