Steven Galvin enters the wall of sound of The Frames: In The Deep Shade, which screened as part of the 11th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (14-24 February 2013)
The Frames: In the Deep Shade
Sun, 17th February
Cineworld 9
19.35
87 mins
Filmed over 18 months, The Frames: In The Deep Shade received its world premiere at the Jameson Dublin International Film festival. Conor Masterson’s luscious documentary follows the Dublin band on their 2010 anniversary tour. Shot in hallowed Black and White, Masterson focuses on what’s going on onstage at the band’s live performances and what’s going on in the mind of Glen Hansard. Never a straightforward documentary, in Masterson’s hands the documentary is very much about the creative process of the group at work and how that comes to fruition in the live performances of the band. Masterson’s own background in photography shines through proceedings creating a finely balanced aural and visual narrative, including some sumptuous images of Dublin scattered through the film.
The director captures the band’s legendary live spirit and their intimacy with their fans. Hansard has become well known for his amusing impromptu anecdotes when introducing the songs on stage, which feeds in to a genuine rapport between band and audience that Masterson does well to portray while always staying focused on the band. Often using just the one camera, Masterson lets the naked energy of the band’s performance on stage do the work and never needs to revert to fancy camerawork or editing to catch the essence of the band.
The director spoke about how much he had enjoyed making the film and working with the band whom he described as “genuine and creative”.
Cineworld’s sound system did the music justice booming out the film’s live performances seizing the dynamics of the band’s songs live. The stand out moments being that mutation from a lullaby to a crunching crescendo in the beautiful ‘Santa Maria’, the electric performance of the heart-thumping ‘Revelate’, and the soft simplicity and exquisite harmonies of ‘Star Star’.
The Frames: In The Deep Shade achieves a level of intimacy that is able to relay the band’s beautifully delirious wall of sound and Glen’s obvious passion and role as the driving force that whips up a frenzy of sonic beauty.
Steven Galvin
Comments
When will we be able to see this in the U.S.A.?????
Check out Facebook. Page “in the deep shade” and there are several events now published for screenings in the US