Blagged! Edinburgh Film Festival 2008
June 24th, 2008Blagged! (Edinburgh film festival by dom bower)
text sent 8.45
(Hay, do you know what time and where the film festival is opening today? also am i right in thinking that knightly millar and Sean are coming? regards Dom)
Text received 9am
(HA! Dom, unless you’ve already got an invite to the opening party tonight, there is no chance! Security is mental this year and they are not handing them out unless you have something to do with the film festival, have you got a photography pass or something? call the delegate centre and ask)
That is how wednesday the 18th of june started out. I barely remembered that there was a film festival happening in edinburgh and i was informed that getting any shot of the stars was going to be near on impossible. however i thought i would give it a try.
12pm
During my lunch break from work (working as a property manager) I went along to the delegates office (the point conference centre in the centre of edinburgh). I went up to the press desk in my suit and tie and black folder and said “Hello, I know this is very late but I was meant to be organising a photographer for this event but he has broken his collar bone and cant make it so i am needing to take his place, how can i get on the press list?
The staff behind the counter tell me that i have to register myself on line to be accredited and then to come back before the start and then i can get my pass. That sounded promising so I thank the staff and dash off home to go on line and fill out the online form. I fill it all out and attach a photo of myself and then head back off to work.
2pm
I head back to the delegates office and ask what time i should pick up the pass and head along. The lady behind the counter remembers me from earlier but looks a bit pessimistic, she informs me that the IT system has totally crashed and the person who was doing all the accrediting is still backed up to people who put in their applications a week ago! and that there was no chance to be able to print a pass off, not until at least the next day. While i am standing there being told this there are another 3 highly professional photographers at the counter giving very angry conversation to the staff “what! I organised this ages ago! right you are going to have to talk to my editor, where is your manager, etc” These guys with cameras and lenses down to their ankles were clearly not happy about the news. I said that i understand to the lady who was informing me and that I was grateful that she tried to help me out, “no worries, maybe ill just go and put my girlfriend on my shoulders and get some shots from far away. Thanks again.” then just as i am about to leave I turn round and ask “is there anything like, a public pass? that could just get me close to the action?” the girl informed me to try at the Film House on Lotian road and i could possibly buy something like that there but she wasn’t too sure. now i didn’t think there was much chance of anything happening.
2.20pm
I arrive at the Film House and head up to the counter, “hello, I was told to come here to get something called a public pass?” the man behind the counter looks confused and asks for his manager. His manager comes along and asks what I was wanting. “hi I was told that I could get a public pass as over in the delegates office the IT system has crashed and the press pass I was meant to be getting cant be printed out” the manager looks suspicious and calls up the Delegates office. She must have talked to the nice woman who had been dealing with me earlier and she must have told them to sort something out for me. The manager gets off the phone and says, ‘ok that sounded positive, what to do is to go to the back of the cinema head up the stairs and press a buzzer and someone will meet you.’ Now i am looking confused. Meet me and do what? bust me for trying to blag myself a free pass?
So i head to the door and press the buzzer, a young girl takes me into the office which seems to be the central hub of the whole of the film festival and asks what pass it is i was meant to be getting. I ask for a press pass and she takes a photo of me and starts making and individual pass for me on her computer. She gives me the pass then tells me that it is not an official press pass and they dont have them at that office but it is a staff pass and she has writen press on it, and that if anyone asks any difficult questions just to tell to call her. I say thank you and walk out with a big smile on my face.
5.30pm
I have just finished work and am thinking of driving home to change out of my work clothes and get my second camera (all pros have at least 2 cameras) but decide just to do a quick drive by of the cinema where the red carpet was just to check it out. As i approach i see a huge crowed outside and press photographers crammed in and standing on ladders, i ask the bouncer at the front door how i get in and i am in structed to head round the back of the cinema. After parking the car in the underground carpark I head up to the cinema where on the inside all i can see is bodies pressed against the glass in the hope of seeing the celebs, i walk up to the front door and after giving a quick flash of my pass am welcomed into the cinema. I head up stairs to the mezanine bar and ask if there is a time sheet for when to be expecting the stars to arrive. the woman says to me ‘hold on ill get the event manager’. i instantly get worried thinking that this event supervisor is going to realise i am not on the offical press list? but she comes over and says, quick kiera is already on the red carpet, you best go down and get shots of her in infront of the Film festival wall.
So i dash down the stairs and stand by 3 other photographers. Their equipment makes my Nikon D300 (even with extra battery pack) look like a point and shoot in comparrison, and to top it off i dont even have an external flash. The tension builds for about 15 minutes as the press outside get shots of Kiera and Sienna on the red carpet. Then just as the photographers beside me are fixing their camera settings Keira knightly whizzes in and walks right past the film festival wall but i notice just in time and with my nikon 18-200vr managed to get the only snap of her entering the cinema. the other photographers were outwardly annoyed that she didn’t stop but then we were quickly joined by Sienna miller who lapped up the flashes for a couple of minute and then Sean connery who was a star and very oblidging to the press. By this time i was getting squeezed by several other very pro photographer who had rushed off the red carpet and within seconds of taking the shots were wiring up their cameras up to their laptops and emailing straight off to the companies like the sun and the herald.
The Huge paparazzi from the sun (with 3 cameras and laptop in hand) managed to get the organiser to get himself and the other head paparazzi into the special members bar at the back of the cinema where Sean, Keira and Sienna were mingling.
I tag along behind them just incase i can get in. At the door to the members bar the head organiser lets in the first 3 photographers but puts her hand up to me and says ‘who are you with’, i hesitate for a second and then bring up my pass saying staff press. This proves to be the magic ticket and she waves me in. I am stuck behind the big gun but shove my camera in the air and shoot between shoulders and get ‘the money shot’ of the trio! after a very short 2 minutes we are ushered back out again and the other photographers rush off to their cars to go upload thier shots,mean while i head home and post mine up on facebook.
So from starting the day bearly remembering that there was a film festival to being one of the very few photographers who managed to get into the private members bar with the stars of the festival all i needed was some manners and a black leather folder.
;)
www.dphotographer.co.uk/user/dombower
