(RockAndMetal.com) (07/28/06)

Edited By Michael Bennett

LONDON, UK - Universal Music Group has announced the November 2006 DVD premiere of "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out," - a fascinating behind-the-scenes, never-before-seen documentary capturing THE POLICE from their inception in 1978, their peak in 1982, and their split in 1984.

Directed by and culled from original Police drummer Stewart Copeland's Super 8 archive, the film was originally premiered earlier this year at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival. In it, Stewart Copeland documents the band's inevitable rise from a struggling, unknown Rock trio to international superstars.

This amazing film is a rare, candid, unadulterated and priceless account of Pop history in the making, of international chart domination and life on the road as the drummer and founding member of The Police. Copeland not only had the foresight to film everything he encountered with his Super 8mm camera, but twenty-seven years later, he ingeniously edited together all the archive footage and made it into a vivid first person account.

His narration throughout the film guides the viewer from The Police's meteoric rise from virtual unknowns to one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. With the aid of the latest in computer software technology, Copeland enhanced the live recordings and edited the never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes footage into a 74-minute documentary.

Memorable scenes include the first time the band encounters hysteria after a UK concert, the first meeting with A&M Records executives in New York City, their first press conference in Los Angeles, recording sessions in Holland and Montserrat, backstage and on stage at the European festivals promoting "Reggatta De Blanc" and "Zenyatta Mondatta," as well as joking around backstage, in hotels and in TV studios.

The soundtrack is made of live clips as well as studio tracks. Featuring over sixty different Police songs in various versions, the film offers a humorous, perceptive and deeply personal compendium of all of the special moments on the road during an exciting time in the ever-changing face of Rock music.

Standout tracks include 'So Lonely,' 'Roxanne,' 'Can't Stand Losing You,' 'Message In A Bottle,' 'Don't Stand So Close To Me,' 'De Do Do Do De Da Da Da,' 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Wrapped Around Your Finger.' A number of Police songs have been remixed by Copeland, giving the songs a new breath of life.

For instance, a bass line from 'Can't Stand Losing You' is mixed with the vocal from another part of the song and the final result is surprising. Copeland even mixes a vocal line taken from 'Don't Stand So Close To Me '86' mixed with the original backing tracks recorded in 1980 from the Zenyatta Mondatta sessions.

Following are some comments from Stewart Copeland on the making of "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out":

"In 1978, I was a member of a struggling rock band called The Police. Actually, by then our struggle had alleviated to the point where I could afford to buy a new toy: a Super 8 movie camera.

As soon as I raised it to my eye and started filming, amazing things began to happen. A thrill ride began that took our group to the tippy-top of the music ziggurat. It was such an unreal experience that it seemed to make the most sense when I watched it through the lens of my camera. It was literally like watching a movie as the band sparked a fire that lit up the world for us. 'Everyone Stares' is that movie.

When the touring was over, the film reels went into shoeboxes and sat there for twenty years. There is no negative with Super 8, so every time it is screened it gets a little more scratched. So I put it away, waiting for technology to provide some affordable means of transferring my 50 hours of film to a more durable medium. Eventually, so much time went by that I just forgot about it. I got a new job, a new family and a new life. That rock star guy that I was as a kid seemed like almost another person.

Then personal computers were invented and it finally became possible to digitize the footage. It wasn't long before user-friendly editing software was invented (Final Cut Pro is such a clever program that any damned fool can learn it). By chance, that new job of mine -- film composer -- has kept my nose deep into the art and science of post-production. And now I found myself on a filmmaking mission that was all about post production.

It took me about a year and a half to figure out the software and cut the movie. The result was a film that was untouched by any hands other than my own. Even the Police music that I used to score the film was hacked from the old master tapes, although I lobotomized them and de-arranged them so they were barely recognizable.

I took bars from stage jams and joined them to the studio recordings. I took vocals from over here, and put them over there. I was able to get stacked Sting vocals from the studio recordings and put them over wild live performances - sometimes even over the wrong songs. It's still The Police -- it's just my version of it.

That was the film that was invited to Sundance. A team of skilled professionals then took over, re-digitizing my original footage to a higher standard and reassembling it to match my original cut. 'Everyone Stares' is very different from any other movie I've seen about this kind of adventure.

Because it is shot in the first-person, the action doesn't roll past the camera; it rushes right into the lens. The screaming fans, the breathless journalists, and even the other members of the band address the camera by name. When you watch the film, you are a member of The Police, and your name is Stewart."

Stewart Copeland received the Hollywood Film Festival's first Outstanding Music in Film Visionary Award, and was a 2003 inductee into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of The Police. He has been responsible for some of the film world's most innovative and groundbreaking scores.

His recent composing credits include "Desperate Housewives" and "Dead Like Me," while his musical career includes the sale of more than 60 million records worldwide, five Grammy Awards, a CableACE Award, as well as several Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations.

"Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out" Chapter Listing:
1. The First Two Years
2. I Got This Movie Camera
3. And It May Sound Strange...
4. Europe Summer Festivals
5. Next To You
6. First Frenzy
7. Chat to Camera During Show
8. Rock Star Trashes Road Store
9. Blond Life
10. News Reels
11. Zenyatta Bull Rings
12. Arena Band in America
13. Do Do Inna Snow Snow
14. Life Becomes A Duran Duran Video
15. Japanese Valentines
16. Wretched In Montserrat
17. World Conquest
18. This Is What We Came For
19. Us Festival With Real Cameras
20. End Titles

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