U2's new in-concert film drops fans into the thick of the music. Helen Barlow reports
KEY POINTS:
It's the battle of the band movies. While Martin Scorsese's forthcoming Rolling Stones concert doco Shine a Light gives us scary close-ups of Mick 'n' Keef on stage, it's some pretenders pipping the Glimmer Twins to the big screen - and being more innovative while they're at it.
In the U2 concert film, U2 3D, fans get to see Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr performing close enough to make you think you've got yourself a backstage pass.
That's the point, says the film's director, Catherine Owens, a friend of the Dublin band since she played bass in a band herself and who, after her art school days in Belfast, became the creative director of their ZooTV, PopMart, Elevation and Vertigo world tours.
"Bono's feeling from the beginning was that this could be the medium to bring their concert to countries they can't play in and to people who can't otherwise afford to go," she says. "Some countries, including Russia, India and China don't have the infrastructure to allow them to tour in a cost effective way."
So here U2, who have been together for 30 years, bring it to the people once again - only this time in 3D. From Bono looking you in the eye to his reaching out to us with his arm extended, we feel as if we are in midst of the pulsating throng, actually an audience of 80,000 excitable Argentines, who hadn't seen their idols in eight years and were ready to make the most of it in a gigantic Buenos Aires stadium. Every song also melds the best footage from seven concerts in Mexico City, Santiago and Sao Paulo.
"It was a very definite decision to shoot in South America," says Owens, who had previously only made a short animated film and co-directs here with Mark Pellington (Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies), the co-creator of ZooTV's multi-screen images.
"Bono felt the South American audience's passion, which matched with his Irish passion, was going to get a result that we would not achieve in other places. [He mentions their countries' shared troubled recent histories on stage.] He's conscious of everything. He's not only a kind of actor, he's looking at the whole choreography and that includes the audience, the cameras and the band and they are very rehearsed. I mean they improvise every night, but they know exactly what they're doing."
Shot during the final leg of the 2006 Vertigo tour, the film features 14 core songs from U2's usual set of 22 (audiences sing along to the likes of Sunday Bloody Sunday and Pride (In the Name of Love)) as well as Bono's recitation of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Above all the film aims to replicate the feeling of being at their concert.
"Bono knows how to get a good moment but he really played that down for the film," says Owens. "We really wanted to avoid gimmicky and wanted to create a sophisticated way to make 3D work for film in a way it had never been done before [except in animation]."
"A lot of people said it had to be 2D or they wouldn't get to see it, because they don't have 3D cinemas locally. But we just decided if we're going do 3D, it's going to be completely 3D. U2 are futuristic guys."
At a time when James "Titanic" Cameron is making the first 3D action blockbuster, Avatar, using Real-D, U2 3D stakes its claim as the first entirely 3D live action movie ever. Shot with 18 digital cameras, it employs a new technology developed by 3ality Digital Systems for American sports broadcasts.
"They happened to be big U2 fans so rather than waiting around for the NFL to say yes they came over to our side," Owens says.
The process developed especially for the film is one of layering, where, say, Bono is in the middle of the frame and up to four layers of images can be sculptured around him. A new post-production facility had to be built to make it happen and while Owens notes that 3D films generally cost 30 per cent more than regular movies, at least here no big star fees were paid.
"3ality paid for the film and U2 just turned up and performed. It was so experimental; none of us had a clue if it would work."
The film began its life in a shorter form in Cannes, where the band performed on the Palais steps to promote it. It has since become a success.
"The reviews have just been insane from my point of view; the results couldn't have been any better," says Owens.
A format has also been developed whereby it can be screened in homes via a converter and via chips in computers. Eventually, no glasses will be required at all.
LOWDOWN
What: U2 3D, U2's second in-concert big screen appearance after Rattle and Hum.
When: At Imax Cinema Queen St, Skycity cinemas Albany from April 24.
