Official U2 3D Website: U2 3D Movie
I watched the premier press preview of U2 3D movie last night. I was not ready to witness a historic technological advancement in concert films history. I would agree that this is even better than watching the U2 concert live. At one point in the movie, I felt I was in the front row crowd singing “Sunday Bloody Sunday” with U2. The imagery created by the concert performance and video screens are something to see. You can be intimate with Bono who sings directly in front of you in virtual reality — a defining moment in 3d movie history. The combination of 3d images and text, 5.1 surround sound quality and actual participation of the IMAX crowd, makes the experience surreal.
It would have been great if the entire crowd in IMAX was standing up with the crowd and singing. But again it was press night and most of the oldies just decided to sit back and watch. I know that you will be watching this specially the U2 fans out there. Please come with a mindset that you are attending a concert and having the best virtual reality interaction with U2 and the stadium crowd. Sing, wave your hands, clap, bring out your cellphones and forget for a moment that you are in a 3d IMAX theater.
U2 3D was shot during the last leg of the “Vertigo” tour in South America. U2 is not only recognized for their musical invention but also for reaching out to millions of fans through new technologies. This technologies include the use of video screens during the 1992-93 “ZooTv” tour, LED displays on their 1997-98 “PopMart” tour, and recently, the use of dimensional, light beaded video curtains above the stage at their 2005-06 “Vertigo” tour. They were also the first bands to embrace the Apple iPod device coming out with a U2 branded iPod. Bono wanted to go somewhere magical with the creation of U2 3D. He decided to shoot the South America Vertigo tour to capture the enthusiasm of the crowd who are excited to watch U2 after an eight-year hiatus from the continent.
Here is a 30 second clip on the U2 3D movie:
The images were so sharp that you notice the wedding ring worn by Edge or the half empty mineral water located beside the Larry Mullen Jr, the drummer.
They sang all our favorite U2 songs of our generation. U2 3D Song Lists:
VERTIGO
BEAUTIFUL DAY
NEW YEAR’S DAY
SOMETIMES YOU CAN”T MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN
LOVE AND PEACE
SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY — I love this segment!
BULLET THE BLUE SKY
MISS SARAJEVO
U.N. DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
PRIDE (IN THE NAME OF LOVE) — memorable…
WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME
ONE — The best!
Encore Songs
THE FLYWITH OR WITHOUT YOUYAHWEH
Bono singing “WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME” with the flags of the countries in the video screen.
There was a crowd scene where everybody were bouncing up and down in unison. Awesome crowd and I’m lucky to get a bird’s eye view of the concert.
A bulk of the concert was shot in Buenos, Aires, Argentina (River Plate Stadium) to capture mid to long distance shots, capturing performances on stage and the passionate reactions of 80,000 fans from nine digital 3-D camera systems. They also shoot intimate close-ups of the U2 performance during a cameras-only show the night before two public concerts in Buenos Aires. The show is a love letter to U2’s fans all over the world. Rache and I wanted to touch Bono’s 3d face and regretted not doing it for fear of looking silly.
We love U2’s last encore song, “With or Without You”. Rache and I felt that we were in college again…
In the 3d version, you will see all the letters floating in 3d and you are immerse in a 3d showdown that you have never seen before.
Most of the shots are framed with a small crowd in the foreground. This creates a virtual effect where the people in front of you is a continuation of the crowd in the movie. You will feel that you are in the middle of the crowd.
One love
One life
When it’s one need
In the night
One love
We get to share it
Leaves you baby if you
Don’t care for it
Bono we will remember this! Thanks for reaching out to your fans here in the Philippines via the U2 3D movie.
Watch U2 3D in IMAX in SM Mall of Asia. P500 entrance ticket. Contact 556-IMAX(4629) or 556-0242
Copyright 2008. Our Awesome Planet
thanks for sharing, Anton! I’m a HUGE U2 fan. we’ll go watch tomorrow’s screening 🙂
wow! i would try this for sure!
My friends and I had been hoping for months that this film would come to Manila, so when we heard it was going to be shown at Mall of Asia, we watched it immediately on its first night — so we saw this last night, too. Were you in the 7pm, or the 9pm screening? The 9pm started an hour late, so we who came for the 11pm show had to wait till midnight just to enter the theater! It was TOTALLY worth the wait, though!!! I went with friends who all love music and U2 (a couple were musicians), and we all had a fantastic time. We all had a tough time stopping ourselves from clapping, cheering, and dancing! The theater was half-empty, though, and no one else stood up, so we couldn’t or we’d be bothering their viewing. I was thinking, though, that if the theater were full of music fans, then it might’ve been more interactive. I cannot agree with you, though, about it being *better* than being there. Yes, we saw things that one normally could not see if one were in the audience, but NOTHING can match a live performance, especially one by a band this good. Seeing the artists in person is just one of the reasons one goes to a concert. Being part of the whole experience is something that’s irreplaceable, though this film does come pretty close. But when I was watching, I kept thinking, “I want to be THERE! In the pit, jumping along with the crowd!” 😀 My friends and I pretended to reach out to touch Bono’s face, it was hard to help it when he was singing so close! Anyway, we didn’t care about looking silly; we ARE silly! 😉
Did you stay for the credits? Most people left when the credits rolled, but we stayed and were rewarded, because there was a bonus song, “Yahweh.” I like all the messages about religious tolerance, like that visual icon on Bono’s bandanna that had the word “coexist” but using Muslim, Jewish and Christian symbols.
Let’s all hope that U2 makes their way here, or at least to South East Asia soon!!!
ayloveeeettt! damn, this would probably be the closest we’ll get to u2!”vertigo” is in my running playlist!
The 7pm was the press preview so that it why it started late rin. Shocks we missed the Yahweh song! Thanks for letting us know para people will stay for the credits…
Katrina, so were you in rocker outfit last night when you watch it?
Anton
I don’t know if I was in a “rocker outfit,” but all of us who watched together are rock fans! 😀
i like bono very much just like how i like arnel pineda’s great really ‘huge’ successful concert called ‘journey/chile’ btw arnel pineda is a filipino by ethnic background
but i think ‘bono’ is very special because he share the same sentiments with us{cil mahoney} regarding all ‘human rights’ ‘happiness’the explosions of world wide ‘sense of humors’ to combat ‘worldwide’ sadness ‘depressions’ or conflicts and of course the black people’s right to freedom peaceful existence meaning{to graduate from culture of violences}and living a peaceful healthy world planet paradise{green}enviromental causes and everything that embraces ‘first love’ to anything they senses touches see smells thoughts feel in humans daily lives….we support BONO-U2 band’s great wonderful social ’causes’ around the world all the way..yeah!
i like bono very much just like how i like arnel pineda’s great really ‘huge’ successful concert called ‘journey/chile’ btw arnel pineda is a filipino by ethnic background
but i think ‘bono’ is very special because he share the same sentiments with us{cil mahoney} regarding all ‘human rights’ ‘happiness’the explosions of world wide ‘sense of humors’ to combat ‘worldwide’ sadness ‘depressions’ or conflicts and of course the black people’s right to freedom peaceful existence meaning{to graduate from culture of violences}and living a peaceful healthy world planet paradise{green}enviromental causes and everything that embraces ‘first love’ to anything they senses touches see smells thoughts feel in humans daily lives….we support BONO-U2 band’s great wonderful social ’causes’ around the world all the way..yeah!
i looove u2! aww, “with or without you” is not included in the playlist? or “the sweetest thing”? but that’s okay, i would still want to watch 🙂 or well, i’d be able to watch.
awesome!
coolness!
what?! no With or Without You?! =) Sayang!
Was there also at the Press screening of U23D. It was awesome. I’m a huge U2 fan and this is the perfect movie to see in anticipation of the real thing that I’m hoping against hope will push through (they say before the year ends). Heard from a friend Bono wanted their concert here to be FREE but the sponsors didn’t agree to it so Bono wanted other sponsors. Have no idea if that’s true but if it is and it pushes through that would be major chaos but awesome 🙂
can’t wait for 9pm Friday night
to experience this!!!
ATTENTION ALL U2 FANS:
the latest rumor going around is that PLDT
will be the presentor of the U2 Manila Concert,
and that the cost of bringing Bono & the Boys
here is in the vicinity of $3,000,0000.00!!!
by the way Anton, they did show the sweetest thing and with or without you. The segment of with or without you gave me goosebumps when the people were singing. I wanted so badly to be there singing with them!! 🙂
Wow! this is definitely one thing my fiancé and I shouldn’t miss! Thanks for featuring this one! 🙂
wow that is awesome. i am a great fan of U2
U2 fan here too
I became a fan of U2 in the early 80’s, I was very much impressed with the songs contained in their WAR, UNFORGETTABLE FIRE & THE JOSHUA TREE Albums. The songs in these albums speak about political correctness, common sense, freedom and the sacrifices you have to make to keep it, and their positive attitude towards a better tomorrow for all of us.
But after the RATTLE AND HUM Album, I became a prodigal fan because I felt betrayed when their songs became more and more pop-oriented. The same way i felt flabbergasted when Queen sang Radio Gaga or embarrassed and dismayed even when Guns & Roses did a corny remake of Since I Don’t Have You.
This was in the 90’s, and while I digged deeper into my Heavy Metal Roots, I was also keeping myself updated with the band and Bono in particular, especially his humanitarian works.
And just yesterday, while watching the U23D concert at the mall of asia, I became a die hard fan once again. They are still going at it with their political views twenty-plus years ago, and their friendship and bond is as evident and stronger as ever.
The Sunday Bloody Sunday performance was for me, the most touching part of the show. Bono wore a white headband with the word “COEXISTA” written on it. It was also shown on the background screen of the stage during the entire performance. COEXISTA I guess meant “COEXIST” or ‘COEXISTENCE” in Portuguese. But what was really touching about this was, in place of the letter “C” was the CRESCENT symbol which represents the Muslim Faith, the letter “X” was replaced by The Star of David that represents the Jewish Faith, and the letter “T” was replaced by the Cross, which represents the Christian Faith. while that word was flashed on the background screen on the stadium, Bono said, ” we all came from Father Abraham”.
I guess some of the people who watched the movie are non-U2 fans and were only there to experience Imax and 3D because there were only very few of us who were singing along with Bono, but still, I hope that they, too, enjoyed the concert and the band’s message and mission, for all of us…
“Even Better Than The Real Thing” ———– i just really wanna share this
Your cueing up on line to the entrance and already you’re hearing guitars, drums, bass and that voice so familiar wailing in stadium reverb. Everyone’s on waiting time listening to a piped in hit of this phenomenal band, you’re out so eager yet relaxed.
I was able to strategically seat ourselves dead center in the row, lucky to have bought the first ticket to todays great rock show. Donning with funky shades, I sat and wait. And finally, one of the greatest bands to walk the earth in our generation, right before your eyes, next to you, behind you, playing to you… U…………2……. 3D… in IMAX.
I’ve had only a handful experience in IMAX, well it hasn’t really been that long for it to be around, but this IMAX presentation of U2 is probably the best yet. I can only be biased though since U2 has been a very influential part of my musical journey, so forgive my indulgence… hehe. This production really sparked my curiosity for a number of reasons, one is that a live concert, as it is, always pose a multitude of hurdles. I’ve worked with a number of productions in the past and it seems that you can never cover all your bases. Its about sorting things in real time without compromising the show, its calculus without the numbers. Imagine this, it would take at least 36hours to set-up all those equipment, 4 hours to pack it up… and the show runs 1.5 hours. Now couple this with IMAX’s logistical challenge, factor in your window of opportunity to shoot it… ok ok… i might have gone over the top a bit on that, its not like i’ve produced an IMAX film. hahaha… (But don’t just take my word for it, check wikipedia on how they went about with production and you”ll get the idea of what I’m talking about, )
But here’s the real score of the picture, its the first rock band to have been made into 3D film in IMAX, with the band itself being great… the film just comes to be a great leap in popular entertainment. The whole film was actually shot from the “Vertigo Tour”, hence the consistency in the production. The film opens with “Beautiful Day”, with the band set up just at close distance from you as though you were sitting 20 feet from the stage. From that stance, you’re in a concert, it feels real enough that you can almost literally rub elbows with the rest of the audience. Then you’re thrown to a cinematrographical ride that is like no other. You dolly-in and around the stage and tilt down at Larry Mullen as the camera crane dangles you over his drum kit, so close you can almost grab his tambourines. Then Adam Clayton embraces you with his bass staccatos, you don’t hear it… you feel it. Then you plunge into The Edge’s warmth its impossible not to rock along with it, I see everyone just knocking their heads, now this is a concert. Then it gets better as Bono serenades you with his engaging voice, he’s “so close” yet “far away”. To top it all, I guess one of the things that made it more alive is the sound, (aside from my bias on this area, being that I do digital sound engineering and design as a hobby), after all, without the auditory senses, everything is just a gallery of pictures. IMAX production is sooo much unique to traditional film that the experience itself is unimaginable. I was particularly enamored with the “emphasis” shots, where the camera dollies to as they play it down then you move close to The Edge as he knocks on his guitar, and you could hear it. With U2’s strong message, you get enveloped with an aural encounter that is nonpareil it makes you feel “One” with the band. It might just be “Even Better Than The Real Thing!” – allen a. *gotta watch it again
i saw their concert in london 14&15 of august u2 360 tour at wembley stadium the standing ticket cost me 65£ that about 5tausan in peso but the problem is there is no stadium in philippines that can accomodate 90 tausan fans which wembley stadium can..big dome is small dome…