silver speakers that sparkle all day

FINALLY saw Sweeney Todd last night. ( It did not disappoint me. )

So basically, it met all my expectations and I am definitely going to see it again on the cinema and then buy the 2 disc DVD and hug it to my chest and revel in the extras and watch it time and time again.

So fizzyblogic and I have this film idea and after talking about it briefly on my journal and seeing it generate some interest, I realised it could well become the first LJ fuelled movie. As in, written by, directed by and starring LJers. Obviously, we'd want at least one established actor to be in it. But, seriously, there could be a whole Snakes On A Plane type deal where we generate a huge internet following and that backing could lend to it getting funding and therefore attracting actors as well.

We totally have people in mind for the main vampires, but whether we'd actually get them, following and funding or not, remains to be seen. But seriously, Gabriel Byrne is totally who we're picturing for the sire.

I'm reluctant to say a lot about it online in case someone steals our idea, but at the same time I love it so much I want to talk about it forever. It'd be the way to build interest, I guess. We have a clearer idea of characters than of plot at the minute. That sounds bad, doesn't it? No, we have plot and some scenes mapped out, but it needs shaping properly. We're so in love with our main vampire that we've kind of focused on him more than anything else, heh. But guys, he's amazing. He was a farmer's son who'd moved to the city and was working short cons in New York during the Depression when the other two vampires bumped into him (literally: he was trying to get away unnoticed from someone he'd conned previously) and when they saw him again the older vamp decided to turn him.

I finally got round to watching the Sweeney Todd trailer. This is a film I'm really excited about. Tim Burton/Johnny Depp/Helena Bonham Carter are my creepy gothic fairytale filmmaking OT3! And Stephen Sondheim's doing the music! I read an interesting article about how trailers for modern musicals seem to tone down the musical element in their trailers.

It says something about the modern cinema audience and their perceived attitude. Musicals are stereotypically seen as something liked by children, women and gay men. I think producers and film studios are very aware of this image and try to highlight other elements of the film to try and appeal to a bigger demographic. Even adaptations of Broadway musicals (and Sweeney Todd is one of these) tone down the all-singing, all-dancing parts.

Films where it would be useless to shy away fromn the musical element, where the singing and dancing is integral to the plot (Hairspray and High School Musical, go the other direction and embrace it and the trailers are larger than life and fun and exuberant. If Sweeney Todd had a trailer that played up the sung dialogue more, it probably wouldn't get as much interest. Having it focus on the sinister plot and the fantastic cast, with a brief allusion to the musical parts (Depp singing 'I will have vengeance' is a fairly big hint, but this is a Tim Burton movie. Weirder things than spontaneous singing of a madman have happened) makes people sit up and take notice.

It's all psychological.

Complete list of DVDs that and I own. This is pretty much just for my reference and will be updated whenever necessary. World Cinema is listed with the original title in brackets where it differs from the English.

* = spare copy available
^♥ = LGBTQ interest
EE = Extended Edition
DC = Director's Cut
TV = Made for TV movie

( DVDs )

Tags: !reference, dvds