Sound Division at Film London

UK - Film London is the recently-created strategic agency for the film and media sector in London, whose specific aim is to promote London as a venue for film-makers. At its launch event at Gibson Hall, London EC2, which attracted some 500 guests from across the industry and government, a number of measures were unveiled including a partnership to make London more film-friendly, a new low-budget digital feature film fund, and extra funds for the London Film Festival. Production for the event was managed by Premier PR - who selected Sound Division to design, supply and operate the AV, audio and lighting systems in addition to sets and staging.London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, was a keynote speaker at the launch, and other guests included such luminaries as Sir Bob Hoskins, David Suchet, Bill Nighy, Eric Fellner from Working Title, Jeremy Thomas, Sir Alan Parker and John Woodward from the UK Film Council. "It was the kind of audience you really don't want to screw up in front of," observed Sound Division's project manager for the event, Chris Baxter. "It's fair to say that we were all pretty motivated to make a good job of this, and I'm pleased to say that we achieved it."

The event largely took the form of a seminar and presentation. To that end, Sound Division provided a stage with a custom-built navy blue set that incorporated a large rear projection screen. There were also a further two 50" plasma screens in attendance along with a battery of Sony projection, video and switching equipment, two 9" preview monitors and a PC for Powerpoint presentations. Lighting equipment included eight Par64 uplighters plus two Zoom Profile lectern lights. For audio distribution and sound reinforcement, Chris specified a total of eight ElectroVoice SX300 loudspeakers run through a Mackie mixing console, while a Denon CD player was provided for playback purposes. Baxter was pleased with the results: "We needed to create the right atmosphere - stylish, professional, but at the same time inviting and not overwhelming. I'd say it all worked perfectly. The event looked good from a visual point of view, and we achieved excellent coverage and audio quality from the sound system. Mission accomplished!"

(Lee Baldock)

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