Say it Isn't So Arnold (1 Viewer)

[Stu Kobak]

Is it true that Artisan Entertainment paid Arnold Schwarzenegger 75k to record the audio commentary for the special edition? Shame on Artisan for agreeing to Schwarzenegger's demand. Maybe it's time for fans to terminate Arnold!

 

[Joey B]

Commentary for what?

 

[Jesse Leonard]

And you think Arnold should have worked for free?

 

[Shawn Sefranek]

That’s chump change for the big guy.
I just heard he’s getting THIRTY MILLION for Terminator 3.
Shawn S

 

[Stu Kobak]

Jesse:

I think there's been a spirit of generosity about commentaries on DVDs. It's talking about one's work. It's sharing. That's the way it should be. If you don't have that feeling about the work, don;t do the special edition commentary. The work, which many actors are well paid for, is acting, not recording commentaries.

Stu

 

[Ken Seeber]

Stu,

You still haven't told us which movie you're talking about. I'm assuming it's T2, but it would be nice to know for sure.

 

[TheBat]

total recall SE

JACOB

 

[Jeff Kleist]

75k for "Yeah" and "You're right" and "Hahaha"

money well spent I'll tell you what

 

[Dave H]

Doing commentaries is still work and I don't see what's wrong with getting paid for it. Time is money....

 

[CharlesD]

I hope he wasn't paid for his commentary on Conan The Barbarian, he ruined that track for me. The director had intereting things to say but Schwarzenegger's contribution was along the lines of "Dere's that guy I know!.... now I am hitting him wit my sword!... hahahah! oh ya dat scene is good... dere I am again wit my sword!"

I am sure that they think the 75K is worth it to say "Commentary with Arnold Schwarzenegger..." on the box, on the assumption that most people buying it haven't heard a Schwarzenegger commentary before.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

You think he does this for his health?

- Steve

 

[Stu Kobak]

Steve:

Absolutely! Arnold needs to exercise those jaw muscles.

Stu

 

[Peter D]

Considering how poorly his last few movies have done, it's quite possible he's desperate for the cash.

 

[Joe_C]

In relative terms, 75k is not that much money. Arnold did work that has undoubtedly brought Artisan more money. Of course he should be paid for that.

 

[Stu Kobak]

Joe:

Would it be fair to assume that Arnold gets a percentage of all video sales? I think so. Someone made a point that if he wants to get paid and Artisan wants to pay him, so be it. My feeling is that it commentary for pay erodes the spirit. I also think that when and if principals begin asking for bucks for commentary participation most studios will balk and DVD lovers will suffer.

Stu

 

[Justin Lane]

Stu, do you think that other actors/directors do not get paid to do commentaries? I always assumed they were paid, so this is no big deal. It would be naive to think otherwise in this day in age.

J

 

[Stu Kobak]

Funny, Justin, I always assumed they did it for the fun and out of respect for the film they participated in making. It's also a valuable historical record for future generations. In fact, I know of a number of film principals that were interested in contributing per gratis commentary and/or other material to DVD releases and the releasing entitities were not interested at the time.

Stu

 

[Scott Dill]

Well, this is a rerelease (is that a word?)... A special edition. Therefore, Artisan is only releasing it because they hope to sell more of these than the last release due to the special features. It only make sense that those who create the special features get their cut.

I think its fair to say that Total Recall was and stil is intended to be a "for profit" effort.

 

[SteveGon]

I don't have a problem with actors, et al, being paid for participating in commentary tracks, but 75K sounds pretty steep! Oh well, if Artisan was willing to pony up that kind of dough, I guess they thought it was worth it.

 

[David Lambert]

Wish I could get paid 75K for someone to record my ramblings while watching a film for about 1½-2 hours!!