As the guests made their way to the Savoy Pier, did they really know what a great party they were in store for? It’s hard to say. Rhubarb, the party organisers, had done a great job of putting together a 70th birthday party for Ian on a Thames Clipper boat cruising up and down through the main artery of London. As they boarded the ‘Silver Barracuda’ there was a bagpiper to pipe their way onto the ship and soon it was time to set sail. It was a crisp night, but it made the air even clearer, which made for a perfect vantage point to take in all the sites and all the lights of London as we sailed along the Thames.
Guests enjoyed a drink before finding their way to the leopard print seats for a buffet style dinner. A trio of singers offered up an entertaining floor show and got the guests in the right mood waving their napkins in the air. They soon got everyone to pipe up and sing Happy Birthday to Ian. After dinner, the DJ started to play his tunes and soon everyone was enjoying themselves on the dance floor. Let us take this opportunity to wish a very Happy Birthday to Ian and a thanks for allowing us to share in your special celebration.
With Viktor’s 60th birthday approaching, his family decided to throw a party with style. Guests flew in from all over and there were coaches on hand to shuttle guests and their luggage to the Four Season Hotel in Hampshire. Bloomsbury Films was honoured to be there to film all of the events for his birthday celebration. Viktor greeted his guests for far and wide and they set about enjoying a lovely meal together as we made our way around capturing all of the guests on film. The next day Viktor had all kinds of activities up his sleeve – horse riding, hawking, a river canal boat. They made sure to take full advantage of Hampshire pursuits. That evening was the main celebration – and what a celebration it was – Live music..A sumptuous feast..Plenty of champagne..Talk about throwing a party! Viktor’s guests came with one purpose in mind, to enjoy celebrating a milestone birthday with someone they really care about. Their enthusiasm for the man was palpable and everyone spoke really highly of him. The evening culminated in a fireworks display – the grand finale of which were sparklers which spelled out Happy Birthday Viktor! Dancing continued late into the evening. The next day there was even more fun to be had.
All in all, Viktor threw a smashing weekend party for his birthday and we hope that he enjoys reliving the memories on video for many years to come.
Anyone who has done an MBA knows the sense of relief/satisfaction that comes with completing the journey. So it was at the graduation ceremony for the University of Chicago Graduate Business School in February.
Our videographers are experienced in corporate events – particularly Awards Ceremonies – so when we were planning our day’s shooting we knew we wanted to capture ALL of the day – not just the handing out of the diplomas. We got there early in order to film London’s Ironmongers Hall before the guests started to arrive, but also to catch all the guests and graduates as they arrived. Of course we didn’t miss out on them receiving their diplomas – that piece of paper is important – and we wanted to record the smiling faces all around as people received their just rewards.
And then the real fun started. The champagne corks popped and the cheers, congratulations, hugs and kisses began to flow around the room. We wanted to know how the Graduates were feeling, so we pulled them each aside for a brief chat. We feel these interviews add so much to the final video. But the day didn’t end there. There was the masked reception/dinner with all of the guests donning elegant face masks. After a civilised dinner, the real party began. Coaches took the guests to the Proud Galleries where a DJ was ready to help them rock out into the wee hours of the morning.
A few months ago we decided to launch our own Facebook Page as a way of interacting with past, present and future clients. We now upload highlights of different jobs to the page as they are completed, so visitors can see our range of work and make comments in an easy, friendly environment. I am pleased to say it is very popular, with clients taking a keen interest in the videos and newcomers watching these as a source of inspiration. Indeed our videos seem to not only serve as an example of good videography, but provide an excellent source of ideas for planning their wedding or event!
We heartily welcome comments from prospective clients, whether they are wondering about how to achieve the best videography, which photographers we recommend or what venues to book. As film-makers we know a lot about making things look good, so our advice is sought after on many subjects. Meanwhile the ‘Discussions‘ section of our Facebook page has a number of topics that are being widely shared. We’ve also included some general tips and advice which we hope our clients enjoy.
If you haven’t already subscribed to our Facebook page or know a friend who might like to check it out, please don’t hesitate to look it up at The Bloomsbury Films’ Facebook Page
At the start of this month Bloomsbury Films was neatly packed up into boxes and moved across town to a new studio location in London’s trendy East End. Taking advantage of the hard hit property market on the periphery of London’s financial district, we were lucky to find a 1500 sqft unit in a converted warehouse that would suit our needs now and in the foreseeable future.
New Bloomsbury Films Office
A stone’s throw from Brick Lane, it is conveniently close to Aldgate & Aldgate East tube stations as well as Tower Gateway DLR. From these new offices we continue to operate our sales & administration, video kit storage and maintenance, production planning where our director’s overseeing all our projects. Over the coming months we shall also be introducing additional in-house studio facilities that will enable us to extend our range of services.
We’re very excited about the move, especially as we continue to expand the range of services provided by Bloomsbury Films. Although wedding videos are still currently our biggest market, we are beginning to attract more types of live event filming including interest from businesses for conference filming. We hope you will be able to pay us a visit sometime!
Perhaps this a reflection of being based in London, but perhaps also it shows the growing acceptance in our society for marriage based on love and like-mindedness, rather than seeking a cultural safety net. A particularly good example of this is Shahara & Christophers wedding which we filmed at York House, Richmond in early August. Shahara is from a Muslim Bengali family and Christopher from a traditional English one. In marrying Shahara, Christopher not only adopted a new family, but a new (Muslim) name. When I met them both months prior to their wedding, it was clear they were both very much in love and that whilst Christopher may not have have grown up in a Muslim/Bengali lifestyle, he was more than willing to adopt one.
I like their video very much, and the trailer shows their coming together well. They had splendid weather on the day and I am glad that there was a lot of opportunities for filming outdoors – which I always believe looks so much better than filming indoors! We have done several Bengali wedding videos of late including a stunning Bengali wedding in Newcastle, but this is the first mixed Anglo-Bengali marriage I am aware of filming. I therefore wish Christopher and Shahara all the very best in the future! Below are highlights from their day:
Earlier this year we were invited by the A&R Allstars to film a concert they were doing at Sound in Leicester Square, London. The band wanted us to capture them live so they could create a demo DVD for clients and have a trailer on their website. After consulting us on the how to capture it in a way which focussed on the different vocalists and instrumentalists, we decided on using three videographers with a jib arm and a steadicam flyer. The concert filming was a lot of fun, and the band managed by Lisa and Andy, were a real pleasure to work with.
You can see highlights from the concert filming below, it shows 30 second clips from 6 different numbers. We shot around 12-15 tracks in all which were then edited and put on a specially designed DVD that the band now send out to clients. I like the trailer because it shows some of the camera movements and the details of the performers. I’d very much like the opportunity to do more concerts, although in future I would consider having four videographers and using slightly different equipment.
