Imaginaerum - Update XV - Last Update

     Dear friends of Imaginaerum.

     This will be the last update for the production of the movie. As the premiere has already seen the daylight in Finland and the film is still to be opened in many other countries, hopefully near you, it goes without saying that the dream has finally been fulfilled. It has been an empty moment releasing this baby called Imaginaerum for all, myself, the production companies and for Nightwish. We made a fantastic roller coaster ride in both, real life and on screen.

     Every step of this movie is in fact a miracle. From the day Tuomas and I had a meeting about thirteen music videos to seeking funding, traveling around the globe to seek possible partners, ending up in Canada where the production was close to be dropped, shooting, editing in Finland, going back to Montreal for visual effects, Helsinki for music, working throughout the spring and getting a first version out in may 2012, Nightwish investing more to finish the visuals properly, more editing, to the point where we were working day and night throughout the last summer to get this baby finished in coloring and sound mix. In all the stages of the film more and more sacrifices were made. However, like Tuomas once nicely stated "Everything will come together one day". And it did.

     Imaginaerum is not a just a fanfilm, quite frankly it's far from it and it does raise emotions. Either you love it or you hate it. However, that single idea alone is the base for modern filmmaking and even music. You choose what it is that makes you tick. Imaginaerum is definitely not a film for the critics as it does not have a traditional storyline. But it indeed has a prominent story and will take you deeper, if you're willing to wait for the ravelling of the story and the safe opening. The film holds a universal theme of what is most important in life and it does not look for how you are being categorized, how known you are or what do you do for living. This could very well be anyone's story. 

     The story holds something very important within that we have to remember in our everyday life. We know what our most important things are, but we start ignoring them as we see these things every day. It also creates subconscious fear of losing the these things and we never realize they're gone until they really are. The power of memories and imagination are the things that keep us going until the very end. They are things we base our lives on and eventually they define us. 

     This movie is important, not just because making it was fun or painstaking at times and we felt the triumph of it all at the end, or because we gained many life lasting friends while doing it, but because we have something dear to us hidden within. Our concept for the power of imagination, memories and unconditional love. The fact that Nightwish as a band has poured every single bit of them into this movie, and trusted me and the crew to hide these details as well as we can, the ride reaches much deeper than most of us can imagine. When you're out there look for these details because they are there, and will be whenever you watch the film. 

     Standing in the in the highest tower of Imaginaerum looking back at the crossroads with the sign and saying to myself "Wow... what a ride that was!".
See you at the cinemas.

     Sincerely.
     Stobe Harju, The director.