The Best Making Of Film Documentaries

It’s sad to see that physical media is slowly being pushed out in favor of digital downloads. In a little over a decade I’ve amassed a huge collection of DVDs and Blu-rays. What makes me stick to this soon to be antiquated technology is special features. No matter the film I tend to at the very least give their special features a passing glance. My favorites tend to be audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and extensive making of documentaries. Today I wanted to speak about some of my favorite documentaries. So let’s dig in and look at these fantastic peaks behind the curtain.

-The Beginning: Making Episode I-

We can continue to debate the merits of the prequel trilogy to George Lucas’ beloved space opera, but when it comes to DVDs Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace set the gold standard for quality. The Beginning is amazing in that it covers all three aspects of this superhyped film’s production. Amongst those items are: seeing the creation of the new creatures and machines in the film, casting of Jake Lloyd, Ewan McGregor acting like a kid in candy store when he finally gets to pick which lightsaber will be his, and the terrible sandstorm that hit Tunisia while filming. Whether or not you enjoyed The Phantom Menace this will give any film buff some great perspective on one of the most controversial blockbusters from the 90’s.

-Snowball Effect: The Story of Clerks-

Like him or not, Kevin Smith is one of the major filmmakers to come out of the 90’s indie movement. His 1994 directorial debut Clerks is a fantastic way to start a career. With this documentary we get to see more than just a making of a film, we get to see the birth of a filmmaker. Kevin Smith regales the audience with stories of his life that would become the genesis of Clerks’ script. In addition to a hilarious and sometimes insane production we find out how word of mouth turned this $27,000 little black and white comedy into an indie darling and major hit at the Sundance Film Festival. Kevin Smith is a natural storyteller to the point that I’ve watched the man stand in a theater and tell a packed audience humorous anecdotes and not gotten bored.

-Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner-

There are very few films that have been such a head scratcher to me as Blade Runner. I’ve seen no less than four alternate cuts of this movie, how does this happen? Strap in, because this three and a half hour long documentary exhaustively covers not only every single aspect of production, but the troubled post-production that befell this film. Between the screenwriting duties that switched hands multiple times, the combative production that put director Ridley Scott at odds with a large portion of the crew, and the ridiculously long post-production that forced a voiceover which to quote Frank Darabont, “It’s like having sex and someone dumps cold water on you!” You even get to hear other filmmakers discuss the philosophical and emotional subtext of the movie. I must warn you, this documentary will have you feeling physically and mentally drained by the time the credits roll.

-Zodiac Deciphered-

Advertised on the back of the director’s cut DVD as, “An exhaustive behind-the-scenes documentary” this is almost an understatement. David Fincher is one of the best filmmakers when it comes to his films having the best possible post theatrical lifespan. Whenever you buy one of his films on DVD or Blu-ray you can expect a treasure trove of special features. With the director’s cut of Zodiac he pulled out all the stops. This documentary shows the method to the man’s madness. This includes seeing his crew meticulously re-create how locations appeared in the 1960’s and 70’s to the point that he had trees cut down and placed on an island. I may be biased as this is hands down my favorite Fincher film, but this documentary is superb.

-Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy-

What happens when you give one of the greatest documentary filmmakers (Ken Burns) unfettered access to the Lucasfilm archives? You get two and a half hours of unbelievable insight into how one of the greatest film series got it’s start. As a huge Star Wars fan I was blown away by how much brand new information I got from watching this documentary. Listening to George Lucas talk about the painful uphill battle he fought making A New Hope is inspiring and deflating. Between sandstorms in Tunisia, a British crew who’d often fight Lucas tooth and nail, and trying to craft brand new visual effects with little time and money I understand why Lucas suffered from hypertension. While The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi get less screentime it’s nice to see Empire director Irvin Kershner candidly speak about his time with the franchise.

These are just a few great documentaries, but believe me there are a lot more. Any film fan worth their salt ought to give all of these a watch. As usual, what are your thoughts? Do you have a favorite behind the scenes documentary? Will you continue to purchase DVDs and Blu-rays so long as they have a wealth of special features? Let me know. As always, thanks for reading.

PS: You can follow me on Twitter @SDFilmThoughts for more film discussion.

Why I’m more excited for the Star Wars Spin-Offs than Sequels

If any of you missed it, today Disney debuted the trailer for ROUGE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY. If you haven’t seen it check it out. I’ve talked with friends about the fact that Disney is branching off from the traditional numbered Star Wars sequels and making these spin-off films. For me there’s more excitement in these Star Wars stories than the episodes. Why, well of course I’m going to explain myself. So sit back and prepare for my inner Star Wars nerd to be released.

-Telling Self-Contained Stories-

This is a big nitpick I had with The Force Awakens. While it’s picking up the story 30 some years after Return of the Jedi we’re dealing with a new chapter in Star Wars. Even before the film’s release people were already hypothesizing who were Rey’s parents. And yes, there have always been questions left open in Star Wars that would later be definitively answered. This time it feels more like sequel bait than organic storytelling. When The Empire Strikes Back ended we had a cliffhanger, but the major crux of the story was answered. Darth Vader is in fact Luke’s father and we know with absolute certainty it’s true. We now have to wait until Episode IX to find out if Rey is a Skywalker, a Kenobi, or something else entirely. With Rouge One this is a story that can have a beginning, middle, and end not being forced to set any sequels up.

-A Universe Bigger than the Skywalkers-

Producer Kathleen Kennedy has talked about the future of Star Wars and what the major difference between the spin-offs and the episodes entails. Basically the episode films are all going to be focused on the Skywalker family while the spin-offs can tell other stories. The Star Wars franchise is a rich and expansive universe filled with so much potential if you don’t have to link your story to the Skywalkers. Point of fact, in the now non-canon expanded universe there are many tremendous stories that have nothing to do with the Skywalkers. Hopefully this will allow for greater stories that can be their own thing.

-Jumping Around the Timeline-

While Star Wars has never been afraid to jump around chronologically (Episodes IV-VI were released between ’77-’83, Episodes I-III were released between ’99-’05, and Episodes VII-IX will be released between ’15-19) we’re now set on a path going forward. With the spin-offs we get the chance to criss-cross the timeline to tell stories. What most excites me about Rogue One is seeing a story set between the prequels and the original trilogy. This 19 year gap that shows the rise of the Empire could be a great space to set new material. Or telling a story set centuries before the prequels showing the Jedi fighting the Sith. Everything is ripe for the picking in this series.

-Attracting Actors Not Interested in Multi-Picture Deals-

With the new Episodes actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac have all committed to a multi-picture deal for three films. Many actors (especially older ones) have a hesitancy to sign up when they don’t know when their character’s story will end. Being stuck in the same role for years can cause them to stagnate or worse, become typecast afterwards. With Rogue One the cast is stacked with such an impressive set of actors (Alan Tudyk, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, and Donnie Yen) I  assume it’s because they signed on for a single film that could lead to future roles in the franchise. This opens the possibility for many brilliant actors being open to appearing in future spin-off films.

-Bringing Back Past Talent-

One the best parts of the prequel trilogy was Ewan McGregor’s performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi. While some of the other actors turned in so-so performances he was great from start to finish. The idea of seeing McGregor reprising his role is an interesting prospect. We’d get to see him front and center in a story that would show us how a Jedi Master ended up a “strange old hermit”.

So there you have it. These are my reasons for being excited for the spin-off films moreso than the sequels. Not that I’m not excited for Episode VIII (Rian Johnson is an amazing director and Mark Hamill will have more than a cameo), I love this franchise so dearly. What are your thoughts? Did you like the Rogue One trailer? Do you have an idea for a spin-off story? Or are you more excited about Star Trek Beyond?