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mixermanic
07-17-2005, 10:35 PM
Hi everyone,

I am planning a CG film version of the musical Les Misérables (based on the Victor Hugo novel).

The project is currently in the development stage. I have finished the first draft of the screenplay and am now creating the production schedule.

The film will be very challenging, as the original show is a through-sung musical (no spoken lines, only sung) and everything will have to be lip-sync'd with song. The subject material also calls for vast rich 3d environments to be built (revolutionary Paris 1832, resplendant with barricades, and the sewers of the city, Toulon prison and the chain gang quarries etc.).

To add to all this(!), the score will be re-recorded using samplers and a few live musicians (this is my forte - I'm a professional musical director :) ) and new vocalists (ah the favours I'm owed that I shall soon be calling in.......!). We are also writing new underscores and reorchestrating parts of the score.

I already have several people involved in the music, but am now looking for people who interested in collaborating with the CG/FX side of the project.

This is a non-profit and non commercial production, and is unpaid. On the plus side, I think everyone involved will gain a shed load of experience and it will be great fun - and something quite stunning for the showreel! :)

I can be contacted at martin@designersounds.co.uk, or on this thread.

All best,

Martin Hughes
lostlittleboy
07-19-2005, 10:17 AM
WOW! You're not after a lot then?! :D

Joking aside, even with very stylised visuals you are looking at a mammoth cg production there! On average, it'll take a group of people (say 5) about 3/4 months of spare time to do a 5min animation. To put it further into perspective, it took Pixar about 4 years to produce "The Incredibles" (1hr55min), although how much of that was script and pre-production, and how much was actual production I don't know. Regardless, this is a company who's sole purpose was to make the film, not people working unpaid in their spare time.

I don't mean to sound so negative, as I think its a really good idea. I just wanted to clue you into the sheer magnitude of the time scales and effort involved in a production as large as the one you seem to be suggesting. :)
mixermanic
07-19-2005, 11:13 AM
Heh - yeah I'm kinda aware of the undertaking. It's something I've wanted to do ever since I got into CG though (Les Mis was the first production I musically directed, and I've always retained a soft spot... no ok let me rephrase that - the show ROCKS! :bounce: ).

I'm not really too bothered how long it takes. The script can be split into various sections. The Prologue (until Valjean - the "main character" as much as there is one in LM - breaks his parole and is about 15 mins) will be the first chunk that I do - right through from development to post, just to get into the swing of things. Then I will take it from there.

The one exception I want to make to that is the music - I'm going to record the whole score from beginning to end in 1 or 2 sessions - just so that is then out of the way. Then I will post-produce the final music and vox mix, and create separate vox tracks for animation, so that when it comes to animation all that is done and the only sound I have to do in final post is Foley and FX work - this is a slight change to the "standard" production pipeline, but any music-driven production has to have the music in place first, even if it's only a rough mixdown for timings/lip-syncing.

Personally, I'm touring at the moment with another production, so apart from matinee and rehearsal days, I'm free from the moment I wake up until about 6PM. Free, and bored out of my skull :) This is something to get my teeth into then. I tour with my PC rig (for music and CG) and it's in my dressing room wherever I am.

Best,

Martin
bugzilla
07-23-2005, 03:38 PM
What are you going to do about the copyright for the story and music. Even if it is not for profit, I think you need clearance to use it for works to be displayed in public.
mixermanic
07-23-2005, 04:01 PM
Yes, copyright clearance is necessary - the story/original book itself is out of copyright but the Boublil/Schonberg musical libretto and music is not. I am discussing this with Cameron Mackintosh's (the producer) office at the moment.

M
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