DURAN
DURAN
LIVE FROM
LONDON
Australian Release Date: November 7th 2005
The following is a Q&A with the makers of the state-of-the-art Duran
Duran: Live From London DVD; the first live music DVD to include a song
that can be viewed in 3D.
The
interviewees -
DAN CATULLO – Executive Producer & President of Coming Home Studios
JACK GULICK – DVD Producer
JAMIE SALKIND – DVD Post Supervisor
Q: What can you tell us
about the Band and the fly on the wall documentary?
CATULLO:
Duran Duran is truly one of the
most unique bands we have worked with. Each band member has a
particular taste and style and it was a challenge to incorporate
everybody’s input into the final product. Duran Duran has always been
about style, innovative music and cutting edge shows. Capturing all of
this on a DVD was challenging, especially when we took into
consideration what each band member wanted. Throughout this entire
process we received individual comments from each band member on a daily
basis. They were very hands-on throughout the entire process. Every
single edit and bonus feature was done with direct input from each band
member. Whenever you do a project with five different personalities,
it’s tough. However, with Duran Duran their different personalities
compliment each other and helped create a unique end result.
The documentary tells the story
of how the band formed in the late 70s, and how they came back together
in 2003. It features interviews with each of the band members
interwoven with documentary footage shot during the tour and during the
recording of "Astronaut". These elements have been supplemented by some
great items from the Duran Duran archives, including photos from the Rum
Runner, original programs and back stage passes, and Simon's lyrics book
from when he joined the band. Together with the song commentaries on
the DVD, it shows a side of the band most fans have never seen before.
Q:
How many cameras were used in the filming of the concert?
GULICK
The concert was shot over two
nights with 14 HD (high definition) cameras, employing 1080 24p HD frame
rate to bring a film look and feel to the show. The director Lawrence
Jordan, wanted to apply film shooting techniques with HD technologies to
create a unique look specific to Duran Duran. The band has always been
at the forefront of technology and fashion. They wanted the show to
have a clean, modern, filmic feel, without making it look contrived or
forced.
Q:
It was a massive tour. Do you remember how many nights they sold-out at
Wembley?
GULICK
The show was shot the last two
nights of the Duran Duran sold-out tour across the UK, They had sold-out
a miraculous five nights at Wembley Arena. There was a fair amount of
negotiation and maneuvering to fit the cameras and equipment into the
sold-out house and keep within the fire and safety regulations but the
management and promoter were terrific and found workable solutions to
every problem. Everyone really pulled together and was gracious and
helpful in tight quarters and it made a difference in the quality of the
shoot. We wish to thank the fans and audience members for being so
terrific. They actually were so accommodating that it improved the
shoot.
We also made a tremendous
effort not to block their view as the director Lawrence Jordan considers
the audience to be an integral part of the show and includes them in his
shooting plan from the outset. He’ll forgo a camera position if he
thinks he can get the same shot on another camera. His cameras are as
unobtrusive.
CATULLO
The band sold-out 5 nights at
Wembley -- a record for the venue! When I was on my way to London for
the shoot, I spoke to Jack Gulick who was already there and on tour with
the band. He told me how amazing the shows were and of the pandemonium
surrounding them. I believed him, but nothing prepared me for what I
experienced a Wembley. The shows were beyond sold-out and there were
people screaming and crying everywhere. I felt like I’d stepped into a
time lapse of when the Beatles hit America. It is hard to explain how
unbelievable those shows were. I have never seen so much energy with an
audience in my life. The crowd was on their feet from the very first
song, singing the lyrics and going crazy. The DVD perfectly captures
the overall vibe and energy of the concert experience.
Q:
Tell us about the 5.1 Surround Sound mix on the DVD.
SALKIND
The live concert was recorded as
48 discreet tracks and then transferred to a ProTools session. The
audio tracks were then mixed by Jeremy Wheatley; the same guy who mixed
Duran Duran's recent “Astronaut” album. As the primary purpose of the
5.1 surround mix is to give the listener the aural sensation just as if
they are in the concert arena. The placement of specific parts in the
surround atmosphere is critical. For the mixes, the center channel was
used primarily for clean vocals and the left and right channels were
used for instrumentals and any reverb on the vocals. In the left and
right surrounds we went the cheers of the crowd and the low frequency
channel (the .1of 5.1) was used for the driving bass lines and other
low-end effects. With a properly setup 5.1 home theatre system, and
though the magic of psychoacoustics, the viewer/listener will get that
spine-tingling sense that they are actually sitting in Wembley Arena.
Q:
Lawrence Jordan is an internationally acclaimed director and producer of
television specials, live television events, commercials and concert
films. He’s been nominated for numerous awards including Emmy, Grammy,
Clio and Cable Ace Awards. What was his vision for the DVD?
GULICK
Lawrence Jordan, has a very
clean musical motivated directing style. Larry believes very strongly
in the viewer not really noticing the camera, but rather that the shots
and camera movements are musically driven so the viewer is engrossed in
the concert. His philosophy is the viewers should actually forget the
technology and forget that they are watching a TV and be in the moment.
The director, his crew and the editor become transparent to their
enjoyment of the music and the artist they enjoy.
Q:
What can you tell us about Coming Home Studios and how this is going to
be the state-of-the-art concert experience?
CATULLO
Coming Home Studios’ content is
the highest quality product in the marketplace using cutting edge
digital production methods that provide music fans with an experience
they can enjoy in the privacy of their own home.
Through HD-DVD and 5.1 Dolby
Digital Surround format, provides the music fan with a front row seat at
the concert. In addition to live concert and behind-the-scenes footage,
CHS can also include interactive functionality for the audience,
including adjustable camera angles, formats customization, and Artist
and Director Commentary.
In the past three years, CHS
and related companies have produced DVDs for The Dave Matthews Band,
Gloria Estefan, Rush, Marilyn Manson, Matchbox Twenty, Jane’s Addiction,
The Cult, Slayer, American Hi-Fi., Boz Scaggs, Etta James, The Go-Go’s,
Godsmack, Usher, Staind, and many others. Seven of the Company’s
productions reached Billboard’s Top Ten charts, four of which reached
number 1. Our Etta James production reached number 1 on the Jazz charts
and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003.
Q:
Can you explain SRS Labs Circle Surround and tell us about all the 5.1
Surround Sound tracks on the DVD?
SALKIND
SRS Labs Circle Surround is a
breakthrough, patented surround format that allows a 5.1 Surround mix to
be stored or transferred over any two-channel format, including the
stereo track of a DVD. Any listener with a surround sound system (not
just a Dolby Digital A/V receiver), will enjoy the original 5.1 mix that
the artist and engineers created. Any Circle Surround encoded clip that
is broadcast over television or radio, compressed for distribution
online, or stored digitally on standard media, such as CDs, DVD-Rs, or
personal music juke boxes, will retain the surround sound information.
One of the most powerful features of the technology is that it is 100%
compatible with all playback systems, from one-speaker mono to
two-speaker stereo or multi speaker surround sound. One mix can satisfy
everyone.
Q:
How is the Deluxe Edition DVD going to be packaged?
SALKIND
The 2-disc deluxe packaging for
the "Live From London" DVD is something that any Duran Fan will be proud
to have on their shelf. Created by designer Andrew Day, the packaging
is more than the ubiquitous snap box that so many DVDs come packaged
in. Made from heavy cardstock and printed in four colors with a glossy
finish, the package is a 3-fold "digipak" that slides into a protective
O-ring. The package contains one DVD, one CD, and a 12-page booklet.
The booklet features never-before-seen photos of the band and includes a
pair of 3D glasses. The overall design of the packaging ties distinct
artistic elements from the Astronaut pop-up tour book with imagery from
the live concert to give fans a singular document of Duran Duran
history.
Q:
It’s been said that Duran Duran were one of the first penultimate bands
to be broken by the MTV generation. Do you agree?
CATULLO
In my opinion Duran Duran was
one of the first bands to embrace the world of music video. Their
videos were mini-features. They were the first band to take this visual
concept to the limit. In the early 80’s when the music video generation
was developing, most bands had cheesy studio performances of their songs
that were shot for very little money. Duran Duran created mini-
features shot all over the world in some of the most exotic places, with
incredible production value. Being able to work with them in this
capacity was a real honor. They are, and remain true innovators, and
they always have ideas that have never been seen or done before.
Q:
How did the idea come up for the concert DVD?
CATULLO
When we first heard rumors that
the original line-up was getting back together, Jack Gulick and I
immediately started talking about the possibility of doing a live DVD
and TV special of this tour. It turns out that Jack had a relationship
with the band’s manager, Wendy Laister, and proceeded to contact her
about doing something with Coming Home Studios. For me, I have always
wanted to work with this band. They were the first band I ever saw in
concert back in 1984 on the ‘Seven & The Ragged Tiger Tour’. They
influenced my entire career. There is no other band on the planet that
has consistently been one step ahead of the game like Duran Duran. It
is amazing that after all these years together, the band are still
relevant and continue to be influential.
Their
shows have always been about style and cutting edge technology. We knew
that with the original line-up back together again that this tour would
be a huge success. Coming Home Studios made this DVD our top priority
and were very aggressive in pursuing a deal with them. We negotiated
with the band and had several meetings with them and their management
regarding the overall concept and look of the DVD before we closed a
deal.
This
was a creative partnership between CHS and the band. Everything you see
on the DVD was co-created by Duran Duran and CHS. We worked very
closely with them and listened to their opinions and ideas on a daily
basis. They are true innovators and really surprised us with their
knowledge and ideas, when it came to capturing their show live on HD.
Q: Who came up with the
3-D DVD idea?
GULICK
I came up with the idea and we
did not even know if it could be done from a 2D source. It was actually
Nick Rhodes who challenged us to come up with an idea that has not
really been done before. We presented the 3D Pop up book idea to Nick
and then went out and found computer animator Damien Allen to do it in a
way the band wanted it done. Every single frame had to be treated one
at a time. They wanted it to look and feel like the pop-up in their
current tour book, not just a 3D song.
Q:
How would you rate the group's performance at Wembley (was it possibly
one of the best of the reunion tour)?
GULICK
The band’s performance was
exceptional, they were clearly at the top of their game and they had
this incredible energy from the audience. Both nights were
record-breaking nights for the venue and the band took the show to the
next level. It was like there were no bad shots of them. They were
electric. We felt very fortunate that serendipitously we shot those
nights. They were historic in the history of the band. The concerts
were filmed in HD for the first time.
Q:
What do you think are the best tracks?
GULICK
Every track is remarkable.
Everything clicked - the audience, the venue, on the tour, the band’s
energy and enthusiasm. If one song stood out it was “Rio”. They saved
Rio until the end of the show and did a stunning 9-minute version.
What’s interesting about Duran Duran's live concerts is the truly live
element. These guys play live! The experience and diversity of tastes
in the musicians is really remarkable live. They put on a powerful
show. To love Duran Duran's music and not to have seen them live is a
real loss. These guys take their arsenal of number 1 hits and cult
favorites and perform them with power and authority. Don't get me
wrong, they are having a great time doing it. When they are on stage,
they mean business. From the moment the concert started, the audience
was on their feet, and they never sat down again. The show is
electrifying. It draws you in. There’s an amazing camaraderie. The
fans really become one.
Q:
How was it working with the band?
GULICK
The band and their manager Wendy
Laister are terrific to work with and are the consummate professionals.
They have seen and heard it all and yet easily found the fresh ideas to
come up with a whole new album - clearly Duran Duran, but new and
current. It made the show a complete concept covering their career
literally up to the moment. At the time of filming, "Reach up for the
Sunrise” was playing on radio stations everywhere. The band was
involved with every decision. They gave us their undivided attention
and support. Every decision was made in partnership with the band.
Their level of experience, guidance and input was a helpful source of
really great ideas.
Q:
Did the band have any input with ideas for the DVD?
GULICK
From the very start the band
challenged us to set push the envelope with the making of the DVD. They
made it clear they wanted us to make an effort to have interesting bonus
features and to do everything at the highest quality level. The band
wanted the choices we made to be informed by the design of the show and
that every detail of the DVD should feel original but be connected to
the tour design and to have the Duran Duran look and feel. Every detail
of the DVD looks to the current Duran Duran style trends for its cues.
The DVD box has design elements adapted from the official Astronaut tour
book. The menus connect to the design in the live concert video screens
created by Gary Oldknow for the tour and the 3D was inspired by the
pop-up in the current tour book created by Andrew Day for the tour. By
creating these strong design connections everything about the DVD is
linked to the Duran Duran concert experience.
Q:
Thanks for taking the time speaking to us. Duran Duran fans around the
world are really excited to see this live DVD. Can’t wait crack open
the free pair of 3D glasses!
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