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 60^th 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.

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

On a warm Spring day towards the end of May two of our wedding videographers made their way down to one of our favourite venues the Four Seasons in Hampshire to film the wedding of Deborah and Mark. It was a very tasteful and intimate wedding that provided a nice opportunity to create yet another very personal film. The couple were very open and I am sure soon forgot we were filming at all. I remember the best man’s speech as being particularly entertaining, surpassed only by the touching tribute from Deborah’s father. As with many weddings filmed at the Four Seasons the outdoor terraces provided a great backdrop for the drinks reception and the field of flames which laid out in the evening. I was happy when I first saw the footage and the video makes a good addition to our growing collection of weddings at the Four Seasons. We are currently editing two more weddings filmed at the Four Seasons Hampshire this Summer which will be uploaded in due course.

At Bloomsbury Films we do a lot of wedding videos, so it is nice whenever we are invited to do something a bit different. An opportunity arose in July when the Segel family were throwing a leaving party to celebrate their return to LA after living in England for some 15 years. The party was held in London and was attended by collegues, friends and associates of the couple. Our videographer Andy took up the mantle on this occasion and filmed lots of interviews from guests and quirky details of the event. Even though I didn’t attend this event personally, it was clear from the footage that the couple were well liked and would be sadly missed. The video was edited by Jeff, who likes to play with the material and always manages to accentuate the quirky elements! As with all our event filming we try to focus on the people as much as the events as we know this is what is going to make the video more enjoyable to watch later on. Below is a trailer from this event videography project:

In May we were booked to film a Bat Mitzvah video for a client at Shoreditch House in London’s East End …and what a fabulous event it was! As a film director, I am familiar with Soho House, the original home of this media-orientated members club, but Shoreditch House was a real discovery for me. The party was hosted on the roof terrace which has an open air pool and a fabulous dining area. Overlooking the urban regeneration of the East End, the location provided plenty of spectacle which was further enhanced by excellent weather. Our videographers Dan & David filmed the event using our new Sony HVR Z7E cameras. This gave me some cause for anxiety as one of the cameras was suspended inches over the pool whilst filming synchronised swimmers! The event went well and I would love to do another Bar Mitzvah video like this in the future.

One of the interesting things about event filming is you can never really predict the things clients might ask you to film! One example was a job we did for Wartski a Bond Street jewellers with family connections in opera. They decided to host a reception for a colleague who had be honoured with the Legion d’Honneur in France for his services to opera. The evening was attended by several composers and well-known individuals at the Arts Club in London. By all accounts it was a fabulous evening and the client was delighted to have hired a videographer as well as a photographer to capture such a prestigious moment. Below are some highlights from the event filming we did.

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.