Were the Wembley shows intended to be filmed like Montreal?

The narrative is that Friday's concerned was filmed as a dress rehearsal for Saturday's concert but is this true or was the original intention to film over two nights and somehow merge the best bits from each show into something that could be commercially released?

I ask because everything from Freddie's clothing to where he is standing on the stage a the beginning and end of each song on Friday mirrors very, very closely what happened on the Saturday to the point where it can't be coincidental. Too coincidental not to be deliberate.

We know the Montreal shows that were later released were filmed in this way but Freddie got pissed off with the production team so tried to sabotage the continuity as best he could but with Wembley it seems as if the intention was to do the same; film over two nights and seamlessly merge the two.

Maybe issues with the mix, the weather, the fact Roger popped on a jacket midway through on Friday he didn't wear the next night - led them to just use the Saturday show and overdub anything that was amiss but over the years the story has become how Friday was the filming 'rehearsal' and that none of it was intended for release whereas maybe in fact the intention was to release one concert merged together from both shows.

I'd thought the filming of the Friday show was a camera rehearsal for the Saturday show, but who knows? What I know is that the audio on the 2003 release and the 2006 release is very different to the audio on the 1992 cassette and vinyl..... and I mean overdubs on Freddie for a start. As for the filming I'm sorry I can't tell you, I just don't know.

Wembley saturday show was mixed 3 times.

2 times (without overdubs / with overdubs) in 1986 by Mack for broadcasts and later for Queen At Wembley 1990 VHS/LD video.

1 time in 1991 (or 1992) by Brian Malouf for 1992 CD/LP/MC live album. Later this mix was remastered (with restored Tutti Frutti reprise) for reissue in 2003 and 2011.

I'm pretty certain the original airing on TV of 'Real Magic' (later released as 'Queen At Wembley' on VHS) was an amalgamation of both nights, footage wise.

No, it's not. Only Saturday performance.

The only things from Friday's filming that were used were the helicopter shots.... (wonder why they couldn't book it for Saturday though?!).

Also there are demonstrably less cameras from the Friday footage.

P.S. I love your quote.... "Too coincidental not to be deliberate". That would be entirely YOUR OPINION, yes?

No like everyone who expresses a view on a message board I was channelling the thoughts of ancient Tibetan Monks

Really there isn't anything more tedious on an internet forum than a bore that things he's scoring points by pointing out the opinions expressed by others are their opinions.

Yes, gold star. The opinion I expressed was my opinion. Clever chap. Surprised you've not been recruited for high office

Even Freddie's costume, as well as adaptations, were identical for both nights. Yellow jacket and plain white t-shirt through until AOBTD, which then saw the jacket removed at pretty much the same point of the song on both nights. Return with the white jacket and Betty Boop t-shirt for MIH with the white jacket being disregarded at the end of the one song on both nights. Then topless (matron!) for Radio Ga Ga before the same white jacket and cape for WWRY with nips fully on display again for Radio Ga Ga onwards.

It could be entirely coincidental but from pictures and limited video footage his outfits didn't match so identically at any other point in the tour where he'd not only wear the exact same thing for two shows and change outfits at exactly the same time.

It's not definitive proof (and these are my views and not the views of Hampshire Council, the BBC or any member of the Dutch Royal Family) but it could be a sign that the intention was to film both nights and merge them into one release but because the weather on the second night was so erratic they decided to just release the Saturday show rather than have to try and edit around when it pissed it down.

So idea: film both nights and release 'best of' as one 'Live at Wembley' release

Reality: Weather was shit on Friday, it buggers up continuity, we have the Saturday show anyway, let's just release that in its entirety.

As for the cameras, I believe there were the same number of cameras for both shows (after all the idea of a dry run/dress rehearsal is that you do it as if it was the actual thing) but unlike the Saturday show the Friday one was never commercially released in full as a stand alone product therefore there wasn't a reason to get into the studio and mix everything including camera angles and give it the same treatment the Saturday one was.

I actually think the Friday concert, visually, is better as the camera stays focused on one thing for more than 2 seconds rather than the ADHD approach they took to the Saturday release where the camera darts about the place far too much.

Edit: Should be NIH nor MIH above. Can't find edit button

I wasn't bashing YOUR opinion. Or trying to take the piss out of you. Apologies if you think I was. I was merely suggesting that just because YOU think that it's "Too coincidental not to be deliberate" DOESN'T automatically mean it's true or that it has any grounds for fact.

Let's ask the Director Gavin Taylor.... actually, we don't need to as he clearly states in the documentary on the bonus disc that he and a smaller camera crew were there PURELY for camera rehearsals. So that's that.

(Also, much of the camera footage was pretty shoddy - whip pans, bad focus pulling, etc - which strongly suggests that the camera operators knew it didn't have to be perfect)

This reply is entirely my own thoughts and not that of The Dutch Royal family. Nor have I channelled the thoughts of ancient Tibetan Monks.

Nice isn't it?

There's no need for a professional film company to film a 'test' concert. Quite apart from anything else the expense of doing so is astronomical. They weren't a group of students looking for something for their end-of-summer-term assignment. Why would you pay for the crew, the equipment and all the other expense necessary when undertaking such an venture, just to 'test'?

You've been commissioned to film a band at Wembley. You're a professional outfit whose been commissioned to film live events and concerts in the past. Do youj

A) Film both nights with a view of mixing them together into a final product, mitigating the chances of some kind of gremlin or technical mishap ruining the project you'll theoretically have a back up for everything

or

B) Decide to film the first night just to make sure your camera men you've had in your employ for years know which way the cameras point with a view of completely discarding anything filmed on night one with the intention to only mix and released night two

It's obviously A which is why there was clearly some degree of continuity co-operation from the band in terms of what they wore in which parts of the show which, until Roger got nippy and put his jacket on, mirrored night one from night two.

The then there's the helicopter. Why hire the helicopter for the night your DON'T intend on filming or any other purpose other than to find out of your camera crew recognise and film Freddie Mercury and don't just point the camera at the floor for an hour and a half?

IMO they intended to film both nights, safeguard against mishaps with a view of getting mixing the final product as a 'best of' over the two nights, in order to make that idea seamless for the most part the band (3 of them anyway) assisted in the continuity with regards to where they stood on the stage, costume changes - just as what the plan was in Montreal a few years earlier where a crew was hired for 2 nights to film both concerts with a view to releasing them into one 'Queen live...' mix. Oddly in Montreal they didn't go down the road of 'film night one to check you can take the lense cap off the camera..but properly film night two.' As that'd the stupid and that's why that didn't happen at Wembley either.

Maybe the shots were better on night two? Maybe the weather/atmosphere made it difficult to adhere to the continuity for them to be able to merge both nights? The lighting must have been different during the day time as it's generally darker when it's raining making it difficult for the purposes of mixing both together visually.

The Magic Tour was massively generic throughout - barely any set list changes. Even the improvised bit was pretty similar. So I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't some consistencies in where people went for particular cues....Bran always goes out front for TYMD intro, goes under the descending lights for part of his solo, etc.

The oddity for me is that two shows were filmed - Budapest & Wembley. I can only guess that having done a broadcast deal, they wanted something for VHS release, and were contractually prevented from using Wembley, although that would represent poor negotiation from Mr Beach...

Dear Oscar2009,

I admire and respect your tenacity in the face of no ACTUAL evidence. I also admire and respect your devotion to your own powers of pure conjecture.

Again, the Director - Gavin Taylor - confirms, on camera, in the accompanying documentary that Friday was purely a camera test.

Friday’s concert was intended to test out the cameras and figure out angles. It’s been confirmed and said many times. Go back to reddit kid.