You're entering a world of pain here, Donny

DVD commentaries. I've listened to more than my share at this point, as I'm fast approaching the exhaustion of my entire 300 title collection. I've got about 8 more features and another half dozen kids titles and then I will have watched basically everything I own at least once. In this time I've learned a few things about the burgeoning art of running film commentary:

More is better

Having multiple voices always livens things up and takes the pressure off of any one person to provide two plus hours of riveting discourse. Very few of us, no matter our expertise are ever up to the challenge of talking non-stop for that amount of time. Being able to hand it off and come back is infinitely fresher.

Togetherness

As a caveat to my previous point, having those multiple participants in the same room at the same time is a big help too.

Spontaneous Combustion

As in life, the best things are unplanned. Whether it's Jim Abrahams taking a call on his cell phone or Roman Polanski eating his lunch while the film goes by, the unplanned really keys you into the experience of watching the movie with whoever's commenting, instead of just listening to a kind of ersatz film lecture.

Don't Get Cute

In the name of all that's holy, don't try to outfunny your film. Humour as a commentary motif should really be avoided. That's not to say you shouldn't share an amusing anecdote or three, by all means go ahead. But don't develop your comments as some sort of extendo-sketch. Believe me, by minute 20 this gets very old. Ancient, even. (See Simple, Blood)

Tonymono

Try not to make the entire commentary about just one aspect of the film. Again, variety is what works in a format this lengthy. Criterion is a good example of this: Notorious has 2 commentary tracks, one which uses a film scholar to discuss nothing except the various techniques and iconographic information being presented, the other to talk about nothing except historical anecdotes involving the production. Both are so detailed that boredom quickly sets in. Why not alternate this info, or better yet have the two commenters meet each other and discuss the film together?

Bogging down

Finally, a special plea to the issuers of all classic films on DVD; please please please, I'm begging you... stop calling Peter Bogdonavich. I've had it with him.