Michael Ward

Miguel, that ASC page looks like a great resource, thanks! Some of my favorite commentary tracks; Requiem for a Dream The Shining The French Connection Taxi Driver Amelie Saturday Night Fever Seven Harsh Times The Machinist Donnie Brasco The Godfather II Gomorra- Criterion (great behind the scenes features and interviews) Reservoir Dogs What doesn't Kill You A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints American Beauty The Road to Perdition Dog Day Afternoon Sideways (just for the comedy of Giamatti and Church) There was also a low budget movie called Welcome to the Jungle that had a great commentary/special feature track.

This is a great thread. I have some personal favorites for one reason or another. 1. Gomorrah 2. Amelie 3. Seven 4. Mean Streets 5. Reservoir Dogs 6. Requiem for a Dream 7. Shawshank Redemption 8. The French Connection 9. Serpico 10.The Professional 11.The Shining 12.Shutter Island

I think it would depend on what medium you were shooting in,your budget demands and the scope of the film you're making... if working with DSLR or M4/3 filmmaking, in theory you could have a great script, carefully planned out and storyboarded scenes, a small group of decent actors, well-chosen sets and well-placed lighting....and you could pull it off with two people, one behind the camera and one on the boom pole. Those two guys are going to have to have a basic knowledge in everything from lighting, sound, camera operation and editing. There is a good podcast on itunes (for free). Its Ed Burns talking about the Newleyweds and how he got back to basics with a very small crew, everyone took on more than one job on the set. Its called The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith..pretty inspiring if you're a low-budget filmmaker.

I have to say I agree with Evan. I went from a HV40 to the GH2 and I love it. I got a great special at B&H Video for $1100, this included the 14-140mm lens package.. Unlike the Canon models, the GH2 is geared towards video first and stills second. I picked up a used Juicedlink and used Rode NTG-3 and a few used prime lenses on Ebay..basically for under $2000 I have a complete run and gun filmmaking setup. You won't regret it.

Director's and cinematographer's commentary on DVDs offers some great inspiration.