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You
Can Sing!
Director
-
April/May 2003
(1
x 120 mins)
Carlton Visual Entertainment
This
DVD/VHS was released on 29th September 2003, a seven-step guide to
successful singing devised and created by Carrie and David Grant, the
enthusiastic and popular vocal coaches from Fame Academy and Pop
Idol. By December that year it had sold in excess of 18,000 units and
was top of the UK Special Interests DVD charts.
The
programme starts with the basics of breathing and forward placement,
moving into the trickier areas of ad-libbing, vibrato, crescendo and
diminuendo, before applying those techniques to performance. There's
even an explanation of the dangers of singing without learning a safe
technique, and how this can lead to the formation of nodules on the
vocal chords.
During
their time as vocal coaches, David and Carrie have worked with many
a star, and three of their famous clients pop up during the
programme: Melanie C, Will Young and Lemar, third finalist in the
original Fame Academy series. They agreed to give their time for
nothing, to discuss their passion for singing and provide
testimonials for David & Carrie's techniques.
The
programme also follows two of David and Carrie's current pupils,
teenagers Danni Green and Peter Cumins, as they experience technique
problems that are likely to befall first-time singers. David guides
Peter through a performance of Angels, by Robbie Williams, while
Danni is given tips on improving her performance of Beautiful, the
Christine Aguilera song. In fact, Danni had been practising so hard
that she delivers an exceptionally moving performance, quite stunning
for a singer aged 13.
The
programme was made in just five weeks with the smallest team
possible, namely myself, my producer and a production manager,
working to a slender budget and specific brief set by Carlton Visual
Entertainment. We shot all the tuition sequences in two days, using
two cameras set up to shoot blocks of action as-live. A further two
days were made available to complete the three celebrity interviews,
and a session in a recording studio. So tight was the schedule that
editing began while shooting was still in progress.
You
Can Sing! is aimed at both teens and adults alike, whether beginners
or professionals. It is designed to be accessible to the widest
possible audience, so it is mind boggling to think of the different
people to whom this production would be of value as a learning tool.
Individuals at home, students, schools, colleges, maybe even The
Choir Invisible... To that end, it was a very exciting project to be
involved in, and a privilege to work on. |