They are
highly artistic, well presented, they've been eagerly debated and
long awaited, and they're finally with us. No, not last year's
Convention photos, but the Cosgrove Hall animations of Wyrd
Sisters and Soul Music. They are
highly artistic, well presented, they've been eagerly debated and
long awaited, and they're finally with us. No, not last year's
Convention photos, but the Cosgrove Hall animations of Wyrd
Sisters and Soul Music.
Wyrd Sisters began on Channel 4 on 18th May, and will be released on video in the autumn. Soul Music Parte One was released on video on 12th May, and Parte Two on 9th June. The TV version will be broadcast at around the same time that Wyrd Sisters is released.
A popular novel, Soul Music was always going to be a great challenge for the animators, involving some very 'in'-jokes, "Music With Rocks In", and many of the Discworld's favourite characters. Cosgrove Hall, creators of classics such as Dangermouse and Duckula, were given the job, and took to it gladly. They produced CGI (technical computer-speak) titles featuring the Great A'Tuin, which can be seen on the video. They took cells and some scenes from the animation to last year's Convention, and their interpretations of Buddy et al were well received. Script-writer Martin Jameson adapted the novel, and also devised the hilarious Rite of AshkEnte...
Astrion Video are distributing Soul
Music, and donating our prizes! (Competition in paper issue
only.) Lucky early purchasers at Woolworths received exclusive T-shirts
free, but if you missed out you could still win one. With each part of
the video Astrion are also distributing postcards, and the tapes
include some exclusive footage - a Discworld trailer and a 30 minute
interview with Terry, split between Partes
One and Two. The seven episodes of Soul
Music have been seamlessly edited - no commercial breaks!
Astrion have used a clever marketing ploy in order to boost sales:
they've issued Parte One with three subtly different
covers, which, when displayed side-by-side, form a picture of
Death's face.
So, what's it all
about? For those of you who haven't read it (is there anyone?),
it's basically the story of the Discworld's first rock band,
and music with a life of its own - the life of the lead singer, to be
exact. The novel was a best-seller, in hardback and paperback, but what
about the animation? Terry reportedly loves it, especially Phil Bush
and Keith Hopwood's excellent soundtrack - to be released later
this year, if rumours are correct. The Band With Rocks In mutate
musically throughout the series, from rock and roll, through Beatles
and Blues Brothers parodies, to progressive rock and beyond. It is,
frankly, a work of genius. As for the fans, the general response to the
video was encouraging,
with comments like "exactly how I imagined
it", "I want the album!", and "the characterisation
is superb". The voices are excellent, featuring actors such as
Christopher Lee (!!!!!) as Death, Graham Crowden as Ridcully, and a
cameo from Neil Morrissey as Mort. There are no major criticisms, and
it seems to be selling exceptionally well. With Wyrd
Sisters to come in the autumn, and Hogfather for
Christmas 1998, Discworld animation is certainly proving to be a
lucrative and successful idea!
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Web pages designed by Derek Moody
August 1997
