Springsteen tunes transform teen’s life
‘‘It’s amazing to think about how many people will see the film and how many countries it will be released in.’’
Fellow actor Claire Chitham (Fresh Eggs, Shortland Street) believes that Netflix’s presence here will strengthen the local industry.
‘‘As an actor it’s exciting, but as a person in the film industry we’re also competing for international companies taking our staff,’’ she says.
‘‘We make a lot of international content that we never get to see, but we will using Netflix.’’
Nineteen-year-old stuntwoman Isis de Souza was thrilled when she was called in as Milian’s stunt double for the film. She had partnered with Netflix before to assist with last year’s The New Legends of Monkey series, which Netflix coproduced with TVNZ and Australia’s ABC.
‘‘I was told there was an actor the same height, same skin tone and same weight as [me] and there
In New York City and Los Angeles, the United States’ two capitals for audiobook work, narrators annually earn around US$40,000 on average, according to Voices.com. A large publisher might pay as much as US$350 an hour, but smaller publishers might pay US$50 or less an hour. To make a decent return, you have to be good.
And if reading for audiobooks sounds easy, a few hours in the booth can be humbling.
‘‘The analogy would be singing,’’ says David Goldberg, chief officer at Edge Studio. ‘‘Just because they have a good voice doesn’t mean they could sell you a tune.’’
McKeel, who goes by the trade name David Sadzin when he narrates, has been in the game since late 2017. He narrated primarily non-fiction works, including Craig Seymour’s Luther, Dave Tell’s Remembering Emmett Till and Daniel Brook’s The Accident of Color. A former could be some double work,’’ de Souza says.
‘‘It is awesome to have more opportunities like this occurring in New Zealand."
For his part, director Kumble said filming in New Zealand added a lot to the film and he admitted he was a big fan of Kiwi comedy.
‘‘Some of my favourite films are What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople,’’ he says. ‘‘There is a lot of great comedy coming out of New Zealand.’’
Producer Robyn Snyder says Falling Inn Love was rewritten to work in a New Zealand context and filming had gone well.
‘‘New Zealand made the most sense,’’ she says. ‘‘It has the available crew base and talent base and matched the time of year we were shooting.’’
Kiwis (and the world) will be able to see Falling Inn Love when it premieres on Netflix on August 29.
theatre actor and comic, he draws on those skills when he’s alone in the booth.
But not every stage skill translates to narration. And so McKeel comes here to learn.
Heller, his coach, is an industry legend. He’s narrated more than 800 books. He’s one of AudioFile Magazine’s Golden Voices, has three Audie awards and 10 nominations (basically the Oscars of the voice-over world). His copy of the Recipe for Desire passage is covered with carets, cross-outs and character notes in the margins. As McKeel reads, Heller occasionally mutters phrases like ‘‘Look at her!’’ under his breath.
Marie and Devon – the wouldbe lovers – arrive at the hospital to treat Marie’s bung ankle. There they meet a nameless nurse. McKeel delivers the nurse’s line too flatly. Heller stops him, again.
‘‘Let’s cast the nurse,’’ Heller says. ‘‘Is she old? Is she fat?
Middle-aged? A mom?’’
McKeel is quiet, calibrating. Back to the story. ‘‘Aren’t you Devon Harris?’’ he says as the nurse, now more nasally and star-struck. Heller cracks up and nods.
Stop and start, then repeat. Down the hall a bunch of voice-over first-timers crowd into Studio B. A teenager, young adults, guys pushing 50,they’re all tense, arms crossed, fidgeting thumbs and bouncing legs. These are the beginners for Investigate Voice-Over Class, Edge Studio’s introductory course that determines whether your voice can go places.
McKeel started out in that beginner’s class. He has work now – and he’s made progress on the road towards that career breakthrough.
‘‘I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to tell you anything today,’’ Heller jokes to McKeel as their lesson ends. ‘‘Because you were good. You were so good.’’
Blinded by the Light is where Jersey Shore meets the British countryside, all to a soundtrack by Bruce Springsteen.
The new film provides a window into the world of an English teen of Pakistani descent as he struggles to follow his dream of becoming a writer – with inspiration provided by lyrics from the Boss. Springsteen’s messages of struggle, hope and redemption in songs like The River and Born To Run speak to the youth as he grapples with racism in 1987 and a traditional father who pushes him to pursue a more practical career.
‘‘He’s somebody who talks about the things that actually matter in life,’’ said journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, whose 2007 memoir Greetings from Bury Park inspired the movie.
‘‘It doesn’t matter where you live, which country or what decade, there’s probably a chance that you’re not living the life you want in the town you grew up in,’’ he says. ‘‘There’s probably a chance that you and your dad don’t get on. There’s probably a chance that you got a good friend, and friendship means something to you and your mate.’’
In the movie, which will be released in New Zealand cinemas on August 22, Viveik Kalra stars as Javed – a character based on Manzoor.
Javed, who lives in the English town of Luton, is reluctant to share his poems with the world until a classmate introduces him to Springsteen’s body of work. The words to songs like Dancing in the Dark and Badlands illustrate Javed’s struggle while motivating him.
The New Jersey-born Springsteen allowed the filmmakers to use 19 of his songs at a discounted rate.
‘‘We just made a little indie film, and . . . it’s sort of an amazing way to think about [Springsteen] because his words and his music is incredibly valuable, but I think he must have seen something,’’ Kalra, 21, says. ‘‘Our story has a lot of heart to it, and a lot of soul, and comes from a deeper place than anything sort of surface level.’’
Manzoor, 48, remains a massive Springsteen fan and has seen the Boss in concert more than 150 times.
While making the movie, Manzoor sent the script to Springsteen, who didn’t recommend a single change. Director Gurinder Chadha eventually showed Springsteen the film last summer, sitting behind the rocker as he watched.
‘‘At the end of the movie, there was absolute silence,’’ she says. ‘‘He didn’t say anything. Just as I was going to get my tape, Bruce walked over to me and he put his arms around me and he gave me a big kiss and he said, ‘Wow, thank you for looking after me so beautifully’.’’
For all the uplifting parts of the movie, there are also moments of darkness. Scenes involving the far-right National Front marching and fomenting violence serve as a reminder of the intolerance that existed.
‘‘When I was growing up, I had the obstacle of my parents, as in they didn’t think I could do anything interesting because they didn’t know anybody who was,’’ Manzoor says. ‘‘But then you also had an obstacle that people were judging you for things that weren’t in your control.
‘‘I can’t control the colour of my skin. I can’t control the religion I was born in. I can’t control my name – and yet those things are going to prevent me from becoming the person I want to become.’’
Those involved with the movie believe the world’s current social climate make Blinded by the Light feel especially relevant.
‘‘Brexit happened and I was so upset with all the xenophobia that I saw around me at that time,’’ Chadha, 59, recalls.
‘‘I said, ‘I’ve got to present a different version of the world as I see it.’ ’’
The movie also highlights an important lesson about family through Javed’s disagreements with his dad.
‘‘[The message] is to respect and love people that you have differences with and find a way to communicate and navigate those relationships . . . ’’ Kalra says.
‘‘Because often they want the best for you.’’
Blinded by the Light (M) opens in New Zealand on August 22.