Singer Billie Eilish and director James Cameron team up for immersive and intimate tour film
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Billie Eilish (left) with James Cameron during the British film premiere of Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live In 3D) in London on April 28.
PHOTO: EPA
LONDON – American pop star Billie Eilish joined forces with famed Canadian film-maker James Cameron to bring her Hit Me Hard And Soft tour to the big screen.
Released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on May 8, Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live In 3D) is co-directed by Eilish, 24, and Cameron, 71. The film opens in Singapore cinemas on May 7.
Eilish is a 10-time Grammy winner and two-time Oscar winner, while Cameron is the director of movies such as Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009 to present), with Titanic winning him Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing at the Academy Awards in 1998.
Shot mainly during the Manchester leg of Eilish’s 2024 to 2025 world tour, the upcoming concert film combines the singer’s hit-packed performance with intimate and reflective moments off the stage.
Billie Eilish (left) and James Cameron in a scene from Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live In 3D).
PHOTO: UIP
Cameron reached out with an “idea ready to go”, said Eilish at the film’s London premiere on April 28, and getting to work with him was “a complete dream”.
“This is my favourite show that I’ve ever created and favourite tour I’ve ever been on,” she added. “And the fact that it’s going to be captured forever, and it’s also in 3D so everyone that didn’t get to see it can live it... I’m just so grateful.”
Cameras, at times operated by Cameron, capture Eilish as she prepares to take the stage, warming up her voice, getting her ankles taped and applying her make-up. In calmer moments, buoyed by the director, she opens up about the origins and the motivations of her performance style and attire.
“It gets more into her heart and her mind and her kind of creative soul, and into her relationship with the fans and what it means to them,” said Cameron. “I find it quite heartfelt, in addition to the music and the show being great.”
The candid behind-the-scenes moments were Cameron’s idea, Eilish said.
“I wasn’t originally going to do that,” she added. “He was like, ‘People want to see it’, and I’m now really, really glad that is part of the movie and I’m excited for people to see it.”
Billie Eilish in a scene from Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live In 3D).
PHOTO: UIP
The performance was brought to life with 17 cameras, said Cameron, many placed in the audience and catching raw emotions.
This is Eilish’s second concert film after 2021’s Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles and follows successful tour movies by American superstars Taylor Swift and Beyonce, which topped the box office and gave a boost to cinemas.
“I think people like that communal experience. I think Billie’s fans like to go together. It creates not only a bond with Billie, but also a bond with one another,” said Cameron. “They feel like it’s a shared emotional experience. I’d be surprised if they don’t sing back.” REUTERS
