Yes, IMAGINAERUM is both a concept album, as well as a full length film, which was originally inspired by Nightwish keyboardist/brain child Tuomas Holopainen (shown above, second from the left). The film features all band members, as well as other key players such as:
Elias Toufexis (as Mr. White), Francis X. McCarthy (as Tom Whitman, age 70), Quinn Lord (as Tom Whitman, age 10), Marianne Farley (as Gem Whitman, age 25), and many more.
"I though of how we could take our expression that had already became pretty ambitious and grandiose to the next level, and that’s when I knew I wanted to tell a story, and to tell it with love and piety.
"I want to already thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Together we've managed to create something innovative, strange, and timeless." -Holopainen
Now on October 16th, Nuclear Blast Records/Nightwish debuted the theatrical trailer for the film, which is set to be released on November 23rd, 2012 (in Finland only...for now).
"Imaginaerum tells the story of an elderly composer, Tom, who suffers from severe dementia. As he has had the disease for years and has regressed into childhood, he remembers practically nothing from his adult life. His music, friends, all his past including the memory of his daughter are a blur in his fragile mind. All he has left is the imagination of a ten year old boy. As he drifts away into coma, it seems impossible to get back what he has lost. Or is it?
The film is a journey between two different dimensions. Tom travels through his imaginary world seeking answers and finding memories, while his daughter, Gem, tries to recover the bond she had once shared with her father in the real world. As they have become more and more distant from each other over the years, and as theres even greater obstacles separating them now Toms coma and his imminent death Gems project feels doomed to failure. However, through Toms darkest secrets, Gem discovers the path she must follow in order to find her father again.
There are some questions we must ask ourselves before entering the world of Imaginaerum. What is most important in life? Can the power of memories protect us during our last moments? Will our imagination help us find the spark of life in the deepest darkness? Can we still find love after bitter forgiveness?
Imaginaerum is an emotional fantasy-adventure powered by the music of Nightwish. The story reminds us of our childhood where the smallest but most precious thing meant everything and losing it would have left an everlasting scar. Now its time to reopen the wound and see what became of it, but above all, where it came from."
So that being said, I am very much looking forward to seeing what the European sensation is capable of displaying in a film sequence. They have done such a great job with the composition, production and marketing the LP that I have no doubt they will rival it with the debut of this film.
As you can see from the credits at the bottom of the poster, the film was mainly filmed in Canada, even though the Finnish Film Foundation had shelled out a whopping $575,000 for the production. There were apparently many incentives for foreign films to be using Canada as a base for operations. The film's total budget upon completion was $3.7 million ($4.2 estimated by IMDB sources).
(loosely translated) "Canada has a good after-work skills that play a large part in the movie. It is a fantasy film with a lot of computer animation. In addition, Canada is a very attractive incentive scheme for producers. It allows us to get more funding." -Jukka Helle (President and CEO of Solar Films)
Meanwhile, even though the band composed "Imaginaerum" the album (which by the way sold 50,000 copies in it's first day on shelves), they also made sure to have a light sounding but critical score to add to the film, which you can check out all the information below:
"Imaginaerum By Nightwish: The Score" track listing:
1. Find Your Story
2. Orphanage Airlines
3. Undertow
4. Spying In The Doorway
5. A Crackling Sphere
6. Sundown
7. Wonderfields
8. Hey Buddy
9. Deeper Down
10. Dare To Enter
11. I Have To Let You Go
12. Heart Lying Still
13. From G To E Minor
"A little bit, we are seen in two different scenes as a band, playing in the background. That's something that I really emphasized to the director, 'Please don't put the band into the movie,' because we want to do a believable story and we have no idea how to act. We are not actors so if your give us some lines and we tried to act, it would look goofy. He insisted to put us into the movie because it's our brainchild, so we're just playing in there as a band; it's a good compromise." -Tuomas Holopainen
The film will have its premiere on November 10 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, where the audience will be treated to both a full-scale Nightwish concert and the first-ever public screening of the movie.
Now time to cross fingers that we can (possibly) get a viewing in select theaters in Canada as well. Here's hoping...
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