Nightwish: Imaginaerum [2011]

Comenzaron a grabar la batería para las canciones.

After spending an intensive summer camp on Finnish countryside and putting a final touch to the demo, we started recording the drums for our next album. We gathered together yesterday and set up the drums and all the recording devices. Today was mostly spent just perfecting the sounds. Just like with our last album we got some back-up from Mr. Kai Hahto (Swallow The Sun & Wintersun), who is known to be able to conjure godly sounds by tuning the drums. The legendary duet of Mikko Karmila and TeeCee Kinnunen are taking care of the engineering again. Tonight ended with a complete take of the first song, so the recording session has now officially started! Jihaa!

Cheers,

Jukka

EMPPU GRABA GUITARRAS PARA EL NUEVO DISCO

Hola, pandilla, ha pasado un tiempo. Supongo que es mi turno para escribir sobre lo que está pasando en el estudio.

El verano de Camp Rock esta cerca, y hemos estado ocupados escuchando demos. Jukka incluso logró completar sus partes de batería para el álbum. Había un ambiente tan agradable en el campamento de verano que esta vez voy a probar un enfoque diferente a la grabación de mis cosas. La última vez se parecía más a trabajar de nueve a cinco, rompiéndome el alma en el estudio, pero esta vez me lleve a casa el equipo de grabación y trataré de mantenerme relajado, ganas de riffear que tuve durante todo el verano, cuando estábamos ensayando y grabando demos de las canciones con los chicos. En cierto modo, creo que he tenido éxito - He estado ahora grabando guitarras rítmicas por una semana.

En fin, Tuomas y Mikko Karmila (Koo-Mikko el Comediante) estaban aquí hace un rato. Estuvimos jugueteando con los amps por un día, tratando diferentes sonidos, y he completado la mitad de las pistas de ritmo. Es difícil decir si mi trabajo es de 30% o 5% hecho, porque si los signos de edad son válidas, las partes de guitarra sólo sigue en aumento. Lo que significa que sólo cuando estás a punto de abrir la botella de champán, te das cuenta de que, maldita sea, este y esa parte todavía necesitan algo. En otras palabras, después de haber aprendido algo de las sesiones anteriores, voy a seguir teniendo el champán en el hielo por lo menos por otros seis meses.

Eso es todo por el momento. Voy a tratar de sacar una pocas fotos de la sesión en algún momento, nos vemos luego amigos, rock on!

Emppu.

Emppu is nearly done with his guitar recordings...

Emppu is nearly done with his guitar recordings, having done 4 comp tracks to all the songs plus half of all the leads. (The solos and acoustics are best left to record AFTER the orchestral and choir sessions). Marco is also finished with his bass recordings so now we basically just wait for Pip and Tuomas to get the orchestral arrangements sorted out for the London sessions in February.

It`s coming together, slowly but surely, going into such monumental and uncharted spheres that it`s hard to keep our pantyhoses on. Stay tuned!

medio lento viene la cosa

Good evening ladies and not so gentle men!

At the moment I have most of the bass tracks for the new album recorded. I started already a few weeks back, but I´ve been taking my time with the recordings. It´s the luxury of having your own equipment and a former job as studio engineer. For now I´ve been taking it pretty easy for the last two weeks. The holiday season and all that goes with it, you know...

Right now I´m collecting my inner plutonium for the critical mass again. I always do that before recording something. After all we´re not a pop band, and these songs need some really serious explosives. Too bad you can´t hear them yet...

I just had to twist the knife here. I´m a sadist also. The songs are really good by the way...

Of course we all would like to see this project finished, released and out for all the world to hear. The success we´ve been blessed or cursed with is demanding in its own ways. Everything has to be planned in long term. All the parts of releasing albums, videos and tours have to match carefully when you get to this stage of things.

And so we all get fed up with the waiting. Try to be patient and we´ll do our best to reward you later on.

And so we come to this: I hope you all had a nice holiday time. Also all of those people who don´t really care about that stuff. It´s a new year 2011. Let´s make it a good one!

Always with respect!

Marco.

---

!Buenas tardes damas y no tan caballeros!

Hasta el momento tengo la mayoría de las pistas de bajo para el nuevo álbum grabadas. Empecé unas pocas semanas atrás, pero me he tomado mi tiempo con las grabaciones. Es el lujo de tener tu propio equipo (de grabación) y un haber trabajado como ingeniero de sonido. Por ahora me lo he tomado muy tranquilo las últimas dos semanas. La temporada navideña y todo lo que viene con ello, ustedes saben...

Justo ahora estoy juntando mi plutonio interno para llevarlo a la masa crítica de nuevo (analogía a lo que hay que hacer para preparar una bomba atómica y que en este caso se refiere a prepararse para estar a full). Siempre hago eso antes de grabar algo. Despues de todo no somos una banda pop, y esas canciones necesitan unos grandes explosivos. Que mal que no las puedan escuchar aún...

Solo tengo que girar el cuchillo aquí. Soy un sádico también. Las canciones son muy buenas por cierto...

Por supuesto nos gustaría a todos ver este proyecto finalizado, lanzado y en circulación para que todo mundo lo escuche. El éxito con el que hemos sido bendecidos o maldecidos lo está pidiendo a su modo. Todo tiene que ser planeado a largo término. Todas las partes de lanzar álbums, videos y tours tienen que concordar cuidadosamente cuando llegas a este nivel (refiriendose a que todo debe ser excelente).

Y también todos nos alimentamos con la espera. Traten de ser pacientes y nosotros haremos lo mejor posible para recompensarlos luego.

Y así llegamos a esto: Espero que todos ustedes hayan tenido una buena navidad. Y a todos los que realmente no les importa eso. Es un nuevo año 2011. !Hay que hacerlo bueno!

!Siempre con respeto!

Marco.

NIGHTWISH REVEALS THE CONCEPT FOR NEXT ALBUM:


NIGHTWISH - IMAGINARIUM

In the midst of recording a new album, Nightwish has been preparing a movie.

"Imaginarium" is a music fantasy - film based on the forthcoming Nightwish album of the same title and its 13 songs.

The protagonist of the film is a songwriter with an otherworldly imagination. He is an old man who still thinks he`s a young boy. While asleep he travels into his distant past where his dreams of old come back to him mixed to the young boy`s world of fantasy and music.


In his dreams the old man fights to find the memories most important to him.


This never-done-before project originates to more than two years in the past when Tuomas first introduced his ambitious idea of the Imaginarium - concept to the fellow band members and to Mr. Stobe Harju, the director behind "The Islander" - music video. He will be the director of this full-length feature. The film will be produced by Solar Films Inc. together with Nightwish.

The shootings for "Imaginarium" will begin this spring, it will have its premiere in 2012 and the album it`s based on will be released in an undefined point in time.


Nightwish will hold a press conference related to this project at the end of February.

Traducción:

Durante la grabación del nuevo álbum, Nightwish han estado preparando una película. Imaginarium es una película de música y fantasía basada en el próximo disco de Nightwish, que llevará el mismo título y que contendrá 13 canciones. El protagonista de la película es un compositor de música con una imaginación supernatural. Se trata de un hombre mayor que cree que aun es un chico joven. Mientras duerme viaja a su pasado, donde sus los sueños que tiene de mayor vulven a él mezclados con el mundo de música y fantasía del chico joven.

En sus sueños, el hombre intenta descubrir los recuerdos más importante spara él.

Este proyecto nunca antes realizado nació hace más de dos años cuando Tuomas presentó su idea del ambicioso proyecto Imaginarium al resto de la banda y a Mr. Stobe Harju, el director del video de The Islander. Él será el director de esta película. Le película será producida por Solar Films Inc y Nightwish. El rodaje de Imaginarium comezará esta primavera, y se estrenará en 2012. El disco en el que está basada la película se publicará en algún momento indefinido.

Nightwish darán una rueda de prensa sobre este proyecto a finales de febrero.

Nuevo mensaje de Tuomas, nuevas fotos de las grabaciones en Londres y nuevo video!

We arrived at Angel Studios in Islington, London in the evening of Valentine´s Day and had a most friendly welcome from studio engineers Steve Price and Mat Bartram. They`d already set up everything for next day`s recordings, which would include 3 three-hour sessions with a 53-piece orchestra, most of the players being familiar faces from the "Once" and "Dark Passion Play" - sessions. Pip (Williams, the orchestral arranger) joined us at the hotel and we were all excited and ready for a week of long days and for witnessing some superb musicianship.

A heartwarming feeling of reunion and nostalgia filled the air when we met the session musicians on Tuesday morning. We started off with "Goat`s Liver" (working title...probably), followed by a couple of more epic pieces and all the rest that required a large orchestra. The musicianship of these people never ceases to amaze me. They`ve never heard the songs before, they haven`t had any rehearsals, and still they nail all the songs, even those in the hardest imaginable key, after just one or two run-throughs. Their prima vista - playing is something out of a science fiction story... Respect.

Mr. Thomas Bowes did a fantastic job as our orchestra leader, Mr. James Shearman was a most superb conductor, and once again, Pip topped himself with the arrangements. We had put much more effort and thought into them than on the previous two albums, too.

On Wednesday we continued with the orchestral recordings, last of the day`s sessions being with a 20-piece string / harp - section. Some new working titles were also born, such as "The Birdie Song", "Teriyaki" and "Haunted Mansion Ride".

Thursday was the day for percussion and ethnic drums. This time we decided to record all the rhythmic instruments separately from the orchestra to make it easier for the mixing process. Because some of the sounds the percussionists came up with would literally blow your eardrums off.

The highlight of the day was when we let loose Mr. Paul Clarvis & Mr. Stephen Henderson with their ethnic percussion arsenal. Paul`s 350-year-old taiko-drum really did the trick for me, as did the 5-foot hammer and a dustbin. We put all this into a one 3-minute instrumental, and the result is breathtaking and madly passionate.

Friday was booked for choirs. Again that sensation of nostalgia when The Metro Voices entered the building. We had 13 titles to sing and they did it in less than seven hours, prima vista. Utterly gorgeous stuff!

A childrens` choir is something we haven`t tried on a Nightwish album before and its turn was on Saturday morning. The Young Musicians London, led by the wonderful Mary Poppins - like Lynda Richardson were simply heartbreaking. These kids have immense talent, they are future superstar musicians and we are proud to have them on our album. Their sound was beautiful, innocent and in parts very, very scary. And that`s exactly what we were after.

During the evening we had two more guest musicians, Mr. Dermot Crehan (of The Lord Of The Rings - fame) with his hardanger fiddle and Mr. Dirk Campbell with his zurna. Both performances were stunning and added a nice little ancient touch to two of the songs.

Our most humble thanks to all the session musicians, the Angel Studios staff, Pip, James, Thomas, Lynda, Dick the music copyist and Jenny the choir mistress. It was a huge honor to work with you all and to have such talent and spirit captured on "Imaginarium"!

We miss you all dearly already and try to be faster with the next album.

Tuomas, Hilton Islington 20.2.2011

Traducción:

Arribamos al Angel Studios en Islington, Londres en la víspera del día de San Valentín y tuvimos la más amistosa bienvenida de los ingenieros del estudio Steve Price y Mat Bartram. Ya prepararon todo para las próximas grabaciones del día que incluirían 3 horas de sesiones con una orquesta de 53 piezas, la mayoría de los players son caras familiares de "Once" y "Dark Passion Play" - sessions. Pip (Williams, el que arregla la Orquesta)se unió en el hotel y estábamos todo entusiasmados y preparados para un semana de días largos y por dar testimonio de alguna maestría musical extraordinaria.

Un sentimiento de "corazón cálido" de reunión y nostalgia llenaron el aire cuando nosotros nos encontramos a los músicos de la sesión el martes por la mañana. Nosotros empezamos fuera con Goat`s Liver"(trabajando en el título ... probablemente), siguió con un par depiezas más épicas y todo el resto que requirieron una orquesta grande. La maestría musical de estas personas nunca deja de asombrarme. Nunca oyeron las canciones antes, ellos nu tuvieron ningún ensayo, y todavía ellos clavan todas las canciones, incluso aquéllos en la tecla más dificil imaginable. Después de justo o dos run-throughs. Su primera vista- tocando es algo fuera de una historia de ciencia ficción... el Respeto.

Sr. Thomas Bowes hizo un trabajo fantástico como nuestro líder de la orquesta, Sr. James Shearman era el conductor más extraordinario, y una vez más, Pip se cubrió con los arreglos. Nosotros habíamos puesto mucho más esfuerzo y pensamiento en ellos que en los dos álbumes anteriores, también.

El miércoles nosotros continuamos con las grabaciones orquestales, último de las sesiones del día con 20 piezas de cuerdas/harpa sesión. Algunos nuevos títulos posibles también nacieron, como "The Birdie Song", "Teriyaki" y "Haunted Mansion Ride".

Jueves era el día para la percusión y los tambores étnicos. Este tiempo nosotros decidimos grabar todos los instrumentos rítmicos separadamente de la orquesta para hacerlo más fácil para el proceso de mezclado. Porque algunos de los sonidos que los percusionistas propusieron que volarían fuera de us tímpanos literalmente.

El momento culminante del día era cuando nosotros permitimos Sr. Paul Clarvis &Sr. Stephen Henderson sueltos con su arsenal de percusión étnica. Paul`s el taiko-tambor de 350-años de edad realmente hizo el truco para mí, como lo hizo el martillo de 5-pie y un dustbin. Nosotros pusimos todos esto en un instrumental de 3-minuto , y el resultado es impresionante y locamente apasionado.

Viernes se reservó para los coros. De nuevo esa sensación de nostalgia cuando The Metro Voices entraron en el edificio. Nosotros teníamos 13 títulos para cantar y ellos lo hicieron en menos de siete horas, prima vista. ¡El material absolutamente vistoso!.

El coro de niños es algo que nosotros nunca intentamos en un álbum de Nightwish antes y su giro fue el sábado por la mañana. The Young Musicians London liderado por el maravilloso Mary Poppins - como Lynda Richardson era absolutamente Rompe corazones. Estos niños tienen el inmenso talento, ellos son los músicos super-estrella del futuro y nosotros estamos orgullosos de tenerlos en nuestro álbum. Su sonido era hermoso, inocente y en partes, muy asustadizo. Y eso era exactamente lo de que nosotros éramos después.

Durante la tarde nosotros teníamos dos músicos invitados más, Sr. Dermot Crehan (de El Señor De Los Anillos - Fame) con su violín hardanger y Sr. Dirk Campbell con su zurna. Ambas actuaciones estaban aturdiendo y agregaron un buen pequeño toque de ancestral a dos de las canciones.

Nuestro más humilde gracias a todos los músicos de la sesión, the Angel Studios staff, Pip, James, Thomas, Lynda, Dick el copista de música y Jenny la señora del coro. ¡Era un honor grande para trabajar con todos ustedes y tener tal talento y espíritu capturó en "Imaginarium!".

Nosotros amorosamente ya lo extrañamos a todos e intentaremos ser más rápido con el próximo álbum.

Fotos:


















Video


Más fotos:https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=557263&id=14644790067

SE VIENE CON TODO♥

Excelente aporte chicos! =D

Ya están disponibles las entrevistas sobre Imaginarium en la web de Nightwish. Hay 3 entrevistas:

- Tuomas Holopainen: http://www.nightwish.com/en/imaginarium/interviews/1

"Tuomas, you're crazy as a loon, but the idea's amazing!"

Tuomas Holopainen reveals what the concept of Imaginarium is all about.


Holed up in the studio for the better part of this spring, Nightwish are not only putting finishing touches to their new album Imaginarium, but also planning a movie of the same name. If all goes well, the album is scheduled to be released early in 2012, followed by the movie after an indefinite time. The first single off the album as well as the trailer for the movie should appear well before the end of the 2011.

For the movie, Nightwish have teamed up with director Stober Harju's production team and Solar Films.

How did you come up with the concept for Imaginarium?

- After completing the last album, I realized that we can't necessarily top Dark Passion Play in terms of bombast and dynamics. I could simply see the end of a certain path looming in the horizon and started thinking about new challenges. At some point I had a revelation: is there a reason why Nighwish should be just an aural experience? Why shouldn't we broaden our horizons? I got the idea of a concept album and thought that we could shoot a video for each song that would all tie together and comprise a story. I wanted to create a complex whole that would be something new compared to the movie projects of, say, Pink Floyd, Kiss, Lordi et cetera.

The project was started two and a half years ago, in early autumn 2008.

- I had met director Stobe Harju during the production of "The Islander" video and knew that we were on the same wavelength what comes to crazy fantasy stuff. I told Stobe about my idea, and he said instantly: "Tuomas, you're crazy as a loon, but the idea's amazing -- let's start pre-production!"

- So basically I came up with the concept: I had a vision that we'd shoot thirteen music videos that would all tie together. Then Stobe suggested we'd have dialogue, too, although I had thought that music and videos would carry the story. Stobe assured, however, that the combination of music, imagery and dialogue would give us the best results, and now that I look at the script, I realize that he was right. The pre-production has gone amazingly well, because all my main ideas, like the roller coaster ride in one song, fit Stobe's story seamlessly. Basically I gave Stobe thirteen pearls, and he crafted a whole pearl necklace out of them.

The final script is still being written, but what can you reveal about the plot at the moment?

- An old composer on his deathbed returns to his childhood. Old memories slowly return, mingled with the small boy's world of fantasy and music. This is the main concept that we can reveal at the moment. I wanted to convey a positive message and a sense of carpe diem. The movie is about the joy of being alive and the beauty of the world.

The first advertisement poster gives hints about the visuals of Imaginarium. What else do you want to share with us at this point?

- We're visualizing something that's a cross between the surreal worlds of Tim Burton, Neil Gaiman, and Salvador Dali, but we try to not make it too artsy. Of course I've seen a thick pile of reference art, and it looks absolutely great.

Have you already done the casting? Can we expect to see any band members in the movie?

- We're just about to start casting, but it's mostly going to be done by Stobe and Solar Films. Personally, I'd like to see unknown actors, who haven't been type-casted yet. Obviously it would be good if they were native English speakers, too, because "rally English" really doesn't fit the tone of the movie.

- Nightwish basically appear as themselves, as we're probably going to be seen playing two or three songs in the movie. There are also some support parts and dialogue written for us, but obviously you won't see us in the main roles. The running time will be about 80 minutes, maybe even a bit more.

Has it been challenging to get the funding for the movie?

- "Challenging" is an understatement. You have to remember that a movie like this costs seven figures. Nevertheless, I was not ready to give up at any point, because the idea of releasing just an audio album would have felt like a let-down. The band is strongly involved in the production, and therefore we're also taking a big financial risk ourselves. It's obviously great that we got an excellent company like Solar Films as a partner.

- Despite all the talk about the movie, it's of utmost importance to remember that Imaginarium is also the new Nightwish album, a stand-alone musical work. What's probably interesting for the listeners is that the music on the album and in the movie will differ a bit — in the movie, some intros are edited out, some choruses don't have vocals, and so forth. In the movie, the music obviously has to accommodate the story and the drama.

What kind of role do the lyrics of the songs play in the story?

- It was interesting to write the lyrics, because they also have to work on their own without the movie. That's why you won't hear the names of the characters in the lyrics, for example. The individual themes are pretty universal, yet they tie into each other without actually telling a linear story. But don't worry, everything will be made clear in time.

How do you plan to release these things?

- If everything goes smoothly, we plan to release the album in early 2012, followed by the movie when it's ready. It's going to be on DVD at least, but hopefully we'll also get a theatrical release. And of course Imaginarium will later be available as a double pack with both the album and the movie.

If Dark Passion Play saw the end of one path, what on earth can you do after Imaginarium?

- I guess we have to incorporate smells and other sensations...


- Stobe Harju (director de la película): http://www.nightwish.com/en/imaginarium/interviews/2

"This project is as interesting as it gets!"

Director Stobe Harju on Imaginarium


Renowned for his work in the Alan Wake video game and as a director of several music videos, Stobe Harju met the Nightwish guys and management during "The Islander" video shoot. The successful project eventually gave birth to a feature-length movie called Imaginarium.

How did the Imaginarium project start?

- Tuomas called me late in the summer of 2008 and was like, "Hi, Stobe, do you have time to talk about a couple of music videos? Actually, we're going to shoot a video for each song on the next album." I immediately thought that the poor guy has lost it.

- We then had a meeting where I got to hear the song titles and Tuomas' initial vision for each song. Like, "this song could have a roller coaster in it", and so forth. Fortunately our visions were very similar, so it was surprisingly easy to start forging a longer and more detailed story based on Tuomas' original ideas. During the following months, I wrote about 70 pages with pictures and everything, and it was the first version of the larger story that contained each one of Tuomas' original ideas.

- Tuomas read the story, congratulated me that it was exactly how he had envisioned it, so we continued to develop the script. After about six months I had refined the story in my mind to the point that I needed to ask Tuomas what he would think about my new idea: why should we split the story into separate music videos? Why not make a movie, because the stories fit together so good? And that's what we decided to do. I've got to admit that it has felt weird and even crazy at times, because nobody has done something like this before. But basically the vibe has been great, because this project is as interesting as it gets.

Imaginarium is really the first of its kind, but could you give some comparisons?

At gunpoint I could describe it as a cross between Moulin Rouge and Pink Floyd's The Wall, but basically the movie is something unique. Imaginarium is pure fantasy and also pretty much encompasses everything that Nightwish stand for. Personally, I think that Imaginarium is the visual representation of the things they want to portray in their music, so in other words, the idea is to make the movie look as much like Nightwish as possible. This is viable because the album and the movie have been developed together — the movie has not inspired the music or vice versa. It was not like somebody thought that the music is so visual that it would be nice to a movie out of it or anything. We started with the song titles and Tuomas' broad concept and developed it from there. The lyrics and music were inspired by the longer stories that we came up with, and the detailed script was eventually inspired by the songs. The project has progressed one step at a time.

How much can you reveal about Imaginarium and its plot at this point?

- I can obviously tell you some broad outlines. It's not going to be a linear Peter Pan -type of story, there's enough of those already. We wanted to find a fresh angle and a main character and eventually thought about an old man and the story of his life. In the movie, his current life blends with his childhood fantasies, and along the way, we might wonder what our adult life has become after our imagination was stifled. As adults, we no longer remember the time when the snow hill on our backyard was the tallest mountain in the world. The symbolism gets pretty difficult at times, but the music of Nighwish is not easy either! You can interpret Nightwish in a number of ways, and the movie is no different.

How would you describe the visuals in the movie?

- My former work has been compared to e.g. Tim Burton, but this time there's more influences like Salvador Dali in evidence, not to forget a strong Disney vibe. The end result will definitely owe more to the surrealism of Dali than to the crazy, candy-colored world of Tim Burton. There's also going to be a lot of CGI — I originally used to be an animator and love SFX in general, so that kind of stuff comes naturally to me.

- I really have to brag a bit and say that I'd like to see another Finnish movie with such ambitious costume design, set design, post-production and visuals. So in a nutshell: if we manage to realize our visions, it's going to be one helluva ride!

It's also interesting to know that the music in the film differs a bit from the album versions.

- Tuomas has really given me the right to change things, of course within certain limits and with his permission, and the score of the movie will differ a bit from the music on the album. There's also moments during dialogue where instead of Nightwish music you can hear interludes that are probably going to be composed by Petri Alanko. So to sum it up: Tuomas is obviously the executive producer of the music, and he will approve the variations in the songs heard in the movie (compared to the album versions), but there's also going to be some things written by Petri Alanko, of course heavily inspired by the spirit of Nightwish.

- There's also going to be two Nightwish songs heard on the background of the dialogue, so they're used more like a movie score. Obviously the music still carries the story during those moments, although it gives a bit more room to the dialogue.

How tight is your schedule for finishing the movie?

- The album comes out first, sometime in early 2012, but the release of the movie has not been set yet. We really don't have too much time to waste, but we won't want to rush things either, as we want to do everything just right. During the production of Alan Wake, we created 90 minutes of animation in 30 weeks. People first thought that the schedule was impossible, and I've got to admit it was taxing at times. Basically the question is whether you can still produce quality work during 18-hour workdays...

Fortunately we have a good team spirit, an excellent production company, an ingenious producer - Markus Selin - and an awesome band, so currently things look great to say the least!


- Markus Selin (productor de Solar Films): http://www.nightwish.com/en/imaginarium/interviews/3

"The movie and the music will live long into the future!"

Solar Films producer Markus Selin on Imaginarium.

How did Solar Films start the collaboration with Nightwish to produce Imaginarium?

- King Foo Entertainment and Solar Films have worked together on different projects for years. When Tuomas and Stobe presented the idea for Imaginarium, we instantly decided to go for it.

What were your first thoughts on this project consisting both the new studio album and a movie by a world-class band?

- The whole idea was so "out there", that of course we were interested in the collaboration. And now that we really know what we got and what we're doing, everybody is full of enthusiasm. I don't think there have been any innovations in Rock cinema since Pink Floyd's "The Wall" — and that was 30 years ago!

How far exactly is the project right now (casting, funding, pre-production...)?

- Everything has moved forward at a dizzying pace. We can start shooting this year, and the movie will premiere in 2012. So the schedule is pretty crazy, but in a way, it's good for a project like this. The funding looks real good at the moment, and everything should be settled by the end of April.

What are the biggest challenges with the project?

-The schedule by far. The SFX will probably be quite challenging, too, and obviously there's still a million other things to take care of, but that's always the case before the actual shooting begins.

What kind of a movie do you envision to see sometime next year?

-I expect the movie to become a modern classic. I also believe that the movie and the music will live long into the future.

Anette ha publicado en su blog que ya ha entrado al estudio a grabar sus voces

Studio, love and photos;=)
Good evening everyone;=)

So, two days are done in the studio and what can I say?

It´s going really really super duper good!!!;=)

We are having fun! I love being here! I love singing the songs again! I love having Nemo and Johan with me;=) I love the sauna in our room!

I do NOT love the weather (it´s still ice and snow here!)

And I love how nicely Teemu, Tuomas, Tero and Mikko have decorated the studio for me;=) Sweetest and loveliest guys there is and they have made me feel so at ease and welcome;=) Kiitos!!

Para ver fotos
http://anette-olzon.blogspot.com/2011/04/studio-love-and-photos.html

Ayer publicó Tuomas novedades del estudio, aunque ya están comentadas por Anette en su blog, pero aquí dejo lo que ha escrito Tuomas en la Web:


Petrax Studio, March 2011, part III

Time to add the final touches for Imaginarium while waiting for Anette to get well. This means the celtic magic of Mr. Troy Donockley with his pipes & bodhran, the smoking fingers of Mr. Pekka Kuusisto with his violin and some additional percussion & tribal drums.

I picked up Troy at the airport on Saturday night while Jukka and Kai (Hahto) were generating some new percussive ideas and boozing at Petrax. When we returned they had already nailed all tambourines, shaman drums etc. Satisfied with the day`s work we celebrated the Cumbrian - Carelian Dead Poets` reunion by entering the realm of the ultimate alchemic magic potion called Salmari. Jari (Sinkkonen of "Kotiteollisuus") also joined us during the night to do a new tattoo for Jukka.

It took one and a half days for Troy to record his pipes and bodhran. He even ended up doing some singing in one of the songs, which was a killer of a last-minute-idea. This particular tune has grown up to be one of the highlights of the whole album. Saturday evening was filled with the much anticipated Troy`s magic show, sauna & a youtube medley consisting some of our all-time faves like the ultimate tenor fail, cat vs. printer w / translation, Sony releasing a stupid piece of shit that doesn`t f...ing work, etc.

Pekka`s violin virtuosity stunned us once again when he joined us on Monday night to play a couple of leads. His hand-written notes make medical doctors` prescriptions look like Rembrandt`s art. A true genius of a musician with a big heart.

A huge thanks and eternal gratitude to all of you fellow imagineers contributing to this album! A special appreciation goes to Tiina & Petri, our studio hosts, caretakers and dear friends at Petrax.

At the moment we are recording Anette`s vocals, 7 songs done so far. She hasn`t quite cured from her broken ribs yet but fortunately it doesn`t affect her singing at all. She`s never sounded better. Time to enter the lair of Mr. Karmila now and start devouring song # 8.

Greetings from the rainiest & grayest Helsinki,

Tuomas

Según ha publicado en su blog oficial la vocalista de NIGHTWISH Anette Olzon, ya ha completado las partes vocales del nuevo disco de la banda: "Imaginarium".El miércoles 13 de Abril, han comenzado con las mezclas de este nuevo disco.

En medio de la grabación de un nuevo disco, los finlandeses están preparando una película. “Imaginarium” es una película de fantasía musical basada en el nuevo disco de NIGHTWISH del mismo título que estará compuesto por 13 canciones.

El protagonista de la película es un compositor con una imaginación de otro mundo. Es un hombre mayor que todavía piensa que es un niño joven. Mientras se queda dormido, viaja a un pasado lejano donde su sueña que vuelve a ser un niño en un mundo donde se mezcla la fantasía y la música.

Este nuevo proyecto se originó hace más de dos años, cuando Tuomas le comentó esta idea tan ambiciosa a sus compañeros de grupo y al Sr. Stobe Harju, director del vídeo "The Islander". Él será el director de este largometraje. La película será producida por Solar Films Inc., junto con NIGHTWISH.

La grabación de "Imaginarium" comenzará esta primavera, y tendrá su estreno en el 2012. Los detalles del nuevo disco de los finlandeses, en el que se basa esta película, se darán a conocer en breve.

waw, ya quiero ver quienes serán los actores ...

Finnvox Studios / Helsinki, April 2011

Last time I wrote a studio diary was back in 2007 after 3 weeks of recording my vocals, hiding out in the deep forests of Finland. No one knew my name as the new singer of Nightwish. Today I read through it for the first time since then, and well, I must say that I recognize a lot and laughed even more while reading it.

Things were naturally a bit different in 2007 compared to today. I went into the studio with a radically different starting position. I am not a secret anymore, I know the songs really well and have already recorded them in a demo session in Röskö. The songs were made for my voice and this time I could sing them with much more confidence. This also made my time in the studio much shorter than last time and we all worked really fast and efficient, like a racing team - we all knew our positions ;=)

We started out on Monday and I took a cab from the hotel, knowing that I had visited Finnvox Studios only once before. Then it was for a listening session for Dark Passion Play. What I didn`t remember was that it was far out in a factory area hidden between lots of other grey buildings. This famous studio looks kinda greyish and not so special when you first get closer, but when you get inside and see all the gold records hanging in the hallway, all the photos of famous musicians in the stairs you know this is the place for big things and big recordings. Of course Imaginarium needs to pass through this pit stop, too!

After hugging and having a short brief with Tuomas about practical things with Imaginarium tour and future plans, he took me to "my room" and when I entered I was so surprised! The room looked like my own little "Shangri-la". Lots of candles burning, pink and red carpets and fabrics that were hung to make it comfortable. Candy, teas, coffees, nuts, fashion magazines, a cosy lounging chair, a big framed poster with us all, and lots of other little things to make me feel at home. Teemu, our dear pyro tech had been there to make me feel welcome and get into a nice singing mood. So thanks to Teemu & the guys, my days at Finnvox got even nicer!

We took a great song to start with and even if my rib still gave me some pain my singing worked well. A little bit of tiredness from flying two days in a row, but still the whole day floated well and it was simply a great start for me.

Our goal was to do one song per day but we actually made something like 1,5 per day and were done in 8 days. We started at 10 and ended around 15 or 16 every day. Took shorter breaks but mainly we just worked and worked. I like to be efficient and when I start to sing I get into the mood and then stopping and taking a long break can just make me loose the feeling and cadence. And Imaginarium has a lot of different feelings in it, different ways for me to interpret the songs. Tuomas, Tero and Mikko were there to guide me to sing even better and to create those little things in every song that make it "historical", as Tero always says, haha!

Every time we were about to start recording a song, I first just sat down and listened to the songs with the orchestra, choir, solos and everything else I hadn`t heard yet, and I must say that I got the shivers every time. From recording the demo to getting the whole package with everything added is just a thrill! And I can hear that Pip and Tuomas just get better and better in using the orchestras, different instruments and voices.

After having listened to a song and heard the new things, I went to "my studio", did some warm-ups and then we started with the recordings. We took it in parts and mainly did the verses first. I sang the part over and over for a couple of times until we felt we had it. Then I doubled and tripled the whole thing if we wanted a fuller sound, as we did mainly in the faster songs. Then it varied if we did the harmonies for that specific part directly or if we continued and recorded the lead parts for the whole song before doing the harmonies. It also depended on my mood and how good my voice felt. I got food poisoning one day and threw up for 9 hours straight, affecting some parts of my voice. I was tired and weak so the day after I didn`t feel my high soft voice was perfect and therefore we didn`t take those high harmonies until the next day.

After 8 days of recording all the songs were recorded and all we had left were some harmonies here and there to fix, and then we just jumped from song to song and added what Tuomas felt was missing. Tuomas is great to work with and he is really clear with what he wants in every song. He is so devoted to the album, to getting every little piece perfect and I know he won`t sleep or rest well until the whole album is mixed and mastered and put into a safe somewhere. When I was done, I felt that little "empty" feeling I get when I have completed something. A little bit sad `cause I had so much fun and I just love to sing in the studio, this album being such a thrill for me. So many songs, all of them very different and I just gotta love the challenge. To get more out of my voice than before and to be part of this massive music where all of us, every musician that plays on it, is the key to make it work. To make Imaginarium come alive! And believe me - it will be one hell of a ride for us all;=)

On we go! Next step for me is to do some acting in the movie, but let´s take it one step at a time. Now I´ll enjoy the summer before all that happens! All best to everybody!

Anette

Written by Anette on April 22, 2011

despues de DPP,no le tengo mucha fe a danette,pero vamos a ver que sale,puede ser que vuelva un poco del NW que desaparecio

nueva actualización:

Imaginarium Update - 26.5.2011

During the last six weeks, the work on Imaginarium has advanced by leaps and bounds. We’ve been so busy with the project there has been precious little time for anything else.

While the band supervises the final mix of the album, location scouting is already underway for the Imaginarium movie. As the name of the movie and the information disclosed so far suggest, these real-world special places are few and far between.

The production crew has also been strengthened by people who have extensive knowledge of post-production technology. This is crucial, because the shoot and post-production are expected to be extremely complex and technically challenging. One of the characters in the movie also needs special attention from the animation department. Without teasing you any further, we can only disclose that this character will surely be remembered by many a Nightwish fan.

Because of the technical challenges and need for more planning, the shooting has been postponed. The movie will nevertheless be completed on time, as the post-production was begun already before the shooting.

There’s obviously a lot of expectations for the movie score. Tuomas is currently working on variations with Petri Alanko, renowned for his prize-winning music for the Alan Wake video game. The score will be based on the songs on the album and their main themes in a way that — like many other things with the Imaginarium movie — is a first in the history of motion pictures.

Imaginarium was also featured at the Cannes Movie Festival, where Solar Films presented their forthcoming films. At the same time, the script went through its biggest and most anticipated overhaul so far, confirming that Imaginarium will in no way be a children’s movie but a dark and foreboding fantasy; a dream world that lacks no surprises.

In a nutshell, like the director of the movie tends to characterize his productions, “well-planned is half done”. The famous sign post on the crossroads leading to Imaginarium is already visible. It says “Imaginarium, X miles”, and underneath it reads in small, red, curving hand-writing: “Soon it’s time to start shooting.”

Traducción:

Durante las últimas seis semanas, el trabajo sobre Imaginarium ha avanzado a pasos agigantados. Hemos estado tan ocupados con el proyecto que ha habido poco tiempo para otra cosa.

Mientras que la banda supervisa la mezcla final del álbum, búsqueda de locaciones ya está en marcha para la película Imaginarium. Como el nombre de la película y la información divulgada hasta el momento sugieren, éstos lugares especiales en el mundo real son pocos y distantes entre sí.

El equipo de producción también ha sido reforzado por las personas que tienen un amplio conocimiento de la tecnología de post-producción. Esto es crucial, porque el rodaje y post-producción se espera que sea muy complejo y difícil técnicamente. Uno de los personajes de la película también necesita atención especial por parte del departamento de animación. Sin bromas, sólo podemos revelar que este personaje sin duda será recordado por muchos como un ventilador de Nightwish.

Debido a las dificultades técnicas y la necesidad de más planificación, el rodaje ha sido pospuesto. La película, sin embargo se completará a tiempo, como la post-producción comenzó ya antes de lo previsto.

Obviamente hay muchas expectativas para el score de la película. Tuomas está trabajando actualmente en variaciones con Alanko Petri, conocido por su música ganador del premio para el juego de vídeo de Alan Wake. El Score se basará en las canciones del álbum y sus principales temas de una manera que - como muchas otras cosas con la película Imaginarium - es la primera vez en la historia del cine.

Imaginarium también fue presentado en el Festival de Cannes, donde Solar Films presentaron sus próximas películas. Al mismo tiempo, el guión pasó por su revisión más grandes y más esperados hasta la fecha, lo que confirma que Imaginarium de ninguna manera será una película infantil, sino una fantasía oscura y amenazante, un mundo de ensueño que no tiene ninguna sorpresa.

En pocas palabras, como el director de la película tiende a caracterizar sus producciones, "bien planificada es a medio hacer". La famosa señal del poste en el cruce que conduce a Imaginarium es ya visible. Dice "Imaginarium, X millas", y debajo de ella lee en pequeño, de color rojo, formando una curva a mano escrito: ". Pronto llega el momento de empezar a rodar"

a mi tambien,y si vicky,la verdad q no va a volver a ser lo mismo,pero igual quisiera que larguen algun tema para ver como viene :-)

por lo q comentan parece q va a estar muy bueno, no se como lo hará Anette, pero en cuanto a lo musical creo q va a estar bueno, ademas de la pelicula. igual sale en 2012, asi q va a tardar

Studio diary / May-June / Finnvox

de Nightwish, el jueves, 09 de junio de 2011 a las 22:52

After three years of brainstorming and songwriting, over a year of
rehearsing, arranging and studio work, this triumph of musical passion
and piety is finally ready to be mastered. Yesterday, after a six-week
mixing session in Studio C at Finnvox, I listened the whole thing from
start to finish alone for the first time, and couldn't make heads nor
tails of it. It's the same old story - the same feeling of bottomless
emptiness that has marked the completion of all previous albums. We
could have honed the songs till Armageddon, but at some point you just
have to let go and start admiring the scenery. This time, the landscape
consists of 13 songs totalling 75 minutes. I think I'll probably be
able to savour the end result only after a couple of months of mixing
detox, but the encouraging comments by those near to me assure that it
is a decent album. One person who heard Imaginarium called it "the greatest adventure he ever heard with his two ears". There's
clearly more grin to the new album than on the last one, more funfair,
Moomins, smoky taverns, and twisted landscapes. It equals the Milky
Way in width and breath, even according to our standards. As Markus Selin put it: "Now you've really gone and emptied the bag of tricks!" We're
now going to get some distance to the album before mastering it later
in the autumn. Meanwhile, we're going to be busy designing the cover,
completing the instrumental and orchestral versions of the album,
planning the upcoming tour, shooting the movie, and digesting the audio
bloat. An excellent cure for the latter should be peaceful country
atmosphere, fishing, and following the games of the current pesäpallo
season. (By the way, during the home games of Kiteen Pallo, the entry
music will be a remix consisting of the main riff and chorus of song
number 11 off Imaginarium.) Big thanks and bear
hugs to the whole band for their patience; to Mikko Karmila and Tee Cee
Kinnunen for their forbearance, craftsmanship and enormous amount of
work; and in advance to Mika Jussila for the finishing touch! It's been
a magnificent journey so far. Big thanks to you, too, for living with
us through this process and having faith in what's to come. I'm sure
you won't be disappointed. TuomasKitee, June 5th, 2011

Parte de la cancion 11 de Imaginarium que se usa como himno del equipo de beisbol Kiteen Palo.
fue grabado durante la presentacion del equipo fines de béisbol “Kiteen Pallo”. Al respcto Tuomas ha dicho: “…siguiendo los juegos de la actual temporada de pesäpallo (especie de béisbol finlandés) (Por cierto, durante los juegos como local de Kitten Pallo (o KiPa-90, es el equipo local de pesäpallo en Kitee) , la música de entrada será una mezcla que consiste de un riff principal y un coros de la canción número 11 de Imaginarium)…

creo que es falso la cancion 9, pero bueno, la pongo igual jeje

Imaginarium Update - 7.8.2011

Dear friends of Imaginarium Secretly we all hoped that at some point we would be able to say this aloud: The Dream is about to become reality! It`s been a hard battle beyond all measures, as it is in all projects this size, but finally creativity and heart took over the evil called Money. Imaginarium will be shot in September in a location we still need to keep as a secret but it will be quite far from our homely Finland & Sweden. The casting of the characters is now done. The cast is chosen not only because of their talent but because of the personal passion of everyone involved. The actors and their representatives have been overly enthusiastic about the auditions after reading the script. We believe many of you will be very surprised once you see the final result and the story behind it. This long journey began more than 3 years ago, and neither Nightwish or Stobe had a clear idea of where the path would lead. The script is now fantastic. It`s about Life, and the little spark of light you see during the darkest and most hopeless times. The same spark we`ve had to find over and over again during the process of making this film happen. The production crew is a group of professionals with one aim only: To realize the original vision of Imaginarium that Tuomas and Stobe had. All the pieces of the puzzle are now on the tables, and the building of the props, costume design, schedule planning, special fx production, dialogue & band performance rehearsals, etc. has begun. It`s easy to shed some tears while writing this, since we now know the story will have an ending after all. "She spins around elegantly, softly. The chords are now found and something that was broken never needed to be fixed."

De: Nightwish