#1
Posted: 1/11/12 at 4:55pm
We all know that the show is fully sung and there are many big ballads. So how do you think the film will turn out?
I have to admit that I'm a bit worried to hear one ballad after another sung by people who can't really sing. This music needs exceptional singing voices that can make a piece of art of each and every note and give all the notes the right emotion. And that is something very different than "acting a song out, and pretend that not singing the notes well is acceptable". That is actually "avoiding emotion" in real singing.
The Phantom film was a disaster because of this. Mediocre singers and the usual autotune makes sure that all of the real emotion is gone. Real emotion in singing (John Owen Jones, Alfie Boe, Sierra Boggess, Lea Salonga) is impossible to achieve with mediocre singers as most of the people in this cast are. So if excellent singin is not what the director wants, it is about actors fighting their way through these songs, and hopefully still get some emotion out of it. (even though that emotions won't come from the excellent singing, and watching actors fight their way through the songs is horrble to watch, Gerard Butler in Phantom.red).
Then another subject. Will the film be very basic, realistic, and have scenes in small rooms etc? (Like the King's Speech, Sweeney Todd) or will it be grand and theatrical (Like Evita, Moulin Rouge).
The score is very theatrical. A song as "A heart full of love" is very theatrical and poetic. This works in a theatre show. But will it work in a realistic setting, when the 3 people of the love triangle are walking in the streets of Paris or sitting in a small, cold, dirty bedroom? I hope it doesn't turn out to be silly, empty and flat. The song and lyrics actually ask for a more theatrical setting.
Because it's a full musical film, the film has to be a big videoclip. With that in mind you would think that keeping it too basic and realistic wouldn't work at all. This asks for a more theatrical approach.
With hooper as a director, a wonderful film director, don't get me wrong, but does he understand the theatrical aspects?
The "realistic film-lovers" will be annoyed by the theatrical lyrics and music, and the "theatre lovers" will be annoyed by the grey, toned down, realistic-ness, that doesn't fit with the score at all.
My idea would be to keep the emotions and the heart of the film realistic and very true, but make it theatrical as well. So NOT like Sweeney Todd, but more like Evita and Moulin Rouge.
For example, use a beautiful, starry sky in "A heart full of love". Make it big, epic, and romantic, as a contrast to the rest.
What I also would love is if there would be a dream sequence of a young Fantine in "I dreamed a dream" with images of her running through fields, having a man, a sort of blast from the past of her better life".
Make the forest where Valjean finds Cosette big and scary.
I also wonder how they are going to film "One day More". I guess they are going to cut form one side of the city to another wher the characters sing their own lines, but in the end when they all sing together? I have no idea.
What are your thoughts and ideas?
I have to admit that I'm a bit worried to hear one ballad after another sung by people who can't really sing. This music needs exceptional singing voices that can make a piece of art of each and every note and give all the notes the right emotion. And that is something very different than "acting a song out, and pretend that not singing the notes well is acceptable". That is actually "avoiding emotion" in real singing.
The Phantom film was a disaster because of this. Mediocre singers and the usual autotune makes sure that all of the real emotion is gone. Real emotion in singing (John Owen Jones, Alfie Boe, Sierra Boggess, Lea Salonga) is impossible to achieve with mediocre singers as most of the people in this cast are. So if excellent singin is not what the director wants, it is about actors fighting their way through these songs, and hopefully still get some emotion out of it. (even though that emotions won't come from the excellent singing, and watching actors fight their way through the songs is horrble to watch, Gerard Butler in Phantom.red).
Then another subject. Will the film be very basic, realistic, and have scenes in small rooms etc? (Like the King's Speech, Sweeney Todd) or will it be grand and theatrical (Like Evita, Moulin Rouge).
The score is very theatrical. A song as "A heart full of love" is very theatrical and poetic. This works in a theatre show. But will it work in a realistic setting, when the 3 people of the love triangle are walking in the streets of Paris or sitting in a small, cold, dirty bedroom? I hope it doesn't turn out to be silly, empty and flat. The song and lyrics actually ask for a more theatrical setting.
Because it's a full musical film, the film has to be a big videoclip. With that in mind you would think that keeping it too basic and realistic wouldn't work at all. This asks for a more theatrical approach.
With hooper as a director, a wonderful film director, don't get me wrong, but does he understand the theatrical aspects?
The "realistic film-lovers" will be annoyed by the theatrical lyrics and music, and the "theatre lovers" will be annoyed by the grey, toned down, realistic-ness, that doesn't fit with the score at all.
My idea would be to keep the emotions and the heart of the film realistic and very true, but make it theatrical as well. So NOT like Sweeney Todd, but more like Evita and Moulin Rouge.
For example, use a beautiful, starry sky in "A heart full of love". Make it big, epic, and romantic, as a contrast to the rest.
What I also would love is if there would be a dream sequence of a young Fantine in "I dreamed a dream" with images of her running through fields, having a man, a sort of blast from the past of her better life".
Make the forest where Valjean finds Cosette big and scary.
I also wonder how they are going to film "One day More". I guess they are going to cut form one side of the city to another wher the characters sing their own lines, but in the end when they all sing together? I have no idea.
What are your thoughts and ideas?
), from the Oklahoma! revival - it is an excellent example of how an actor portrays a character ( cocky but charming Curly), uses singing to court his love ( add to that the accompanying acting gestures - his coaxing Laurey to lay down her head is so appealing), and advances the story of how he really wants her but is too unsure ( despite the brash character he shows outwardly) of how to tell her...and the same is true of the Laurey character ( who by song and acting gestures shows her on-off romantic feelings towards Curly)...and even Aunt Eller, who understands the relationship and wants it to proceed ( all with acting and singing performances) 
