In Your Dreams Documentary

[Macfanforever]

Originally Posted by Christopher

This. I'm not sure how it all works, if they need a distributor when released digitally exclusive through Itunes & Amazon - It would seem that Itunes and/or Amazon would by default become the defacto distributors. This seems like the easiest and most modern way to get the doc out to fans. And on the business side Stevie & Dave would most probably get a bigger cut of the sales cutting out the middlemen. If only 20% of people who bought IYD plucked down for a HD digital purchase of the IYD Doc (which go for $17.99 to $19.99 on Itunes) she could potentially sell @20K copies. However, realistically the majority of Stevie's fan base may not be Itunes downloading demographic...but who knows. "They" also may have been holding out for a bigger unveiling and have shelved the Doc.

If Stevie & co. are looking for a bigger pay day by selling rights to cable channel, that would probably help secure a deal with a distributer to sell it on DVD & digitally later . That's how Stevie & FM marketed their concert films in the 80's & 90's & SYW documentary in 2004. Exclusive cable debuts followed by video/dvd releases. With "Live In Chicago" Stevie had a deal up front with PBS's Soundstage which approached her first.

I agree on the older Stevie/FM fans that are not up to speed with the latest technology .They are probably still spinning LP's
They are NOT going to reach all of her fanbase with the digital only format.
Alot of friends my age and older cant stand computers.They rather spin vinyl.

I refused to spend anything more then $5.00 for a digital copy from Icrap .Netflix and Amazon.I rather have the silver disc in my hands.

[HejiraNYC]

I suspect that they're having trouble finding a distributor because... it's just not that good of a documentary. Don't get me wrong- I loved it as a fan and I savored every insight and random moment captured on film. But the target demographic for this type of release is the casual fan and/or the movie watching public at large. A straightforward concert film is a no-brainer; you just release and promote it like an album. However, a documentary about music is a different animal, especially since the audience for watching a concert performance is not necessarily the same audience interested in watching a 90-minute documentary. It fails as a music release because it, in fact, contains relatively little "finished" pieces of music. It fails as a documentary because it wasn't edited very well and it doesn't really have a plot. It only succeeds as a souvenir for über fans, which is an extremely limited base.

Upon further reflection, the one thing that separates IYD from other artist-centric documentaries that I've seen is that Stevie may be a bit too guarded for this to really become a profoundly interesting documentary. Here we see the artist at work, but always perfectly poised, hair and makeup always flawless, and she talks to the camera about, well... what she chooses to talk about. What we don't see is her humanity- her flaws, her reflections on daily life, where she stands politically, her motivations, her fears, her struggles, her personal life, etc. I want to see Stevie wearing pajamas and bunny slippers. I want to see her walking on the treadmill watching soaps. I want to see her throw a tantrum or yell at someone. I want to see more about her family life, her brother, her relationships, etc. This is what makes documentaries about people interesting. Indeed, the focus of the documentary is about making an album... but really any musician can just cobble together a bunch of studio footage and put it out as a documentary. Indeed, the difference between a so-so documentary and an exceptional documentary is the audience's emotional investment in the subject matter.

[The Catdancer]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I suspect that they're having trouble finding a distributor because... it's just not that good of a documentary. Don't get me wrong- I loved it as a fan and I savored every insight and random moment captured on film. But the target demographic for this type of release is the casual fan and/or the movie watching public at large. A straightforward concert film is a no-brainer; you just release and promote it like an album. However, a documentary about music is a different animal, especially since the audience for watching a concert performance is not necessarily the same audience interested in watching a 90-minute documentary. It fails as a music release because it, in fact, contains relatively little "finished" pieces of music. It fails as a documentary because it wasn't edited very well and it doesn't really have a plot. It only succeeds as a souvenir for über fans, which is an extremely limited base.

Upon further reflection, the one thing that separates IYD from other artist-centric documentaries that I've seen is that Stevie may be a bit too guarded for this to really become a profoundly interesting documentary. Here we see the artist at work, but always perfectly poised, hair and makeup always flawless, and she talks to the camera about, well... what she chooses to talk about. What we don't see is her humanity- her flaws, her reflections on daily life, where she stands politically, her motivations, her fears, her struggles, her personal life, etc. I want to see Stevie wearing pajamas and bunny slippers. I want to see her walking on the treadmill watching soaps. I want to see her throw a tantrum or yell at someone. I want to see more about her family life, her brother, her relationships, etc. This is what makes documentaries about people interesting. Indeed, the focus of the documentary is about making an album... but really any musician can just cobble together a bunch of studio footage and put it out as a documentary. Indeed, the difference between a so-so documentary and an exceptional documentary is the audience's emotional investment in the subject matter.

What you want to see is a documentary about Stevie Nicks the person. The IYD doc is about the making of IYD and so there's no talk about political views or showing her in pj's and bunny slippers (lol) or her family life. That's all personal and has nothing to do with IYD. I don't recall seeing Lindsey (or any of them) in pj's and slippers in the Tusk doc because it was about Tusk.

I'm just sad that this movie which she was so proud of might never see the light of day. Hence the fans who didn't/couldn't go to any of the screenings and are dying to see it (I'm one of them) are left out

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by The Catdancer

What you want to see is a documentary about Stevie Nicks the person. The IYD doc is about the making of IYD and so there's no talk about political views or showing her in pj's and bunny slippers (lol) or her family life. That's all personal and has nothing to do with IYD.(

You're right. I took someone who is a casual fan at best, and he thought it was really interesting. He knows Stevie from the radio but doesn't own a single album. He thought the look into how she made the CD was fascinating and is waiting for a DVD release so he can see it again and show it to friends.

[wheart]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I suspect that they're having trouble finding a distributor because... it's just not that good of a documentary. Don't get me wrong- I loved it as a fan and I savored every insight and random moment captured on film. But the target demographic for this type of release is the casual fan and/or the movie watching public at large. A straightforward concert film is a no-brainer; you just release and promote it like an album. However, a documentary about music is a different animal, especially since the audience for watching a concert performance is not necessarily the same audience interested in watching a 90-minute documentary. It fails as a music release because it, in fact, contains relatively little "finished" pieces of music. It fails as a documentary because it wasn't edited very well and it doesn't really have a plot. It only succeeds as a souvenir for über fans, which is an extremely limited base.

Upon further reflection, the one thing that separates IYD from other artist-centric documentaries that I've seen is that Stevie may be a bit too guarded for this to really become a profoundly interesting documentary. Here we see the artist at work, but always perfectly poised, hair and makeup always flawless, and she talks to the camera about, well... what she chooses to talk about. What we don't see is her humanity- her flaws, her reflections on daily life, where she stands politically, her motivations, her fears, her struggles, her personal life, etc. I want to see Stevie wearing pajamas and bunny slippers. I want to see her walking on the treadmill watching soaps. I want to see her throw a tantrum or yell at someone. I want to see more about her family life, her brother, her relationships, etc. This is what makes documentaries about people interesting. Indeed, the focus of the documentary is about making an album... but really any musician can just cobble together a bunch of studio footage and put it out as a documentary. Indeed, the difference between a so-so documentary and an exceptional documentary is the audience's emotional investment in the subject matter.

Interesting viewpoint. I haven't seen the documentary but your comments about Stevie being "perfectly poised" reminds me of Celine Dion's recent documentary of her recent world tour. It was very interesting to watch but I always felt that Dion was performing for the camera. I kept waiting for that one moment when she dropped the F bomb or offered a genuinely spontaneous reaction to something. But that moment never came. I guess it must be a Diva thing!

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by The Catdancer

What you want to see is a documentary about Stevie Nicks the person. The IYD doc is about the making of IYD and so there's no talk about political views or showing her in pj's and bunny slippers (lol) or her family life. That's all personal and has nothing to do with IYD. I don't recall seeing Lindsey (or any of them) in pj's and slippers in the Tusk doc because it was about Tusk.

I'm just sad that this movie which she was so proud of might never see the light of day. Hence the fans who didn't/couldn't go to any of the screenings and are dying to see it (I'm one of them) are left out

There is no rule saying that you can't have a plot as well as a deeper exposition of the main character. It's called character development! And you are deluded if you believe that her political views and personal life do not affect or inform her music. Of course they do! I'm not saying that I want to watch 12 minutes of her walking on the treadmill. But it would have been interesting to see how she balanced living her everyday life with her work life, especially when it all occurred under one roof. I don't think it was a good idea to devote a segment to every track on IYD because they weren't all particularly interesting back-stories. I would have much rather seen a more holistic approach that only touched upon a handful of specific songs sporadically throughout the movie. The creative/emotional process of making the album should have been the main plot, not 13 individual sub-plots that are somewhat hit or miss.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I suspect that they're having trouble finding a distributor because... it's just not that good of a documentary.

Bite your tongue Upon seeing the film, my first snapshot observation was how Stevie's In Your Dreams Documentary was overall better and heads and tails more visually compelling and interesting than Fleetwood Macs' "Destiny Rules" - the making of SYW. Talk about heavy editing, most of the meat was gutted out of "Destiny Rules" to leave behind a fairly benign documentary. This from a band notorious for their soap drama -- you know there were many more temper tantrums, ultimatums and laser hot arguments left on the cutting room floor. Talk about potential. But alas, ego's, managers, & lawyers intercede and have final editing veto.

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Upon further reflection, the one thing that separates IYD from other artist-centric documentaries that I've seen is that Stevie may be a bit too guarded for this to really become a profoundly interesting documentary. Here we see the artist at work, but always perfectly poised, hair and makeup always flawless, and she talks to the camera about, well... what she chooses to talk about. What we don't see is her humanity- her flaws, her reflections on daily life, where she stands politically, her motivations, her fears, her struggles, her personal life, etc. I want to see Stevie wearing pajamas and bunny slippers. I want to see her walking on the treadmill watching soaps. I want to see her throw a tantrum or yell at someone. I want to see more about her family life, her brother, her relationships, etc. This is what makes documentaries about people interesting. Indeed, the focus of the documentary is about making an album... but really any musician can just cobble together a bunch of studio footage and put it out as a documentary. Indeed, the difference between a so-so documentary and an exceptional documentary is the audience's emotional investment in the subject matter.

In this context, perhaps its important to remind ourselves that Stevie Nicks' aesthetic has always been, get some ribbons and some bows, and construct a beautiful package, even sometimes when it's tragedy wrapped inside a heart shaped box. Besides, Stevie perfected the cult of personality, the images on the wall. Stevie would never show her warts and all - she's never been that kind of artist. Even though her songs are personal, they are cloaked, and often times she seldom entirely reveals the whole story behind her songs, leaving some mystery. It's that mystery that captivates many of Stevie's fans. We're left with our interpretations and the rumors remain. Also this documentary was not intended to be a deconstruction of Stevie Nicks herself, so I wasn't expecting or anticipating that at all. That said, the vignettes of "Soldier's Angel" and "New Orleans" are not only the most stirring, and probably the heart of this documentary, They're the most socially and politically nuanced Stevie has ever come across, on record or film. I loved the small peek into Stevie's house, watching several captivating candid moments, the "to die" for beautiful never before seen still-shots scattered throughout, dress up music video montages. It was all throughly entertaining. Stevie narrates every song with glimpses (some small, some big) behind the inspiration & motivation for the songs. Yeah, theres little conflict, but what do you expect with this cast - Dave genuinely seems simpatico - when he's not producing, playing, or talking with little inflection, he's looking for his next martini moment. While Glen (the hippy) disappears than reappears out of nowhere higher than a kite. This doc is clearly Stevie's show and she shines. Not only is it about making a record old school, as Stevie likes to remind us, for me, it felt like a love letter to her fans. A showcase & highlights reel of Stevie in the "best year of her life" making IYD.

You're right it may not be an exceptional documentary. But I'd squarely critique it as a solid B. And most importantly Stevie fans on this board & beyond would eat it up with glee. So as far as getting the doc officially released to the public, they are probably scrambling about how to market it -- even though Stevie is a legendary artist -- it cannot be denied that IYD wasn't a mainstream hit record and therefore this has become such a niche project. But it deserves to be released through some channels & not just sitting on a shelf somewhere in "The Vault" - where Stevie stashes all her other goodies.

[starshine]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I suspect that they're having trouble finding a distributor because... it's just not that good of a documentary. Don't get me wrong- I loved it as a fan and I savored every insight and random moment captured on film. But the target demographic for this type of release is the casual fan and/or the movie watching public at large. A straightforward concert film is a no-brainer; you just release and promote it like an album. However, a documentary about music is a different animal, especially since the audience for watching a concert performance is not necessarily the same audience interested in watching a 90-minute documentary. It fails as a music release because it, in fact, contains relatively little "finished" pieces of music. It fails as a documentary because it wasn't edited very well and it doesn't really have a plot. It only succeeds as a souvenir for über fans, which is an extremely limited base.

Upon further reflection, the one thing that separates IYD from other artist-centric documentaries that I've seen is that Stevie may be a bit too guarded for this to really become a profoundly interesting documentary. Here we see the artist at work, but always perfectly poised, hair and makeup always flawless, and she talks to the camera about, well... what she chooses to talk about. What we don't see is her humanity- her flaws, her reflections on daily life, where she stands politically, her motivations, her fears, her struggles, her personal life, etc. I want to see Stevie wearing pajamas and bunny slippers. I want to see her walking on the treadmill watching soaps. I want to see her throw a tantrum or yell at someone. I want to see more about her family life, her brother, her relationships, etc. This is what makes documentaries about people interesting. Indeed, the focus of the documentary is about making an album... but really any musician can just cobble together a bunch of studio footage and put it out as a documentary. Indeed, the difference between a so-so documentary and an exceptional documentary is the audience's emotional investment in the subject matter.

I think as always you make many good points. Now I myself haven't yet seen the IYD Doc but I'm sure I'll agree with you. Its a shame she doesn't show just the 'person' that she is , that is 'Stevie' not just the muscial artist the acutal person. I think that in itself would be a nice breath of fresh air. That things aren't always perfect or have to 'appear' perfect to the public. Sometimes I think she thinks back to the Tusk doc maybe (of course if in her memory she does recall it??) they didn't have to show us everything personal just some thing here or there to make us feel like we are there & have some understanding of Stevie not just our (or your perceptions) of her. They could've also included 'live' songs recorded during the tour which would've been the more 'finished' versions of the songs included in the doc. Also the dvd should have the video's for the songs as well. There's always was to package things to make the more appling but I guess they wanted to go the more boring route or they don't think it'll sell very well. Sad, it seems they missed the boat it probably should've been included in a deluxe package with the IYD cd when it was released. Another missed opportuinity.

[MacMan]

Stevie's been saying that the purpose of the documentary and not including full songs was to hopefully get people to buy the album. But in order to get people to buy the album, the documentary needs to be seen by a wide audience. Playing the festival circuit only won't cut it, it needs a bigger platform. Releasing the film as a stand alone DVD may not even be enough to entice sales of the album, since the album wasn't a massive success, there's no reference point to make you want to see the documentary. Had the album been a huge success, the audience would basically have already been build in. The documentary needs a large platform as a kicking off point. It needs to first be picked up by one of those TV stations that will air it repeatedly in north america, the UK and Australia or wherever, but in an edited form. Don't show all your cards! That would garner enough eyeballs seeing the film and hopefully want to see more of it... and again hopefully sell the album. Maybe what she's got on the back burner with Oprah could do the trick. Not sure what Oprah's crew filmed in Tampa earlier this year, whether it was just segments of her live show, or the whole thing. Speculation is that Stevie will take part in Oprah's Master Class or something like that. If the focus of that program on Stevie was the album, the making of documentary and the touring behind it, then that's a worthy platform to bring attention to the overall project. Stevie would need to somehow make this film available to the public to purchase shortly afterwards, otherwise it would have been all for nothing.

Aside from that, there are only two ways I can see this coming out on DVD. 1. Stevie needs to strike a deal with Warner Bros. for the film (she's covered for recorded music) and they would need to be the manufacturer and/or distributor. The DVD could be sold direct to the public through their on-line store - as a stand alone. 2. Make that deal with Warner's for the film but re-package the IYD album and DVD together, maybe throw one or two bonus tracks on the disc, and/or re-release it with all the music videos included and either re-release it properly with full on distribution or again, use the Warner store to sell it direct to the public. Make it a limited edition!

When you think about it, the way they've made the film with only clips of the tunes from the album, it's as if the documentary should have been seen first, getting the people excited for the album... Then release the album. But since it's kind of backwards, and nothing all that exciting on a massive scale to bring attention to the film... It needs something big!

That's how I see it.

[jkmaletic]

Macman, I love your idea #2! One can only hope WB will be that smart.

For what it's worth, I left a brief message with Stevie's management saying that I hope this project hasn't been shelved, and that I'm sure I speak for many fans that are still waiting to see it.

Sigh. So frustrating.

[The Catdancer]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

There is no rule saying that you can't have a plot as well as a deeper exposition of the main character. It's called character development! And you are deluded if you believe that her political views and personal life do not affect or inform her music. Of course they do! I'm not saying that I want to watch 12 minutes of her walking on the treadmill. But it would have been interesting to see how she balanced living her everyday life with her work life, especially when it all occurred under one roof. I don't think it was a good idea to devote a segment to every track on IYD because they weren't all particularly interesting back-stories. I would have much rather seen a more holistic approach that only touched upon a handful of specific songs sporadically throughout the movie. The creative/emotional process of making the album should have been the main plot, not 13 individual sub-plots that are somewhat hit or miss.

I'm not talking about rules, the IYD doc has always been promoted as 'the making of IYD, the album' hence no bunny slippers. As for character development, there's no need for that. This is about the making of an album, working in the studio. The character of Stevie doesn't need exposition, this is about her work.
It would be stupid to think that her political views and her life wouldn't affect her music.... it's what she writes about! So no, I'm not deluded, never have been where Stevie's music is concerned. Her music comes from her life. Again, what you want to see is Stevie the person but what you get to see is Stevie the artist. In your opinion it would have been more interesting to see Stevie behind the scenes so to speak but she'll never show her true self in front of a camera. She never has and never will and that's the mystical side of her.

[The Catdancer]

Originally Posted by MikeInNV

You're right. I took someone who is a casual fan at best, and he thought it was really interesting. He knows Stevie from the radio but doesn't own a single album. He thought the look into how she made the CD was fascinating and is waiting for a DVD release so he can see it again and show it to friends.

I have a friend who is very interested in this doc because of the technical aspect of making the album and she doesn't own a single album either. Goes to show you that even the casual fans want to see this.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by Macfanforever

I hate Icrap.I rather have the real thing in my hands.

Icrap is crap.They give you cheap lousy crap content .

This is true. I recently bought the This is 40 soundtrack on Itunes to save $5.00, but then when I put it in my Amazon cloud, Amazon automatically upgraded the quality of it (after matching it in their library) and I noticed the difference and thought if it's something you really care about, then you aren't saving money through Itunes' compression.

Not to mention the restrictions you have watching your Itunes purchases on other devices.

Michele

[michelej1]

I always assumed this would show up on DVD. Now that there's a risk it won't, I wish I could have hired some bootlegger to go in and film it .

Originally Posted by Christopher

While Glen (the hippy) disappears than reappears out of nowhere higher than a kite.

That's hilarious.

Originally Posted by The Catdancer

I don't recall seeing Lindsey (or any of them) in pj's and slippers in the Tusk doc because it was about Tusk.

But you make me think of the Tusk photo shoot and how fun that was to watch (even bad quality) because of the silly spontaneity.

Michele

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Talk about heavy editing, most of the meat was gutted out of "Destiny Rules" to leave behind a fairly benign documentary. This from a band notorious for their soap drama -- you know there were many more temper tantrums, ultimatums and laser hot arguments left on the cutting room floor. Talk about potential. But alas, ego's, managers, & lawyers intercede and have final editing veto. .

Actually, the director claimed Stevie & Lindsey were the ones who edited all the good stuff out of DR. He said the "fight" scene when Stevie got up & left the room & Lindsey went after her - was actually a lot more intense and that he begged them to let him keep it in - he felt it really showed their passion about the project. But, they didn't want their fans to see them in that light or in that real of a context - for whatever reason.