Hey L.A. People and those in the surrounding blast radius:

Next Saturday (April 28) there will be another showing of Don't Think. Adam Smith will be there, too!

Dancing shoes to bring the house down like last time are required. Clown makeup, however, is optional. ;-)

whirlygirl, on 21 April 2012 - 8:44 PM, said:

That's aw

wait for it...

awe

wait for it ...

awes

wait for it...

aweso

wait for it...

awesom

wait for it

awesome!!!!

So the dealie this Saturday is a screening of Don't Think and Q & A with Adam Smith.

I've been to a similar event recently (we went to a comic convention to see the Prometheus trailer, and there was a Q & A with Ridley Scott and no, I didn't ask questions). But if it's anything like that, there will likely be a 'plant' to kickstart some queries and then a select few will have their turn at the mic. Maybe. I'm not 100% sure what to expect.

So anyway. For the record. In truth I have an irrational crippling fear of getting in front of anyone to speak, let alone a large group of peope. So in turn I can't think of anything to ask that I feel would be adequate. Silly, I know. But if anyone has something they'd like to ask Adam, say it here and I would be willing to try and face this shortcoming of mine provided I don't, you know. Chicken out. :D

try to dig out the deal with the broken iphone projections. I still have no clue how they did that.

some please ask

• why the limited 10"-book ist only available with dvd and not bluray
• why there is no bonus stuff on it (at least they could have put the trailer on it, or some behind the scenes material)
• why the further-dvd never was released in hd
• why not a full 2h show?
• how the weather is on thursday, june 28th

thanks

Sitting this one out! After viewing the film more times than I could count, I feel content about my previous experience in the theater, but I hope to hear about more dancing in the aisles again!

So, I think now I've seen this in theaters almost as many times as Ed and Adam.

I am really glad I went to this. Not only was it great to see the film on the giant screen again, it was a rare treat and special because Adam was there.

Our friend Cyndi joined us, which was really cool. She's a lover of all kinds of music, as we worked at the record store together eons ago - and we used to bump into each other at parties during the hazy rave days that are remembered only if we care to reach back into the careless fog of our pasts. When we were milling about outside the theater we were talking to her about the Chems shows, what they are like, and what to expect from the film. She never saw the Chems live before but wasn't a stranger to their music, and was definitely no stranger to the nurtuing culture that embraced them and their musical peers, way back yesteryear.

Since the setting was a Q & A, there were some industry people present; some journalists, people from KCRW, Black Dog and RSA films. And of course the regular somebody-maybe-nobody people like myself.

As we were walking to our seats, we asked the floor manager if dancing was allowed this time. I knew what the answer would be, but hoped maybe after what happened last time a special exception would be made. But I guess it wasnt meant to be. if I want to dance to the Chemical Brothers, I'll, have to do so like a fool in my living room, or like an even bigger fool at the next gig I get to!

Before the film started, the manager made formal announcement saying no dancing was allowed and we couldn't utilize the floor space in front of the screen, lest we have another harrowing incident like last time when supposedly someone was injured. Ehhem. Anyway. Then Adam was introduced, and he came bounding out in a black and white striped sweater (that's 'jumper' to you all across the pond and beyond), jeans and converse sneakers. There was a bit of a shy, soft spoken demeanor about him, but he seemed quite excited to be there. He started off by saying he was proud of the film and his connection with Tom and Ed, grateful for the opportunity to make the movie, reminded us again not to dance as someone hurt their hip at the last incident, the invited us to stay for the Q & A afterward. Or, he said "or you can just boo and leave!"

Now why would we do that, silly??

Then with a smile he bounded back to his seat, the film started almost immediately and the familiar strains of the subdued Tomorrow Never Knows cut through the darkened theater.

I know there are still a few of you waiting patiently for your turn to experience Don't Think. But by now now most of us here have seen the film, some of us more than than others. Each viewing brings with it a different perespective than the last, even though the film and music remains the same. We notice the peaks and valleys, perhpas sometimes we catch something we might have missed before. Most of you know know I love the film to bits in that it captures the essence of what their show is like, so I'm not really sure a review or long-ass whirly style play-by-play synopsis of the film is appropriate here...

The crowd this time were obviously less rambunctious than the previous Arclight showing. Though a lot more enthused than the the 2nd time I saw it at my local theater. Cyndi and I had the rave hands going, but once we caught ourselves we'd giggle and fold them into our laps. There were a few rave arms and fist pumps from other people here and there. But nothing that would ignite a riot or bust a hip. However the uncontrollable urge to tap feet and nod heads couldn't be suppressed. You stop moving, and you notice other people are jiggling the theater seats in their fits of repressed stationary dancing. After all, you're in a big room with strangers, and your seats are connected and energy, whether it be positive or negative, is infectious. Your neighbors feel your movement and you feel theirs. You want to dance. And Arclight management and impending liability and potential lawsuits are being buzzkills. It's a bit torturous, really.

As the film progresses, the endearing Fuji Rock audience entrances the movie goers. We find ourselves laughing at their reactions to what they are seeing and experiencing, and there's a mutual understanding going on. They get it, we get it. We can laugh at ourselves and those scary clown WTF moments. Hey Boy Hey Girl comes on, and that's the catalyst. If we could have been up on our feet, we would have been. But instead we let it out in claps and cheers, and waited for the moment the next song would come in where we could clap in time to the beat.

Toward the end, after Superflash - that bit where you find yourself zoning out to the mirrored confetti blowing from the acid clown's mouth - my friend turns to me and says, "Wow... Who needs drugs when all you need is this?" And knowing those crazy party days feel like a lifetime ago, that moment is a bit transcendent really. It's not an a-ha moment. It's just a realization that just 'is'.

The film draws to a close to the applause of the audience. Painfully, that large diet coke I consumed throughout the film was immediately added to my list of regrets. Das Spiegal was playing, the credits were rolling and my bladder felt like it was filled with with broken glass. I debated using the toilet. Mercilessly,the house lights came on, the manager readied the 2 director's chairs at the front of the theater, and the Q & A began. There was no leaving my seat. But I was a little shocked and disappointed so many people did.

The person who conducted the interview was the founder of Urb Magazine. I hope it will be available online or maybe in the next issue. A few of the questions asked were the same as others we've read previously in other interviews. But it was nice hearing the answers from Adam. He seemed humbled and grateful for the experience - to have been working with Tom and Ed for so long, having an outlet to pursue and flex his creative endeavors, and to have been tasked with such an important endeavor that was near and dear to his heart (my words, not his, haha).

He mentioned there were over 40 hours of film that needed to be edited. And even remarked that when watching the film (the wider, more panaramic shots) he remembered "oh yeah, there was a camera there, and there... And there..." He mentioned how there were cameras strapped to audience members as well as iPhones used for some of the projections. My assumption was the projections were the ones on the fuji fest grounds. He briefly talked of the unreliability of the iPhone and how a couple of them ended up broke by the time the night was over. But he didn't go into detail how this was accomplished. That's OK, really. After a few minutes dappled with cell phone and iPad interfering with the mic (Adam eventually turned his phone off and chucked it onto the floor), the Q &A was opened to the audience.

Someone asked Adam if he thought the film was a true representation of the live Chems experience. Adam said, almost in a shy boy-like and humble manner that he hoped so, and hoped the film did the brothers justice. I didn't ask a question (I think at that point I would have, quite literally, pissed my pants) but my husband raised his hand and asked! He first thanked him, then asked whose idea it was to put the exploding teapot in the show, and why. He always wanted to know what was up with that, so it was a golden opportunity. We think the question might have kind of stumped Adam, hahaha! He said he liked the idea of an ordinary object put in an extraordinary situation, which produces an explosive and very unexpected result. I mean, when we are ate Chems show and we see the teapot, we know what's going to happen. And when it happens, we go apeshit. I mean, it's just an exploding teapot, right? But it gets us going all apeshit every time!

The film was a long time coming, this much we all knew. The decision to make it was a Now or Never kind of deal (from what I gathered). There was a budget they had to work within, and that budget was used quicly and only went so far. They had to jump on it while the tour was going strong, the idea was ripe, and finances were available. They had to get creative, they had to push their creativity and their ideas to the limit within these guidelines, and this film would never have happened without the support of Black Dog and RSA (we have them to thank, too!) Endeavors like these also come with deadlines.

Someone was brave enough to ask why the rolling bass we hear at live shows is less dramatic in the film, and why the sound wasn't maxed to the fullest, why the bass sounded front and center as opposed to panaramic sound, 7.1 sound. Adam said the sound in the film does take advantage of 7.1, but he did elude to the bass originally being panned center. The theater manager piped in and said the theater was 7.5 and Adam said he didn't even know what 7.5 was! I think maybe the person who asked might have referred to the CD, more so than the audio in the film. But that is just a hunch on my part, i could be assuming wrong. Adam said when it was time to master the audio, Tom and Ed being the perfectionists that they are, started noticing little 'mistakes' they made during the performance. And on top of polishing the audio, they tried to edit out the quirks. But they were on such a tight schedule to get it done, it was evetually agreed to just leave things as they were, raw and unchanged from the original. So what we hear in the movie is pretty much what the festival goers at Fuji Rock heard. Polished up, yes. But not unchanged and far off from the show. So taking that into account, I can appreciate the film even more.

The Q & A ended, and we made a mad dash to they toilets. I thought I was going to die. Relief. I wanted to say hello to Adam and hoped he would still be hanging around afterward. After the interlude, we hustled back to the theater and Adam was engaged in some conversation with people who also stuck around. Once he finished up one conversation, we jumped in to say a quick hello. My husband introduced himself as 'Jim from the Internet', hahaha. We said our thanks, and he's just a genuinely sweet, instantly like able guy. Had it not been so late and if we didn't have to trek back home to our kids, we would have loved to have treated him to some late night/early morning tacos. We found this great little taco joint hole-in-the-wall across from the Chateau Marmont that makes kickass flautas and their tortillas are amazing. Maybe next time...

Thanks for sharing Whirls! I was wondering how the screening went. Really jealous!!! Wish I could have been there.

Damn the man and their "no dancing" policies! WHAT IS THIS!??! FOOTLOOSE?!??

MadPooter, on 01 May 2012 - 2:17 AM, said:

lol

Good follow-up review Whirls! Didn't know there was such a media blitz for the show's Q&A. And also cool that Adam stuck around to meet you both and others there. And 10 points for Jim for the teapot question!

'Jim from the internet' has a nice ring to it! Have him make it a domain name before somebody snatches it up!

nooooo, the iphone secret:(