Film: Sign O’ The Times

1986: Under The Cherry Moon ◄

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Sign O’ The Times

Movie details Premiere: 29 October 1987: American Theatre, Detroit, MI Released: 20 November 1987 (USA) 3 June 1988 (Sweden) 23 June 1988 (Australia) 1 July 1988 (Denmark) 11 August 1988 (the Netherlands) 11 November 1988 (Ireland) 25 February 1989 (Japan) 10 March 1989 (East Germany) 11 May 1990 (Finland) Director: Daniel Kleinman (original Ahoy’ footage, first day of re-shoot, uncredited) Prince Albert Magnoli (Paisley Park Studios footage, uncredited) Writers: Producers: Robert Cavallo (Producer) Tim Clawson (Assistant producer) Steven Fargnoli (Producer) Simon Fields (Co-producer) Joseph Ruffalo (Producer) Productions Companies: Warner Bros. Music by: Prince Genre(s): Concert Film MPAA Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 85 minutes Technical Specification(s): Country: USA Language: English Sound Mix: Dolby Color: Technicolor Aspect Ratio:1.85 : 1 Distributor(s): Warner Bros. (1987) Box Office, Nominations & Awards Box office Opening Weekend (20 Nov. 1987) USA: $950,116 (234 Screens) Gross: USA: $3,000,073 Awards Minnesota Music Awards, USA 1988 Production/Movie/Theatrical MTV Video Music Awards Best Male Video Best Stage Performance Video Nominations Minnesota Music Awards, USA 1988 Production/Music Video (U Got The Look) Production/Music Video (I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man) MTV Video Music Awards Best Editing in a Video (U Got The Look) Best Choreography in a Video (U Got The Look) See also Sign O’ The Times (album) Sign O’ The Times (home video)

Sign O’ The Times is a 1987 concert film depicting the Sign O’ The Times Tour, starring and directed by Prince. Production Originally conceived to be filmed a the end of the tour in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium, most of the shots in the film are actually re-shot at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, MN, where the concert film was lip-synced to audio recorded in Rotterdam and Antwerp. Cast & Crew Cast Prince - Himself Sheila E. - Herself Sheena Easton - Herself Dr. Fink - Himself Miko Weaver - Himself Levi Seacer, Jr. - Himself Eric Leeds - Himself Atlanta Bliss - Himself Wally Safford - Himself Gregory Allen Brooks - Himself Boni Boyer - Herself Cat - Herself Katy Laslay - Girlfriend (uncredited) Main Crew Production Robert Cavallo - producer Tim Clawson - associate producer Steven Fargnoli - producer Simon Fields - co-producer Joseph Ruffalo - producer Music Prince Cinematography Peter Sinclair Film Editing Steve Purcell - (as Steve Percell) Production Design Leroy Bennett Makeup Department Terra Andrews - hair/makeup assistant Earl Jones - hair stylist Robyn Lynch - makeup artist Production Management Arnaud Esterez - unit manager Cheri Hunter - post-production supervisor Jeffrey Mason - production manager Victoria Niles - production manager Clément Sentilhes - assistant unit manager Second Unit Director or Assistant Director Betsy Bangs - second assistant director Randy Carter - first assistant director Fred Eisenlohr - second assistant director Scott McCullough - second second assistant director Selannie Tyc - second assistant director Art Department Scott Duncan - props Joel Lang - assistant art director John McGraw - stage designer Laila Schirrmeister - property master Sound Department Nicholas Atkins - turbosound technician Harald Danker - db sound technician Geert De Bruin - assistant sound engineer Robin Fox - sound technician Eddie Garcia - assistant sound engineer Roger Harding - turbosound technician William Head - db sound technician Michiel Hoogenboezem - assistant sound engineer (as Michiel Hoogenbosem) Tim Jordan - assistant sound engineer Mike Kloster - assistant sound engineer Gregg Landaker - re-recording mixer Sandy MacRae - playback recordist Steve Maslow - re-recording mixer Robert Nichols II - sound recordist Gary Ritchie - re-recording mixer Susan Rogers - sound recording engineer Gary Sanguinet - monitor mixer Joe Schiff - assistant sound engineer Mick Staplehurst - turbosound technician Terry Wilson - assistant sound engineer Billy Youdelman - re-recording mixer Camera and Electrical Department William Adie - lighting technician Kenneth C. Barrows - assistant camera David Beazley - lighting technician Leroy Bennett - lighting designer Dustin Blauvelt - assistant camera Donald Burghardt - second assistant camera: "a" camera Peter Currier - lighting technician David Dorr - rigger Milo Durben - grip Rick Favazzo - crane technician: Louma crane Dennis A. Frank - electrician Laurel Glowecki - lighting technician: Vari*Lite Paul Hughen - assistant camera Victor Korte - dolly grip Dan Lutz - electrician Ed Maloney - best boy electric Marc Margulies - assistant camera Joe R. Marquette Jr. - camera operator Michael R. Marquette - assistant camera Gary Massey - lighting technician Jeff Mateer - lighting technician Aidan McCabe - lighting technician: Vari*Lite Robert McKinney - rigger Rick Meyer - video playback Edward Monahan - rigger John C. Morgan - lighting technician: Vari*Lite (as John Morgan) Chris Moseley - second assistant camera Mac Mosier - light operator: Vari*Lite Jalal Pashandi - second assistant camera Reinhart 'Rayteam' Peschke - gaffer J. Michael Popovich - key grip (as Mike Popovitch) Greg Potter - second assistant camera Matthew Quast - playback operator Milan Rakic - lighting technician Steven Rusling - lighting technician Larry Sweet - best boy grip Joseph F. Valentine - camera operator Andrew Watson - lighting technician: Vari*Lite Jerry Watson - additional photographer / camera operator John Wyer - lighting technician Jeff Zimmerman - camera operator Costume and Wardrobe Department Elizabeth Dorr - wardrobe supervisor Helen Hiatt - wardrobe assistant Lisa Jordan - wardrobe assistant Martha O’Connor - wardrobe assistant Bevla Reeves - wardrobe assistant Patrick Wilson - wardrobe assistant Editorial Department Dan Blevin - additional editor Dave Blum - additional editor Kelvin Duckett - additional editor Bob Jenkis - additional editor Ellen Murphy - negative cutter David Pincus - additional editor Teresa Race - post production office assistant Fred Raimondi - additional editor Charley Randazzio - additional editor Judy Reidel - associate editor D.D. Stenehjem - assistant editor Jeff U’ren - additional editor Don Wilson - additional editor Location Management Joel Thingvall - location wrangler Music Department Susan Rogers - music supervisor Therese Stoulil - music production coordinator Billy Youdelman - music supervisor Other Crew Click the show button on the right to expand this section. Other crew Mark Adelman - road manager Sheryl Appleton - script supervisor Hucky Austin - tour security Victoria Ayres - assistant: Prince Joel Bernstein - guitar technician Rebecca Boss - production secretary Terri Brook - production assistant Wendy Brooks - assistant to production manager Clayton Burton - tour security Lyle Centola - stage manager Spencer Churchill - tour accountant Neal Countryman - palomar crane operator Gilbert Davison - security director Peter Gauchi - house security Steven Gilbard - stage manager Sal Greco - maintenance engineer Gwendolyn Gwyn - assistant to tour manager Susan Hale - assistant: Mr. Fargnoli Michael Z. Hanan - art direction for vignettes David Hogan - director, "u got the look" sequence Donald Johnson - keyboard technician Karen Krattinger - assistant: Prince Matthew Larson - band technician Alan Leeds - tour manager Leslie Lehr - production coordinator (as Lesli J. Lehr) Bradley Marsh - drum technician Scott McCullough - production assistant Rebecca K. Mostow - assistant: Mr. Cavallo Fred Moultrie - business manager Michael Oakvik - tour security Robert Paster - assistant: Prince Donald Peake - tour accountant Joanne Rabune - production accountant Ann Richman - production accountant Robyn Riggs - publicist David Rule - keyboard technician Michael Soltys - guitar/bass technician Pamela Starks - assistant: Mr. Fields Patricia Wright - assistant: Mr. Ruffalo Tony Knoss - production runner assistant (uncredited) Gary F. Spradling - production assistant and intern (uncredited) Credits Company Credits

Synopsis
The film is pretty much a straightforward showing of a Sign O’ The Times Tour concert, with some scenes and vignettes interspersed to add a narrative. It follows the standard format of the tour although some songs from the concerts have been omitted. Culled from a standard set the songs featured in the film comprise Sign O’ The Times, Play In The Sunshine, Little Red Corvette, Housequake, Slow Love, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man, Hot Thing, Now’s The Time, U Got The Look, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Forever In My Life / It, It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night and The Cross, with the last two songs switched in sequence from how they were performed in concert. Added is a rendition of U Got The Look (before If I Was Your Girlfriend), which was not part of the standard set, but instead for the purpose of a promotional video in Paris, before the film was conceived. Girls & Boys (following Housequake), Let’s Go Crazy, When Doves Cry, Purple Rain, 1999 (following If I Was Your Girlfriend) and Kiss (following Forever In My Life) are missing from the film.
Making of
Shooting
Initial filming was done on 26, 27 and 28 June 1987 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. On 29 June more footage was filmed in Antwerp, Belgium. Videofootage recorded in Paris on 16 June 1987 was also used. Most of the visuals used in the film however, were shot over six days, starting 18 July 1987, at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, MN, mostly lip syncing to material originally recorded in Rotterdam on at least the last day, (23 July 1987, but maybe also on the other days) new audio was also recorded in front of an audience of around 100 extras. The audio of the songs featured in the film was recorded on the following days, albeit sometimes with overdubs in post-production at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, MN, USA Sign O’ The Times – 27 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Play In The Sunshine – 27 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Little Red Corvette – 26 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (intro) / 27 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (end) Housequake – 29 June 1987: Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium (intro) / 28 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (end) Slow Love – 26 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (intro) / 27 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (end) I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man – 27 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Hot Thing – 28 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (abreviated) Now’s The Time – 27 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands If I Was Your Girlfriend – 27 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Forever In My Life – 29 June 1987: Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium (intro) / 28 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (end) It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night – 28 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands The Cross – 27 June 1987: Sportpaleis Ahoy’, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Shooting Schedule & Locations Click the show button on the right to expand this section. Date Day Location Shooting Scenes 16 June 1987 #0 Paris, France Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy U Got The Look 26 June 1987 #1 Rotterdam, the Netherlands Sportpaleis Ahoy’ whole concert 27 June 1987 #2 Rotterdam, the Netherlands Sportpaleis Ahoy’ whole concert 28 June 1987 #3 Rotterdam, the Netherlands Sportpaleis Ahoy’ whole concert 29 June 1987 #4 Antwerp, Belgium Sportpaleis whole concert 18-23 July 1987 #5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 Chanhassen, MN, USA Paisley Park Studios soundstage set re-shooting. 18-22 July: whole concert; 19 July;: Vignettes; 23 July: Audience participation

Additional Information Promotion (at time of release) Trivia References

1986 Under The Cherry Moon

Movies

Television Films And Specials

1989 Graffiti Bridge