Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is a 2011 American 3D concert film directed by Kevin Tancharoen based on the FOX network musical TV series "Glee" which features the cast performing during the show's "Glee! Live! In Concert!" tour (that lasted from May 10, 2010 until July 3, 2011).
Plot[]
The movie depicts a Glee Cast concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey during the group's "Glee Live! In Concert!" tour. It features behind-the-scenes footage, and a setlist of songs from the show's first and second seasons along with behind-the-scenes footage.
It also portrays the series' influence on teenagers including a teen who is gay named Trenton, a teen with Asperger syndrome named Josey Pickering and a cheerleader with short stature named Janae. The fan segments were created by documentary filmmaker Jennifer Arnold.
Songs[]
- "Don't Stop Believin'" – Finn, Rachel, New Directions
- "SING" – Rachel, Finn, New Directions
- "Empire State of Mind" – Artie, Finn, Puck, Rachel, Mercedes, Santana, New Directions
- "I'm a Slave 4 U" – Brittany
- "Fat Bottomed Girls" – Puck
- "Don't Rain on My Parade" – Rachel
- "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" – Artie
- "Ain't No Way" – Mercedes
- "Jessie's Girl" – Finn
- "Valerie" – Santana
- "Firework" – Rachel
- "Teenage Dream" – Blaine, Warblers
- "Silly Love Songs" – Blaine, Warblers
- "Raise Your Glass" – Blaine, Warblers
- "Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy" – Kurt, Rachel
- "Safety Dance" – Artie
- "Lucky" – Sam, Quinn
- "River Deep – Mountain High" – Mercedes, Santana
- "Forget You" – Holly, Artie, Mercedes, Santana, New Directions
- "I Want to Hold Your Hand" – Kurt
- "Born This Way" - Kurt, Tina, Mercedes, New Directions
- "Loser Like Me" – Rachel, Finn, Mercedes, Santana, New Directions
- "Don’t Stop Believin'" (end credits) – Finn, Rachel, New Directions
- "Somebody to Love" – Finn, Rachel, Mercedes, Artie, New Directions
The songs "Dog Days Are Over", "Single Ladies" and "Friday" didn't appear in the film, but they were included on the home release of the film.
Cast[]
- Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray
- Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel
- Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson
- Ashley Fink as Lauren Zizes
- Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams
- Lea Michele as Rachel Berry
- Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson
- Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce
- Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans
- Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones
- Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez
- Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman
- Harry Shum, Jr. as Mike Chang
- Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang
Supporting Cast
Jane Lynch (who portays the role of Sue Sylvester) and Gwyneth Paltrow (who portrays the role of Holly Holliday) appeared at concerts shot for the film, but Lynch's scenes would only be included on the accompanying DVD/Blu-ray release.
Ten actors and dancers appear as the Dalton Academy Warblers, joining Darren Criss for a mini-set of three songs. Four of these Warblers appeared on the Glee TV series in the second season including:
- Titus Makin, Jr as David
- Curt Mega as Nick
- Riker Lynch as Jeff
- Jon Hall as vocal percussionist
Production[]
In May 2010, the Glee cast performed a sold-out 13-date North American concert tour and a European extension of the tour was announced in November of that year. Further North American dates were added for May and June 2011.
In early May 2011, it was announced that 20th Century Fox and "Glee" series creator Ryan Murphy would together produce a 3-D film of the tour, directed by Kevin Tancharoen and was shot during the North American leg.
Murphy stated that the number of venues Glee Live! In Concert! could visit was limited, due to time constraints imposed by producing the television series, and as such, the film would enable a wider audience to experience the tour.
According to Gary Newman (the chairman of 20th Century Fox): "Part of what motivated us to do this movie in the first place is there was such a clamoring among Glee fans who said, 'Why didn't you bring this tour to my city?' They felt left out because we only went to four cities during our first tour. This movie will give fans—not just in the US but around the world—the chance to experience the 'Glee' concert in a visceral way."
Newman said that the 3D format was chosen to give the audience "an immersing experience", and that the project is principally about "brand extension". He suggested that "Glee" is apt to work in the medium of film as many fans are teenagers and young adults, the prime concert film demographic and are able to relate to the show's central themes such as inclusion
Filming[]
The movie was filmed from June 16–17, 2011 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was shot with the Cameron-Pace Group's 3D Fusion camera system.
Glen MacPherson served as director of photography & utilised seven Fusion 3D rigs with a range of set-ups (including a Cablecam, Steadicam and Technocrane). The digital cinematography cameras held by the rigs mainly comprised a combination of Arri Alexas and Red Epics.
CPG CEO Vince Pace said: "One of the biggest challenges that we were able to overcome was the way these cameras are handled in a live production environment (compared with a feature shoot). The infrastructure of (CPG's mobile 3D production truck) had to accommodate the multiple camera formats and process them as a single format. That is not common in the broadcast world."
The production truck was updated accordingly, and acquired, amongst other new technology items, a Kayenne Video Production Center production switcher, which allowed for the creation of line cuts—explained by Vince as cuts "created live and used to capture the energy at the time of the performance."
He cited this as a factor which helped enable the film's completion with just a six-week post-production schedule.
Even though Pace would not disclose the project's budget when interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, he said that it was around 40% lower than previous 3D concert films, and narrowed the cost gap between 2D productions and CPG's earlier 3D works such as Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert and the Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.
Such budget was later revealed by The Hollywood Reporter to be $9 million.
Release[]
The press junket for "Glee: The 3D Concert Movie" was held in Los Angeles lasting from August 6–7, 2011.
The movie premiered in Los Angeles on August 6, 2011 and received a nationwide release on August 12, 2011, playing in movie theaters for only two weeks with the sneak previews premiering on August 10, 2011 in select theaters.
It was released in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2011, also running for a two-week engagement.
Box Office[]
"Glee: The 3D Concert Movie" ranked at #11 at the box office, grossing $5,961,231 during its opening weekend with an average of $2,922. It was expected to open in the $10 to $12-million range, but it performed below expectations in its opening weekend, earning just $5.7 million and failed to appear in the box office top 10.
As of September 29, 2011, the movie had grossed $11,862,398 domestically and $18,252,398 worldwide based on a $9 million budget.
In the United States, "Glee: The 3D Movie" is the seventh highest-grossing music concert film of all time.
Critical Reception[]
"Glee: The 3D Concert Movie" received mixed reviews from critics. It currently holds a score of 48 on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Rotten Tomatoes reports that 60% of 90 professional critics gave the film a positive review and an average rating of 5.7/10 with the consensus saying: "The unconverted will remain just as perplexed as ever, but for gleeful Gleeks, The 3D Concert Movie delivers exactly what it promises."
Amy Biancolli of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "It's a celebration of nerd pride in all its many-feathered glory."
Slant Magazine said: "The film is as emotionally manipulative as the show, but it's never appeared more truthful in its aspiration to inspire - and profit in the process."
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the movie a negative review, writing: "The movie plays like an evangelical prayer meeting, though I'd hold the hallelujahs. The characters we came to admire as vulnerable misfits hit the stage like visiting royalty and with a nonstop perkiness that makes the Von Trapps look like manic-depressives."
Home Media Release[]
"Glee: The 3D Movie" was released on DVD even though the DVD version is not identical to the film.
During a press conference the day of the film's premiere, Ryan Murphy said, "We're doing another version in a couple of weeks on DVD". One announced difference between the versions is that Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester), who doesn't appear in the film, does appear in the video.
It was released on December 20, 2011 in the United States, in DVD, Blu-ray, and 2-disc 3D Blu-ray formats.
The UK edition (in these formats) was released earlier, on December 5, 2011 and it was released in Australia on December 7, 2011.
Trailer[]
Glee 3D Concert Movie Official Trailer