Sound Division parties
at London Film Week
Institute
of Directors |
|
The Times London Film Festival, presented by
the British Film Institute, is Europe's largest
public film event and is, according to Barry Norman,
"The only important showcase for international
cinema in Britain." This year the 48th annual
festival attracted over 116,000 admissions, 280
of which were screened from 60 countries. In addition
to an impressive roster of film premieres, many
of which are introduced by the film's director,
producer or stars, the extensive schedule of festival
activities include prestigious opening and closing
night galas, after-film VIP parties, industry
and public forums, education events, lectures
and celebrity interviews. Premier PR, who handles
many of the film premiers and after-film parties,
turned to Sound Division to provide sound and
lighting effects for two high profile parties.
Imperial
China
|
|
The first was for Chinese director, Zhang Yimou's
latest film, House of Flying Daggers. His tale
of tangled and tragic love combines the classic
elements of the martial arts genre with dazzling
aesthetics and a romantic heart. The exclusive
after-film party for 500 guests was hosted at
London's Imperial China restaurant in Soho. Sound
Division's Chris Baxter was asked to create an
atmosphere throughout the four-storey restaurant
that was in keeping with the aesthetic atmosphere
of the film.
"I achieved this principally through a number
of lighting effects," explained Chris. "We
covered the front entrance with a rippling water
effect using Martin Manias, which was a theme
we carried throughout the building. We floodlit
the restaurant and food-serving areas in jade
green which looked stunning, and we also uplit
some 20 bamboo flower design using chrome Birdie
uplighters. We had lots of lighting effects in
the main room including a custom-made gobo of
the Times logo with the Chinese translation underneath.
In fact, the manager of the restaurant was so
impressed with our lighting that we're now quoting
for his new restaurant due to open next year!"
Institute
of Directors |
|
"Audio-wise we supplied a DJ system based
on Pioneer DJ equipment and a powerful JBL SRX
dancefloor system on the ground floor which we
linked to the in-house system so that the DJ could
be heard across all four floors."
Sound Division supplied a second system for another
after-film party to the Institute of Directors
on Pall Mall where the requirements were to supply
audio and lighting effects for a main music room
and a chill-out room as well as two plasma screens
and DVD players. "We uplit the grand pillars
of the main room in red, which looked very dramatic,"
commented Chris. "From an audio perspective,
we supplied a Pioneer DJ system and a JBL dancefloor
system with a feed into the second room, much
as we did for Imperial China. Everything worked
impeccably."
Deborah Harper from Premier PR has been using
Chris and Sound Division's services for many years
for all sorts of events, and remains convinced
of the high quality of their service. "I
know that when I call Chris with a job, I can
rely on him and his team to make it work, even
if it's not straightforward. They are punctual,
efficient, know how to work to a brief, and yet
remain sufficiently creative that it always looks
and sounds great. It's one less thing I have to
worry about, which makes my job a lot easier."
November
2004 |
