Rent Movie- Page 6

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 9:36pm

Come on, let's not mourn the news of Chris Columbus helming this project strictly because he's directed a few soft children's films. He did, after all, helm Adventures in Babysitting (not as heavy on the grit and fluff as Rent, but close enough)which costarred Anthony Rapp...

And before Chicago came out, Rob Marshall was gaining respect amongst American families for Annie, which is pretty sunny by comparison to Chicago.

Columbus isn't an auteur in the same sense as Steven Spielberg -- i.e. known for recurring themes across an entire body of work. I trust his ability to move away from nuclear family fare for a while and do Rent justice. Updated On: 5/11/04 at 09:36 PM

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 9:47pm

I loved the Harry Potter movies and the books. It could be that Columbus curbed his creativity to keep the books real?

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 5/14/04 at 9:56pm

I love this thread, so I'm bringing it back.

My soundtrack for the film (not including any songs added for Oscar contention):
1. Rent 2. One Song Glory 3. Light My Candle 4. Today 4 U 5. Tango: Maureen 6. Out Tonight 7. Another Day 8. Will I? 9. Santa Fe 10. I'll Cover You 11. Christmas Bells 12. I Should Tell You 13. La Vie Boheme 14. Happy New Year (shortened, parts turned to dialogue) 15. Take Me or Leave Me 16. Without You 17. Contact 18. Goodbye Love (shortened, parts turned to dialogue) 19. What You Own 20. Your Eyes 21. Finale (shortened) 22. Seasons of Love (plays in the credits because in a film without an intermission, it slows down the pace of the narrative)

If I had to cut four in order to make this a "traditional" movie musical soundtrack (or rather, adapt three into dialogue), I would go with "Will I?," "Happy New Year," "Goodbye Love" and "What You Own" (sadly). However, cutting twenty seems sufficient for now...

I know that some of the songs occur in two parts, esp. Happy New Year and Happy New Year B, but I'm thinking of this soundtrack in Chicago terms (esp. the overture incorporated into All That Jazz).

From an AIM conversation I had today:
Wonka1702: 8. Will I? (but this can't be a staged musical number, it has to be sung over a montage or something, or maybe *who* is singing it at certain moments can change -- i.e. Roger instead of the chorus)
Wonka1702: 11. Christmas Bells (quick cuts)
Wonka1702: I think certain other songs -- such as Over the Moon -- should not be seen in their entirety.
Wonka1702: Like we can see Maureen performing it, but don't make that the center of the scene.
Wonka1702: Occasionally focus on her performance but also focus on others (i.e. Mark, Joanne, etc.) in the audience.
Wonka1702: Make her performance "background music" more or less.
Wonka1702: The voice mails could add to the camp effect if kept as musical numbers, but don't clog up the soundtrack with them if there's pressure to keep the film short.
Wonka1702: "You Okay Honey?" is stagey. In a film, it might be more effective to turn it into dialogue, unless you play up the idea of Angel as angelic by making it seem sort of cloud nineish.
Wonka1702: "You'll See"... easily transferrable into dialogue, unless keeping it as a song adds to the comedic effect (honestly, it still sounds like dialogue even when sung "with condos on the top... just stop the protest, and you'll have it made").
Wonka1702: "Life Support"... hmmm I think it'll be enough to have that as dialogue, since you'll ultimately hear the lyrics in other songs (soundtrack is repetitive as it is now, which I like, but it can be changed).
Wonka1702: "We're Okay"... get rid of it unless it's somehow incorporated into the Christmas Bells montage. It disrupts the pace.
Wonka1702: TRACK 2:
Wonka1702: Seasons of Love -- put in credits or over a montage. Great song but still disrupts the pace of the narrative. It really has no causal effect in the narrative.
Wonka1702: "Happy New Year"... I love that quite a few of the songs in the show are kind of like montages...
Wonka1702: So keep it, but don't have "Happy New Year" and "Happy New Year B."
Wonka1702: Just combine them in some way.
Wonka1702: Track 2 looks weird.
Wonka1702: It looks like it has fewer distinct songs than track one.
Wonka1702: "Seasons of Love B"... get rid of it. Sorry, "Seasons of Love" will not be heard until the end.
Wonka1702: "Take Me or Leave Me"... definitely keep it but turn up the volume PLEASE.
Wonka1702: "Without You"... keep it but make it campy. Do not try to be sincere.
Wonka1702: Because that one is cheesy.
Wonka1702: It has to be sung like "Somewhere That's Green" in Little Shop of Horrors.
Friend: what do you mean by "campy"
Wonka1702: Where the artifice and emotion of the song is played up, and no effort is made on the part of the director to make us think otherwise.
Wonka1702: "Contact"... keep it.
Wonka1702: "I'll Cover You" reprise.... hmmm not sure. Depends on what the alternative is... not sure how I feel about clogging up a movie soundtrack with reprises, when some songs will never be heard at all.
Wonka1702: "Halloween"... keep it if time allows, otherwise, disposable because it is speech.
Friend: yuuuup
Wonka1702: "Why am I the witness? And when I capture it on film..." It is dialogue.
Friend: yeah true
Wonka1702: "Goodbye Love"... ummm here's a thought: Get rid of all that crap in the first two minutes and cut straight to the part I like. "You don't want baggage..." (I'm kidding; I like the whole song)
Friend: hahahahah
Friend: i like that song!
Friend: lol i like a lot of songs, obviosuly
Wonka1702: "What You Own"... could be a good song to play up the concept of the film as a period piece.
Wonka1702: I'd like to see the rooms suddenly become performance space (i.e. colored lights and neon appear) during songs like "What You Own," "Rent" and "Out Tonight."
Wonka1702: Everything after "What You Own"... well, whatever. I suppose "Your Eyes" must be kept depending on how Columbus decides to end it, and the "Finale" too... though some work has to be done it on film because it's such a theatrical song, with a chorus singing. Maybe they could pan out of the window of the apartment and then have various denizens of the East Village singing from the windows of the neighboring apartments.
Wonka1702: So let's see, what does the soundtrack for my (my) movie consist of...
Wonka1702: I also think that some songs can possibly be presented as dialogue with the symphonic music playing in the background, kind of like how you hear "Me and My Baby" orchestral music in the movie Chicago.

My apologies for the length. I'm just as excited about this being adapted into a film as I am about similar news for The Nanny Diaries, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. If I were to read a press report about my girl Nesbit's story being adapted into a new film, I'd probably die of excitement right here at the computer. Updated On: 5/14/04 at 09:56 PM

[insomniak]

Posted: 5/15/04 at 12:52pm

My movie ideal:
Tune up 1- dialogue, but Roger playing guitar in backround. It makes sense
Voicemail 1-sung, because it's supposed to be dumb and annnoying and funny
Rent- duh. Big number.
You okay, Honey?- As much as I like this bit, it has to be dialogue
Tune up 3- I think this can be left alone
One Song Glory- No. Changes.
Light My Candle- Just fine as is.
Voice Mail 2- cut. It's nice to have that little insight on Joanne's life, but it won't translate to film well.
Today 4 U- leave it. It's fabulous!
You'll See- Has to be dialogue.
Tango Maureen- Absolutely has to stay. Leave it, it's funny.
Life Support- Mainly dialogue, but some pieces [like the credo] can be sung
Out Tonight- I love it. Make it outside, though, on a balcony so Mimi can do her dance.
Another Day- leave it, but maybe take out the chorus singing with Mimi.
Will I?- Great stage piece, not for film. I say shorten it, make it little shots of various characters and whatever they're doing, end with Roger leaving the loft like in the play.
On the street- Dialogue, if it exists at all.
Santa Fe- Cut if necessary for time, otherwise leave it.
I'll cover You- Leave.
We're okay?- Cut it, or make it just one short dialogue bit with Joanne talking to Maureen.
Christmas Bells- This will be VERY hard to pull off on film, it's really meant to be seen onstage. Leave it, though.
Over the Moon- I disagree with putting it in the backround. It has to be front and center because the audience has heard so much about Maureen and how over-the-top she is and they need to see it for themselves. It's also her big entrance, it's a big part. I think a few shots of the oter characters would be good, but Maureen is the focus.
La Vie Boheme- leave it. I love it.
I should tell you- Don't touch it.
The riot- this'll be hard to show, but leave it.
Seasons of Love- It doesn't work here in the movie.
Happy New Year- Dialogue
Voicemail 3- Sung.
Happy New year B- Dialogue
Take Me or Leave Me- Great, leave it alone.
Seasons of Love B- Cut. I like it in the play, but it would be awkward on film
Without You- Leave the music, but cut back and forth between Mimi & Roger, Collins & Angel and Maureen & Joanne.
Voicemail 4- Cut.
Contact- It's too theatrical for film. Cut it.
I'll Cover You: Reprise- Leave. It's a beautiful goodbye to Angle.
Halloween- Contrary to popular opinion, I think this is one of the most important parts. it shows how far the friends have fallen, and how Mark, the narrator [witness] is the only one to notice or still cares about their friendship. Leave it.
Goodbye Love- Absolutely vital. This is where they call each other on being fake [hiding in camera, running away] and it catches the audience up on what the characters have been doing, like Mimi gong back to Benny. Most of the second act is chopped up into clips of the holidays, but this is the close up. It needs to stay.
What You Own- Mark and Roger coming to terms with life and how to handle it. It's a turning point for the characters. Leave it.
Voice Mail 5- Leave it, show clps of what the characters are doing.
Finale A- Dialogue
Your Eyes- Leave it alone.
Finale B- Leave the begging, with Mimi coming back, but let it lead into Seasons of Love. The finale is too repetitve for film, shorten it and let it fade into Seasons. It's a nice wrap up.