What do we think of this documentary?

[Hal Incandenza]

My hope at this point is that the trailer was just a dig at those reality TV shows, and that the actual documentary is not The Apprentice Drummer ("You were slightly behind on that 11/16. YOU ARE FIRED!!"), but in the vein of other rock documentaries.
Then I will be a happy camper, because having seen the Foo Fighters doc the other day, I'm a big sucker for those.

rumborak

Your hope is my expectation. 

They're obviously going to set it up as a competition, because it is, but I doubt that if they went all Donald Trump on these guys, you'd have people saying after the fact that it was all handled professionally.  They'll put some window dressing on it like those letters, sure.  The meat will be much more similar to the audition bits from Some Kind of Monster, except with their being the focus, rather than just a sideline to exploring the band's neuroses.

[emtee]

Let's just see what it turns out to be and then judge it.


As far as a bonus disc with the drummers who auditioned being released with the album (speculation only) I
would hope they don't do it. The album should be about the music. Sell the vid seperate from the album.
Obviously my opinion only.

[Ben_Jamin]

It'll be a Ytsejam release.

[JPX]

How far out are TV listings projected? Obviously they are all subject to change but considering this thing will have to be aired before DT begins touring then I have to believe that what ever channel this will air on knows already.

[ricky]

This is good for DT. Its publicity they've been needing this whole time.

It seems people don't like things getting more noticed.

Its cool to see what outside people can do for the band, makes you wonder if Chaos In Motion would have been way better.

Yah, I agree. I can't really see how this documentary could be labeled a bad thing. Whoever is in charge of DT's public relations definitely deserves a pat on the back

[antigoon]

I had completely lost interest in this whole thing until yesterday. I'm pretty pumped to check this documentary out.

[Perpetual Change]

People love to over analyze things to death on messegeboards because its compensation for lacking a life.

Tick, there's absolutely no need for that kind of dig at other people. Just because other people have a different view to you, it doesn't mean they don't have a life.

Holy fuck!!! Its a joke!!! Do I have to be reprimanded for anything I say??? Its not a dig ariich, it was a generic comment poking fun at all including myself who spend a shitload of time on messegboards over analyzing stuff to death.
LIGHTEN UP!

It may have been a joke, but it was still a dig that some people may take offense to.

And I don't think I've reprimanded you for anything you've said in a VERY long time, if ever, so there's no need to get quite so defensive.

No offense but if any board has thick skin its this one. I doubt that mild comment offended anyone here.

This board is a lot of things. Thick skinned ain't one of 'em!

[Pirate]

@ICY

[Mebert78]

So how many times have you guys watched the trailer?  I gotta say, I've watched it like 20 times already, lol.  And Petrucci also appeared in a dream I had last night.

[jdprsaga]

It'll be a Ytsejam release.

No way... RR is deep inside of this to be left out.

[ronrule]

I bet the rest of the videos have similar cheesiness. Look at the other work of the production company.  It is slick with that reality show aesthetic.  They don't make Sundance documentaries, they make small commercials and MTV pilots.  Personally, I would've prefer something more like "Conan O'Brien Can't Stop", though just replacing the narration with something even slightly more subtle would go a long way into improving.  This is looks more promo than documentary, but I'm still excited.

[chknptpie]

I am excited for this and think its a great idea. Just from watching the video it has got me listening to BC&SL currently haha Can't wait! Only wish it would come faster!

[Mebert78]

I bet the rest of the videos have similar cheesiness. Look at the other work of the production company.  It is slick with that reality show aesthetic.  They don't make Sundance documentaries, they make small commercials and MTV pilots.  Personally, I would've prefer something more like "Conan O'Brien Can't Stop", though just replacing the narration with something even slightly more subtle would go a long way into improving.  This is looks more promo than documentary, but I'm still excited.

I was thinking about this last night.  Personally, I like the trailer.  But I feel like it's a tad too dramatic.  To make it more real and personal and less dramatic, I think it could have been cool if Petrucci or LaBrie did the narration and spoke directly to fans.  Of course, this is just a trailer.  It's possible the actual documentary doesn't have an outside narrator.  It's probably just the band's voices.

[ytserush]

Is it possible that this whole documentary idea snowballed out of control and isn't quite what the DT guys had in mind when they first started it?  I mean, when MP left they felt a lot of pressure to take up the reigns with regard to behind-the-scenes filming, Ytse Jam releases, and all the other fan-friendly stuff that MP did.  Well, knowing that it's a no-brainer to film these auditions and knowing that none of them are as adept at video filming and editing as MP, they decided to seek an outside crew to handle the task.  Then, before they knew it, the whole thing spiraled out of control and now it's a three-part miniseries that could potentially be aired on TV, according to the Over the Edge Productions website.  Is that possible?

That being said, I still like it.  It's exciting, lol.

Pretty much how I view it. I think they kind of went with the flow on this one.


I had resigned myself to thinking I wasn't going to see whatever it was since I wasn't planning on signing up to Facebook, but I did find it online.

Based on comments here and elsewhere I was more than slightly afraid of what I might find when I did find it.

That said, it seems to be tastefully done.

I only watched it once and it didn't make me any more or less interested to know. I suppose I'll just wait for this to be released.

I'm more excited to hear new music myself. Maybe they throw this doc in for the deluxe edition whenever it gets released and that's how we'll find out.


Your emotional state may vary...

Oh, and I didn't vote one way or the other because I don't know if it's good or bad.

[John94]

It's a nice idea. Keeps speculation up and actually restored my interest.

Now it's just a matter of when we will get this video.

[Raoul Sanchez]

Either way it'll drum up some attention.

[ariich]

Oh, and I didn't vote one way or the other because I don't know if it's good or bad.

We're voting more on whether we think it's a nice idea or not, rather than whether the quality is good (which obviously we won't know until we see it).

[ACID_FOX]

That video was so lame it was unbelievable.

Of course it was and if they had not done it that wold have been lame also...and of course, had it not been edited and more of a home movie...yeah that would be lame too....Oh don't forget the lets release nothing idea...let me guess...lame?

So what would you have done Acid Fox? because I am very interested in your ideas...surely you know more than the RR marketing guys and you DEFINATELY know more than the Dt members.

So please, put your YOUR ingenius suggestion forward that wouldnt be so lame, the prog world is eaglerly awaiting your marketing plan.

Show some support or stfu.

Um...no?

I just didn't like the style that it was done in, like the other topic suggests "America's Next Top Model". Of course I'm exaggerating, but at this point I just want to know who the drummer is, all this stuff can wait till afterwards.

And for the record, I don't know who the hell you think you are speaking like that, but don't.

[robwebster]

My hope at this point is that the trailer was just a dig at those reality TV shows, and that the actual documentary is not The Apprentice Drummer ("You were slightly behind on that 11/16. YOU ARE FIRED!!"), but in the vein of other rock documentaries.
Then I will be a happy camper, because having seen the Foo Fighters doc the other day, I'm a big sucker for those.

rumborak

Ahhh! First off, I love the Apprentice, so I'd be a happy camper either way. But, it's actually a fairly good example of the production making or breaking a piece of work.

Watch the opening of the UK Apprentice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMj0_ckmVRw ...up to, say, 1:30. Just the opening sequence.

Then, watch the opening of the US Apprentice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsQIjCD9SbY

It's almost exactly the same. Candidates walking through town, Lord Sugar or Mr. Trump pontificating about the importance of business, helicopter shots... but the UK version looks about five times slicker! I can't watch the US Apprentice. I think it looks a little crude. A lot crude, even. The concept of the show's exactly the same, but the music is inappropriately melodramatic, the boardroom looks like Dumbledore's office, and there are also the little details like the still images that float about like a Windows Movie Maker project. On the sliding scale of good television, it's hovering somewhere around the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" mark. The UK version though, by comparison, is absolutely gorgeous. And I hope that's not patriotism speaking, but I don't think it is. It's very well directed. Lavishly directed, even. Looks more like Top Gear. And while that's possibly slightly shallow, it sort of embodies that extra mile - the amount of care the producers have taken in getting the show right. In a visual medium, the "look" of a show is important, and the UK producers have clearly tried their hardest to create a business entertainment show that looks beautiful, and is beautiful.

A show's only as good as its producers, and tacky voiceover aside the documentary, to me, appears to have all the hallmarks of a well-produced show. The shots are well directed, and I'm dead impressed that they even got an outside production team involved in the first place. I'm a little buoyed - it looks, to me, like they've gone the extra mile to produce a quality product.

[TL]

As someone actually training to be a filmmaker, I can safely say that this documentary looks well done, at least from what we've seen.
As robwebster pointed out, the slightest thing can make or break a production. The editing choices, the cinematography, the selection of music and voiceover, etc. This looks to be quite well made.

As a few sources have pointed out, it's a documentary, not a reality show. I am definitely a sucker for a good rock documentary, and as such, am really looking forward to this.

[chego_voice]

@Jcrudess 
Jordan Rudess

Had a great vacation. Next week will be an exciting week for everyone! Looking forward to all that is about to happen! ...
10 minutes ago

[Bolsters]

Looking at the promo video again today, with a fresh perspective after watching it about 6 times yesterday...I am a little worried about the "reality TV" vibe that I think will carry over into the actual documentary. It isn't so much the voiceover and editing in the promo that gives me this impression, as those likely won't carry over into the documentary itself, it's 2 things. First, the little bit with Mangini on the street saying he's going to his audition just screams reality TV, like something out of Wife Swap or such garbage. Seeing that sort of intro for all of the drummers is going to be very reality TV. The 2nd thing is the band in the control room and JLB saying "at this point we'd like to welcome you to the family". If that doesn't scream reality TV I don't know what does.

[Ħ]

Why is reality TV a problem?  I for one love the intensity, and I couldn't think of a better way to announce the drummer.  Actually, a long while back in the Place Your Bets thread, I threw out the reality show idea.  But it seems that everyone here hates the idea of DT doing it that way.

[Ben_Jamin]

I and My friend think its Donati, or Lang. Both seem to be enjoying themselves

[Adami]

I and My friend think its Donati, or Lang. Both seem to be enjoying themselves

Both have schedule conflicts that would make them illogical.

Lang is my first choice, but it's clearly not him or Donati...........or Roddy, Minnemen or Wildoer.


That leaves Mangini and........................eh..............Priester.

[farsight]

The documentary will be great, its sure that we will get to see the jam with all seven top notch drummers, and nobody cant deny that the dummer star power will make it intriguing. I would be interested even if it wasnt an audition for a Dream Theater spot.

After watching the trailer a second time, I was half expecting the voiceover to say "It's time for Dream Theater to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and they're all out of gum" and "Hail to the new drummer, baby".
The quotes are from Duke Nukem anyway. And yes, Im a nerd.

[hefdaddy42]

So! It's official. Dream Theater will be announcing their new drummer through the medium of an hour-plus-long documentary, offering us the opportunity to finally gaze upon the bare midriff of the process we've spent the last twelve-hundred-and-sixty-pi months speculating about, and also to crack one out if we're that way inclined. (Probably just me.)

But all is not well in Dream Theater world! That's the kind of thing popular bands do! Smarmy bands, with futures, and labels who know what they're doing! Bands with – and you'd better brace yourself for this one – radio play! Next thing you know they'll be collaborating with the Spice Girls and headlining the Diana Memorial Concert, or whatever it is popular bands do. I wouldn't know, myself, as my taste in music is so underground that I have it delivered to me from the depths of Hades. By Cerberus.

I'm being facetious, of course, and far too dismissive – I can totally understand why some people might balk at it. This news does essentially make us marketing's “bitches.” Not to mention, the voiceover artist on the trailer is possibly the most melodramatic man ever. Although I very much hope that he uses that voice when he goes about his day-to-day business, because hearing that voice ordering a pizza or teaching a class of children would be fucking brilliant.

That said, I'm excited. Very excited. I think this is the best way you could possibly announce the drummer. It makes the wait worthwhile – and I sincerely mean that. So much more exciting than a cold press release. This way we get the news in a way that takes us 'orrible lot along for the ride with them. We're as much a part of the journey as they are, and rather than just tell us the outcome of the process through the medium of a curt message with a few hand-picked choice quotes, we're invited to spend an hour in their shoes, auditioning the drummers alongside them – complete with thrills, spills, and coffee bills. (If you swap the word "spills" with the word "bills" that sentence still makes sense, by the way.) And it looks like a quality product! Well filmed. A lot of love gone into this project, I'd say. Meticulously chronicled, for our own enjoyment. Lifting Shadows: the Movie. Can't wait.

So which way do you fall? Is the documentary a good thing, or a bad thing? Is this news a message from the gods, or is it the cold decaying pus of Satan himself? A loose, soothing pair of boxers, or a repressing pair of briefs? Vote... now.

I just love it when you say "bitches".

[ariich]

Ahhh! First off, I love the Apprentice, so I'd be a happy camper either way. But, it's actually a fairly good example of the production making or breaking a piece of work.

Watch the opening of the UK Apprentice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMj0_ckmVRw ...up to, say, 1:30. Just the opening sequence.

Then, watch the opening of the US Apprentice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsQIjCD9SbY

It's almost exactly the same. Candidates walking through town, Lord Sugar or Mr. Trump pontificating about the importance of business, helicopter shots... but the UK version looks about five times slicker! I can't watch the US Apprentice. I think it looks a little crude. A lot crude, even. The concept of the show's exactly the same, but the music is inappropriately melodramatic, the boardroom looks like Dumbledore's office, and there are also the little details like the still images that float about like a Windows Movie Maker project. On the sliding scale of good television, it's hovering somewhere around the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" mark. The UK version though, by comparison, is absolutely gorgeous. And I hope that's not patriotism speaking, but I don't think it is. It's very well directed. Lavishly directed, even. Looks more like Top Gear. And while that's possibly slightly shallow, it sort of embodies that extra mile - the amount of care the producers have taken in getting the show right. In a visual medium, the "look" of a show is important, and the UK producers have clearly tried their hardest to create a business entertainment show that looks beautiful, and is beautiful.

A show's only as good as its producers, and tacky voiceover aside the documentary, to me, appears to have all the hallmarks of a well-produced show. The shots are well directed, and I'm dead impressed that they even got an outside production team involved in the first place. I'm a little buoyed - it looks, to me, like they've gone the extra mile to produce a quality product.

So many good points there, Rob. I also love the UK Apprentice, and I think a part of that is definitely how it's shot and edited, because it makes it so much more engaging. The US one looks pretty pathetic in comparison.

[Jamesman42]

@Jcrudess 
Jordan Rudess

Had a great vacation. Next week will be an exciting week for everyone! Looking forward to all that is about to happen! ...
10 minutes ago

I saw that and hoped that it means we get more insight/news/whatever on this video. Totally pumped for it

[robwebster]

Ahhh! First off, I love the Apprentice, so I'd be a happy camper either way. But, it's actually a fairly good example of the production making or breaking a piece of work.

Watch the opening of the UK Apprentice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMj0_ckmVRw ...up to, say, 1:30. Just the opening sequence.

Then, watch the opening of the US Apprentice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsQIjCD9SbY

It's almost exactly the same. Candidates walking through town, Lord Sugar or Mr. Trump pontificating about the importance of business, helicopter shots... but the UK version looks about five times slicker! I can't watch the US Apprentice. I think it looks a little crude. A lot crude, even. The concept of the show's exactly the same, but the music is inappropriately melodramatic, the boardroom looks like Dumbledore's office, and there are also the little details like the still images that float about like a Windows Movie Maker project. On the sliding scale of good television, it's hovering somewhere around the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" mark. The UK version though, by comparison, is absolutely gorgeous. And I hope that's not patriotism speaking, but I don't think it is. It's very well directed. Lavishly directed, even. Looks more like Top Gear. And while that's possibly slightly shallow, it sort of embodies that extra mile - the amount of care the producers have taken in getting the show right. In a visual medium, the "look" of a show is important, and the UK producers have clearly tried their hardest to create a business entertainment show that looks beautiful, and is beautiful.

A show's only as good as its producers, and tacky voiceover aside the documentary, to me, appears to have all the hallmarks of a well-produced show. The shots are well directed, and I'm dead impressed that they even got an outside production team involved in the first place. I'm a little buoyed - it looks, to me, like they've gone the extra mile to produce a quality product.

So many good points there, Rob. I also love the UK Apprentice, and I think a part of that is definitely how it's shot and edited, because it makes it so much more engaging. The US one looks pretty pathetic in comparison.

It doesn't hurt that "Lord Sugar" sounds like a pimp, whereas "Mr. Trump" sounds like a character in a children's storybook who learns an important lesson about eating too many eggs.

[JimmyJava]

I'm wondering, how will the documentary be shown? On (american) TV or via download off the web?

[TL]

The blurb from the production company's site makes it sound like it will be aired in three parts on TV (no channel was specified), and possibly in a limited theatrical run, ala Flight 666 and Beyond the Lighted Stage.

[rumborak]

Why is reality TV a problem?  I for one love the intensity, and I couldn't think of a better way to announce the drummer.  Actually, a long while back in the Place Your Bets thread, I threw out the reality show idea.  But it seems that everyone here hates the idea of DT doing it that way.

A lot of people (including me) view reality TV as one of the worst forms of entertainment concocted in the last 30 years. It is phony, and the sole aim of the producer seems to be to cut-and-paste snippets of otherwise boring conversations into something that oozes drama and conflict.

rumborak

[Implode]

For some reason, I think this video made me like TCoT even more.

[RoeDent]

I think this documentary will be great! Think about it: We don't just have a new album to look forward to now, but a sizable portion of behind-the-scenes DT video footage. And, if you're a drumming fan, you get to see 7 of the world's greatest drummers in action. Bring it on, I say!