Originally posted by Edi:[..]
Why the downer on Elevation, when we need to deal with BD ?!
Originally posted by Edi:[..]
Why the downer on Elevation, when we need to deal with BD ?!
Originally posted by CraigFairlie:[..]
Beautiful Day is great! One of my all time favourite songs by anyone, not just U2.
Originally posted by georgemccauley:[..]
Seconded!
Originally posted by DutchU2Fan:[..]
Because there were 100 people on stage
Originally posted by GrahamReed:[..]
This is exactly my issue with I+e in paris.
now, please bear in mind I did not get to any of the shows in person, so this will be my only way of experiencing the i+e tour live.
I have to skip at least 4 songs because visually, I find them absolutely infuriating. What was the editor thinking?
now bear in mind, when I watch a U2 live product, I do so to see the band. Not other bands or people on stage or instagram shout outs (sorry to EODM - but you have no place being in U2 product).
i) EBTTRT - we can see close up shots of the band on pretty much every other concert DVD and song. But in EBTTRT then playing from inside the screen, thematically, works. To break theat wall of seperation by showing the band playing in full close up totally ruins the entire point of the song, its presentation and performance. it is not just distracting and jarring, but not representative of what the audience would ever see. it is a completely artificial choice of edits. And utterly ruins the effect of the animations based upon the live footage.
ii)Elevation.
There's 100 people on stage. And only 4 people in the band. Which means you can't see what is happening. And really - what is more important to YOU, the u2 fan? Is the performance? or an endless stream of intrusaive, pointless instagram shout outs for people backslapping themselves endlessly? If I wanted to see a succession of internet notifications, I'd watch my children play on their ipads, not a u2 concert. Get that intrusive, irrelevant, pointless stuff out of the concert, out of the DVD. it adds nothing and activitly detracts.
iii)EODM songs. Yes, Yes - I know its all about the paris attacks etc. But its not a U2 performance, and I have no interest ot see a band don't like piggyback onto a U2 concert for their own self aggrandisement. It is crass, and self-serving.
iv)The endless crowd shots of people from on stage there. Mirror ball man has got a fantastic outfit - but is he the guy singing "one" from thge stage? No.
v)COBL - If I wanted to watch some random bloke singing u2 songs on my telly, I'd go on youtube. if I want to watch u2, i watch u2. GET OFF THE STAGE. It said U2 on the ticket not "Random bloke with tattooed sleeve singing along like in his bedroom".
vi) instagram feeds in Elevation . Cripes on a showboat - I'm hankering for a HD version of the broadcast and other nights just to find it watchable. All these notifications and so forth make me feel like stressed and overwhelmed. all these "wow-cool! (emoticon) - katye798977792" inserts add ZERO to the performance, the band, or to the viewer at home. meaningless backslapping from nobodies. They aren't u2. get off the stage
vii)The opening 1minute 46seconds - yes, I know terrorist attacks are a bad thing. Am i really stupid enough to have to have it sledgehammered into me? No. But the false, forced, emotionally manipulative gravitas of this is neither earned, nor warranted, nor in fitting with the rest of the show. I mean, if they had done a branching version to choose to omit this, it would have been far superior. A version to swap out the EODM tracks for the Patti Smith tracks (which are much more authentically U2 than the others), would have been ideal. But as it happens - the chapter break doesn't even come at the title screen, buit athe moment he starts signing in Miracle.
viii)Not including "Out of control" + Electric co reintegrated into the main body of the show . They could easily removed the repetitive speeches by bono via removing the audio channel for his mic during these portions.
positives ;
- The direction by Hamish really captures the full enormity of the show
negatives
- an emotionally manipulative crass introduction to the concert
- Terrible choice of shots used in the release edit for EBTTRT and Elevation
- No branching option to remove the extraneous non-U2 material by EODM
In short - amazing pic quality, top notce audio, fantastic show. Terrible editing choices that lessen the final product. A re-edit to focus on the band, and away from the extraneous non-band related material would vastly improved it.
And remove the instagram pop up notifications in elevation - the SINGLE most annoying thing I have ever, EVER seen in any concert Dvd I've ever seen.
Does anyone else remember the outrage when reports came back from boston 2001 that the band made sure only pretty girls got to the front row for the concert filming? I tell you this - compared to paris 2015, that is nothing compared to the actual genuine editorial damage done by the post-production editor - Tim Qualtrough - is not merely incompetent, but should bar him from ever working as a editor again. Without doubt, the worst edited concert DVD i have ever EVER seen. (Yes, and I am including 360 at the rose bowl in this!). The choices such as instagram feed, the inside screen footage in EBTTR - they actively damage the experience. for the viewer.
nb: Uncensored opinion there. I didn't post this with the intention or consideration to not hurting people's feelings - this is 100% genuinely how i feel.
Originally posted by justinpushplay:[..]
Jesus Christ... are you a robot? You know the nice thing about a DVD or Blu-ray is you can just hit the skip button instead of complaining about what their artistic vision is. Most of the things you hate are based on emotive visuals and ideas .. so how often are you rewired?
Originally posted by GrahamReed:[..]
No, not a robot. (I might post my u2 collection later, its not exactly tiny - the first u2 record I bought was Desire on 7'' in 1988).
To me the artistic vision is about the music - the emotive visuals and ideas ? I "get" that. I also think the visual aspect of the show - see the films in cedarwood road / song for someone - really *DO* make the i&e show. However, the 100 people on stage / instagram feeds are neither cohesive to the show or thematics. it is just about people going "Woot! Look at me!!" (followed by their social media link) at that detracts from the band and the show. Are we watching a U2 concert, or an attempt to get online followers here????! And I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that an endless stream of notifications demanding attention stressful and intrusive.
But I also feel like it the editing choices - ie the 1m50s introduction for example - are cynically manipulative button pushing.. That would have made a one watch bonus feature, or possibly a "play with optional introduction" option.
Whilst I am a huge fan, i also hold to band to certain standards of quality control. Just because U2 do something doesn't mean everything is brilliant, and beyond criticism. Personally, i think i+e Paris fell short in that way. Some of it is stunning - the camera work such as the shot when Bono holds out his hand on the video screen and it holds the edge in his palm for example - but in other ways, i felt it made a great many missteps.
Originally posted by justinpushplay:[..]
What you're not grasping is that this was more than just a concert, it was a celebration of return to life for a city that has been through hell. The opening gives me chills every time I see it because it's preparing you for an experience, not just a concert. And a u2 concert is more than just "a concert". To belittle the importance of the show at that time in that city is to wipe all context. And there are about 10'people onstage, and the "notifications" you're speaking of we're broadcast on the screen at every show during that point of the night. So if your complaint about EBTTRT is that it's not letting the viewer have the same experience as a concert goer then your problem with the scrolling text is unfounded, because it was absotleku part of the show for everyone in attendance
Originally posted by justinpushplay:[..]
What you're not grasping is that this was more than just a concert, it was a celebration of return to life for a city that has been through hell. The opening gives me chills every time I see it because it's preparing you for an experience, not just a concert. And a u2 concert is more than just "a concert". To belittle the importance of the show at that time in that city is to wipe all context. And there are about 10'people onstage, and the "notifications" you're speaking of we're broadcast on the screen at every show during that point of the night. So if your complaint about EBTTRT is that it's not letting the viewer have the same experience as a concert goer then your problem with the scrolling text is unfounded, because it was absotleku part of the show for everyone in attendance