Corey Miller Describes DVD Audio Documentary Process

Corey Miller is back on his online blog this week to talk about another complicated subject: recording DVD audio documentaries.

The writer said he's spent the last couple of years trying to find a way to perfect the process. "The first one I did was for an episode from season two, "Complications. I spoke with my co-writer, Sunil Nayar. Neither of us knew what to expect. We showed up at the recording studio, sat down in front of microphones, and viewed the episode on a television sitting in front of us. The only guidelines: introduce yourself, don’t swear, and thank people for listening at the end. And we only get one take."

Miller admitted he watched the episode beforehand to take a few notes, and promised to avoid every single audio documentary flop (awkward pauses and the like). "After the DVD came out and I listened to myself, I recoiled in horror," he said. "I spoke too much of what happened on the set and not enough of the writing process, which is most likely why someone would listen to a writer's commentary. And I spent a lot of time mentioning other people's names, perhaps too much."

The writer tried again with the season two episode "Shootout," but it wasn't until his third time that he felt confident with the results. "I was given another opportunity just a few weeks ago to do a commentary for an episode I co-wrote this season, "Prey," with the director Scott Lautanen. He and I were both bothered by commentaries we did in the past, so we decided to self-correct. "

The audio documentary for "Prey," however, will only be available when the fourth season is released on DVD. "I have not heard the end result, but it actually felt right this time: the proper balance between being informative and extemporaneous. I guess time will tell. As you can tell if you've read many of my blog entries, I'm only trying to avoid complete embarrassment on a daily basis."

Visit Miller's blog to learn more about his audio documentary experiences. His and other audio documentaries can be found in the complete first and second seasons of CSI: Miami on DVD.

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