How did the commentary go you guys?
It went pretty well actually. We had a lot more to say than YFTR such that we ran into overtime a bit. Everyone had at least something to say, and I’m a bit more comfortable with the commentaries now. You’ll be able to hear it once qxgnxamy gets it online (BTW, take your time Peter, grub’s more important!)
To everyone who participated, great job as usual. I’m sorry if I interrupted a lot, I’m kinda bad at voicing my opinion and not interjecting someone else’s at the same time. Need to work on my ‘timing’! 
The thing about a Skype commentary is that you can’t see the other people’s body language, so you don’t know whether it’s appropriate to chip in with our own comments. Not all of us has video cams though (and I’m reluctant to show my mug) so we’ll have to do with an “ah…” before saying your piece.
Nice work again everybody! Can’t wait to hear the final result, as well as for the epic 2-hour event of the year, PP’s first feature-length commentary, appropriately Pixar’s first film as well: Toy Story!
We gotta find a date for the TS commentary so I can clear my calendar of everything.
Here is a link to the mp3. You can synchronize it with your DVD by pressing play just after the P in PIXAR appears.
Here’s another link (Thanks Zarban!!).
This would have to be the best practice commentary yet! We all pretty much had something interesting to say and played off of each other and continued on with each others’ points. It’s hard to give constructive criticism because I was a part of it, but I thought it went really well. Andre, great job on talking more this time. You did great!
I really should have said something about that music at the beginning, but I didn’t want to interrupt and I tried to be a bit more natural than last time, and I think that came through. My voice is a bit croaky at the end because it was in the morning when that was recorded and for some reason my voice is croaky at that time. Heh.
My favourite part wasn’t recording the commentary (although I am very pleased with the result) but chatting to your guys afterwards, particularly about WALL•E and the Academy Awards. You guys sound like really cool people. And If I talk too much before or after the session feel free to tell me to ‘shut up.’ 
Correction: I meant in the commentary that Tin Toy won the Best Animated Short Film award.
I can only speak for myself, but you didn’t interrupt anyone more than usual, in my opinion. And you made some great points, too. I agree, you don’t have body language to go by, so it’s hard to tell who is going to speak next… But we’ll get by. =)
I have to say, I’m really pleased with this commentary! ^^ Seriously you guys, give yourselves a big pat on the back, that was great. There were no silences, everybody had something to add, and I think we played off of each other very well. What’s funny is, before it started, lots of us didn’t even know what we were going to say! xD Kinda funny how that works.
thedriveintheatre- Ohh, don’t worry about it, you didn’t interrupt that much. (I apologize about any interruptions from myself, as well ^^; ) Like you said, it’s pretty much impossible NOT to accidently interrupt someone when you’re doing these kinds of things, and it didn’t help we only had five minutes to say everything we needed to say. You did a really good job, though, I enjoyed listening to everything you had to say.
Rachel- I agree, I think this was the best commentary so far, for all the reasons you mentioned. ^^ I didn’t think you sounded croaky! Or at least, not that I noticed. << >>
My favorite part was our afer-commentary chat as well! I think that’s the first time in my life I’ve been ever to actually speak with a group of Pixar fans, so that was a really great expeirence for me. Don’t worry about talking too much, really. I think it’s actually a good thing. I think conversations like that really help “break the ice” between people, so to speak, and that helps make future commentaries a whole lot less nerve wracking…if that makes sense. xP
Yeah, I’m starting to sound incoherent now, sorry. xD (I got distracted) I’m really looking forward to the Toy Story commentary though. Since it’s Pixar’s first film, I’m sure there’s tons of history behind it, so I’m sure everyone will have something interesting to say.
Yeah it went well…
Rachel- I totally agree, i also think it’s the best so far and we like didn’t have enough time.
LE- I thought you were great like always, just keep up the good work =).
thedriveintheatre- Yeah don’t worry about that. We all like kinda didn’t know when to talk, at least I didn’t .
My favorite part i have to agree with you is the afer-commentary chat ! We can just relax and have a good time, i loved how Rachel said " Even though it’s finished, i’m still nervous…" xD. Aah i’m really looking forward to doing the Toy Story commentary…
Peter, even though you have a “standard” accent, i happen to really like your voice, i don’t know why…
Rachel and Lizardgirl, your accents are just awesome… 
I saw the commentary you guys. ALl I can say that it was a total treat! You all had very valuble points. You all seemed very natural and relaxed. Wonderful job. Made me wish I was there to record it with you guys.
We would’ve loved to have you TSS !
Sounds like you guys had a great time. Sorry I missed the session, I fell asleep while waiting waiting as I was resting on my bed. Guess I should had taken qxgnxamy’s advice about taking a rest first in the first place… 
Well, there is always the TS one comming up soon.
Thanks Pixar.rocks. I like your voice too. =)
WBoon - We may organize another practice soon because A113, JesusFreak, M-O, Netbug, and you still haven’t done a practice.
When I’m away (later today until the 14th), I won’t be able to record any commentaries, but I may be able to work on the calendar. If everyone could post or PM me their schedules up to the end of October (if you haven’t already) that would be great.
Thanks, qxgnxamy, but my schedule is never exact. I may be up in the morning before dawn all the way till 5 AM or I might have already be asleep by then. However, if it’s a night session at about 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM (GMT +8 ), the chances for my participation is higher.
I have to agree- this is probably the best short film commentary yet. The fact that we managed to fit in all of that information about Tin Toy without making it sound too forced is something that, when we do the Toy Story commentary, doing the same sort of thing would be great.
Interruptions are pretty much unavoidable, and although it happened once or twice, I think we all managed to carry on and continue making it sound natural.
LE- You made some really good contributions in this one, and I loved how natural you sounded and some of the funny things you said, especially near the end about the bag. 
thedriveintheatre- Your accent just sounds so good in the commentaries! And I don’t think you interrupted more than anyone else- as you said, it’s difficult to know when someone’s going to talk without actually being able to see them in person.
Rachel- Once again, the contributions you made were great, especially when you talked about [spoil]Gary Rydstrom’s music and how it conveys Timmy’s emotions [/spoil]. And I don’t think your voice sounded croaky at all!
Pixar.rocks- Thanks! And so is yours- it’s really easy to listen to and to understand. I agree, the after-commentary chat was great, especially as it gave us all time to calm our nerves again.
qxgnxamy- Loved the bit when you said about the [spoil]elephant being your favourite toy, and I never realised that Gary Rydstrom designed it![/spoil] Once again, thanks for organising the Skype stuff and doing all the editing for us.
I hope you can both make another commentary, TSS and WBoon. I’d love to hear what you have to say about Tin Toy.
I’m glad you guys thought that this practice went well, too. =) I think the reason why it turned out so great is because we had done a couple more beforehand, and we were more comfortable with each other and this whole talking thing, and the fact we were doing a different short film (that wasn’t YFTR) made things refreshing, too. I’m really starting to appreciate Tin Toy after watching it so many times. Yep, a very pleasant commentary.
As Lightning Eclipse said, the conversation afterwards was really cool, and like her, I’ve never really had such an in-depth convo with anyone about Pixar - mostly because they wouldn’t follow what I’m saying, or they’d get bored. Heh. But we should do that again and it would get us more comfortable with each other. I’m glad you guys didn’t think I talked too much, if I do, just let me know.
Oh, and I forgot to say this, but at the beginning before we started recording, when people kept interrupting each other by accident, that was so funny! I couldn’t stop laughing! It’s because of the delay in transmission, but still, it was so hilarious. =)
I think if I had one constructive criticism, it would be for us to talk more about the short in general, and the storyline… but I think we have a really good rapport with each other and that’s what’s most important. And I am pretty confident in recognising your voices, since you all sound so different to me.
Lightning Eclipse - You have such a natural sounding voice and way of speaking on the commentary, and you are really good at following on from others’ points.
Pixar.rocks - Thank you. =) I like both your accent and voice, too. I look forward to hearing more of your points on Toy Story.
lizardgirl - Thanks for introducing the short film, and I know you don’t think you have an upperclass accent, but I think you do! Or maybe I’ve been watching too much Wife Swap with their atrocious English accents.
Peter - Your comment about the doorframe was really funny (as you could tell), and yeah, that elephant is cool. The story behind the design of the elephant is really cool, too.
thedriveintheatre - I can pretty much understand most of your accent now, and you did well at conversing with the rest of us compared to last time. You made a good point about the Tin Toy Christmas Special, I would have liked to see that, too. Glad to have you on board!
WBoon - Ah, so that’s what you were up to… sleeping. You will have to organise with Peter about another practice commentary (if we are going to have one.)
Rachel- I completely forgot to do a bit of chav-ette this time! Ah well, there’s always the Toy Story commentary. Jolly good, quite quite.
…And you watch Wife Swap?
My sister listened to the commentary 'cause I wanted her opinion on it and the first thing she said after listening to a group of Pixar fans was: “You’re all nuts.” 
If anyone wants to give any constructive criticism, especially if you weren’t involved in the commentary please do.
lizardgirl - I heard you do your chavette voice last time, heh. And yeah, Wife Swap is one of my guilty pleasures (the UK one.)
Thanks for the link, qxgnxamy.
Gosh, my introduction sounds so awful! “This is theasdfklsdflk…” Really sounds like I had marbles in my mouth. 
And I garbled my words. And my voice is so deep. Ugh! 
Lightning Eclipse - As everyone had said, yours is the most charismatic voice and you’re really relaxed at speaking and conveying your points (like the fact that the parents left a bag lying around). “It doesn’t help that I have an irrational fear of small children.” Laugh out loud, sorry… and yes, I find Tinny a cute toy too.
Lizardgirl - I like your Brit accent, I can sort of tell you apart from Rachel. And I agree with you on the human looking a bit freaky. “Kinda looked like a 40-year old man.” That bit’s so true!
Peter - I didn’t know that Ed Catmull designed the elephant. “I like how the doorway is asymmetric.” Just shows Pixar’s attention to details. It’s their little bits of imperfections (like the rust and scratches on the pans in Ratatouille or the dents and dings in Wall-E) that highlight their key eye for detail.
Pixar.rocks - Great points you raised on it being the first academy award for the Best Animated Short Film and the trivia bit that the baby’s named Billy. Great that you have participated more in this effort! And although yours was not very obvious, I like the French accent, quite musical in nature.
Rachel - Nice point on the soundwork, I can tell you like movie soundtracks from your forum discussions and YT channel, I also sometimes observe the aural aspects of movies when I’m rewatching them. I just found out that the song in the beginning was the Kangaroo Jack theme, so maybe that was what you wanted to say in the commentary but you didn’t get the chance? And kudos for the trivia on Pixar struggling with modeling the baby, guess their persistence paid off! I wished they had done the Chrismas Special too, but I read that the producers were so convinced, they didn’t need a Tin Toy sequel to greenlight Toy Story.
WBoon - You overslept? Jeez, I wish I could have heard your S’porean accent commenting on this one. I really hope to hear you on a future commentary.
Thanks for everyone for your kind comments on my accent and being understanding on my unintentional interruptions. You guys are cool!
thedriveintheatre - Ha-ha! You didn’t sound that bad… it’s just you have a bit of an accent. I could still understand what you were saying most of the time, but for me I’m not as good at understanding other accents (unless it’s an English accent I hear a lot, like the US or UK accent) unless I’m talking to them in person. But the more I talk to you, the easier it gets. Well, yeah, you’re voice is deep, it just means you’re a guy, lol. But you don’t sound half as bad as what you think you do, trust me. Everyone is critical of the way they talk, even me! =)
It may help to slow down your speaking a tad, if you really think it’s an issue, which is one of the reasons why I talk slowly in the commentary - otherwise people may not understand my accent, I think (and also because I’m nervous and trying to compile my thoughts into a coherent sentence.)
Oh, yeah, I love soundtracks and music! I guess I am an auditory person… you are too, huh? That’s cool. Yep, Kangaroo Jack/Captain Kangaroo (or whatever it was called) was the TV show the song is taken from - I had that in my head the next day from watching the commentary so many times, I swear! I did want to mention the name of that song so maybe if we ever do a Pixar short films official commentary, I could, but it’s no biggie.
With the Tin Toy sequel, I wanted to talk more about it, but I felt like I should have shut up at that point 'cause I had already said a lot, and Kaitlyn wanted to say something. But I can’t help but wonder what a Tin Toy Christmas Special would have been like…
Well, you’re really cool, too, Andre, and I really mean that. (Why the frigg do I keep typing your name as Andrew, lol?)
Based on the information I have about everyone’s schedules so far, here are some times in October when we can do the Toy Story commentary: There’s a 165 minute time interval at 20:30 on Oct 20 UTC, another 165 minute time interval at 20:30 on Oct 25 UTC, a 225 minute time interval at 20:30 on Oct 27 UTC, a 4.5 hour time interval at 8:00 on Oct 28 UTC, and another 4.5 hour time interval at 8:00 on Oct 29 UTC. However I don’t have everyone’s schedules yet. Also, to be fair to those who expressed their interest late, we need a system to select who gets to commentate (and based on who’s commentating, our scheduling options will change).
One system is for all of us to submit a ranking of which Pixar films we want to commentate on. We’d then fill up each commentary with those who selected it as their first preference, then with those who selected it as their second, and so on until all the spots are taken. If a number of people can equally claim a smaller number of spots, then we’ll draw straws. Also, substitutes should be chosen in case some people don’t show up. We’d fill up each commentary a week or two before the commentary takes place, which should give newcomers a chance to join in, and it would give all those participating time to prepare.
Another system is to auction off the spots in each commentary. We would each start with an equal number of credits and the top bidders in each auction will be the ones who participate (the next few will be substitutes). Since we all start with the same number of credits, that should make it fair. We would bid more for the ones we really want to commentate on, and perhaps none at all on the ones we don’t want to commentate on. Newcomers would start with the same number of credits that we each started with at the beginning. We’d end bidding on each session a week or two before the commentary takes place.
Which of these systems do you prefer? Or would you like to suggest another system? =)