NSYNC: Bigger Than Live (partially found IMAX concert film; 2001)

From The Lost Media Wiki
Revision as of 03:18, 28 October 2021 by Corvene (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search
Nsyncposter.jpg

A poster for the movie, which was also given away to fans who won the weekly online contest.

Status: Partially Found

NSYNC: Bigger Than Live is a concert film that was released for IMAX theatres on February 23, 2001.[1] Originally set to be released in fall the year prior, the film was directed by John Bailey, and produced by Doug Yellin of Iwerks Entertainment for Really Big Film Corporation.[2][3] The film, shot in 70mm, utilized footage from multiple performances during the band's No Strings Attached Tour, though mainly from their performance at the Pontiac Silverdome on July 18th, 2000.

While critics were outspoken about their disappointment in the lack of "behind the scenes" content compared to other films of the same nature, the band and film's production team were clear about the fact that the film was mainly aimed for fans who either weren't able to get tickets or got bad seats at one of the concerts. This was especially true seeing how tickets for the No Strings Attached Tour were nearly sold out for every stop of the tour.[4]

Upon the release of the film, the band and multiple celebrities appeared on the red carpet at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. These included Carrot Top, Jennifer Blanc, Wild Orchid, Rosanna Arquette, Garcelle Beauvais, and many others.[5] The film was shown at theatres for several months in North America and Europe, garnering over $1,800,000 in domestic revenue before showings were stopped.[6]

During the movie's run in theatres, Really Big Film Corporation had an active amount of engagement with fans. Contests were regularly held on the film's website, with the largest one having a grand prize of tickets to the band's performance in New Orleans with passes to the pre-show rehearsal with hotel and travel expenses covered.[7] A smaller, weekly contest also gave out movie tickets, posters, T-shirts, and other memorabilia.[8] On top these contests, there was a "street team" fans could join to help spread word of the movie's release in local theatres as well as a "Cyber Club" in which there is no recorded information of.[9][10]

Plot

The film starts off with some short segments of the stage crew preparing for the band's performance, shots of excited fans waiting outside, as well as some bare bones footage of the band backstage before the concert doing activities such as playing pool. The band's logo appears on screen, with the No Strings Attached intro occurring shortly after, where the band is brought down to the stage by strings, likely to impersonate marionette dolls.

After this, the movie mainly follows the band's performance at the Silverdome alongside some performances from other tour dates such as those in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The movie, being 49 minutes in length, cut some content from the Silverdome concert likely to work within time constraints. These included costume changes between songs, Justin Timberlake's beatbox solo, and "The Klub" portion of the song Just Got Paid.[11][12] Other songs shown in the film included "Tearing Up My Heart", "This I Promise You", "Bye Bye Bye", "It's Gonna Be Me", and "I Thought She Knew" among others.

Reception

While the film was widely regarded by critics as being more than suitable for those who were fans of the band, general consensus was that the movie didn't quite do enough to impress those who were first-timers to the band's music, especially citing a lack of backstage footage when compared to other concert films. Some stated the camera angles used felt "claustrophobic" and "cumbersome", and that the giant screen behind the performers that broadcast the concert to those in further seats was fairly distracting throughout the film.[13]

Other critics expressed their beliefs that the performance was lip-synced, stating that it felt abnormal for the band members to keep their breath with all the activity they were doing on stage. On top of this, the film was noted not to have used the full potential of the six channel surround sound, even in private showings.[14]

Availability

While the film hasn't had a physical release, the first fourteen minutes of the film were uploaded to YouTube in 2018 alongside the Electronic Press Kit made by Illusion Factory for European audiences. Illusion Factory, having been in charge of most of the advertisement of the film, has uploaded three trailers on their YouTube channel as a single video.[15]

According to newspaper TV guides from 2002, the film seems to have had a limited airing on television, leaving the possibility of VHS recordings of the film existing.[16]

Gallery

A compilation of three trailers for the film.

The Electronic Press Kit Video for European audiences.

The first fourteen minutes of the film.

Paparazzi footage of the band at the movie's premiere.

References

  1. *NSYNC. ‘*NSYNC: Bigger Than Live'. Facebook, 23 Feb. 2018, 8:05 a.m. Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  2. Gelman, Jason. "N Sync Makes Huge Film Deal" Yahoo! Music, Yahoo Inc., 20 Jul. 2000 Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  3. "Doug Yellin" Matilda Entertainment Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  4. Puterbaugh, Parke. "The Summer’s Hottest Tours: ‘N Sync: After a rough start, the boy band frenzy shows no sign of abating" RollingStone, 17 Aug. 2000 Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  5. "gettyimages" "22 Nsync Bigger Than Live The Concert Movie Premium High Res Photos" Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  6. "NSync: Bigger Than Live: Domestic Weekly" Box Office Mojo, 22 Feb. 2002 Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  7. Really Big Film Corporation. "You and *NSYNC in New Orleans!" *NSYNC Bigger Than Live Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  8. Really Big Film Corporation. "Win an autographed photo of *NSYNC and a limited edition movie poster of "*NSYNC Bigger Than Live"" *NSYNC Bigger Than Live Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  9. Really Big Film Corporation. Join the Streetteam - 1st Step Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  10. Really Big Film Corporation. "*NSYNC needs you!" *NSYNC Bigger Than Live Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  11. Gubbins, Teresa. "'N Sync: Bigger Than Live" GuideLive, 02 Mar. 2001 Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  12. Ances, Amanda. "'N SYNC LOOKS, SOUNDS GOOD IN IMAX FILM" South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 11 May 2001 Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  13. Garner, Jack. "'Bigger' isn't better: 'N Sync concert film suffers from bad staging" Democrat and Chronicle, 15 Jun. 2001 Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  14. Anthony, Ross. Big Movie Zone, Apr. 2001 Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  15. "‘N Sync Bigger Than Live" The Illusion Factory Retrieved 19 Aug '21
  16. "'TV listings for April 25" The Recorder, 25 Apr. 2002 Retrieved 19 Aug '21