I'm Adrienne Gruben with U2 3D here to say that the film and its crew have arrived at Sundance, and it is no small feat. In fact, I'm not sure we've all grasped that this means the train has almost reached its last stop. Four years ago, when Producer Pete Shapiro began tactically popping up everywhere U2 visual content director Catherine Owens was, not to ASK but to TELL her that they would be doing a project together with U2 in 3D, I'm not sure most believed it would actually happen. Pete did come from the music industry, had produced sports content in 3D, and had inspiring faith in his vision, but to bring U2 into the mix, would obviously require everything-the concept, the visuals, and the sound-to go farther than it had ever gone before. Not wanting to ignore a door beckoning for her entrance, Catherine, an artist by trade who had previously directed one project: the MTV VMA nominated video for U2's "Original of the Species", decided to roll the dice. Aware of the need for crack collaborators, she approached fellow director and U2 alum Mark Pellington to co-direct some of the live shows, and re-approached "Original of the Species" editor Olivier Wicki and creative director John Leamy.

All U2 fans are known for their unlimited passion. But in following the band to South America, where they hadn't performed for eight years, we knew we could capture the transcendent magic of an audience who had waited patiently to share again, an experience with their band. And boy did they. Like a Greek Chorus answering back to everything the band gives them, the film becomes a three dimensional volley between the band's fiery performance and the audience's charged and sometimes heartbreaking song interpretations. Catherine calls a few key audience members, like the girl who pantomimes the "love is a temple" lyric from "One" with outstretched arms, "the other stars of the show". So off we went, and in true tumbleweed fashion, more and more crew came on board in sound, editorial, post production, visual effects, 3D conforming, and marketing to name a few. And this crew was one of a kind. Rogue like, sometimes eccentric, and all at the top of their respective games, the one thing that drew them together, as cliche as it sounds, is that they weren't well versed in labeling something impossible. They are the extreme sportsmen of 3D filmmaking. A few of them, including Olivier Wicki and second editor Jason Free, are actually skiing black double diamonds while I type. And Music Producer Carl Glanville, after one lesson, is out there on a slightly less dangerous course. I guess that after jumping and flipping for the last few years, in premiering the film at Sundance, they've all landed at their own filmic X-Games.

Some crew, including VFX Supervisor David Franks, Executive Music Producer John Modell, Glanville and Co Music Producer, Robbie Adams, arrived as early as Monday (FOUR days before the opening night launch) to begin audio and visual prep for the two (and only) Eccles Theater screenings. Eccles is USUALLY used as a theater-theater for the high school. Like the kind where the kids put on Bye Bye Birdie. To say modifications had to be made to the space is an understatement. A new screen was brought in. Two Barco projectors were set up in order to yield enough light, and they underwent significant upgrades. And because this is U2, the Clair Brothers, the best Rock and Roll sound guys in the business, were brought in to create the crispest sound experience possible. I can only imagine the yearly demonstration from the student debate club in 5.1 surround and their power point graphs in 3D. Because it is Sundance, which is devoid of the exclusivity found elsewhere, the students came and watched U2 3D, and Modell hosted a tech discussion with them afterward. The remaining crew began to trickle in too. Our esteemed director, Catherine arrived on Wednesday-hopping on a plane straight from her appearance on the Tavis Smiley show, and later, Co-Director Mark Pellington who has another film here. This group is not lacking in super-achievers.

Sundance has some popular connotations: a Winter sportsman's paradise amongst snow-capped mountains, or a filmmakers dream come true, in spite of the sometimes make or break atmosphere. Films like THE SPITFIRE GRILL, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and JUNO had famously big sales here. The fantasy of every filmmaker sans distribution is that theirs is the film where the sale gets negotiated on cocktail napkins right after the premiere until 6AM the next morning. The filmmakers with distribution hope that this will be the first stop on the train of positive buzz, publicity and momentum. What is less storied is the fact that for some films, no matter how compelling or how rabidly successful the screening, Sundance will serve as the place for their only proud moment. Maybe the market doesn't want that kind of film right now. Maybe a more seasoned filmmaker tackled the same subject matter, or maybe it was too controversial. In '99, I was here with an experimental film set in the 40's, shot in b&w on the camera that shot "I Love Lucy", replete with male nudity and told out of order. I'm sure you can guess which category we fit into.

When I think about that, it dawns on me that one of the things that U2 3D is accomplishing here at Sundance, is that it adds new, or updated, categories to the mix. Sundance has always wanted to recognize technological advances in film. And in beginning to receive and project digital entries several years back, hosting panels about the newest technologies available to filmmakers, and screening animated films that are frequently on the edge of what is possible technically, many of the conversations start here. So with U2 3D at Sundance, it makes perfect sense to introduce new tools for telling stories to many of the people who care about them the most. But what makes it all the more relevant, is that a film like U2 3D will be screened a 2 two minute walk from a film that was shot handheld on film by one or two people. The conversation is not complete without recognizing every point on the spectrum. But my experience is that the filmmakers' feelings, whether they've made a documentary, experimental or big fiction feature film, don't vary so much. Also, what I keep coming away with about this place, is that no matter what category your film falls into, it is critical to appreciate each moment. Which I failed to do in '99. And it wasn't just because my film had naked dudes in it. Director, Catherine Owens, "Before I got here, I was warned time and again to savor every minute of my time here. But it's hard. From the moment you arrive, you are furiously pulled in myriad directions to director's luncheons, press obligations and the like. But I'm trying."

One thing that relieves filmmaker stress is the ridiculous kindness of the Park City residents. Jordy, the stunning snowboarder/waiter with shaggy, buttery, hair (that takes either 5 minutes or 2 hours to do), whose LA equivalent sneers like Bono doing Zoo TV's McPhisto, responds to every Blind Dog Grill patron's order with "I LOVE that dish!". And the Blind Dog's fish market supervisor, who in NY might be skeptical of competitors, stopped to show us the just-came-in Tasmanian trout. When I meekly asked the Park Mountain Kristi's Cafe cashier to break a hundred, she seemed surprised by my tentativeness, and she didn't even test it with that weird pen. (COUNTERFEITERS KEEP AWAY FROM OUR PARADISE!) Even the snow litter is sweet-either dog pee or accidentally dropped tins of lip balm paving paths to the theaters. But, on the way back down the mountain (where I left editor Olivier still snowboarding down black runs, and East Coast Editorial Producer Caryn Maclean taking a ski lesson), I did spot a soggy note on a windshield that read "Nice parking job, Fuckbag!". But still.