Les Mis Filming Has Started- Page 17

[Dave19]

Posted: 9/22/12 at 7:16am

The new footage looks amazing.

The scenes with Samantha Barks singing are just breathtaking. Something magical happens when everything comes together and the singing is that good and real.

Amanda Seyfried's singing sounds too weak and un-controlled (in this footage) which makes her look like a struggling actress that is trying to sing. I hope they can clean her singing up in post production. Now it's just distracting.



Updated On: 9/22/12 at 07:16 AM

[theminutepast]

Posted: 9/22/12 at 11:59am

I actually liked her singing. I think it fits the character. The vibrato makes her sound young, and there is a soft quality to her voice. Those qualities are in sharp contrast to Eponine's voice, which is strong and bold.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 9/22/12 at 4:30pm

Everyone sounds great.

We theatre people shouldn't find the incredible flexibility live singing and a live accompaniment gives an actor and the power it can infuse a musical with to be a revelation because all of those things are standard to live theatrical performance. It is one of the reasons theatre is so unique.

The sheer power of Jackman's example using Valjean's Soliloquy is better at making the case in favor of maintaining the art of musical theatre as live as it possibly can be than anything anyone can say. It's unmistakable, the superiority that live performance and a live conductor to support them as an integral component of their performance and not just as cheap "backing."

The Les Miserables film is turning out to be a powerful advocate for the traditional Broadway orchestra, something Cammack has gone very far and poured loads of effort toward snuffing out. Ironically, he is seen enthusiastically commenting on why everything he has had a hand at ruining is preferable and superior to his money saving canned orchestras and ambitiously reorchestrated (thinned out) excuses that are shadows of iconic original scores.

One of the orchestrators hired to thin out the Les Mis orchestration is also seen in the video, and he elaborates on the power of a set of human eyes and a brain strategically negotiating the musical component in support of a live actor performance.

Then a snippet of the full "On My Own" orchestration swells with the distinct John Cameron character intact and I am proud to have been a supporter of everything that is mindlessly shunned that will make the film version amazing.

Updated On: 9/22/12 at 04:30 PM

[Dave19]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 7:32am

"The sheer power of Jackman's example using Valjean's Soliloquy is better at making the case in favor of maintaining the art of musical theatre as live as it possibly can be than anything anyone can say. It's unmistakable, the superiority that live performance and a live conductor to support them as an integral component of their performance and not just as cheap "backing."

True.

But Hugh Jackman is a decent singer. Someone who knows exactly how to convey the emotions through singing and combine it with acting. Someone who is, like Samantha Barks, able to sing and act and combine those 2 on a high level and daily base in theatre.

There is a big difference between that, and an actress that is struggling with the notes/singing in general, let alone combine it with the acting. All the technical things Amanda Seyfried is struggling with show in her performance. The actor should not have to think about those things, he/she should master the art.




Updated On: 9/23/12 at 07:32 AM

[Dave19]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 7:33am

By the way, Eddie Redmayne does sound a bit like Kermit the Frog. I hate it when guys sing like that.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 12:57pm

Dave19, you heard them sing less than 20 words (only two for Marius) during a single unedited take of several hundred takes. Judging the singing by this is almost as ridiculous as you judging the singing in the bootlegged trailer recorded with a cell phone pointed at the computer. Neither Amanda nor Eddie sang enough in that featurette for anyone to judge their singing one way or the other.

Another good point is that the entire purpose of this First Look featurette was to show how singing live on set varies from take to take, and gives the actors the freedom to try it differently each time. There is no telling whether or not the audio you heard there will even end up in the final film.

In the coming weeks and months, more and more finished material will be coming out. That will be the stuff to judge, and if you hate it feel free to bash it to hell. In the meantime, try to be mindful of the source. Think about what you are actually seeing and hearing. Is it long enough to form a real opinion? Is it part of a finished product? A little hint on how to make that judgement: If you see the film crew in the foreground, it probably isn't from a finished take.

To everyone else, I am sorry for the rant. I just find it absurd to judge someones singing after hearing nothing more than the words "Cosette, Cosette."

[My Oh My]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 2:41pm

Don't be sorry for the rant. It's nice to know people other than myself have more to say. Even Dave's diatribe is welcome! =)

Having said that, I disagree with Dave!!1!

I know what it is to be really picky and detail oriented but I think this singing thing you're on is bizarre. Not only because it is based on poor evidence but because the things you interpret as flaws that make you cringe are actually the nuances that make things like live music and live theatrical performances real.

How do you feel about autotune? I've wondered if you'd equally detect the fake qualities that they offer and if they'd be pleasing to your ear.

Autotune takes that real quality and kills it. What results may be clean and free of vocal ticks but it's as off putting as subbing a real orchestra with the tacky Sinfonia system that infected the Queen's for several years.

It's tricky, because I know it appears as if I am saying flaws and imprecise singing or messy vocal ticks are things that bring me joy.

Individually, they are what they are. But some forms of art instinctively cause one to look at the greater picture. You're obviously a fan of "perfect" singing. I do wonder where you picked that up from, because then you're going to turn out be a very, very unhappy fan.

Not that I can relate, or anything.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 3:24pm

I also do not care for Autotune. I hate the played on a keyboard quality it gives to popular music today. I agree that it takes away the subtle nuance that a talented artist can bring to a piece. It is those nuances that bring a song to life and give it feeling.

[ComingUpRoses2]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 4:42pm

I think Amanda sounds just fine from what we've heard. I hope they don't use auto tube. It takes away all emotion from the music and since that seems to be why they're doing the numbers live, I'd be surprised very surprised if they used any at all.

The fact is, we already have Hugh, Anne, and Samantha who have already proven themselves to have stellar voices, IMO. That's more than we could say for, say, Nine or Mamma Mia where there were precious few who could really sing that well.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/27/12 at 8:55pm

Today Show (Australia) interview w/Hugh Jackman, plus new clips! http://today.ninemsn.com.au/videoindex.aspx?uuid=55c7090f-9266-4908-bedc-36821905578d

[Fan2]

Posted: 9/27/12 at 9:36pm

Oh nice! I think that's Aaron's voice we basically hear in "Red and Black" and nice to hear part of "Who Am I?"

[willep]

Posted: 9/27/12 at 9:56pm

I know I'm a minority, but Hugh's voice just still isn't winning me over. I have just never really been a fan of his singing voice. I'm really hoping when we get to hear more of him in this it will win me over.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/27/12 at 10:10pm

I've never been a huge fan of his singing voice either (so big! so much vibrato!), though when I saw his solo show, he totally sold it. I hope/think he can do the same here.

[broadwaybabytn]

Posted: 9/27/12 at 10:18pm

I felt that Hugh's new Soliloquy phrasing was a bit too "acted," but I liked what they were trying to show us with it. I also think the film is looking incredible.

And that video isn't working for me. Updated On: 9/27/12 at 10:18 PM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 9/28/12 at 3:59pm

I'm digging just about everything we've seen so far. Soooo excited. LOVE Eddie's voice.

I'm sure Crowe has complete control over which takes are allowed to be viewed by the public, I'm thinking that's why we haven't heard anything from him yet.


Also ANY news on when the soundtrack will be released?? I'm ordering it the moment it because avaliable. Anyone in the know?

Updated On: 9/28/12 at 03:59 PM

[michellek45]

Posted: 9/28/12 at 8:23pm

Hugh still sounds too sweet to me as Valjean; I prefer Valjeans with a bit of edge or character to their voices, which I don't think Hugh's voice has. He's a great actor, though, so I'm hoping that will sell it when I see the finished product.

[Dave19]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 4:58pm

My Oh My, I don't like autotune at all.

The thing is, when people are able to sing very well and to convey the right emotions THROUGH the excellent singing, I don't mind flaws either.

There are only a very few people in the world that can do that perfectly, like Lea Salonga.

But I feel that someone like Amanda does not have the basic skills to convey the emotions through her singing technique in the first place, and autotune has nothing to do with that.


About Hugh, I love it when he sings with his true, deeper voice, the more natural/relaxed voice. But he often goes into the "Patti Lupone mode", which sounds like a technical trick and that makes it sound VERY acted and not natural at all. The vibrato is too strong and the nuance is gone. The part "That man bears no more guilt than you" is completely what it NOT should be. I hope this turns out better in the actual film.


Updated On: 9/29/12 at 04:58 PM

[Johnnycantdecide]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 6:46pm

The fact that some of you are b*tching about how their voices sound when you have not even heard 30 seconds of them singing makes me laugh at how pathetic some of you are. <3

[darquegk]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 8:45pm

The brief clip of Who Am I shows another minute change to bring the musical closer to the book- instead of making his confession to Javert, he now says "And so, Your Honor, you see it's true, this man bears no more guilt than you." The book's extremely memorable scene of Valjean storming the courtroom and interrupting the trial has been adapted to the screen more closely than the stage version. There are going to be little bits and pieces like that all over, I suspect.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 8:55pm

Well, the same can be said about those like myself who are not bitching about the sound of their voices and are pleased by what they hear. We are all basing our opinions, whether neg or pos, on not even 30 seconds of singing. By that logic, none of us are equipped with the proper means to make any sort of judgement. That would make this a case of majority rules and poor Dave being wrong simpy because he's outnumbered in opinion.

Not saying that's the case, but with that logic, we should all shut up and not say a word based on 30 seconds of singing. It is a frustratingly persistent tactic used on these forums far too often that goes unnoticed and assumed to be logically sound.

I have a problem with Dave using his own intimate emotions and perspective as not only what is right and wrong, but what the rest of us consider to be right and wrong. He isn't even saying we SHOULD think that way, he's boldly assuming we all do. I don't think he's being an ass. I think he's sincere. Naive, but sincere.

Once again, this "conveying emotions through perfect singing" is Dave's personal experience. Dave creams himself when "perfect" singers like Lea Salonga "perfectly" sing a song. This "perfect" quality conveys emotions that Dave thinks originate in Salonga's "perfect" singing when they are actually Dave's own emotions at hearing what he perceives as "perfect" singing by Salonga. This mysterious emotion isn't actually intentionally conveyed by Salonga, because then many of us would feel it and produce remarks similar to Dave's.

But since this isn't a case of "majority rules" Dave could certainly be in the right. And he is "right" to Dave. It goes all wrong when what he believes to be right is imposed on us and the art form as if it's a given. This is all Dave. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with musical theatre but everything to do with being "impressed" by those who can do things that we, or most, can't do and the romanticization of that creating illusions of grandeur. It is an unfortunate aspect of pop that has been infecting musical theatre as of late.

And I've said it before, but Lea Salonga is great at what she does not because it is technically "perfect." Her art is deeper and more meaningful than that, just as musical theatre is more than a collection of instant gratifications.

Ideally, our response to a musical piece shouldn't be reminiscent of those typically seen at circus side shows and an artist in the theatre shouldn't be held in the same regard as a bearded woman or trained seal.

[Fan2]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 8:57pm

It's been reported by an extra for that scene that the beginning of Who Am I was started somewhere else, and Valjean storms into the courtroom at that particular part in the clip, so it sounds like that may be the case. Another "close to the book" rumor - George Blagden, who plays Grantaire, tweeted a line from the book about the death scene, so that may also be closer to the book version.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 9:53pm

It's cute that some view the stage musical as somehow wrong in these little details and differences from the novel and the film version as making it all "right."

Is there even such thing in the adaptation of a work from one medium to another?

And the value these added details bring is questionable. If that sounds like a slam against the novel, think again. What value other than "it is closer to the novel" do these details bring?

It is a common remark of the early London reviews of the stage musical, the assertion that the stage version, even just the musicalization of the book, equates to, "Reduced to 'The Glums'", as one supposedly outraged critic exclaimed.

And so, once again, I ask...ADAPTATION, heard of it? XD

Btw, not responding specifically to Fan2. Their post merely sparked the thought that led to this post. My mind is nuts this day.

Updated On: 9/29/12 at 09:53 PM

[sueb1863]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 10:32pm

I have no problem with them changing it so Javert isn't in the courtroom, but I do wonder why they didn't use 'And so, monsieurs, you see it's true' instead of 'And so, your honor'etc.. Same number of syllables as the original line and I think that would have sounded less awkward.

[Plum]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 2:04am

Presumably because he's singing to a judge?

[Dave19]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 7:10am

My oh My, thanks for your reply!

I think you are right.

"It has everything to do with being "impressed" by those who can do things that we, or most, can't do and the romanticization of that creating illusions of grandeur."

This it's what it's all about. As an audience member/theatre lover, you want to be touched, impressed, swept away by the talent and emotions.

That's why I adore performers like Lea Salonga so much. When I watch a performer and constantly feel that at least half of the people in the theatre can sing it better, I don't feel impressed. But then again, everyone is different and some people are easier to impress than others.

What I mean by "perfect" is the ability to bring each and every word to the exact right place, sound, intonation that it hits the nail on the head emotionally. The connection between the singing and the emotion. To achieve this, you have to be an excellent singer at first, and then try to connect.
That's a VERY different thing than trying to "cover up" the fact that you are actually not a good singer, by "getting away with it by acting the difficult notes instead of singing them".

There was this lady that played Amneris in Aida over here in Holland, and in each and every performance she cracked on the high notes in "I know the truth". The most beautiful part of the song. So then she decided to "play crying" every night on that particular moment, so she got away with it when only a wheezy sound came out. That's not mastering the art.

"And I've said it before, but Lea Salonga is great at what she does not because it is technically "perfect." Her art is deeper and more meaningful than that, just as musical theatre is more than a collection of instant gratifications."

That is what I mean.

I believe it's a combination of both.