Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1043753
Now I'm Here How do you bring to life the story of one of the most beloved rock bands ever, and how do you make a character as iconic as Freddie Mercury truly sing on the big screen. For me, the answer lay in the details. The details one sees of course, but more importantly, the details that are felt. The kind of magical details that make an actor feel like they are in another time, another place, and where they can feel free to inhabit a space, as well as a role. Somehow, I would need to find those details. Thankfully, the production pushed and I didn't have to hop on a plane with a newborn. But when the green light did come six months later, I was still faced with the same questions that had nagged me in November. I arrived in London in May of 2017 knowing that there were a number of large films in town already, and that both stage space and crew would be in short supply. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to build an incredibly talented and enthusiastic team around London-based set decorator Anna Lynch-Robinson and Supervising Art Director David Hindle. One Vision As with every project, the first step was research. The heart of the story was to span a period of fifteen years, from 1970 to 1985, with scenes set the world over and flashbacks taking us into Freddie's childhood as far back as the 1950s. An approach was needed to keep track of the chameleon that was Freddie Mercury, as well as the band's musical and stylistic evolution. Every detail from the history of Queen was meticulously researched, and a timeline was created across the entire back wall of the Art Department. Color and tone were important to convey the passage of time, not just in the actors and the music, but in the rapidly changing visual landscape of the 1970s and 1980s. In collaboration with director of photography Tom Sigel and costume designer Julian Day, a palette was created for every year, designing an intentional synergy between the sets, lighting design and costumes. Every song in the film would correspond to an important narrative beat, and each of those beats would have an identifiable visual tone. Amazon Studios A B C