Six Questions

Before he made There's Something About Mary, Frank Beddor was a struggling indie producer just trying to get his films into theaters, without giving much thought to the DVD. His first film, Wicked (1998) came out on VHS/DVD Aug. 28 from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Here, Beddor, who is currently in development on the comedy Full Catastrophe for Warner Bros. and Bel Air Entertainment, discusses the intricacies of picking bonus features for DVDs.



How did you decide on the extras for There's Something About Mary?

In a comedy like There's Something About Mary, the outtakes really work. But there was one scene with Matt Dillon and a snake that was just out of context, so we didn't include it.



Would you have liked to include more extras on the Wicked DVD?

Rachael Leigh Cook and Kirsten Dunst auditioned for Julia Stiles' role, and I would have liked to include that, since they weren't big stars at the time. If I'd have thought of it, I would have kept the film of the auditions. Now I'd have to go back and get clearances, and that's a big hassle. I wish I had shot footage of Julia's photo session for the film. It was her first professional shoot, and she was amazing. Anything that is a first-time experience or gives the audience an inside glimpse of the filmmaking process is great for DVD.



There's a lot of info about the DVD on the Web site r-uwicked.com. Why?

All the things I envisioned for the DVD are posted there because it's a marketing tool to tease viewers. Even though there isn't a film version of Julia's photo shoot, there are pictures from it on the site. There's also a segment showing Julia's first audition where she's reading lines with her mom in their loft in New York.



Do you like a lot of extra material on a DVD in general?

As long as it's compelling and you find an angle for it to be there. I'm always thinking about what would be interesting to the viewer. But you don't need to put everything on.



How will DVD change your filmmaking process in the future?

I think I will organize a day for a crew to come in and shoot footage just for the DVD. I'd just tell them, "This is your day, go and shoot."



Would you ever shoot a scene differently just for inclusion on the DVD?

No, that would involve some serious cash burn. EILEEN FITZPATRICK