BE MOVED

“I would like to thank you for the support, guidance and expertise which you have provided over many years. It has been an honour to work with you.”

Anna Emtage, M & G Investments

More than a Film experience

For this project, my team were asked to bring audiences some classic films under the stars in an attractive local park, together with some gentle sports activities during the day. A strange brief but perhaps it helps explain the ‘Be Moved’ title for the event.

On this occasion, an inflatable screen was used (rather than digital screen) together with a digital projector and bespoke sound equipment to provide a more cinema quality visual and audio experience.

Open-air cinema is a relatively straight-forward event to stage but at the same time audiences expect more than a simple film presentation. So we enhanced the experience with quality food, snacks and drink, shelter in case of rain, chair hire, and some appropriate special effects. After all, the setting in which you experience the film is often as important as the film itself.

“Liam – Working with you on your creative and sometimes rather crazy ideas has been great fun. We feel very privileged that you made us feel like part of the team and not just contractors.”

Steve & Sarah from 1159 Productions

We could have gone with two mainstream films but I wanted to at least challenge the audience on some level. The Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds had recently come out so I felt it was an opportunity to show the earlier version that may also be of interest to the younger crowd. This film also provided the opportunity to enhance the experience with silly pyrotechnic effects when the battle scenes took place – including the pulsing green ray used by the alien crafts in the film. In the context of a film with it’s own pretty poor special effects on screen, the audience was appreciative and amused by our added extras!

Amusingly, the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects but it didn’t take much effort on our part to ‘recreate’ the explosions in the park…

The other film we showed was Dirty Dancing and as a mainstream classic, was popular enough to guarantee a large audience and the shared outdoor cinema experience that is lovely in the summer months. We added some professional dancers to encourage audience participation at appropriate moments during the show. Overall, the audience was moved – both physically and emotionally, so thankfully it was another success for the team.