Musicals—27

The first musical I want to talk about from the second decade of the 21^st century is not Les Miserables or Into the Woods—both of which were adapted from stage musicals. It’s a little musical called Sing Street [2016] by John Carney—the same writer/director we talked about last week who did Once [2007].

Sing Street is one of those wonderful indie films that was made for very little—and won tons of awards. It had an astoundingly low budget for this day and age—about $4 million—and grossed a respectable $13 million+ worldwide. Critics loved the film, audiences loved the film.

So why have you probably not seen it?

Distribution. Poor distribution is the reason for a lot of good films not doing even better in terms of viewership.

I remember someone telling me I’d love this film and I should see it. I also remember not getting the chance to see it because I couldn’t find it playing anywhere. I got lucky and saw it on a plane… then promptly bought the DVD.

The film is so full of energy!! The music, sure, but the story, the direction, the acting—all came together beautifully in this production. I have to credit writer/director Carney because, like Once, Sing Street is something special.

The plot couldn’t be simpler—Conor doesn’t fit in at his school and, one day, sees an older girl, Rafina, and is totally smitten. He approaches her and tells her he and his band need a girl for their new music video—she agrees to do it. Problem is, he doesn’t have a band. So he quickly gets a group of his geeky friends to form the band and the film is the story of the band but even more the story of Conor’s pursuit of Rafina—who seems way out of his league. And music is at the heart of his pursuit, as he throws his feelings into the lively songs he creates.

The film, like others we’ve talked about, uses a lot of music from established groups, but also has original songs. Take a look at the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VX4a--IBWI

The film sort of vibrates to the beat of the music, doesn’t it?

What’s your takeaway from this?

Well, not that Sing Street is set in the 80s—which is fun, because setting it in the past gives you more old mores to showcase. But it’s also kind of ingenious, because it gives you access to the music of the period. You don’t have to create your own music [though Drive It Like You Stole It is a great example of original music that was created for Sing Street] but can use music of the period you’re setting your story in—which makes the whole prospect of doing a musical for film a little bit easier.

So ask yourself, is there a decade whose music you particularly like? Could you set a story in that decade and use that time period’s music to help tell your story? Think about it—maybe you’re not as far from creating an original film musical as you thought!

Copyright © Diane Lake

26Jan20

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