Special Day Filming

Barley Hall

Special Day Films — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:10:15 +0000

Here’s a little online promo we made for Barley Hall, a medieval house hidden away down a snickelway in the centre of York and guarded by a printer’s red devil .

It’s an atmospheric and cosy place for a wedding; we’ve filmed a few there. By candlelight.

By the way, it’s unlucky, and this is absolutely true, to look into the eyes of the red devil. Should have told you that earlier. Sorry.

- Frank

Nights at the Round Table

Special Day Films — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:43:30 +0000

Just a quick post to share something with you that our collaborator Arron Dennis has been working on; Nights at the Round Table. It’s the pilot for a new comedy series about war-gamers, and you can watch it here…

My all-night horror madness at LIFF25

Special Day Films — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:43:32 +0000

This last couple of weeks I have been working at the Leeds International Film Festival as a Digital Assistant. I was part of a crew that included my Nothing Man co-DOP, Dave Beveridge who was trying to balance working on the festival with finishing a very ambitious half-animation, half-photography, half-film project for Our Albert (and yes, I am aware that that constitutes three halves) which you should watch here – it’s only barely longer than 10 seconds, but you wouldn’t believe the amount of time and effort Dave put into it!

Anyway, the main reason for this post, is to share with you the first video we produced for the festival, the highlights from the 11th Night of the Dead horror movie all-nighter. Here it is…

Night of the Dead XI

As I write this there is still just under a week left of the festival, so if you can get to Leeds, pop over and see what else is still showing – and if you spot me in my official red t-shirt and pass, come and say hello.

- Adam

Amelia

Special Day Films — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:00:24 +0000

More terrific tonsil work from The Choir of Dave, this time backed by The Band of Dave. And once again the members of the band look strangely alike .

The location was the tiny but atmospheric church of St Mary’s at Lead near Towton. Nearby is the scene of the bloodiest battle ever fought in England and there are a few ghost stories attached to the church and the pub opposite (The Crooked Billet) which you might be able to get the landlord to tell you if he’s not too busy. They still practice archery there once a month just in case those pesky Lancastrians decide to have another go.

- Frank

Dressing Up and Eating Sweeties

Special Day Films — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:18:59 +0000

We’re always saying you don’t have to spend a fortune to make your wedding party a great success. Here’s a couple of good ideas from a recent wedding we filmed. Dawn and Jason held their service in St Olave’s church and the reception at the historic and atmospheric Grays Court between the Minster and the medieval walls of York. They arranged a buffet of tempting and colourful sweets in one of the reception rooms next to a dressing up box, a couple of picture frames and a polaroid camera. Just add a couple of pints of lager and a bucks fizz for the ladies and you’ve soon got a room full of laughter and relaxed people having a great time.

We shared camera duties with our friend Jim Poyner who no doubt now has a bright future as a blackmailer with his large portfolio of pictures of guests wearing funny hats and moustaches.

Well we had a great time and Dawn and Jason and all the wedding guests were lovely.

So remember. Good ideas = memorable wedding. Loads of money not necessary. Except when it comes to the video of course. Don’t, for heavens sake, skimp on that!

- Frank

Another Award (yawn)

Special Day Films — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:51:28 +0000

Yes, Ralph at Sky”everyone’s a winner”Fest has given “The Bridge of Useful Shortcuts”
a Certificate of Excellence.

Possibly for having a title longer than the film itself.
So thanks to me, Adam, Howard Moseley-Chalk and Moby who all worked tirelessly on this motion picture. Sob.

- Frank

Nothing Man – September shoot

Special Day Films — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:09:46 +0000

Earlier this summer, our friends in Trespasser Films started pre-production on their first feature film, Nothing Man and I was flattered to be asked by Stephen and Jonny to come on board to film it with them.

"Pull my finger". Photo by Ric Vince

Although I’d previously worked on MilesTone’s CrimeFighters, this was my first opportunity to have a big creative input into a feature film, in the sense that there will be a lot of my work right up there on the screen. This was massively exciting and somewhat nervewracking, but luckily, Stephen and Jonny are both adept camera operators themselves, and I was working alongside the massively talented Dave Beveridge, so that took a lot of the pressure off as we all had each other to consult and lean on (sometimes literally) when we needed to.

Reviewing a take with Jonny, Stephen and actor Paul Mason. Photo by Helene Lott

We shot throughout September, starting at 8am most days and often not wrapping until late…

Production Office, 01:07am.

However, everyone attacked each day with admirable enthusiasm, good humour and (mostly caffeine-fueled) energy. The whole cast and crew were great, and because we were all in each other’s company the whole time, I feel like as well as making some great contacts, I also made some great friends.

I also got to make a cameo too, being beaten to death by occasional Special Day Films camera operator Arron Dennis. See if you can spot us in the teaser trailer…

Although “principle photography” is over, there’s still plenty more work to be done, we even still have pick-ups to film. Watch this space!

- Adam

Toast

Special Day Films — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:34:48 +0000

Frank has always felt pity for, and outrage on behalf of, the innocent motorists and stallholders whose property and livelihoods are endangered or destroyed by the inconsiderate driving of the heroes and villains of Bourne and Bond films as they chase each other through picturesque cities and colourful markets. What would happen to one of those stallholders – let us call him Andy – after such an event?

The Toast team, corseted by a strict budget, has produced a slim but shapely comedy/drama wherein all the participants: heroes and villains, had met each other at the same school in the same small Yorkshire town.

When Andy loses his livelihood he goes searching for answers and eventually finds tea, toast and his neighbour Phoebe in his beloved allotment shed. He is temporarily consoled but cast down again when he returns home and discovers his wife, Emma, similarly sharing tea and toast with Phoebe’s husband, Ed the bank manager. He has a hypocritical tantrum and marches out of the house.

A beautiful morning after a drunken night on the moors revives his spirits once again until the heroes and villains once more carelessly pass by and destroy everything he has left.

Armed only with a toothbrush Andy sets off in pursuit of his tormentors, towards local super-villain Julian Wiley’s mysterious Volcano Project Headquarters and his appointment with destiny.

Stella and Luigi Vs. the Double Decker Bus

Special Day Films — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:25:36 +0000

A couple of months ago Sheena, Arron and I were invited to film Stella & Luigi’s wedding. They’d booked us for the full day which meant Arron starting off the morning at Hedley House with Luigi and half of the guests in York, and Sheena and I heading to Eastrington to the church and Stella’s mum’s house. It was the kind of beautiful weather that all couples hope for on their wedding day, barely a cloud in the sky and the venue couldn’t have looked more picturesque.

Two vintage buses had been hired to take the groom and all these guests to the church. Everyone trooped into town to the pick up point outside the Art Gallery, and excitedly piled on to the buses, and they were off!

…in entirely the wrong direction!

They pulled over on Clarence Street to reassess the plan, brought the buses around and headed off again!

…in entirely the wrong direction again!

As Sheena and I waited at the church, Arron kept us up to date with the situation via text message, and Luigi broke the news to the Bridal party over the phone.

Stella: “The next half hour was basically filled with people running backwards and forwards, making phone calls, and trying to understand what the hell was going on…
…Finally my dad and brother decided to go out in the car in order to meet the bus and accompany it back to Eastrington.“

On a day that is so meticulously planned, and anticipated often years in advance, sometimes a minor setback can feel like a major annoyance, so it is testament to the good humour and grace of the wedding party that they took this in their stride.
After this delay, everything else seemed to go smoothly and entirely to plan. The service was lovely and the speeches impressively multi-lingual, and as we left as the evening’s festivities were well and truly under way.

A few weeks later we spoke to Stella again and she told us how we’d provided vital evidence in the case of the delayed bus. The company had apparently tried to deny any error on their part, but were forced to begrudgingly admit their mistake when faced with cold hard video evidence of the route the driver had taken. They would’ve gotten away with it, if it hadn’t been for us meddling filmmakers!

While she was on the subject of admitting to mistakes, Stella had some beans of her own to spill…

“Now, to be honest, I have a confession to make. When Luigi originally mentioned the idea of getting a professional video done of our wedding, I was against the idea. Not because I doubted your skills, but because I found the cost difficult to justify when added to the total wedding budget. I thought it was a luxury that we didn’t really need.

Having seen the video, I’m now forced to concede that my husband was right (I guess that’s why I married him!). It’s a brilliant memento of our day, and so much more meaningful than simple photos.”

So there we are. Special Day Films: Value for money, with cases solved as an added bonus!

- Adam

PS: You can check out the What You Get page on our website to see a clip from Stella & Luigi’s wedding.

A Curse on That Videographer

Special Day Films — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:57:02 +0000

Last Friday, the brain switched off in preparation for a tv evening, there’s a phone call, a desperate Icelander looking for video people for a wedding next day. Though I am disappointed to hear the wedding is not in Iceland but Harrogate I switch on the brain again, run upstairs to put on emergency wedding video trousers, slide down pole into office and pick up telephone.

Very nice Icelander has been let down by a videographer from London (a town just south of Watford), calls not answered, no contact at all. He needs a replacement. An hour of feverish dialling, Adam is unavailable, Sheena is Tooting. Carl from Agathon Productions and Stephen from Trespasser Films agree to help out. Slump back exhausted but triumphant. A job! Trifle, not turnips, to eat this week.

Apologetic Icelander calls, the original videographer has turned up. We are admired for our efficiency and quick wittedness, there’s mention of a special medal being struck in our honour, but there’s no job. More phone calls to Carl and Stephen who may never speak to me again. So, a curse on that videographer; may he forget which way to point the camera and film an hour and a half of his twitching bloodshot eyeball before falling face-first into the wedding cake.