Presents
A Blackened Production
Metallica Through The Never
Production Notes
Running Time: Approx. 92 minutes
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Directed By
NIMRÓD ANTAL
Written By
NIMRÓD ANTAL
&
JAMES HETFIELD
&
LARS ULRICH
&
KIRK HAMMETT
&
ROBERT TRUJILLO
Produced By
CHARLOTTE HUGGINS
Executive Producers
JAMES HETFIELD
LARS ULRICH
KIRK HAMMETT
ROBERT TRUJILLO
Executive Producers
CLIFF BURNSTEIN
PETER MENSCH
TONY DICIOCCIO
MARC REITER
Executive Producer
DOUG MERRIFIELD
Co-Producer
ADAM ELLISON
Director of Photography
GYULA PADOS, HSC
Production Designer
HELEN JARVIS
Edited By
JOE HUTSHING, A.C.E.
Visual Effects Supervisor
BOYD HOWARD SHERMIS
Costume Designer
CARLA HETLAND
Concert Show Producer
DAN BRAUN
Concert Stage Designer
MARK FISHER
Concert Lighting Designer
JOHN BRODERICK
Music By
METALLICA
Music Produced and Mixed by
GREG FIDELMAN
Casting By
TRICIA WOOD, CSA & DEBORAH AQUILA, CSA
and
MICHELLE ALLEN, CSA
DANE DEHAAN
JAMES HETFIELD
LARS ULRICH
KIRK HAMMETT
ROBERT TRUJILLO
A BLACKENED PRODUCTION
A PICTUREHOUSE PRESENTATION
Award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal (Predators, Kontroll) creates a groundbreaking
3-D motion picture event, Metallica Through the Never. The music-driven feature film
combines a bold narrative and spectacular live-performance footage of one of the most
popular and influential rock bands in history to produce a bracing, raw and visceral
cinematic experience. Emerging young star Dane DeHaan (The Place Beyond the Pines, Kill Your
Darlings, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) portrays Trip, a young roadie sent on an urgent mission
during Metallica’s roaring live set in front of a sold-out arena audience.
As the band performs many of their most iconic songs for tens of thousands of
devoted fans on a never-before-seen stage created exclusively for the film, Trip is dispatched
outside the arena to meet a disabled delivery truck and recover a mysterious item being
transported to the show. But the seemingly simple assignment turns into a surreal adventure
when his car is hit by an out-of-control driver. Trip, dazed and bruised, climbs out of his van
only to find himself pitched into the middle of a tense standoff between angry protesters and
charging riot police. In the ensuing mayhem, a vicious masked horseman sets his murderous
eye on Trip while delivering indiscriminate deathblows to rioters and cops alike. Fleeing
through the desolate, post-apocalyptic urban streetscape, Trip has only his wits to protect
him as he attempts to deliver the band’s precious cargo and avoid becoming the horseman’s
next victim.
Featuring dazzling pyrotechnics, the most elaborate live-performance stage ever built
and imagery drawn from the band’s trailblazing iconography, the immersive 360-degree
show creates a mind-bending, ear-shattering mirror image of the destruction and chaos of
Trip’s journey. Metallica Through the Never’s state-of-the-art 3-D photography,
captured using up to 24 cameras simultaneously, engulfs audiences in one of the most
innovative and exciting cinematic experiences ever imagined.
Metallica is James Hetfield (vocals, guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums), Kirk Hammett
(guitar, background vocals) and Robert Trujillo (bass, background vocals). The band has sold
over 110 million albums worldwide and was one of the top-ten grossing touring acts of
2012, generating $86.1 million in ticket sales from just 30 shows.
Metallica Through The Never is written and directed by Nimród Antal and produced by
Charlotte Huggins (Journey to the Center of the Earth). The film will be released by Picturehouse
in North America on September 27, 2013, exclusively in over 300 IMAX® 3-D theaters, and
will expand into additional theaters on October 4, 2013. Credits are not final.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
All that is, ever
Ever was, will be, ever
Twisting, turning, through the never
—“Through the Never” by Metallica
For over three decades, Metallica has been a dominant force in rock ‘n’ roll,
constantly challenging expectations with singular live performances, groundbreaking albums
and iconic visuals. From the Southern California garage where they got their start to the
largest stadiums and arenas in the world, never content to be just another heavy metal band,
Metallica has continually pushed the envelope to create mind-blowing musical experiences
for their legions of loyal fans.
With nine bestselling studio albums, including “Metallica” (aka, “The Black Album”),
the top-selling North American album of the last 22 years, multiple gold and platinum
certifications in over forty countries, dozens of awards, a touring schedule that is one of the
most grueling and successful in the music business and even an acclaimed documentary
chronicling their successful effort to resolve internal strife, where was this pioneering band
to go next?
“After 30 years in the business, the most important thing for us is always making
sure that our work remains as varied as possible,” says Lars Ulrich, Metallica’s drummer and,
with lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield, co-founder of the band. “We never want to rely
on the same things. We had been interested in the idea of another movie for a while, but we
felt we had already explored the documentary format in Some Kind of Monster. We wanted
something that felt fresh and different.”
In search of a vehicle that would showcase Metallica’s unique talents and ambitions,
their longtime managers at Q Prime, music industry powerhouses Peter Mensch and Cliff
Burnstein, along with Q Prime’s Tony DiCioccio and Marc Reiter, proposed an
unprecedented expansion into a new sphere with a movie unlike any the world had seen
before.
To meet Metallica’s exacting expectations, the show had to be bigger than anything
they had ever done before—preferably bigger than anything anyone had ever done before.
So an all-new performance was created especially for the film, featuring some of the most
elaborate and original stage elements the band had incorporated into its shows over the
years. “We worked backwards,” Hetfield says. “Usually you tour a show, get good at it and
film it at the end. We thought, why don’t we do it the other way around? We would have a
controlled environment to film it in the best way possible. We’d never seen that done
before.”
“It’s not one of those situations where we brought in 10 cameras to film the last five
shows of a tour,” adds Ulrich. “There was no tour. It was developed first and foremost with
the film in mind. We tried to put together the best, most dynamic set list we could, balancing
between songs people would know, fan favorites and deeper album tracks.”
Recent advances in 3-D filmmaking inspired the team to re-envision the movie as a
fully immersive, one-of-a kind experience. “The 3-D element is not so much about old
school gimmicks like guitar necks coming out into the audience or flying drumsticks,” says
Ulrich. “It’s more about giving what happens on stage a sense of depth. This film is shot in
large part from the band’s point of view. The audience is onstage rather than looking at the
stage. 3-D brings more realism to the experience.”
To oversee the filming, Metallica brought in producer Charlotte Huggins, a long-time
specialist in creating 3-D extravaganzas for the movie industry. Since serving as special
effects producer for the 1993 short, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Huggins has worked
exclusively in 3-D, most recently as producer of the feature films Journey to the Center of the
Earth and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.
“When Charlotte came along we didn’t have a director or a crew,” says Reiter. “We
just had an idea and a band. We thought we had a budget, but it was very incomplete. She
brought us together and told us what we needed to do. She connected us with James
Cameron and Vince Pace, who hooked us up with the very best camera equipment and
technology. It’s not an exaggeration to say we wouldn’t have a movie if she hadn’t come on
board.”
At the outset, Huggins knew very little about Metallica. “I knew the name, of course,
but not the music,” she says. “I wasn’t familiar with their fan base or how the organization
worked. I called my husband and asked him if he knew anything about them. He is very
precise and not prone to exaggeration. He said, they are America’s greatest band. In 25 years
of marriage, I’d never heard him speak that way.”
Now, Huggins too counts herself a huge fan. “After going to many performances, I
am a convert,” she says. “I’m the mother of two teenagers and I have become the coolest
mom in town. I hang out with rock stars, who are also really amazing guys. It’s been a real
journey for me.”
The producer recognized the groundbreaking nature of Metallica Through the
Never. “I was interested in this because it is a unique narrative format,” Huggins explains.
“Trip, played by Dane DeHaan, is a runner for the band who goes out into the city. The
events that happen in the arena affect events in the city, which affects the performance.
Also, Metallica created a stage show expressly for purposes of filming and I believe it may be
the first time that’s ever happened in a feature-length movie.”
Master of puppets, pulling your strings
Twisting your mind, smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing
Just call my name, I'll hear you scream
—“Master of Puppets” by Metallica
As their concept continued to evolve, Metallica launched a search for a filmmaker
who could handle both the technical and creative demands of the project. “We knew we
needed a real partner,” says Ulrich. “There wasn’t even a script at the time. Most of the
people I spoke to looked at me like I was from another planet when I explained what we
wanted to do. “
The name at the top of Huggins’ list of potential writer-directors was Nimród Antal,
who was honored at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for his debut feature film Kontroll. “We
could not just make a good movie,” says Huggins. “Our job was to make an incredible
movie. Nimród has that Metallica thing about him—it’s not enough to do a great job. He
always goes one step beyond.”
Antal was invited to meet with the team and share his ideas for an original story that
would showcase the band in an innovative new way. “Nimród had this mad, crazy look in
his eyes and he instantly got it,” Ulrich remembers. “The way he talked about Metallica’s role
in his life when he grew up in Hungary, we knew he was crazy enough to go on this
adventure with us. Nimród invented this metropolis and the whole nightmarish journey that
plays out in it.”
Antal served as Metallica’s guide through another brave new world—the movie
business. “We’ve got carte blanche in the music world and we rarely hear the word ‘no’ when
we want to try some new adventure,” says Hetfield. “We took that attitude into the movie
world where it was greeted with some enthusiasm, but also a few reality checks. Nimród
never said no, but he had to deal with management on one hand, which is about money
mainly, and the band on the other, which is all about the creative process and didn’t care
much about money. He had to provide the balance.”
The band members, management team and director participated in hours of
meetings to discuss ideas and fine-tune the storyline. “It was mostly a matter of trying to
figure out the right balance between performance and narrative, as well as where it should be
filmed and the more practical stuff,” says Ulrich. “With Nimród and Charlotte in place, the
band could concentrate on the part we know best—what was going to happen onstage.”
Antal presented the band with an extensive storyboard version of the narrative, as
well as a look book of unique elements. “His initial idea for the story was the thing that
grabbed us,” says Hetfield. “When you hire an artist, it’s because you like what he’s done,
not what you’re going to tell him to do.”
The director says he appreciated the respect the band showed for his vision. “At one
point, James said, ‘we’re all going to be throwing out ideas, but you have to take the ones
you think are the best.’ They understood that for a filmmaker to embrace the project, he or
she has to own it. People often make a mistake of micromanaging, but they were able to let
the reins go a little bit. It is first and foremost a Metallica film, but it’s also a film I consider
very much my own.”
After growing up listening to Metallica’s music, Antal says working with them has
only increased his admiration for the band. “A friend turned me on to them at the end of
junior high school, so I was a pure fan before I was ever hired,” he says. “You can’t say
they’re just a metal band. They transcend genre and the proof is in their longevity. I had the
pleasure of seeing them sell out 22,000 seats every night for eight straight nights in Mexico
City. It was a religious experience!
“Their energy, showmanship and power, as well as the love they put into what they
do, is inspiring,” he adds. “I hope that when I’ve been doing what I do for 30 years I can still
bring the intensity and passion to it that these guys do. It’s no small thing.”
Antal was also excited to make his first foray into both IMAX and 3-D filmmaking.
“IMAX is an all-encompassing format that will take something that’s already really cool and
up the level a few notches,” he says. “3-D is a wonderful tool for emotional enhancement. It
gives you an opportunity to see things and feel things in a way that you might not otherwise.
It elevates the film’s emotional content, and adds to the fun of it.”
According to Hetfield, 3-D can even make the filmed experience more exhilarating
than the live one. “While we were shooting, I was checking out one of the video screens
with the 3-D glasses on while Kirk Hammett was on stage playing,” he says. “I was looking
at Kirk through the naked eye and then at the screen. It looked better on the screen! The 3D puts you right in the middle of the insanity on stage. It brings out the intensity of the
narrative as well, with the chaos of the street surrounding you.”
Part of Antal’s inspiration for the story came directly from Metallica’s unique culture.
“I met with Dan Braun, the band’s production coordinator and the guy who makes
everything happen,” the director says. “The love and passion he has for what he does is
inspiring. How many guys give their all for something like this? He inspired the concept of a
runner for the band who finds he has to go to hell and back to do his job. I thought that was
inspiring and beautiful.”
He also turned to a favorite book, Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist, for inspiration.
Says the director, “It’s about a boy who sets out in search of treasure, only to find the
treasure he was looking for was where he started. That kind of circular narrative has always
appealed to me.”
As the band rocks the auditorium, the lyrics of the songs link them to what’s going
on in the streets in Trip’s adventure. “I don’t want to reveal too much detail, but the
audience will discover a lot of connections,” Antal says. “I listened to the music over and
over again. Certain songs inspired certain scenes and part of the enjoyment of watching the
film will be seeing those connections.”
Antal introduced two of the film’s most unforgettable original images: The Little
Man, a sinister totem that accompanies Trip on his journey, and The Death Dealer, a
mounted executioner who becomes Trip’s ultimate nemesis in the story. “Nimród felt it was
important that Trip have some kind of talisman, an object that means something to him,”
says Huggins. “And The Death Dealer represents hate, hostility and everything that is wrong
with the world. He is something only innocence can defeat.”
Trip, the roadie played by Dane DeHaan, is an iconic Every Dude who has to
overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to fulfill his quest. The up-and-coming actor was
cast before he became the talk of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival with his electrifying
breakthrough performance in Kill Your Darlings or captured the role of Harry Osborn (The
Green Goblin) in The Amazing Spiderman 2, but the filmmakers were already enthralled by his
nascent talent.
“We never in our wildest dreams thought we would have Dane in the cast,” says
Reiter. “Everybody in our camp was a fan of his from the television show ‘In Treatment,’ so
when Charlotte mentioned there was a chance, we just pinched ourselves.”
“This guy has an incredible face and aura,” adds Ulrich. “Everyone knew he was the
guy and we weren’t going to take no for an answer. He’s acting with almost no dialogue, but
he manages to be so expressive with his face and body language. He did an amazing job.”
In the movie, Trip is meant to stand in for Metallica’s famously devoted fans. “That
made the casting really sensitive,” says Huggins. “When we met Dane for the first time, it
was director-actor love. Because the role is near silent, we were looking for an actor who
showed his emotions with his eyes. Dane was everything Nimród wanted.”
As with most films, casting the right actor was half the battle, according to Antal.
“We were looking for a guy in his early 20s who was able to react to these difficult situations
in a very grounded manner,” he notes. “Trip will overcome whatever is set before him. The
problem was that most young guys don’t have much life experience and I wanted the
audience to feel like the character had gone through a lot before they see him for the first
time. We needed someone you truly believed had gone through a lot of tough times. He is in
a situation that is inhumane and very dark. A privileged, spoiled kid couldn’t have pulled it
off.”
Although Antal was not familiar with DeHaan’s previous work, he was immediately
convinced he had found the right actor for the part. “Dane simply outshined everybody
else,” he says. “His performance is so powerful. He brought the grit and darkness we really
needed. Metallica is a tough band and you can believe he is a part of that.”
Once the filmmakers set their sights on DeHaan, they pulled out all the stops to get
him on board. “Lars even called Dane personally,” says Reiter. “It turned out he is a fan of
the band. Through a confluence of good karma and coincidence, it all came together. It
certainly isn’t your everyday acting job. It’s never been done before, so we couldn’t say it’s
going to be a lot like another film. But he seems happy with the result.”
DeHaan describes his character as the kind of roadie who eats, sleeps and breathes
Metallica, “He’ll do anything for them. He finds his place in the world when he’s listening to
their music.”
The project was an unexpected professional twist for DeHaan. “My agent sent over
a script for what is basically a silent movie in which so much crazy stuff happens. I’d never
seen anything like it. I sat down with Nimrod and he explained how the story sits with him
on a very deep, passionate level. I knew I had to grab this amazing opportunity.”
The challenge of working without dialogue was one of the elements that attracted
the emerging star to the role. “The acting work is the same,” he says. “I’m still just trying to
live in that world, and if I can do that, the performance will shine through. I won’t need to
say anything.”
The intense physical requirements of the role were also a first for DeHaan. “It was
pretty demanding, especially since we shot it really fast. I never expected to do this kind of
action in my career but I’ve really got into it. The little kid in me was really proud that I was
able to do those stunts.”
Although he was introduced to Metallica just a year before he was cast in the film,
DeHaan has become a full-fledged fan. “I actually wasn’t allowed to listen to Metallica when
I was a kid,” the actor explains. “My parents screened my music and they were off limits. I
started listening to them when I was making The Place Beyond the Pines, and the director gave
me Master of Puppets, as an example of the he kind of stuff my character listened to. I’ve really
gotten into them since then.”
The experience of making Metallica Into the Never is one he knows he will never
forget. “Having the band in some scenes with me made it a little surreal,” says DeHaan.
“Turning to see James Hetfield in one of his hotrods with flames spitting out of the tailpipe
was pretty amazing. The movie is non-stop action and fun. It was chaos at times with
hundreds of extras, fires everywhere and even a public hanging!”
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We’re off to never never-land
—“Enter Sandman” by Metallica
Throughout their career, Metallica has created intense, powerful and often shocking
concert experiences with the use of surreal and outrageous images drawn from the darkest
parts of the subconscious. Their album-cover and poster art is legendary, including
collaborations with such cutting-edge contemporary artists as Andres Serrano and Pushead,
and innovative graphic designers like Turner Duckworth. An integral part of the band’s
legacy, their unique iconography even inspired a 2011 exhibit of original art called Obey Your
Master.
To live up to their history as pioneering stage performers and visual style-makers,
Metallica turned to a longtime collaborator, British concert production designer Mark Fisher,
who also provided concert designs for Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” the Rolling Stones, Tina
Turner, U2 and Lady Gaga. With more than 30 years of rich imagery to draw from, Fisher
worked with the band’s production manager Dan Braun, to develop a proposal for the most
ambitious and complex indoor concert set ever built.
Fisher collected the most outstanding symbols and set pieces from Metallica’s
previous shows and rebuilt them on an epic scale using state-of-the-art technology. “Some
of the more theatrical elements really lent themselves to being done in bigger and more
efficient ways,” says Ulrich. “Recreating those moments 2012-style gives our younger fans,
some of whom weren’t even born when we first did them in the ’80s, a chance to experience
them live.”
Instead of simply pulling together the band’s greatest hits, they assembled what they
call “the greatest bits”—and created a few new ones. “We have the imploding stage from the
1996-98 Reload tour, the snake pit from the Black Album tour, Lady Justice from the Justice for
All tour and the coffins from their most recent studio album, Death Magnetic,” says Reiter.
“The biggest challenge was to build a stage that could encompass it all.”
The completed stage is 200 feet long and 60 feet wide, equipped with an astonishing
array of pneumatics, hydraulics, lasers, trap doors, projection LEDs, pyrotechnics and more.
Transporting it takes 37 trucks, more than double the amount required for most large
stadium shows. Construction was overseen by CEO and president of TAIT Towers, James
“Winky” Fairorth, and Adam Davis, partner in TAIT Towers. The company, which
specializes in set construction for some of the world’s biggest touring acts, including
Madonna’s recent MDNA tour, and created the world’s largest landscape video display at the
2012 London Olympics, has worked with Metallica for over 20 years.
Fairorth took part in the initial creative meeting with the band, the principals from Q
Prime and designer Mark Fisher in Belfast in 2011. “Mark Fisher worked from the
conversations we had in those meetings,” explains Fairorth. “Everybody wanted to do
something new, something spectacular. It wasn’t enough to have a stage floor that was built
entirely out of LED screens. It had to have fire shooting out of it.
“We took a look at all their live shows and iconic gags, made them even more
theatrical and redesigned them to be shot in 3-D,” he adds. “It’s the first time a band has
designed a show specifically to be shot in 3-D. We started building even before the film had
a producer or director, or we wouldn’t have been able to finish in time.”
“This is the most sophisticated show that has ever been put in an arena,” says Davis.
“Putting it together was a real convergence of art and science. The amount of high
technology equipment is unprecedented, even for us. There are a ton of design and
construction elements that have never been done before.”
“It’s an extremely well-thought-out, tightly scripted show,” continues Fairorth,. “The
stage is packed with mechanical equipment. There’s no room to put a Q-tip anywhere it
doesn’t belong. There’s probably 185,000 pounds of equipment, including coffins suspended
from the ceiling that weigh 5,000 pounds each. Distributing the weight was difficult. The
sound department built new cabinets that saved us 40,000 pounds. Lighting had to make
adjustments. There wasn’t anything in the ceiling not worked out to the millionth of a
pound.”
The staggering amount of equipment required re-engineering each of the spaces in
which Metallica performed. “We had to create a mother grid that gave us placement for the
entire show,” says Davis. “It had to have space for lighting, follow-spot operators, a
mechanical fabric garage to lower into a gigantic toilet, an automatic crane system to build
the statue, Tesla equipment to fire off, dropping trusses for destruction and then flying
coffins. Every square inch was taken up by one effect or another.”
It took an army of scenic artists, architects, electrical engineers and software
designers all working together for two years to create the elements seen on screen. “It was an
amazing blend of different disciplines,” says Davis. “You need to understand physics to
carve a 30-foot statue or make a floor turn into a video screen. There’s a tremendous
amount of technology: lighting, video, stage automation, pyrotechnics, all communicating
with one another. In terms of stage automation alone, we have in the neighborhood of 200
computers integrated into the design. Every lighting instrument has a computer in it. One of
the real challenges was getting it all cued up and programmed.”
The final design includes not just coffins filled with live actors, but a dozen crosses
that emerge from the stage, an oversized toilet that Hetfield personally emblazoned “Metal
Up Yer Ass” (the name of one of Metallica’s early demo tapes), four hydraulically driven
lighting towers that come crashing to the ground in simulated mayhem, and 5,000 maggots
specially bred for their unique color. Gigantic fireballs echo the images of the flaming
streets outside the concert halls, and what appears to be a sea of blood oozes across the 144
LED screens that make up the floor of the massive stage.
“It’s got everything,” says Hetfield. “It’s the Swiss Army knife of stages. There is so
much going on underneath that if you’re under there at the wrong time you can be cut in
half.”
“Hands down, it’s the coolest stage that we’ve ever been on,” adds guitarist Kirk
Hammett.
According to Reiter, it is the largest stage ever constructed for an indoor production,
taking up nearly the entire area dedicated to a hockey rink. “We hung more gear from the
roof of the arena than has ever been hung for an indoor show,” he says. “It won’t play in
roughly 60 percent of arenas. It is just too big, too heavy and covers too much floor and
roof space. It’s like playing on the deck of an aircraft carrier.”
Rehearsals began a year before filming in a vast airplane hangar on Treasure Island in
the San Francisco Bay, as well the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, giving the director
the opportunity to observe and plan the performance footage. “We did a few 3-D test
shoots,” says Fairorth. “Then we had the luxury of going back to the drawing board.
Anything that didn’t work on camera got rebuilt.”
The band and crew ran through the show on the stage for several weeks. “With a
stage that big, there was also a conditioning factor,” says Trujillo. “At times the stage was
bouncing, so we also used the time to work out the safety issues.”
During the course of the filmed show, the band reinvents classic Metallica
iconography and takes it to unparalleled new heights. “Back in the day, the props were a lot
smaller,” Hetfield says. “This time we went as big as possible. A lot of time, thought and
money was put into the stage. But we said, if we’re going to redo anything, it’s got to be on
another level.”
All of that effort has created a unique and amazing spectacle, according to Huggins.
“The stage is rich with media and we had to do a lot of testing to make sure it would work
smoothly. We even have the ability to follow the performers with rings of fire as they
traverse the stage. We are the first people to use that technology live.”
Flash before my eyes
Now it’s time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the pain
—“Ride the Lightning” by Metallica
The smoke and flames that engulf the stage are impressive, but the design team
pulled out all the stops to devise effects that go beyond pyrotechnics. “Dan Braun came up
with the idea of using the electric chair from the Ride the Lightning album,” says manager
Peter Mensch. “We always knew it was a great visual and we hadn’t really used it before.”
The image dates back to 1984 and Metallica’s second studio album. It refers to a
song written from the perspective of a prisoner on death row anticipating death by
electrocution. The scale of the band’s stage sets has increased exponentially since then,
according to Hetfield, who adds, “I think the only stage effect we had during that tour was a
backdrop with the electric chair and lightning on it and the Metallica logo.”
A quartet of Tesla coils figures prominently in the design, which the team believes is
a first in this kind of production. One of famed physicist Nikola Tesla’s most recognizable
inventions, the Tesla coil is an air-core transformer that steps up ordinary electrical output to
an extremely high voltage, discharging electrical arcs—essentially creating lightning.
“We kept hearing it couldn’t be done,” says Hetfield. “They said it was too
dangerous.”
“But we felt we needed the Tesla coils—and not the small ones that you can buy at
the store,” says Hammett. “I went to a science fair once and saw gigantic coils, so I knew
they were out there. Winky tracked down a company run by people who are total followers
of Tesla and they made coils that generate huge, spectacular bolts of lightning.”
In fact, the Tesla coils are capable of sending out 15-foot-long bolts, each generating
a charge of 10,000 volts. Total voltage for each of the coils is 1,000,000 with peak arc power
of 1.4 million watts.
“It looks great, but it caused some problems with the rest of the electronics in the
show,” says Mensch. “No one figured it would fry the equipment, but it does. Everything
went berserk the second it went on.”
So the production team conducted a series of live tests to determine how the Tesla
coil could co-exist with the rest of the show’s sophisticated equipment. “We figured out
what would work, what had to be shut down and what might blow up by trial and error,”
says Davis. “We damaged a tremendous amount of equipment before we got it down.”
But it wasn’t just the stage gear that was potentially at risk from the powerful prop.
The crew referred to the area surrounding the coils as “the sphere of death,” and it was, in
fact, a potential kill zone in which the unwary might be zapped like a fly. One crewmember
was assigned to turn the coils on, while two were on call to override him if there was a
problem at any time.
Metallica fans will recognize another spectacular set piece in Damaged Justice, a
monumental statue that is both assembled and destroyed over the course of two songs.
Doris, as the band calls her, made her first appearance on the cover of the And Justice for All
album and toured with the band the same year. One of the first effects ever created for a
Metallica tour, she was originally a relatively crudely built ten-foot statue that collapsed as
she was manipulated by stagehands with ropes.
Since everyone agreed bigger was better this time around, Doris was reinvented as a
35-foot tall monolith. Her nightly destruction was one of the show’s most unpredictable
aspects. Held together with a combination of magnets and interior pins, the controlled chaos
of the statue’s demise sent everyone on stage scrambling to avoid the falling debris.
“Chunks of her ended up in the audience some nights,” says Trujillo. “A couple of
pieces almost took out my basses.”
Everyone on stage took the danger with good humor. “I have a little list and
someone reminds me where I need to be or not be at certain moments,” says Hetfield. “I
just want to know where the flames are going to be, so I don’t catch fire.”
At the film’s climax, the destruction that surrounds the stadium in the streets and
chaos of the city, finally inserts itself directly into the performance. “It is a poke at
ourselves,” explains Hetfield. “We’ve got all this fancy equipment and it starts to break
down. At the end of the day, it’s like we’re back in the garage where we got started and it’s all
about the music and the feeling you get when you play together.
“Ultimately, that feeling is what the fans connect with,” he continues. “The big
spectacle is very cool, but it’s really about us being together and playing together. In the end,
we’re playing with like two lights on and it’s all tied into the narrative.”
After a brief test run for fans in Mexico City, Metallica Through the Never was
shot for five nights in Canada—three in Vancouver and two in Edmonton. The finished film
draws from over 60 hours of footage shot with 24 cameras, which Antal was able to place
wherever he needed to get the most dynamic shots.
Along with director of photography Gyula Pados, who worked with Antal on his
previous films Predator and Kontrol, the director mapped out his cameras on an overhead
schematic of the stadium. “The stage was a character in itself—a character capable of
spitting fire and smoke and lasers,” he says. “We saturated the arena with as many cameras
as possible. It afforded us the opportunity to stick a camera anywhere and get an interesting
composition. Directly overhead, we can see the amazing LED screen on the floor.”
“My job was to capture the show they had created in the most cinematic way I
could,” he continues. “There were always certain givens. We knew it was going to be in the
round, so we had to have double coverage in case they had their backs to us. We also wanted
to capture the crowd to create interesting compositions for the camera. Moviegoers will see
the band in a way the average concertgoer can’t.”
Concert lighting designer John Broderick has worked with the band for 25 years, as
well as with other clients ranging from Madonna and Annie Lenox to Tim McGraw and
Stars on Ice. “We’re used to doing big shows, but this was the biggest,” Broderick says. “It
was an evolutionary process and it took an army to get it together. Working with Metallica is
always a major collaboration and most of the ideas start with the artists. They’re very clear
about what they want.”
Broderick says his greatest challenge was creating a design that properly illuminated
the performance for both the live audience and the filmmakers. “Film and video cameras are
so much more sophisticated these days,” he notes. “The challenge used to be making sure
there was enough light for the cameras, but the equipment has become so much more
sensitive that the problem can be too much light. We didn’t want this to look like a game
show or a news broadcast.”
The 3-D aspect of the film added additional lighting requirements, says Broderick.
“Because the onscreen image in 3-D is formed by shapes in the foreground, middle and
background, those objects need to be lit from all dimensions,” he says. “I had to make sure
set pieces were lit on all four sides with different colors and different intensities, so they had
well-defined shapes. I also had to make sure that the performers were lit that way, even
when they were in silhouette.”
The final step in the filmmaking process was marrying the performance footage with
the narrative, which happened in the editing room. “It was more difficult than you might
think,” says Hetfield. “We wanted people to experience the immediacy and power of the
performance, but also invest emotionally in riding with Trip and feel what he is going
through. It all has to work together. To get to that point, we had to experiment a lot. When
you’re in the recording studio, you can try 50 different things and get results right away. With
movie editing, it can take a week to see what works and what doesn’t. We had to rely a lot on
Nimród to figure that out.”
For a music-driven film like Metallica Through the Never, spectacular sound
quality is every bit as important as the visuals. It fell to sound designer Mark Mangini, whose
credits includes films as diverse as Jack the Giant Killer, Warrior and Star Trek, to ensure that
dialogue, music and sound effects came together into a unified whole. “There is music in
every second of this movie and we had to make that work with all the other elements,” says
Mangini. “Much of the work took place in post production, but a great deal of forethought
was put into recording of the sound.”
Part of the challenge was finding ways to aurally connect the narrative and the
concert so it feels as though both are taking place at the same time, in the same city. “We
overlap the sound of those worlds in some places, which creates intentional confusion for
the viewer,” he explains. “Are we in the concert or the narrative? Is that the audience in the
arena or the mob on the street? The overarching concern was to place the film in a reality
that is believable. We want that you-are-there feeling.”
According to Mangini, the band maintained a high level of commitment from
concept to conclusion. “They gave us the resources to put together an exceptional
soundtrack. We had a phenomenal volume of material to work with—multiple terabytes of
audio that took two full weeks to listen to and clean up. Aligning them to match the visuals
took another two weeks. Those were all things I had never done before.”
Antal calls the editing process the most difficult one he has ever participated in. “We
were doing something that didn’t have a lot of precedent. Usually you have a frame of
reference. This film is pretty unconventional, so we had to figure things out as we went
along, like how long we could stay with the performance before going back to narrative. It
was a struggle sometimes, but, at the end of the day, I think the result is phenomenal.”
We’re scanning the scene
In the city tonight
We’re looking for you
To start up a fight
—“Seek and Destroy” by Metallica
Metallica Through the Never combines the over-the-top production values of a
world-class stadium experience with a thrilling quest through a burning metropolis, as the
action unfolds backstage, onstage, in the audience and on the streets, bringing together the
four band members, their huge crew, hundreds of extras and thousands of screaming fans as
it builds to its explosive final moments.
The film is a culmination of a 30-year legacy, as well as the next step in Metallica’s
journey, according to Reiter. “It draws from the visuals and audio of the past albums,” he
says. “There’s something from nearly every album they’ve ever recorded. We used unique
visuals from all their headlining tours and even from back before they were headlining
arenas. We created great visual tools from the early albums too. Their entire career is
represented in this movie.”
Hetfield sees the movie as the logical next step for a band that has made its mark by
constantly taking on new challenges. “I think we’ve done something really special,” says the
guitarist and band co-founder. “Who else is doing anything like this? Hopefully this will
reveal another dimension to Metallica that broadens the fan base and takes us into another
realm. We’re all adventurists, so we’re not happy if we are not going forward. It’s an
expensive gamble, but it’s a chance to make this experience live on forever.”
“When we make music together in a small room, it’s not complicated,” adds Ulrich.
“Making movies is very different experience from making records, but Metallica likes going
into uncharted territory. This has been way above and beyond anything this band has ever
dealt with before. It’s exciting, it’s intimidating and sometimes a little bewildering. It can
seem like a wild beast running rampant, but in order to be the best at what we do, we have
to throw ourselves out there and be vulnerable. Pushing ourselves past what we know well
is, to me, the Metallica way.”
FACT SHEET
Length of each Tesla coil lightning bolt: 15 feet
Length of hand-wound wire in each coil, in miles: almost 1
Peak arc power of Tesla coils: 1.4 million watts
Number of video decks that comprise the stage: 144
Number of LEDS used during the show: 944,640
Number of coffins: 10
Number of actors inside coffins: 5
Number of see-through projection screens: 12
Trucks needed to move the show’s scenery: 14
Hydraulic force (in horsepower) required to bring down the lighting towers during the
destruction sequence: 800
Number of Doris (Lady Justice) statues created for the film: 3
Number of specially bred, colored maggots: 5,000
ABOUT THE CAST
DANE DEHAAN (Trip) has in a short time made a big impression on film
audiences and is now among the industry’s most sought-after young actors. DeHaan will
next be seen in John Krokidas’ Kill Your Darlings, loosely based on the life of poet Allen
Ginsberg. DeHaan portrays Ginsberg’s friend Lucien Carr, who documented their school
years. The film tells the story of a 1944 murder that brings together a young Allen Ginsberg
(Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Ben Foster) and William S. Burroughs (Jack Huston). The
film will be released on October 18.
The actor recently completed production on the independent film Devil’s Knot, with
Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth. Based on Mara Leveritt’s 2002 true-crime novel Devil’s
Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, the film concerns the savage murders of
three young children in 1993 and the controversial trial of three teenagers accused of the
killings.
DeHaan has just completed production on The Amazing Spider-Man 2, starring in the
role of Harry Osborn opposite Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Directed by Marc Webb,
the film will hit theaters on May 2, 2014. Up next for DeHaan is Life after Beth, a horrorcomedy starring Aubrey Plaza and John C. Reilly.
DeHaan was recently seen in Derek Cianfrance’s critically acclaimed drama The Place
Beyond the Pines, opposite Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. The film made its debut at the
2012 Toronto International Film Festival.
Previously, he starred in the box-office hit Chronicle, which garnered rave reviews.
The film follows three teenagers who develop superpowers and document their experiences
on video. Also in 2012, DeHaan starred in John Hillcoat’s Lawless, starring opposite Shia
LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clark, Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce. DeHaan also made a
cameo appearance in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.
DeHaan began his film career under the direction of two-time Oscar® nominee John
Sayles in Amigo, opposite Chris Cooper. He was widely recognized for his work in the third
season of HBO’s critically acclaimed drama “In Treatment,” alongside Gabriel Byrne.
DeHaan’s performance was lauded by Variety and the Chicago Sun-Times.
In 2010 DeHaan received an Obie Award for Annie Baker’s critically acclaimed Off
Broadway production of “The Aliens.” A Rattlestick PlaywrightsTheater production, “The
Aliens” was given the prestigious honor of “Play of the Year” by The New York Times.
DeHaan made his Broadway debut in 2008 with “American Buffalo.”
DeHaan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He
currently resides in New York.
JAMES HETFIELD (Vocals, Guitar, Writer, Executive Producer) co-founded
Metallica in 1981 and has been the band’s main songwriter since the beginning. Co-creating
the framework of most “Metalli-material,” he remains a driving force behind the group’s
continuing success.
Ironically, Hetfield, the voice of Metallica and a defining voice of his rock ’n’ roll
generation, very nearly didn’t sing at all. In Metallica’s early days, Hetfield didn’t see himself
as a lead vocalist and the band tried several configurations of vocals and guitar. One option
was to ask John Bush from Armored Saint to sing for Metallica while Dave Mustaine, then
the band’s lead guitar player, played the only guitar. Fortunately, Hetfield decided to establish
himself as Metallica’s frontman.
The roots of Hetfield’s unbending determination trace back to a childhood that was
often tough but laid a foundation that remains a bedrock of the band. He was born to a
truck driver and an opera singer on August 3, 1963, in Los Angeles. His family’s religious
beliefs (Christian Science) played a large part in his early life and would form the basis for
some of Metallica’s lyrics.
Hetfield was 9 years old when he first took piano lessons. He then tried out his
brother David’s drums and finally picked up a guitar as a pre-teen. After moving to Brea,
California, Hetfield attended Brea Olinda High School and met up with drummer Jim
Mulligan. The two jammed at lunchtime, scaring fellow musicians with their loud and heavy
sound. After seeing Hugh Tanner at school with part of a flying V guitar, Hetfield and
friends formed Phantom Lord.
After graduation, Hetfield moved into a house in Downey, California, that was slated
for demolition for a freeway expansion. It was the perfect place for musicians to crash,
rehearse and jam. Forming the new band Leather Charm, Hetfield focused on singing in this
short-lived hard-rock combo. After recording a demo and performing at a few parties,
Leather Charm began to fall apart. However, a member of the band introduced Hetfield to
Lars Ulrich, a catalyst that changed the course of Hetfield’s life and truly set him on the path
to achieving his childhood ambitions. The rest is a long, illustrious, occasionally curious and
still-evolving history.
Hetfield has previously lent his vocal talent to Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse and
performed voiceover work for various sports documentaries. When not writing, singing or
playing guitar, Hetfield enjoys outdoor activities such as custom auto restoration, welding,
and collecting classic guitars. Other interests include watching his beloved Oakland Raiders
and going to hot-rod shows.
Among all his pursuits, Hetfield is happiest spending time with his wife Francesca
and three children, Cali, Castor and Marcella.
LARS ULRICH (Drums, Writer, Executive Producer) co-founded Metallica in
1981 and is always at the epicenter of all things pertaining to the band. From songs to
staging, Ulrich is a dynamo whose energy never seems to falter.
As a child Ulrich saw his father Torben run a small jazz club in Copenhagen. He was
nearly 10 when the sounds of Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple knocked his socks off at a
live show. When Ulrich was 13, his grandmother bought him his first drum kit.
When the family moved to Newport Beach, California, in the late ’70s, Ulrich
jammed a bit with fellow teenager James Hetfield. He also enjoyed tape-trading with the likes
of Metal Blade Records’ Brian Slagel. Some time later, Slagel was looking for bands to record
cuts for the label’s very first album release. Ulrich landed a slot but had no band to record
with. Remembering his less-than-awesome, yet energetic jams with Hetfield, Ulrich called
him up and told him about the album. Hetfield listened and thus Metallica was conceived.
Some 80-million album sales later, Metallica has undergone enormous collective and
individual changes but Ulrich remains a pillar of the band. He is comfortable saying exactly
what he believes and will take the heat for it, as evidenced by his willingness to advocate for
Metallica when Napster was a topic of debate.
Music now shares the top spot on Ulrich’s priority list alongside his three sons
Myles, Layne and Bryce. He also maintains active interests in art and film and has acted in
the feature films Hemingway & Gellhorn and Get Him to the Greek.
KIRK HAMMETT (Guitar, Writer, Executive Producer) has been a member of
Metallica since 1983. In addition to being considered one of the greatest guitar players in the
history of rock, he is known as a man never without a grin or a curious thought. Hammett
continues to bring a dazzling array of lead guitar parts to Metallica’s music.
Born in San Francisco and raised in the East Bay town of El Sobrante, Hammett
gained an interest in music from his brother Rick’s Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and UFO
record collection. When he was 15 he obtained his first guitar, a wholly unglamorous
Montgomery Ward catalog special with a four-inch speaker for an amp.
After picking up a 1978 Fender Stratocaster, Hammett experimented by mixing and
matching guitar parts to find his perfect sound. In the end he fell hard for the 1974 Gibson
Flying V. In a determined effort to upgrade his equipment, Hammett took a shift at Burger
King to buy his first Marshall amp. Around that time, he co-founded the influential metal
band Exodus, with Paul Baloff. On two occasions in 1982 and ’83 the East Bay thrashers
were a support act performing with Metallica.
In April 1983 Hammett received a phone call from Metallica. They were in the
process of parting ways with guitarist Dave Mustaine and wanted Hammett to fly out to
New York and audition. While he was never formally invited to join the band, after jamming
together Hammett and the guys instantly knew the fit was right.
To this day a keen student of his musical craft, Hammett followed his first tour
(“Kill ’Em All”) by taking lessons from guitar legend Joe Satriani. He embarked upon a
journey of self-education that has encompassed jazz, blues and classical styles.
Expanding his skills has always been Hammett’s defense against potential burnout.
After the band’s marathon “Black” album tour ended in 1993, he immediately went to the
City College of San Francisco and took classes. He credits this experience for his reinvention
as a guitarist on the “Load” and “Reload” albums.
Hammett, his wife Lani and their two sons live in San Francisco along with a large
collection of Hollywood movie memorabilia and several dogs and cats. In 2012 he published
his first book Too Much Horror Business – a 9” x 12” art and photo book, which chronicles his
extensive collection of horror memorabilia. He plays his guitar at least 361 days a year and
tries to surf nearly as often.
ROBERT TRUJILLO (Bass Guitar, Writer, Executive Producer) is the newest
member of Metallica, having joined the family “recently”…ten years ago in 2003! This
cheerful Southern Californian is renowned for his mostly “fingerstyle” approach to the bass.
Before joining Metallica, Trujillo wowed audiences with his dexterity, tone and attitude
playing for acts such as Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves and Ozzy Osbourne.
Growing up in Venice Beach, Trujillo heard everything from Led Zeppelin to
Motown with a chunk of funk in between. He played with a variety of local bands
throughout his early 20s before meeting Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies via a high school
buddy, guitarist Rocky George. Thus began a rich and fruitful relationship that saw Trujillo
establish himself as one of the most exciting bass talents in the rock world.
In the early ’90s Trujillo and Muir formed the experimental funk-rock outfit
Infectious Grooves. A few years later Trujillo teamed up with Ozzy Osbourne and together
with drummer Mike Bordin, Trujillo anchored one of rock music’s most reliable rhythm
sections.
Trujillo’s name was first discussed by the Metalli-camp when Suicidal Tendencies
opened for them during the ’94 Summer Shed Tour. After Jason Newsted left the band in
2001, Metallica certainly remembered Trujillo’s enthusiastic style and power-packed
performances. After a knockout audition, Metallica considered Trujillo an obvious choice to
be the band’s new bass player. Producer Bob Rock noted that with Trujillo playing, the band
sounded complete and unequivocally whole.
And so it was that on Thursday, February 24, 2003, Trujillo joined the fold and
launched an exciting new stage in “Metalli-history.”
Robert and his wife Chloe and their two children Ty and Lula split their time
between his native Southern California and the band’s headquarters in NorCal. When not
spending time at home or playing music, Robert enjoys filmmaking and surfing, and when
on tour, is always looking for hotels closest to the ocean to slake his passion for waves. He is
currently working on a documentary film chronicling the life of his idol and fellow master of
the bass, Jaco Pastorius.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
NIMRÓD ANTAL (Director, Writer) first came to international attention for
writing and directing the critically acclaimed Hungarian-language film Kontroll, which was
awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s Prix de la jeunesse (presented in the Un Certain Regard
section), and the Golden Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival. The film, set
against the backdrop of the Budapest Metro subway system, also earned Antal a European
Film Award nomination for Best Director.
His subsequent feature-film directing credits include the horror-thriller Vacancy,
starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale; the action-thriller Armored, with Matt Dillon and
Laurence Fishburne; and the sci-fi action-thriller Predators, starring Adrien Brody.
Born in Los Angeles of Hungarian ancestry, Antal moved to Hungary in 1991 to
attend the Hungarian Film Academy. Since graduating, Antal has gone on to direct films in
both the U.S. and Hungary.
CHARLOTTE HUGGINS (Producer) is a producer with more than 25 years
experience, the last 15 of which she has spent specializing in 3-D live action and animated
productions. Huggins has produced more than a dozen IMAX, special venue and feature
films in 3-D including Journey to the Center of the Earth and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. She is
currently developing Journey 3.
Huggins has received numerous awards and wide recognition for her work, including
a featured place in Variety’s “Women’s Impact Report” and The Hollywood Reporter’s “Digital
50,” a group of producers and innovators who have distinguished themselves in the realm of
new-media storytelling. Huggins served on the board of directors of the Producers Guild of
America’s New Media Council. She was also on the founding executive boards of the Visual
Effects Society and the International 3D Society.
In her free time, Huggins is co-authoring a book with David Cohen of Variety about
the art, science and business of 3-D.
CLIFF BURNSTEIN (Executive Producer) co-owns Q Prime Inc., a music
management company representing Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Josh Groban,
Snow Patrol, Muse (for North America), Three Days Grace, Foals, Baroness, Dawes, Cage
the Elephant, Gillian Welch, Silversun Pickups and Animal Kingdom.
At the start of his career, Burnstein jumped ship on his doctoral dissertation to get a
job in the finance department of Mercury Records in Chicago. Within months, he was
promoted to national album promotion director, during which time he met Peter Mensch.
Mensch was then music director at the college radio station at Brandeis University. Burnstein
was promoted to a Polygram A&R man serving both Mercury and Polydor record labels.
Among the bands he signed during this time were Rush and Scorpions.
Mensch then persuaded Burnstein to come work with him at Leber-Krebs in New
York. Mensch and Burnstein left the company to found Q Prime on April 1, 1982, with Def
Leppard as their sole client. Q Prime has managed Metallica since 1984.
Burnstein received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
PETER MENSCH (Executive Producer) co-owns Q Prime Inc., a music
management company representing Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Josh Groban,
Snow Patrol, Muse (for North America), Three Days Grace, Foals, Baroness, Dawes, Cage
the Elephant, Gillian Welch, Silversun Pickups and Animal Kingdom.
Mensch worked for Cliff Burnstein for six months before going to work at LeberKrebs management, where he served as Aerosmith’s tour accountant. While on tour with
Aerosmith, Mensch met and befriended AC/DC, who asked him to manage them in 1979
(in conjunction with Leber-Krebs). Mensch then added Scorpions and Def Leppard. He
promptly moved to the U.K. to better service all three acts.
Mensch then persuaded Burnstein to come work with him at Leber-Krebs in New
York. Mensch and Burnstein left the company to found Q Prime on April 1, 1982, with Def
Leppard as their sole client. Q Prime has managed Metallica since 1984.
Mensch has a B.A. from Brandeis and an M.A. from the University of Chicago.
TONY DiCIOCCIO (Executive Producer) is a principal at music management
company Q Prime, where he coordinates live tours for artists such as the Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Josh Groban, Snow Patrol, Muse, Three Days Grace, Baroness, Dawes, Cage the
Elephant, Gillian Welch, Silversun Pickups and Foals.
In 2007 DiCioccio helped coordinate a rare Led Zeppelin reunion concert at the
O2 Arena in London. Held in memory of the late music executive Ahmet Ertegun, the
benefit show featured Led Zeppelin’s first full-length concert since the death of drummer
John Bonham in 1980. With 20 million requests registered online, this event set a Guinness
World Record for the highest demand for tickets to a single concert.
While a student at Regis College (now Regis University) in Denver, DiCioccio
booked acts such as Dire Straits, Cheap Trick and the P. Funk All Stars to perform at the
school. In 1988, after acting as road manager and tour accountant for artists Judas Priest,
Motley Crue, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Diana Ross, DiCioccio was introduced to
Def Leppard managers Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch. He began handling management
and accounting for the band’s tours.
Subsequently, Burnstein and Mensch founded Q Prime and in 1984 began
managing Metallica. When DiCioccio joined the company in 1989, he took the reins on the
touring side. Since then he has been responsible for all aspects of Q Prime clients’ tour
management, including live production and merchandise.
DiCioccio has a B.A. from Regis College and an M.I.M. from Thunderbird School
of Global management.
DOUG MERRIFIELD (Executive Producer, Unit Production Manager) is an
experienced film producer and unit production manager on blockbuster studio tent-poles.
His credits as unit production manager include the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films,
National Treasure, Chasing Mavericks and the forthcoming 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves and
Rinko Kikuchi. He is an executive producer on the new concert film One Direction: This Is Us.
Merrifield started out in the entertainment industry by working in television with his
own company, which specialized in second-unit work for one-hour TV shows. He then
moved into feature-film production and his first credits were as associate producer on Free
Willy, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home and Flipper.
Merrifield was a co-producer on Free Willy 3: The Rescue, the Academy Award®nominated Dolphins and Oceanmen. His executive producer credits include Ultimate X: The
Movie, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert
Experience and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.
Merrifield is a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Producers Guild
of America (PGA) and the Academy of Television Arts & Science (ATAS).
GYULA PADOS, HSC (Director of Photography) last worked with director
Nimród Antal on the sci-fi action film Predators, starring Adrien Brody and Laurence
Fishburne. Previously, they teamed up on the Hungarian comedy-thriller Kontroll, which won
Pados best cinematography prizes at Hungarian Film Week, the Hungarian Critics Awards
and The Copenhagen International Film Festival. Pados’ fine work also contributed to the
film winning the Award of the Youth at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
Currently, Pados is shooting the sports drama Million Dollar Arm for director Craig
Gillespie. Other recent films include Saul Dibb’s The Duchess, which garnered Pados a
Satellite Award nomination; Lajos Koltai’s Evening, starring Claire Danes and Toni Collette;
and Fateless, for which Pados won the prestigious Golden Frog Award at the Camerimage
Festival.
JOE HUTSHING, A.C.E. (Editor) is a two-time Academy Award winner for Best
Editing (JFK and Born on the Fourth of July). With a career spanning more than 25 years,
Hutshing has edited films with some of the most respected directors in Hollywood,
including Robert Redford (Lions for Lambs), Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich), Curtis Hanson
(The River Wild), Adrian Lyne (Indecent Proposal), Lawrence Kasdan (French Kiss) and John Woo
(Broken Arrow).
Hutshing earned Oscar nominations for editing Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous and
Jerry Maguire. He reteamed with the director on Vanilla Sky and, most recently, We Bought a
Zoo. A frequent collaborator with Oliver Stone, Hutshing edited the director’s latest action
thriller, Savages, as well as The Doors, Talk Radio and W. He has also done a trio of films with
Nancy Meyers: It’s Complicated (for which he received an ACE Eddie Award nomination), The
Holiday and Something’s Gotta Give.
The editor grew up in San Diego and graduated with a B.S. in fine and applied art
from the University of Oregon. He lives in Pacific Palisades with his wife
Robin CoeHutshing.
HELEN JARVIS (Production Designer) is an experienced industry professional
whose discerning eye has benefited a number of major feature films. She recently worked in
Germany as art director on George Clooney’s December 2013 release The Monuments Men,
which stars Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray and John Goodman. The film
concerns a crew of art historians and museum curators who must work together to recover
priceless works of art stolen by the Nazis, before Hitler destroys them.
Jarvis’ many credits as supervising art director include Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The A-Team, Night at the Museum:
Battle of the Smithsonian, Watchmen, Elegy, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Night at the Museum, Eragon,
X-Men: The Last Stand, Firewall, Neverwas, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and I, Robot.
Originally from England, Jarvis has lived in Vancouver for the past 20 years and has
worked as an art director in the film industry for almost as long. Theater design brought her
to Canada and she has designed both sets and costumes for many regional companies across
the country.
Jarvis resides in Vancouver with her family and dachshund Leo.
MARK FISHER (Concert Stage Designer) specialized in the design of
entertainment projects for the whole of his professional career. For more than 25 years, he
influenced not only the colleagues and crews with whom he worked, but also surprised and
delighted the many millions of people who experienced his designs around the world.
Though he passed away in June, Fisher’s innovative work as a set designer and artistic
director will be remembered for transforming the landscape of rock concerts and large-scale
events.
Fisher was the senior designer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics’ opening and closing
ceremonies and was one of three executive producers at the London 2012 Olympic
ceremonies. He also created designs for musical theater including the London West End hit
“We Will Rock You” and two permanent shows, “KÀ” and “Viva Elvis” for Cirque du
Soleil in Las Vegas.
Fisher’s portable architecture projects included 12 of the most complex stadium rock
shows ever to tour. His artistically and technically innovative portable concert stages have
been constructed several thousand times in cities all over the world. Rock-show design
credits include every Rolling Stones show since 1989, every U2 concert since 1992, “The
Wall” for Pink Floyd in 1980 and Roger Waters’ world tour in 2010-12.
Other shows include “The Immortal Michael Jackson” for Cirque du Soleil, Elton
John’s “Million Dollar Piano” at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and touring shows such as
Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way Ball,” Madonna’s “MDNA” tour and Metallica’s “Death
Magnetic” tour.
A chartered architect registered in the U.K., Fisher was the founder and managing
director of Stufish, the Mark Fisher Studio. It was working with Stufish that Fisher created
groundbreaking designs for all the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and U2 tours spanning two
decades, as well as scores of other artists performing around the globe.
Fisher’s most recent projects included the design of several entertainment buildings
in China for the Dalian Wanda Group and, in association with Franco Dragone, the
production design of a high-tech water show in China.
The Queen of England appointed Fisher OBE for his work on the London
Millennium Show in 2000 and MVO for his work on the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.
He also designed the Queen Victoria Memorial stage at Buckingham Palace for the Diamond
Jubilee in 2012.
Fisher’s permanent theater designs include the water stadium and scenic effects for
the opening ceremony of the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. Expo installations include
“the Big O” multimedia lagoon landmark for Yeosu Expo 2012 in South Korea, the
Millennium Show in London and Aquamatrix at Lisbon Expo98.
DAN BRAUN (Live Concert Producer) is a top consultant and designer for the
global entertainment industry. Through performances by top musical artists such as
Metallica, Madonna and Shania Twain, Braun has contributed to the success of such megaevents as the Super Bowl, American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Billboard
Music Awards and Grammy Awards®.
As tour consultant for Metallica, one of the most successful touring attractions of all
time, Braun is responsible for all live performance elements from conception through
construction, installation and implementation. In addition to creative design of staging and
scenery, this includes the creation and supervision of tour budgets and forecasts, logistical
preparations, production designs, travel planning and employee staffing.
Braun served as production designer and production manager on Metallica’s “MTV
Gives You the Mother Load.” A live concert seen by millions, the event was the culmination
of the most successful contest in MTV’s history.
With his comprehensive experience in all aspects of designing, planning, producing
and operating stadium-scale public events, Braun has become a sought-after consultant. He
worked with Salesforce.com CEO Mark Benioff on the creative design of the company’s
keynote address, watched live by 50,000 virtual attendees. He also managed the construction
and opening of two 20,000-seat music and entertainment venues for Quincunx, LLC.
JOHN BRODERICK (Concert Lighting Designer) is a highly acclaimed
lighting and production designer with extensive credits in the varied worlds of
television, music videos, sports, fashion and concerts large and small. In the last 30
years, he has enhanced the images of a diverse range of performers, settings, events
and television shows, including Metallica, Madonna, Tim McGraw, Josh Groban, and
many network broadcast events. Broderick’s educational background combines
music, theater design and film. He studied at Colgate and New York University.
GREG FIDELMAN (Music Producer, Mixer) is a Grammy Award-winning
music producer, mixer, engineer and musician with over 20 years of experience in the music
industry. He’s worked with some of the world’s most prestigious artists, with credits on
albums from Metallica, Neil Diamond, Adele, Johnny Cash, Black Sabbath, U2, Red Hot
Chili Peppers, Dixie Chicks, Kid Rock, Lou Reed, Marilyn Manson and Slayer. In 2012, he
was awarded a Grammy Award for Album of the Year (Adele’s “21”). He produced Lou
Reed and Metallica’s “Lulu,” and recently engineered Black Sabbath’s “13” (Billboard #1
debut).
Fidelman began his career as a musician, releasing two albums on the Warner Bros.
label. As guitarist and songwriter for the band Rhino Bucket, he played on and co-wrote
the song “Ride with Yourself,” which was featured on the Wayne’s World soundtrack.
MARK MANGINI (Sound Designer) has made his life’s work the creation of
unimagined aural worlds and convincing sonic realities for theatrical motion pictures.
Nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing, Mangini has
worked on such notable films as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Gremlins, Die Hard, Star Trek, Beauty
and the Beast, Aladdin, The Fifth Element, The Green Mile, Warrior and Jack the Giant Slayer.
Born in the suburbs of Boston, Mangini dropped out of college at age 19 to move to
Los Angeles and pursue a career in film. His first job was as a cartoon sound editor at
Hanna-Barbera Studios, followed by a 25-year-run as owner and operator of the successful
post-production sound company Weddington Productions Inc. His current professional
home is at the Hollywood-based Formosa Group.
In his spare time, Mangini is a musician and a guest lecturer at such institutions as
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the Screen Actors Guild,
Savannah College of Art and Design and FilmSchool Cologne.
BOYD SHERMIS (VFX Supervisor) has served as overall visual effects
supervisor and second-unit director on such films as Poseidon (for which he received an
Academy Award nomination), Face/Off, Gone in 60 Seconds, Pushing Tin, Swordfish, Invasion and
Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Shermis designed all the action sequences and supervised the visual effects for GI Joe:
The Rise of Cobra. This film took nearly two years to complete and has more than 1,650
visual-effects shots. More recently, Boyd completed work on Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,
starring Michael Caine and Josh Hutcherson. This was Shermis’ first foray into native
Stereo3D photography and provided additional opportunities for creature animation, second
unit directing and a wide assortment of “earth shattering” effects.
Shermis is now developing his own action and fantasy properties to direct. He plans
to form a production company to further these efforts. Working with feature directors such
as Mike Newell, Wolfgang Petersen, Stephen Sommers and many others has given Shermis a
solid foundation on which to launch his own directing career. In addition to creating drama,
action and futuristic sequences from conception to editing and D.I., he has experience in
every aspect of filmmaking including budget breakdown, lighting and photography, motion
capture, CG animation and environments.
Shermis began his career in the film industry at Apogee Productions in 1985. He
spent his first five years in the business coordinating, producing, supervising and then
directing visual effects for Apogee’s commercials, earning Clio and Mobius Advertising
Awards and working with directors including John Dykstra, Jim Giddens, Mikael Salomon,
Jan de Bont, Eric Saarinen, Dominic Sena, David Kellogg and Tony, Ridley and Jake Scott.
After co-directing and supervising several commercials with Jan de Bont, Shermis
was asked to design and supervise the visual effects for de Bont’s directorial debut, Speed.
Shermis’ work on the film earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Visual Effects and a
coveted spot at the Academy Bake Off.
Shermis is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
and the Directors Guild of America (DGA).
CARLA HETLAND (Costume Designer) won a Leo Award for Best Costume
Design for In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, a medieval epic starring Jason Statham
and Leelee Sobieski. Other film credits include 50/50, starring Seth Rogen, Joseph GordonLevitt and Anna Kendrick; The Possession, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick;
and The Butterfly Effect, starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart.
Television credits include the series “Primeval: New World” and the made-for-TV
movies “Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story,” “Trading Christmas,” “Duke,” “It’s
Christmas, Carol!” and “A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story,” just to name a few.
Hetland began her career in the costume department on films such as Unforgiven,
Seven Years in Tibet, The 13th Warrior and Wings of Courage (the first 3-D IMAX feature film).
ADAM ELLISON (Co-Producer) was a member of the producing team on the 3D hit Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, starring Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson and Michael
Caine. Previously Ellison produced The Bad News Bears, starring Billy Bob Thornton and
directed by Richard Linklater.
Other film credits include Sex and the City 2, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim
Cattrall; Pride and Glory, starring Edward Norton, Colin Farrell and Jon Voight; and Shopgirl,
written by and starring Steve Martin, alongside Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman.
Ellison co-wrote the 2008 comedy College, starring Drake Bell, as well as the office
comedy Demoted, starring David Cross, Sean Astin and Michael Vartan.