Shooting stars
MUSIC FILM DIRECTOR PAUL DUGDALE TELLS TOM BRYANT ABOUT RETURN WORKING WITH THE WORLD’S BIGGEST POP ICONS
FROM Coldplay to Adele, The Rolling Stones to Paul Mccartney, music director Paul Dugdale is the go-to man for many of the world’s biggest stars looking to immortalise their concerts on film.
Who can forget Adele’s spinetingling TV special One Night Only show last year, set high-up in the Hollywood Hills, as the sun set in the background.
Then there was Macca’s riotous return to a sweaty, smoke-filled Cavern
Club in 2018 for the
BBC. Or the Stones’ extraordinary 2016 Latin American tour which culminated with a legendary concert in Cuba, brought to life in the documentary Ole Ole Ole.
All had Dugdale at the helm, often working closely with the stars in question. They earned him a string of accolades, including BAFTAS and Emmys.
Now he is gearing up for one of Coldplay’s most ambitious events ever – a special live broadcast next weekend of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour from Buenos Aires’ River Plate Stadium.
It will be groundbreaking too, the first live worldwide cinema broadcast of a concert from Latin America, shown simultaneously in thousands of cinemas across more than 70 countries, including the UK.
Paul describes the risks of such a project as ‘high stakes’, but he knows all about jeopardy. The difference between success and failure can often be something as simple as the weather forecast. “We were due to film the Adele show on a Monday but we decided to bring the show forward a day because the forecast was so bad,” he remembers.
“It probably rains one or twice a year in LA so it was terrible timing. The pressure was incredible.” But the gamble paid off. “I think weirdly the weather system gave us a good sunset for when the show happened,” he says. “Someone sent us a video on what should have been the day of the concert – the show definitely wouldn’t have been able to happen. It was almost comedic – howling wind and sideways rain.” Being invited into the Adele camp was special, not least being one of the first people in the world to listen to her new album to get a feel of the music for the show. “You’re not allowed to be sent any music. And just being in a room and listening to the songs for the first time is just an incredible experience.”
Paul has worked with Coldplay since 2012, when he made his first film for them as part of the Mylo Xyloto tour.
Unlike some artists, Coldplay are across every aspect of a live show, and how it looks on film.
“Sometimes you just go in and you just shoot a show and that’s it, I’ve filmed quite big concerts where I’ve been kept at arm’s length from artists. Maybe management want to keep them focused. But with Coldplay, they know what is good and they know what the show deserves, they are very keen to make it great.”
The band were just as enthusiastic when Paul shot two very special shows – one at sunrise, the second at sunset – in Amman, Jordan, to launch their album Everyday Life.
“It was magical, I remember going back to the dressing room and Will (Champion, drummer) and Jonny (Buckland, guitarist) were still there and we just sat and shared a bottle of wine to reflect on it all,” he says.
As for Coldplay’s Buenos Aries show, he knows what to expect.
“The Argentinian fans are just completely next level. I remember when we did that Stones show there, everyone telling me: ‘the audience is going to be really good here, make sure you’ve got cameras on them.’” He adds: “For the two and a half hours of the Stones, nobody’s stopping jumping. It was insane.”
Coldplay themselves are confident the show will live up to the hype. The band say: “’We’ve been collaborating with Paul for over 10 years and he always does a brilliant job of translating and executing our ideas into beautiful films. He’s the best at what he does and we’re delighted to work with him again.”
With Coldplay, they know what is good ...they are very keen to make it great Music filmmaker Paul Dugdale
Tickets for the event on October 28/29 are available from coldplaycinema.live