Latest news with #Zimny
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Be open to the moment you never expected': How ‘Road Diary' captured Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in full force
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is a melancholic blast. In the hands of longtime Bruce Springsteen collaborator, director, and editor Thom Zimny, the many compelling, sometimes contrasting shades of the Boss are on full display in the Hulu documentary — the artist and the showman, the poet and the ham, and above all, a lively force grappling with death and the passage of time. Road Diary follows Springsteen and the E Street Band both in the studio and on tour, bringing people together after the pandemic. More from GoldDerby Tom Cruise finally gets his (honorary) Oscar moment: Here's his complete awards history Alan Cumming would be the 4th person to repeat in Best Reality Host: See fresh Emmy odds Dolly Parton adds honorary Oscar to her trophy shelf: A look back at her legendary awards history Zimny wanted the story of Springsteen and the band's return to the road — after a six-year break — to unfold naturally. 'I did not come in with a preconceived pitch of 'this documentary will reflect the world,'' Zimny told Gold Derby. 'I took my cues from watching Bruce. In those rehearsals, I saw him craft a setlist that dealt with looking at life and the past and loss and the present moment, being alive in the present moment as much as you can. The show itself was a guiding force in the edit.' Capturing the scope of any Springsteen and E Street Band show is a tall order. As Springsteen says in the film's opening, he wanted to throw the biggest party he could with this tour. But in under 100 minutes, how does a filmmaker capture all the intense emotions that flow during the Boss' legendary three-hour shows? 'When I'm looking at how to bottle this experience and put it forth in a film,' Zimny said, 'I try to focus on my own personal memories, taking cues from the faces in the crowd and the connection they're having. And with Road Diary, I wanted to make it an emotional film and film it in a way that captured transitions in people's eyes, transitions while they're listening to the music.' The film also captures Springsteen's evolution from perfectionist to an artist embracing beautiful mistakes. Let the song live how it lives, basically. 'What he said in the documentary, in the spontaneous moment to the band, was that you want to be able to fuck up during the course of the night because it's live,' Zimny said. 'That's what the people are paying for. In that, I find the philosophy that I've held onto in making films with Bruce: come fully prepared, but be open to the moment you never expected.' For Zimny, his own perfectionism kicks in during post-production, specifically in the sound department. Communicating the thundering sound of a Springsteen show is a delicate process. 'Capturing that quality in the mix was an obsession,' Zimny said. 'You feel the bass in your heart and the drums in your stomach, like you're in the pit. Capturing that gave it the cinematic language of a narrative film. There's not a mix just laid onto a clip — every shot had detailed work on crowd sound and instrument balance. We mix to picture. It's not done casually.' Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is an immediate portrayal of where the band is today — not just how they play, but how they live. Zimny and his team show how they got there, often through archival footage that — in true Springsteen and Zimny fashion — doesn't soften the edges. 'The power of memory is that the flicker and the lack of clarity evoke a romantic feeling,' Zimny said. 'If I cleaned it up and balanced the color, took out some of the video textures, it would take away some of the soul. But each individual clip is looked at closely. How far do you go to clean it up? You've got to listen to that voice inside the edit room when you just go, 'Wow, this really takes me back.'' Best of GoldDerby 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') Sam Rockwell on Frank's 'White Lotus' backstory, Woody Harrelson's influence, and going all in on 'this arc of Buddhist to Bad Lieutenant' Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh admit they 'never had the audacity to realize' a show like 'Deli Boys' was possible Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Road Diary' director Thom Zimny reflects on 25 years with Bruce Springsteen and capturing fans as ‘music hits their soul'
Director Thom Zimny has spent over 25 years collaborating with rock legend Bruce Springsteen, helping tell the story behind his music and performances. In his latest film, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Zimny takes fans behind the curtain, showcasing band rehearsals, rare clips, concert footage, and Springsteen's personal reflections. "What's different about Road Diary is that I had this opportunity to play with a bunch of different forms in the filmmaking process," Zimny tells Gold Derby. "I had vérité footage to work with, I had these moments of concert that I wanted to capture, and also, the band at this point was a narrative I wanted to explore." More from GoldDerby 'The worst has already happened, so now I have everything to gain': Meagan Good on love, loss, and empowering women in 'Forever' 'Eureka Day' playwright Jonathan Spector talks vaccine debates, vicious comment sections, and 'the failure of a utopia' Breakout star Owen Cooper admits 'Adolescence' was 'very out of my comfort zone' Springsteen hadn't toured in years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Zimny saw an opportunity to explore themes of time, change, and connection. After receiving a call from the musician inviting him to 'drop in at the rehearsal,' Zimny assembled a small crew and began capturing behind-the-scenes moments. 'The story was the band going back on the road,' Zimny explains, 'but the bigger theme was [Springsteen] sculpting a set list that reflected what he was interested in at this moment — looking at the past and reconnecting with an audience.' Zimny's relationship with Springsteen began while working on the Live in New York City concert film for HBO. 'It was the early days of filming with HD cameras, and Bruce hated the way it looked. It was too cold, emotionally. I was a film guy and really connected to what they were struggling with,' Zimny recalls. Through creative approaches — like adding grain and treating musical moments as dialogue — Zimny forged a strong creative bond with Springsteen, which eventually grew into a decades-long collaboration. On the collaborative process for Road Diary, Zimny describes it as organic and improvisational. 'There was no set vision,' he says. 'What happens is, I go to his space, I film for a bit, I cut together some of the things that I see, and I invite him into the edit room... It just builds that way. It's a real luxury as a filmmaker to have that trust.' Zimny also wanted to bring fans closer to the emotional experience of a Springsteen concert. 'There's this moment that happens — and I've seen it many times — this deep connection in someone's face. It's in their eyes. I chase that visual representation of the music hitting their soul,' says Zimny. "I wanted to be this observer of how Bruce and his writing hit and impact an audience. That meant shooting things at certain angles and studying how stage lighting looked in daylight — really trying to find these slowed-down magical moments where you feel like, 'Oh my god. This music is really moving this person.' We're trying to tell as story, but also staying as close as we can to the true musical experience in the filmmaking." Even after working with Springsteen for so long, Zimny remains in awe of the musician's creative drive. 'Even after 25 years, I'm always surprised when he texts me the next adventure he's on,' Zimny shares. Reflecting on Springsteen's recent release of Tracks II: The Lost Albums, which features seven realized albums, Zimny adds, 'The body of work that he's created is just unbelievable. The big surprise that people can't possibly comprehend is the intensity and the focus he has with the work.' "There was a great opportunity with Road Diary to both explain that history and bring it up to date," Zimny shares. "The common thread that I found with all of it was this work ethic and commitment they all carried. Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+. This article and video are presented by Disney and Hulu. Best of GoldDerby 'The worst has already happened, so now I have everything to gain': Meagan Good on love, loss, and empowering women in 'Forever' 'The Better Sister': Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks on their 'fun partnership' and the 'satisfying' killer reveal The Making of 'Beast Games': Behind the scenes of Prime Video's record-breaking competition series Click here to read the full article.
