The 3D experience of the Billie Eilish Tour just arrived yesterday to cinemas around the world. James Cameron (THE James Cameron!) and Billie Eilish (who is directing her own video productions since years now) as Regisseurs. They used immersive 3D techniques meant to create the experience of "being part of the tour" for the viewer.
I can't stress enough how GOOD the 3D effects were. Have never seen anything like this. At times I actually tried to reach out and touch smt on the screen because it appeared to be directly in front of me.
In the end there's confetti falling down and I was 100% sure it must be falling down in the cinema (it wasn't).
The scenario of the tour is just Billie on an 8-shaped stage (with her musicians lowered down in the 8) and in the middle of that on a cube-stage-thingy with screens on all sides that could be lifted and lowered.
But let me tell you - the 3D technique visuals made me feel like I was actually really close to the audience and close to Billie Eilish as well. The sound was perfectly mixed - in the cuts to the audience you've heard the audience sing louder than the music just as if you're in the crowd and part of it.
They've made the visual appear as if you're part of the audience too: sometimes people holding up smartphones, waving their arms or heads covering your view, it had these little crowd-feeling moments that really added up to the vibe of being at a concert.
The camera follows Eilish around on the stage and due to the 3D effect it feels like you're really up close and next to her, it's an amazing visual effect. Eilish is running around with a camera herself sometimes and it gives a cool impression of how being on stage might feels like.
The movie switches between Concert Scenario and behind the scenes. "Billie behind the scenes" is filmed really close up to her and you get a lot of insight into her experience of the tour as well (no details bc spoilers).
Overall it has a good balance between music with action and emotions on stage and the calmer behind the scenes part.
My cinema only powered up the volume in the end so at the beginning the cinema crowd was really shy/silent but later people were applauding and cheering.
The whole fanbase under the age of 18 seemed to have agreed beforehand to get down to the screen at the last song and dance there together, it was really cute to watch.
It was a german audience so I felt like there could've been more cheering going on but hey - I had a lot of fun and a super cool cinema experience! ๐ถ
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Disclaimer: I am an actual Billie Eilish fan - just in case you didn't notice ๐
Sounds really cool! Concert films in the cinema is an incredibly underrated format - of course nothing compares to the real thing, but cinema is capable of capturing a lot of the energy and the music tends to sound as good as a concert hall and better than a stadium. Adding 3D to the mix sounds like great fun, unlike with ordinary cinema where it's arguably a complete gimmick.
Thanks for the review!