London Film Week

Sound Division parties at London Film Week

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.

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!"

"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