All That Is, Was And Will Be

While 3D concert movies are nothing new in recent times, with U2 kicking off the phenomenon in 2008 as U2 3D laid claim to being the first live action digital 3D film, their format has stayed pretty much the same. Most of the films – such as those from Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and One Direction – stay the tried and true path of concert footage interspersed with behind the scenes footage and interviews. So when Metallica were approached by their management about doing a 3D concert film, they didn't want to go down the same path.

“One of the things we wanted was a narrative,” says Metallica bass player Robert Trujillo. “We said this is great, but we want to try something different, because we had four or five concert films released in the last five years, so it's like, well, what can we do that's different?”

This point of difference comes in the form of the character Trip (Dane DeHaan – The Place Beyond The Pines, Chronicle, Lawless), a roadie for the band sent on a mission during a Metallica gig to retrieve an item they need from a broken-down truck. What seems like a simple task takes a surreal turn as Trip makes his way through a post-apocalyptic streetscape filled with police and rioters, running for his life at times.

But despite the inclusion of the narrative, the film – Metallica Through The Never, directed by Nimród Antal (Predators, Kontroll) – has as its basis the live performance. And the basis of that was a massive stage. “The stage itself is pretty iconic,” Trujillo states. Designed by Mark Fisher, who designed Pink Floyd's famous set for The Wall among others, the stage is a celebration of past Metallica live moments and album covers. Hence you get elements like crosses from Master Of Puppets and a Lady Justice statue – affectionately known as Doris – from …And Justice For All making a reappearance. Plus it features all manner of hydraulics, pneumatics, lasers, LED, pyrotechnics and even working tesla coils to accompany a giant electric chair representative of Ride The Lightning. It didn't feature a kitchen sink, but it did feature a toilet (referenceing Metal Up Your Ass, the original title for their debut album Kill 'Em All).

Though it wasn't simply a matter of filming one predetermined Metallica show for the movie. Designing, building and testing the stage was a process that took around two-and-a-half years, including a couple of weeks in Mexico City performing eight arena shows nurturing the stage. “It was a very dangerous stage, so you're never 100 percent safe; there's always uneasiness and risk for us as players. But in the end I felt that, especially for our crew, by the time we to Canada [in August 2012, where they filmed for the movie], that stage was firing on all cylinders and we got the results at the end of the day. So it was a huge undertaking; it was a lot of work, a lot of planning,” Trujillo outlines.

Trujillo says he “felt great” on the stage and admits to being distracted initially by all the different elements. “But by the time we got to Canada it was... I'm not going to say it was like riding a bike – it wasn't – but you kind of adapt,” he says. “And without being robotic and syncopated and routine, you're still working the stage, feeling loose, but you also get an idea of where not to be. Whereas someone like Kirk [Hammett, guitar] was in the wrong place; you had to put fluorescent tape up there that said, 'Kirk, do not stand here during Fuel' or Battery or whatever, because quite often he was in the wrong spot and we didn't want to blow anybody up.”

Metallica have stated that they'd like people to take their own meaning from the film. Like in say Pulp Fiction, they – potential spoiler alert – never reveal what's in the bag. It's something Metallica has always adhered to, allowing people to take their own interpretations from their music as well. “We're not here to tell you what it's supposed to be, we're here to share and explore what you want to make of it and bring it to life in your own creative mind. I think that's the general idea with Metallica songs and lyrics. We write the music, we present it, James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] writes the lyrics, he presents them and you make what you want of it and have fun at the end of the day,” Trujillo explains.

And at the end of the day, Metallica Through The Never is being released on DVD. It was originally given a short theatrical run as a 3D IMAX film, so how does Trujillo feel it will translate to the home screen? “You know, we've actually seen it not as a 3D film and we've seen it on smaller monitors and it holds up. Sonically and visually I'm really proud of it from the technical aspect,” Trujillo says.

Overall, Trujillo found the experience of making a movie pretty demanding compared to making an album. “Making a movie is stressful because you're dealing with a lot of personalities. There are a lot of people,” he says. “And I always believe that most of the time, things that are really special, they don't come easy. There are going to be moments where there is some headbutting and there's indecision or whatever and compromise, but the end result is usually very rewarding and overall I think that we felt that we were able to share something that was meaningful to us and something that should be able to last in rock'n'roll cinema. Hopefully.”