CATS film updates from CinemaCon

[jacobsnchz14]

Video of Jennifer Hudson singing "Memory"
https://twitter.com/AMCTheatres/status/1113518203190173696

Universal Studios Boss Donna Langley didn’t have any trailers for Cats, the studio’s feature take on the hit Andrew Lloyd Weber musical because as actor James Corden said in the reel “it’s a level of technology which hasn’t been used before.”

So they tickled attendees this morning with a BTS look showing the dancers coming together as felines, the mo-cap being used, and Taylor Swift leading a pack of cats in strut.

Director Tom Hooper said in the reel that he’s aiming to capture the experience of the musical “when I was 10 years old.” Judi Dench said “It’s a massive undertaking” as the actors, well, studied cats. The backstage look also featured Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Ian McKellen, ballerina Francesca Haywardand more.

Hooper promised a Cats “on a much bigger scale than you can possibly imagine. We wanted to make a 2019 version that was thoroughly our own, with digital technology to create the most perfect covering of fur.”

Said Elba, “You step into a world where everything is three or four times bigger than it would usually be, for the cats perspective.” The peek indeed showed massive scale. Hooper also called the story timely as one of “inclusion, community, forgiveness and redemption” and said it will stay true to Lloyd Webber’s music, adding, “I can’t wait for the world to see what we’ve been cooking up and working on secretly for the past three or four years.”

Uni closed out the sessions with Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson live on stage — she plays Grizabella in the film — singing the show’s hit song “Memory.” It was sublime — she started off a-capella with the lyrics evolving to only a piano backing her up, her voice triumphing in the Coliseum here at Caesar’s Palace.

Hooper recorded his actors live on set with Les Miserables, and Hudson here is just a great glimpse at the awesomeness for us to behold this Christmas.

https://deadline.com/2019/04/cats-first-look-universal-jennifer-hudson-1202587539/

[ljay889]

Wow, Hudson sounds sensational. 

[gregnyc2]

Ragged, but that’s Grizabella

[qolbinau]

I really wasn't looking forward to this but the clip of her singing and marketing hype is working. 

[Kad]

IndieWire has some information about what the movie will actually look like:

 

"The big takeaway from the set footage was seeing the actors wearing VFX dots on their faces and motion capture suits because special effects will be used to transform them into cats. It’s unclear at this point to what extent motion capture will be used as no footage was screened. The VFX will add fur onto the actors and make their faces appear more cat-like. The video said the film is using “digital fur technology to create the most perfect covering of fur.”

The video also confirmed the scale of the movie will be cat-sized. The production designers built the set to be oversized in order to make the actors appear smaller and thus the actual size of cats."

[Call_me_jorge]

Tweet appears to have been deleted

[MadsonMelo]

This is gonna be BAD, geez

[jacobsnchz14]

Call_me_jorge said: "Tweet appears to have been deleted"

If you search "Cats CinemaCon" on Twitter, you may find more.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Well, now I'm interested. The idea of the production design being larger to force the perspective is interesting. I had assumed they'd go the cheap route and use all CGI.

Hudson sounds INCREDIBLE.   

[ColorTheHours048]

Every time I get excited for this, I remember it’s... Cats. And as exciting a number as “Memory” is, it happens late in the show and is surrounded by a lot of other numbers I just can’t be bothered to care about.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Early promo pic leaked!!



...Just kidding.

[TheatreFan4]

So... they're going to have this state of the art never been done before VFX technology ready for December...? Awright...

[CapnHook]

Tweet was deleted. Where can I listen to it??

[JankiH2]

YouTube! And OMG, she sounds amazing 

[Lot666]

Jennifer Hudson is certainly a new take on this role, but what I heard in the brief clip really seems to work.

[JP2]

TheatreFan4 said: "So... they're going to have this state of the art never been done before VFX technology ready for December...? Awright..."

 

You don't think EIGHT plus months of post-production is enough??? 

[MadAboutTheBoy]

I don't understand the design choice to make the cats CGI motion capture. Why not just wear costumes and makeup? This sort of thing always takes me out of the moment because of the uncannines. All throughout Beauty and the Beast, I was so distracted by Beast's appearance, it was difficult to be fully invested in his scenes. Does CGI ultimately read better than people in costumes?

I feel like when they make "live" action versions of these things, we end up with so much cig that it defeats the purpose. They really become animated movies all over again, just with a different type of animation.

[Fosse76]

Lot666 said: "Jennifer Hudson is certainly a new take on this role, but what I heard in the brief clip really seems to work."

Let's also not forget that the song is being song with only a piano accompaniment and out of context. Plus we only are seeing an edited version of what she sang. There is no doubt in my mind she sings it differently in performance. But I agree that it sees to work.

[Fosse76]

MadAboutTheBoy said: "I don't understand the design choice to make the cats CGI motion capture. Why not just wear costumes and makeup? This sort of thing always takes me out of the moment because of the uncannines. All throughout Beauty and the Beast, I was so distracted by Beast's appearance, it was difficult to be fully invested in his scenes. Does CGI ultimately read better than people in costumes?

I somewhat agree that there does seem to be a degree of ever-present animation in these smaller budget movies. In Beauty and the Beast, a costume would have probably worked fine (but the background CGI still would have had the animated work, so it probably wouldn't have made much difference). Something like Cats, though, just would not work with costumes. So I think CGI, outside of hand- or computer-animation, was the only way to go. We have the truncated video release for that.

I feel like when they make "live" action versions of these things, we end up with so much cig that it defeats the purpose. They really become animated movies all over again, just with a different type of animation."

I cringe every time some one says the "live action version of The Lion King." It's not "live action. Those aren't real lions. It's all CGI. It's no less an animated movie than the original cartoon.

[jacobsnchz14]

CATE CinemaCon reel
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv2XCAJALxk/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1qni41bj9cv0b

[Impossible2]

ColorTheHours048 said: "Every time I get excited for this, I remember it’s... Cats. "

Never forget x

[Justin D]

MadAboutTheBoy said: "I don't understand the design choice to make the cats CGI motion capture. Why not just wear costumes and makeup? This sort of thing always takes me out of the moment because of the uncannines. All throughout Beauty and the Beast, I was so distracted by Beast's appearance, it was difficult to be fully invested in his scenes. Does CGI ultimately read better than people in costumes?

I feel like when they make "live" action versions of these things, we end up with so much cig that it defeats the purpose. They really become animated movies all over again, just with a different type of animation."

I feel the same way.......

1, i guess i can understand it if they want to make their faces look like cats, but then if the do.....

2. body types, are they still going to have people proportions? or cat proportions? (eg. arm  and legs rather than paws and feet). if they have people proportions then was the CGI full body really needed just to add fur?

3. is it still a dance heavy show? because who wants to see CGI people dance? yes it is motion capture but still, there is a sense of awe in watching a skilled dancer do their thing, as soon as CGI is involved, I think most people like myself will instantly be less impressed because any difficult moves can be assumed to be all computer generated.

 

Also yea big deal about the set being 3 times human size, wasn't that done in the show also? (I remember those HUGE brass and panties all over the place.

So for my sake as a fan of the original, I just hope the music and singing is good. 

[Loopin’theloop]

Justin D said: "MadAboutTheBoy said: "I don't understand the design choice to make the cats CGI motion capture. Why not just wear costumes and makeup? This sort of thing always takes me out of the moment because of the uncannines. All throughout Beauty and the Beast, I was so distracted by Beast's appearance, it was difficult to be fully invested in his scenes. Does CGI ultimately read better than people in costumes?

I feel like when they make "live" action versions of these things, we end up with so much cig that it defeats the purpose. They really become animated movies all over again, just with a different type of animation."

I feel the same way.......

1, i guess i can understand it if they want to make their faces look like cats, but then if the do.....

2. body types, are they still going to have people proportions? or cat proportions? (eg. arm and legs rather than paws and feet). if they have people proportions then was the CGI full body really needed just to add fur?

3. is it still a dance heavy show? because who wants to see CGI people dance? yes it is motion capture but still, there is a sense of awe in watching a skilled dancer do their thing, as soon as CGI is involved, I think most people like myself will instantly be less impressed because any difficult moves can be assumed to be all computer generated.



Also yea big deal about the set being 3 times human size, wasn't that done in the show also? (I remember those HUGE brass and panties all over the place.

So for my sake as a fan of the original, I just hope the music and singing is good."

I’m afraid to say that gossip from the set reports Russell Crowe level singing from some! 

[Loopin’theloop]

Justin D said: "

3. is it still a dance heavy show? because who wants to see CGI people dance? yes it is motion capture but still, there is a sense of awe in watching a skilled dancer do their thing, as soon as CGI is involved, I think most people like myself will instantly be less impressed because any difficult moves can be assumed to be all computer generated.
 




 

You are going to be impressed by the lower portion of Taylor Swift’s body, it just didn’t originally belong to her...

[Dave28282]

jacobsnchz14 said: "

Hooper recorded his actors live on set with Les Miserables"

Which did not work at all. This artform is based on sung thoughts, a disconnect from reality is what creates emotions for the audience. Non-literal. Pre-recorded is essential because it creates the magic, better than life feel, that this language needs on screen. It's not literal dialogue, it's soaring thoughts.

Even the Norfolk police department lipsync battle gave me more goosebumps than Les Mis. Of course all the feelings were gone in the last 5 seconds where you hear the track stop and we are back in the literal world again.