Monday 14 July 2014

Filming Day!

Good morning! I am ridiculously excited today as I have been keeping a secret and I am now allowed to share it with you all!!!

I have a film out!! Yep, little old me in a film! Here it is in all it's glory:


Here's the back story...

Waaaaaay back in February I had a wonderful day out with Matthew at the Harry Potter Studios, it was a very belated birthday present and we had a fantastic time, even getting to meet some of the animal actors. After a long day we got in and minutes later the phone rang... 
It was Paula Gorry the UK Country Manager for Stampin' Up! calling to invite me to participate in filming a YouTube video! 
I squealed rather loudly and accepted as fast as I could get the words out. I was so happy to be given the opportunity and we arranged that I would be filming an Easter craft 'Stampissimo' in March.

Disaster struck! A week before I was due to film the video I became very ill and completely lost my voice. I was devastated and had to email Paula to let her know that the doctor had given me a strong course of antibiotics and placed me under strict orders to rest and not talk. I ended up being unable to talk for almost 10 days, and could only squeak for 3 weeks!

To the rescue! Paula managed to contact another demo who was scheduled to do a summer filming session. She was willing to take my place at short notice, and very kindly swapped so that I wouldn't miss out - giving me her Summer Scrap-booking slot.

Finally the summer filming day arrived in June and I woke up to glorious sunshine! It was a beautiful day for an adventure. I set off nice and early and arrived at the Stampin' Up! UK office around 9am, to be met by the lovely Kelly. She settled me in and introduced me to Ben and Jerry (brothers!) who were the camera crew (more on them later!)

Then it was time for a briefing from Paula, conducted on the floor as I had started crafting already! Kelly was determined to take lots of photos for behind-the-scenes shots, and somehow managed to avoid being in any of the photographs herself...


 Paula and I took a while to chat through how we wanted the table to be arranged, laying out kit and talking to the crew about various cues and prompts, here we are setting up:


Ssssssssssssshh! Filming time... (Phew, those lights are HOT)


Talking a re-take over with the crew, they were so friendly and made me feel really relaxed - even when things didn't go according to plan! Sometimes we had to do retakes for something as simple as a plane flew by overhead - the sound equipment was that sensitive...


After the majority of the filming was complete we stopped for a delicious jacket potato lunch, filled with laughing and good conversation, talking over topics ranging from ways in which to propose to conspiracy theories! These two really seemed to like the cheesy snacks:


Finishing off last details in the afternoon, the guys were particularly taken with the photograph of Sally (for those of you who are not regular readers Sally was the guide dog puppy we were puppy walking - she is currently in her final advanced training stage), and wanted her in the group shot!


Finally we had a giggle with this one as he seemed to be hinting he might like to feature in a Stampin' Up! Pin Ups calendar... Any takers?!


I had such a wonderful day and cannot thank Paula and Kelly enough for giving me this opportunity. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone in so many different ways (even travelling to and from the offices was an adventure as I had NEVER driven on the motorway before - Eeeeek!) but it was so worth it! I can't wait to see what comes next on this journey with Stampin' Up!

Make sure you pop back as I have blog posts lined up giving more details on some of the creations featured, and please leave me a comment letting me know if you enjoyed the video!

Happy Crafting,
Becky

23 comments:

  1. Hey look at you...... Congratulations Honey!!!! Xxx

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    1. Thank you! I was sooo nervous... How are your furbabies? x

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  2. Thats brilliant Becky. Well done. K x

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    1. Karen, thank you! I really appreciate you popping by :)
      Bx

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  3. Wonderful Becky! Loved your video, you were so natural! And the projects were gorgeous...I'm going to try the brag book for my Mum xx

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    1. Ooooh, Glad you liked the projects -are you going to do one of little Zac? That would be so cute! Bx

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  4. Marvellous Becky - fabulous 22 mins - you are a natural. Really enjoyed it and you came across as a true pro! Hope you (and the gang) are all well and maybe I'll pop over one day for a catch up !! Caroline xx

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    1. Hi Caroline, Thank you so much for your kind words, I have been trying so hard to keep it a secret, it is a relief to be able to tell everyone! It would be lovely to have a cuppa soon - maybe when I return from guide camp?
      Bx

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  5. Well done Becky. You looked like you'd been demonstrating in front of a camera crew for years!!!
    Sue

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    1. Thanks Sue! Must be all that practise in front of you and the girls! (Not sure Elisabeth will be so impressed with her cameo, but it is nice to be able to feature St Albans through the photos!)
      Bx

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    1. I really appreciate you popping by today and leaving me a comment Linda! I'm sure all the nicest people are crafters!
      Bx

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  7. What a fabulous day for you - congratulations - you are a natural!!
    xx

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    1. I really enjoyed it Kate, but it was a bit stressful at times! Some of the materials only arrived a couple of days before the filming... Thanks for stopping by :)
      Bx

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  8. Hi becky, congratulations, what an amazing experience for you - you will live on that high for a long while i bet.

    Thank you so much for your very kind words on my blog too, especially about my quilts. in answer to your question, when i made my first quilt (the cream & burgundy one) i chose a very loopy design that was easy to repeat and contrasted nicely against all the angles. It was easy to follow as that one was completely quilted by hand!
    The Other quilt you see there I kept it simpler and and quilted each of the triangular panels because i knew it would get used & washed plenty and would very quickly get that 'puffy' look. I guess it's what takes your fancy at the time.
    Hope that helps x

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    1. Hi Claire, Thank you so much for leaving me a lovely comment, and or answering my question! I am not really a hand sewer, far too impatient! But it's a good thought about how densely to quilt the design - the one I need to finish is going to be a throw in the guest bedroom so will be handled a fair bit - particularly once the cats find it and it needs washing to get rid of the fur!!!
      Bx

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  9. Fabulous Becky - really enjoyed your demo. More....more!!
    xx

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    1. Awwwww, thank you Chris :) It was very nerve-wrecking but I'm hoping that now the worst of the butterflies are gone I can persuade DH to help me shoot some home video tutorials...

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  10. Oh Becky... What a superstar! So natural and calm in front of the camera... and what fabulous pages and projects.... and I know how difficult it is to keep such a secret!!! Thank you as always for such wonderful inspiration... Till next time! Hugs....

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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, I love to read them!