Special Features: DVD Extras (page 2)

Behind the Scenes

Behind-the-scenes featurettes are short videos that focus on events that happen behind the camera lens. They may show how the crew accomplished specific shots or effects or how various aspects of the film came to be. They may feature the actors discussing the film out of character. The Lord of the Rings has countless hours of amazing BTS footage on just about every aspect, from hand-making each costume to the final digital effects shots. Pirates of the Caribbean illustrates how the film merged CG with practical acting to bring life to the tentacles on Davy Jones' face. Superman Returns shows how the editor digitally manipulated existing footage of Marlon Brando long after his death to incorporate him into the film. Things like this provide an amazing and in-depth look at the filmmaking process.

Of all the features we've looked at so far, a behind-the-scenes feature is the only one that requires additional filming to make it happen. All the others mentioned, with the exception of audio commentaries, use materials gathered for the film to make the features. A typical behind-the-scenes featurette uses footage as it happened on set and often features additional footage of people discussing its importance after the fact. You can film your own behind-the-scenes footage while you shoot the main movie, by shooting interviews or supporting materials specifically for the creation of a behind-the-scenes feature. Adding this footage to the DVD is just as easy as adding your original film.

The Easter Egg

The Easter egg is a hidden special-feature link on a DVD menu. These invisible buttons link to outtakes, secret endings or many of the features we've discussed thus far. They are fun to find and exist on many of the DVDs you may own. In the first Pirates of the Caribbean DVD, there is an Easter egg linking to an interview with Keith Richards talking about being the motivation for Johnny Depp's character, Captain Jack. On the Star Wars: Episode I DVD, you can access bloopers of the film by entering a specific number sequence in the right menu.

You can make Easter eggs as easy as an invisible button on a menu or as complex as a series of invisible buttons that force the user to enter the right key combination to get there. When authoring, you can even program specific numbers on the remote to trigger playback of hidden clips. The key in making your own Easter eggs is making someone want to take the time to find them. There are websites dedicated to finding known and unknown Easter eggs in movies.

Many DVD releases are marketed using the special features as a sales hook. Some films release a DVD with few or no extras and later release special editions with loads of additional material. The presence of special features gives an added value to your DVD product and offers the viewer a more involved viewing experience. Many types of features are incredibly easy to add to your own films from existing footage you acquired as part of making the movie or from materials gathered during the filmmaking process. For other types of features, like interactive games or bonuses that feature materials not acquired during filmmaking, you must meticulously plan in advance.

With DVD extras, if you can make it, someone will probably watch it.

Nathan Beaman is an Apple Certified Final Cut and Motion Graphics Trainer.