Patriot Games - Brits '08 Events
The '08 Brit Awards were low on controversy and high on production value reports Sat Bal from the show and party (22 Feb). No Jarvis Cocker style stage invasions or soakings for ministers.
Instead two stages, Glam Vs Punk, espoused the creative vision of MJK Productions.
Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse show their mettle
The Glam Vs Punk contrast was abundantly clear with the Glam stage featuring decadence through sumptuous gold drapes and a curtain of shimmering lights, while the mayhem of the Punk stage was crowned with a ripped Union Jack and vivid dayglo posters of iconic Britons such as Bowie as Ziggy.
As in previous years of the Brits, MJK Productions' Mick Kluczynski brought in party architect Bruce French. Each handled two distinct roles to bring together a cohesive production. RedKarpet brought the two together to chat about this cohesion, inspiration and, er, bats and crows...
MK (Mick Kluczynski left) With an event like the Brits the job has to be split with Bruce handling the ever-increasing party while I deal with the overall production. Bruce has control of the party because, as we've seen over the years, it's what he does best.BF (Bruce French) It helps of course that we've had this Brits partnership running for 12 years. I have five or six months away from the Brits then I’ll get a call about the next show and Mick will tell me what they’re thinking about.
MK Before it all used to be standalone with one idea for the show and another for the party but now it's changed . I tell Bruce what the main theme is on the main stage and he translates this across to the party.We have also have Mark Fisher (Fisher Productions) as the co-designer and he comes up with an idea and Brits producer, Helen Terry comes up with the basic theme.
Bruce French flies the encrusted flag
BF This year's design is a core design which runs from the main stage and goes into two tiers, main stage and backstage. So basically the thread runs through the show consistently.
MK Consistency is the key and in the past there was just too much going on with each area having an individual image. Now the theme’s all-pervasive and easier to deal with. However, I'm still perplexed by Bruce's pterodactyls which he insists are bats. The backstage bar made us wonder about the stuffed animals too.
BF They are bats! The sheep (pic left) come back every year and the stuffed crows are also crew favourites. They appear everywhere in hidden locations during set up or in one of the caravans and we have featured an ostrich with its head in the sand! The caravans we brought into the party housed tarot and palm readers and eight different graffiti artists to paint the caravans.MJ And don't forget the 900 Brit School kids that are in!
BF All the numbers are big and this is the biggest party we've had , double the normal capacity. My inspiration for the party came partly from younger punk days and this is why you see the posters around the party site. The themes of David Bowie, New York Dolls and others as music icons of a certain era were retained as two-colour posters because they couldn’t afford full photo colour printing which was much more expensive in those days. I therefore reworked the posters on dayglo paper for that original authenticity.
MJ The party themes have been so varied at different Brit shows ranging from Sleepy Hollow to the Silver Jubilee council estate to mark 25 years of the awards.
With this event the Glam Vs Punk theme was reflected in the two very different stages. Artists want a set that's sympathetic to their songs and it’s seldom that you get that total cohesion. However, we can add more to the main stage without changing the core theme. For the Osbournes we had a central stage area where the couple sat on thrones, surrounded by two twelve foot sphinx-like dogs and a towering totem pole with a skull and gigantic bat.
BF The Glam side to this imagery was embodied in the party by the Stringfellow Lounge (pictured left during build) which featured predominant red and leopard print on tables.
Again, this print was also carried through to the caravan interiors where guest could socialise in a more intimate and unusual space.
Who else? _____________
Chris Brain – Installations Director, BlackoutI help plan and supervise the work including the draping for the big gold stage. We also did all the blacks, the red draping and all the soft goods on the stage. International Confex was running during the Brits' build so we provided coverage there too.
There's also draping for the auditorium and additional material for the kitchens, catering and the artists' bar backstage and some of the rehearsals going in Earls Court 2. We blacked out the big open space of the party area and although a lot of it is standard stock drapes we did use specialist material for the custom-made ceilings of the Stringfellow Lounge.
Dirk de Decker - Project Manager, Stageco This is the 12th year that Stageco and MJK have worked together on the Brits. In 2008 the venue had a split tenancy with another event, offering late access to parts of the hall. Much of the work had to be organised into two intensive shifts of 25 hours each.
We had to get this right first time. The logistics of the schedule were planned well in advance, with technical drawings, structural calculations and certification presented before Christmas. Despite the long shifts, we insisted on the most professional working practices.
Chris Saunders - Screen Producer, XL VideoWe supplied all screens and video playback PPU for The Brits for the sixth consecutive year. We also provided additional video ‘specials’ kit for three of the performing artists – Kylie (300 Element Labs VersaTUBES mounted on a special 12 metre wide by 5 metre high frame), Mark Ronson (32 panels of Barco I12 LED screen) and Rihanna (70 VersaTUBES attached to a 4-strutted pyramid structure).
I project managed with Paul (Wood) who managed the screen elements and specials while I co-ordinated the cameras and control side. We worked closely with MJK Productions, lighting designer Al Gurdon, set designer Nicoline Refsing from Stufish and The Brits TV production.
It was a challenging show but the end result was a smooth delivery with plenty of impact for the TV broadcast.
Stuart Barnett - Senior Events Manager, Spaceworks Furniture HireWith installation of over 4,500 silver Classic chairs and 450 banqueting tables, we were proud suppliers of furniture to the Brits
Delivery was completed ahead of schedule at 08.30 the day before the event. The next challenge was to ensure all table and chairs were distributed into position over the vast terracing and installed by 18.00 the same day. Mission accomplished!
On the Wednesday night, whilst guests started to depart Earls Court soon after Paul McCartney picked up his Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, the Spaceworks team, managed by Mike Marshall, was already onsite to begin clearing furniture.
Work commenced at 23.30 and by 05.00 the following morning all tables and chairs were cleared, loaded onto stillages and moved into position ready for loading and collection that begun at 07.00. We worked for the official caterers, Payne & Gunter, and in conjunction with sister company Well Dressed Tables, the event was yet another example of Spaceworks ability to deliver the biggest events whilst providing the very highest level of customer service and quality of product on a strict schedule.
Other suppliers - PRG Europe lighting, Leith's/ Payne & Gunter catering, Britannia Row sound, Blackfriars Scenery, Eat Your Hearts Out, Showsec Security, Stufish production architects.