Happy Birthday Patrick! It was a delight for us to be able to celebrate with Patrick his six decades of fantastic living and we hope this video is one he looks back on with happy memories for years to come. Patrick’s guests arrived at the Four Seasons Hampshire Hotel for a formal birthday celebration and as the guests arrived, they were wowed by the Hampshire countryside with its rolling hills and rural loveliness. The party was concocted so it was a surprise for Patrick and he seemed genuinely touched!
You can’t fake the surprised look which plays across his face when greeted with all his loved ones assembled together in one room. The party started with everyone quaffing champagne and catching up before moving inside for a very lavish supper. As the guests were taking their seats was a great time for us to really get about the room and film all of the various table groupings – it’s sometimes a bit tricky not to get in people’s way, but our experienced camera operators are great at being there while managing to steer clear of all the traffic! A skill developed over many years. Patrick may be 60, but you sure wouldn’t know it the way he carried on celebrating well into the evening! Well done Patrick! Many happy more.
Is there any sound more cheerful than that of a steel band? It immediately conjures up images of sunshine, Caribbean beaches, rum drinks in coconut half-shells, and a laid-back holiday vibe. So what could possibly be a better choice for a musical accompaniment to this wedding reception in Oxfordshire? As wedding guests milled about enjoying a drink they were able to sway to the compelling beat of ‘La Bamba’ and other Spanish songs. The six piece group were well-rehearsed and played together with precision.
They were clearly enjoying themselves as much as we were loving listening to them. They swayed to the rhythm of the music as they were playing keeping the beat nice and steady. Their flamboyant shirts were as much a part of their performance as anything which went a long way to building their Caribbean vibe. The bride and groom were loving the music and the chilled-out effect it was having on their guests. For them, it was the perfect August outdoor wedding reception. The venue worked really well too with the mature trees and tall grasses which helped to create different spaces where people could gather and visit – all the while being within earshot of the Steel Band. An inspired choice for a wedding reception, we’d say!
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.
Talk about a wedding surprise! At this recent Arabic wedding, which took place at The Gherkin in London, there was an Arabic Serenade performed by the singer Elias. The guests were all mesmerised by his vocal acrobatics while he led the bride and groom, hand in hand, up the spiral staircase. When they reached the top, they were on the black polished marble tiles and the undulating music started to inhabit their bodies. Slowly and sensually our couple began to move to the music, using their arms in serpentine motions as Elias caressed the tune. As they began to circle each other they found the rhythm more and more strongly, moving slowly down into their hips.
Our lovely bride in her white dress rolled her hips to the beat of the music. The tempo started to pick up and the audience began to clap along – this spurred things on even faster and tempo continued to accelerate. It was exciting to watch! Our camera operator was following them around, tracking their movement so that the eye is able to follow their motion. This is far more effective than just staying stationary and filming as they pass. At a certain point, the audience couldn’t contain themselves and they just had to join in. Soon the rhythm found its way throughout the room and everyone was moving to the Arabic serenade. What a great way to celebrate! Thanks for including us!
When the announcement was made that ‘the next 15 minutes are going to blow your mind,’ did anyone really have a sense of what they were in for? ‘Signature’ – the group which first came to nation’s attention on Britain’s Got Talent – were making an appearance at an Indian wedding reception at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The guests quickly crowded around the floor to get a better view. What they saw was a single man, dressed like Michael Jackson in his black suit. Then he started to dance! From his moonwalk to his arm ripples, it was like watching Michael himself! The camera phones quickly came out and people tried to capture footage of what they were seeing. The bride and groom clapped along looking delighted with the events.
Signature, made up of performers Suleman Mirza and Madhu Singh, are a great double act. Turns out the announcer at the beginning soon wanted to take his turn on the dance floor! Turns out he is just as talented! The music switched from Michael Jackson to Bollywood and Madhu Singh showed how adept he is at Bollywood style of dance. The two work really well off each other and their mock competition to see who could dominate was very entertaining! If you get a chance to see Signature perform, we highly recommend them.
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.
The backbone of our business is wedding videos, which we love doing – it’s always an honour to be there for someone’s special day. But we also do a lot of corporate video work; so to combine both of these by providing live event filming for the National Wedding Show at London’s Earls Court was right up our alley!
The National Wedding Show is a chance for some of the best bridal designers to showcase their creativity and skill in front of their clients and peers. As one beautiful model after another came out wearing spectacular wedding dresses, it was clearly going to be a tough assignment for us! We used a two-camera set-up so we could have a master shot showing the whole stage but also have a second camera to get in close and film lots of detail, after all when it comes to choosing wedding finery it comes down to the details. We were then able to cut between the two to give a real impression of what it’s like to be at a fashion show.
It wasn’t just the brides who were accommodated for in the show, there were spectacular morning suits, and less formal suits for the groom, wedding outfits for flower girls and ring bearers plus looks for bridesmaids. There were also trends of multi-cultural weddings which reflect the current wedding industry in the UK. It was a great event and we were glad to be a part of it.
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.
Many clients visiting our website and YouTube channel find it useful to watch clips featuring a venue they are planning to hire for their event. Over the years we’ve filmed at hundreds of venues around the country so now have an enormous resource which we can offer people access to. Consequently, we have just launched a weddings & event venues section on website which lists all these in an easy to use way. Over the coming weeks we shall be adding more and more videos. We are excited that this will provide a fabulous opportunity for people planning their weddings & events to visualise how they might look in these locations.
For 2010 Bloomsbury Films has already been booked for dozens of new and interesting venues both in the UK and overseas. We therefore hope that we shall be able to continue adding to this resource in the future and look forward to helping our clients plan the perfect day. To visit our new wedding & event venues page click here.
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
