Nightwish Imaginarium: 2011

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Album and movie tittle change

In order to avoid mix-ups with various things named IMAGINARIUM, the title of the upcoming album and the movie will be changed to IMAGINAERUM.

Blog has been moved to Nightwish Imaginaerum.

nightwish-imaginaerum.blogspot.com

Friday, August 12, 2011

Imaginarium - Update IV

Dear friends of Imaginarium,

Secretly we all hoped that at some point we would be able to say this aloud: The Dream is about to become reality! It`s been a hard battle beyond all measures, as it is in all projects this size, but finally creativity and heart took over the evil called Money.

Imaginarium will be shot in September in a location we still need to keep as a secret but it will be quite far from our homely Finland & Sweden.

The casting of the characters is now done. The cast is chosen not only because of their talent but because of the personal passion of everyone involved. The actors and their representatives have been overly enthusiastic about the auditions after reading the script. We believe many of you will be very surprised once you see the final result and the story behind it. This long journey began more than 3 years ago, and neither Nightwish or Stobe had a clear idea of where the path would lead. The script is now fantastic. It`s about Life, and the little spark of light you see during the darkest and most hopeless times. The same spark we`ve had to find over and over again during the process of making this film happen.

The production crew is a group of professionals with one aim only: To realize the original vision of Imaginarium that Tuomas and Stobe had. All the pieces of the puzzle are now on the tables, and the building of the props, costume design, schedule planning, special fx production, dialogue & band performance rehearsals, etc. has begun.

It`s easy to shed some tears while writing this, since we now know the story will have an ending after all.

"She spins around elegantly, softly. The chords are now found and something that was broken never needed to be fixed."

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Album Recording - Part XI - Finnvox Studios / Helsinki, May-June 2011

Tuomas Holopainen, June 10, 2011

After three years of brainstorming and songwriting, over a year of rehearsing, arranging and studio work, this triumph of musical passion and piety is finally ready to be mastered. Yesterday, after a six-week mixing session in Studio C at Finnvox, I listened the whole thing from start to finish alone for the first time, and couldn't make heads nor tails of it. It's the same old story - the same feeling of bottomless emptiness that has marked the completion of all previous albums. We could have honed the songs till Armageddon, but at some point you just have to let go and start admiring the scenery. This time, the landscape consists of 13 songs totalling 75 minutes. I think I'll probably be able to savour the end result only after a couple of months of mixing detox, but the encouraging comments by those near to me assure that it is a decent album. One person who heard Imaginarium called it "the greatest adventure he ever heard with his two ears".

There's clearly more grin to the new album than on the last one, more funfair, Moomins, smoky taverns, and twisted landscapes. It equals the Milky Way in width and breath, even according to our standards.

As Markus Selin put it: "Now you've really gone and emptied the bag of tricks!"

We're now going to get some distance to the album before mastering it later in the autumn. Meanwhile, we're going to be busy designing the cover, completing the instrumental and orchestral versions of the album, planning the upcoming tour, shooting the movie, and digesting the audio bloat. An excellent cure for the latter should be peaceful country atmosphere, fishing, and following the games of the current pesäpallo season. (By the way, during the home games of Kiteen Pallo, the entry music will be a remix consisting of the main riff and chorus of song number 11 off Imaginarium.)

Big thanks and bear hugs to the whole band for their patience; to Mikko Karmila and Tee Cee Kinnunen for their forbearance, craftsmanship and enormous amount of work; and in advance to Mika Jussila for the finishing touch! It's been a magnificent journey so far. Big thanks to you, too, for living with us through this process and having faith in what's to come. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Tuomas

Kitee 5th of June

Imaginarium - Update III

During the last six weeks, the work on Imaginarium has advanced by leaps and bounds. We’ve been so busy with the project there has been precious little time for anything else.

While the band supervises the final mix of the album, location scouting is already underway for the Imaginarium movie. As the name of the movie and the information disclosed so far suggest, these real-world special places are few and far between.

The production crew has also been strengthened by people who have extensive knowledge of post-production technology. This is crucial, because the shoot and post-production are expected to be extremely complex and technically challenging. One of the characters in the movie also needs special attention from the animation department. Without teasing you any further, we can only disclose that this character will surely be remembered by many a Nightwish fan.

Because of the technical challenges and need for more planning, the shooting has been postponed. The movie will nevertheless be completed on time, as the post-production was begun already before the shooting.

There’s obviously a lot of expectations for the movie score. Tuomas is currently working on variations with Petri Alanko, renowned for his prize-winning music for the Alan Wake video game. The score will be based on the songs on the album and their main themes in a way that — like many other things with the Imaginarium movie — is a first in the history of motion pictures.

Imaginarium was also featured at the Cannes Movie Festival, where Solar Films presented their forthcoming films. At the same time, the script went through its biggest and most anticipated overhaul so far, confirming that Imaginarium will in no way be a children’s movie but a dark and foreboding fantasy; a dream world that lacks no surprises.

In a nutshell, like the director of the movie tends to characterize his productions, “well-planned is half done”. The famous sign post on the crossroads leading to Imaginarium is already visible. It says “Imaginarium, X miles”, and underneath it reads in small, red, curving hand-writing: “Soon it’s time to start shooting.”

Monday, May 9, 2011

Video Interview

Album Recording - Part X - Finnvox Studios / Helsinki, April 2011

Anette, April 22, 2011

Last time I wrote a studio diary was back in 2007 after 3 weeks of recording my vocals, hiding out in the deep forests of Finland. No one knew my name as the new singer of Nightwish. Today I read through it for the first time since then, and well, I must say that I recognize a lot and laughed even more while reading it.

Things were naturally a bit different in 2007 compared to today. I went into the studio with a radically different starting position. I am not a secret anymore, I know the songs really well and have already recorded them in a demo session in Röskö. The songs were made for my voice and this time I could sing them with much more confidence. This also made my time in the studio much shorter than last time and we all worked really fast and efficient, like a racing team - we all knew our positions ;=)

We started out on Monday and I took a cab from the hotel, knowing that I had visited Finnvox Studios only once before. Then it was for a listening session for Dark Passion Play. What I didn`t remember was that it was far out in a factory area hidden between lots of other grey buildings. This famous studio looks kinda greyish and not so special when you first get closer, but when you get inside and see all the gold records hanging in the hallway, all the photos of famous musicians in the stairs you know this is the place for big things and big recordings. Of course Imaginarium needs to pass through this pit stop, too!

After hugging and having a short brief with Tuomas about practical things with Imaginarium tour and future plans, he took me to "my room" and when I entered I was so surprised! The room looked like my own little "Shangri-la". Lots of candles burning, pink and red carpets and fabrics that were hung to make it comfortable. Candy, teas, coffees, nuts, fashion magazines, a cosy lounging chair, a big framed poster with us all, and lots of other little things to make me feel at home. Teemu, our dear pyro tech had been there to make me feel welcome and get into a nice singing mood. So thanks to Teemu & the guys, my days at Finnvox got even nicer!

We took a great song to start with and even if my rib still gave me some pain my singing worked well. A little bit of tiredness from flying two days in a row, but still the whole day floated well and it was simply a great start for me.

Our goal was to do one song per day but we actually made something like 1,5 per day and were done in 8 days. We started at 10 and ended around 15 or 16 every day. Took shorter breaks but mainly we just worked and worked. I like to be efficient and when I start to sing I get into the mood and then stopping and taking a long break can just make me loose the feeling and cadence. And Imaginarium has a lot of different feelings in it, different ways for me to interpret the songs. Tuomas, Tero and Mikko were there to guide me to sing even better and to create those little things in every song that make it "historical", as Tero always says, haha!

Every time we were about to start recording a song, I first just sat down and listened to the songs with the orchestra, choir, solos and everything else I hadn`t heard yet, and I must say that I got the shivers every time. From recording the demo to getting the whole package with everything added is just a thrill! And I can hear that Pip and Tuomas just get better and better in using the orchestras, different instruments and voices.

After having listened to a song and heard the new things, I went to "my studio", did some warm-ups and then we started with the recordings. We took it in parts and mainly did the verses first. I sang the part over and over for a couple of times until we felt we had it. Then I doubled and tripled the whole thing if we wanted a fuller sound, as we did mainly in the faster songs. Then it varied if we did the harmonies for that specific part directly or if we continued and recorded the lead parts for the whole song before doing the harmonies. It also depended on my mood and how good my voice felt. I got food poisoning one day and threw up for 9 hours straight, affecting some parts of my voice. I was tired and weak so the day after I didn`t feel my high soft voice was perfect and therefore we didn`t take those high harmonies until the next day.

After 8 days of recording all the songs were recorded and all we had left were some harmonies here and there to fix, and then we just jumped from song to song and added what Tuomas felt was missing. Tuomas is great to work with and he is really clear with what he wants in every song. He is so devoted to the album, to getting every little piece perfect and I know he won`t sleep or rest well until the whole album is mixed and mastered and put into a safe somewhere. When I was done, I felt that little "empty" feeling I get when I have completed something. A little bit sad `cause I had so much fun and I just love to sing in the studio, this album being such a thrill for me. So many songs, all of them very different and I just gotta love the challenge. To get more out of my voice than before and to be part of this massive music where all of us, every musician that plays on it, is the key to make it work. To make Imaginarium come alive! And believe me - it will be one hell of a ride for us all;=)

On we go! Next step for me is to do some acting in the movie, but let´s take it one step at a time. Now I´ll enjoy the summer before all that happens! All best to everybody!

Anette

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Album Recording - Part IX - Petrax Studio, March 2011, part 3

Tuomas, April 9, 2011

   Time to add the final touches for Imaginarium while waiting for Anette to get well. This means the celtic magic of Mr. Troy Donockley with his pipes & bodhran, the smoking fingers of Mr. Pekka Kuusisto with his violin and some additional percussion & tribal drums.

   I picked up Troy at the airport on Saturday night while Jukka and Kai (Hahto) were generating some new percussive ideas and boozing at Petrax. When we returned they had already nailed all tambourines, shaman drums etc. Satisfied with the day`s work we celebrated the Cumbrian - Carelian Dead Poets` reunion by entering the realm of the ultimate alchemic magic potion called Salmari. Jari (Sinkkonen of "Kotiteollisuus") also joined us during the night to do a new tattoo for Jukka.

   It took one and a half days for Troy to record his pipes and bodhran. He even ended up doing some singing in one of the songs, which was a killer of a last-minute-idea. This particular tune has grown up to be one of the highlights of the whole album. Saturday evening was filled with the much anticipated Troy`s magic show, sauna & a youtube medley consisting some of our all-time faves like the ultimate tenor fail, cat vs. printer w / translation, Sony releasing a stupid piece of shit that doesn`t f...ing work, etc.

   Pekka`s violin virtuosity stunned us once again when he joined us on Monday night to play a couple of leads. His hand-written notes make medical doctors` prescriptions look like Rembrandt`s art. A true genius of a musician with a big heart.

   A huge thanks and eternal gratitude to all of you fellow imagineers contributing to this album! A special appreciation goes to Tiina & Petri, our studio hosts, caretakers and dear friends at Petrax.

   At the moment we are recording Anette`s vocals, 7 songs done so far. She hasn`t quite cured from her broken ribs yet but fortunately it doesn`t affect her singing at all. She`s never sounded better. Time to enter the lair of Mr. Karmila now and start devouring song # 8.

   Greetings from the rainiest & grayest Helsinki,

   Tuomas

Imaginarium - Update II

   If you were to witness an unprecedented magic trick that could not be explained rationally, would you want to know how it is done?

   A child experiences something new and unique each day. Something that is often impossible for the child to put into words without the guidance or explanation of an adult. Often the explanation has disappointed us. Sometimes it’s better not to know the truth.

   If you had the chance to return to your childhood -- just for a split second -- when witnessing a magic trick, would you forfeit that chance and seek for a rational explanation?

   Imaginarium is all about such questions. They have been answered by many people who have worked with the album and the movie already in the planning stages. As the final storyboard is being created, the producers, the director, the band, the production designer, the concept artists, and the casting director all work together to perfect their various arts for the movie. Contradictorily, they often have to ask the question: “How can we weave that kind of magic?”

   The script has seen many improvements, more than ever before. The truth about movie production is that the script is often polished right until the first day of shooting, sometimes even during the shooting. At the moment, a lot of loose ends are being tied together, and a lot of characters are changed substantively to act as either a negative or a positive force in the story.

   The SFX and prop design is underway, as well as the casting for the main roles. Storyboard drawing is interrupted momentarily, as concept art is needed to outline the characters and the environments.

   We’ve experimented with arranging the background score with the actual songs off the album, and the best indicator of success is the amount of goose bumps the combination has raised.
 These are exciting times, because the decisions being made now largely shape the finished movie. We can only say that we’re already immensely proud of it.

   We’ve travelled a long road, but not until the next crossroads can we distinguish a sign “Imaginarium, X miles”.

Album Recording - Part VIII - Petrax Studio, March 2011, part 2

Marco, March 24, 2011

   Hello dear people and fans!

   I've been here at the studio for a couple of days trying to sing. Amateur that I am seems to get nothing done right. I've been crying and laughing. I've been jumping down from the roof into the snowpiles. The guys have been whipping me on but the only thing left to show the world are the scars on my butt. Mikko shot a very nice picture of them.

   To be honest I'm actually almost done. I've been spewing out words and notes like a radiostation. Just one song left, an overall check if I need to fill in some places, and my work is over for now. The mummy's curse Tuomas mentioned seems to have lifted a bit. I sailed under it to Thailand and back and got better. Stand back please, I'm spitting over my shoulder! Trying to hit the undead curselaying old fart of course.

   At the moment my responsibilities are writing this report and getting the sauna warm for the evening. So... Is there something else I should tell you about before we get all naked and sweaty? Ah-ha! No more questions! Hold that image!

   Cheers!
   Marco.