What is a director's commentary?

A director's commentary is an audio track which consists of comments or a lecture that plays in real time with the video. Commentaries can either be serious or humorous in nature. They often give extra information about the video that would not be obvious to the audience. The director's commentary is usually available on an extra disc or in a special features section on the disc.

There are two main types of commentary; Partial (or scene-specific) and feature length (or screen-specific). 

Partial:
This type of commentary only covers specific scenes of the film. These can be recorded without the speaker viewing the film, which usually means the commentator makes more general comments rather than pointing out specific details.

Feature Length:
This type of commentary is recorded in one session. This is where the commentator watches the movie from beginning to end while giving their direct thoughts on what is happening on screen.


The most common commentary track will be a feature length track featuring the film’s director, cast members, producers and writers. Actors can sometimes perform the commentary in character.

Some commentaries have on-screen video enhancements like a telestrator; which allows the director to draw on the screen to point out specific details.