Let’s step back 30 years to Friday 7th September 1990 when EMF filmed the video for “Unbelievable”… in our building! Amazing, right?!
Shall we start by reminiscing for a few minutes? Let’s check out that video!
30 years later…
This video shoot was an exciting moment for the Guildhall, so to celebrate the 30th anniversary, we wanted to hear all about that day and the memories that people hold from the unique gig.
We’ve heard from ticket holders, members of the Guildhall team and even the director but where better to start than with Ian Dench?!
Nathan, the director of the video, got in to with us to let us know about some of his recollections of the shoot.
“The second camera that day was operated by Seamus McGarvey, the now mega budget Hollywood Director of Photography who’s later credits include The Greatest Showman and Anna Karenina. ”
“The Guildhall of the day were very upset that we had used glitter mortars! The Guildhall had apparently just installed new velvet drapes that acted as an almost magnet to the glitter! ”
Now, let’s hear from some of the lucky ticket holders!
“See all that glitter fluttering down from the ceiling? It got stuck to the floor when the lake of beer dried out. I was the lone Duty Manager at 7am the next morning, trying to scrape it off before the Craft Fair traders turned up. Fifteen years later there were still a few little metallic squares hanging about behind the radiators. Heady days...”
“BIBLICAL!”
“One of my favourite days of the seventeen years I spent working at the Guildhall. I remember it so well - I was duty manager in the daytime when a lot of setting up and filming happened. We tried our best to hide the crappy stage carpet, which was a grotty threadbare green, held together with black gaffa tape, and it didn’t seem to show in the final edit. The band were great, and being from the Forest, were well pleased to be playing in Gloucester. After working all day I was free to attend the actual gig in the evening, sold out of course, where more filming took place and the infamous glitter bombs exploded. Yes, we were clearing glitter up for months! Being a multi-function auditorium, other users were regularly glittered when they moved curtains or opened windows. The final video was an edit of both the daytime and evening shoots. We were all so pleased and happy when we saw the video. One impression was that the auditorium looked so much bigger than it actually is, and so did the stage. Super professional job! I watch it on YouTube occasionally and it’s always fun!”
“Loved it !”
I was there - it was amazing. Here's my ticket. I remember feeling pretty battered from all the dancing by the end of the night... an epic gig.
— Kate
“I was working behind the bar, busy night.”
“EMF didn’t play much more than Unbelievable – over and over again. They played it through fully more than a couple of times and then broke it down into sections so the film crew could get the cut-aways and close-ups that they needed.
There were cameras in the audience and I used to say that I could point myself out in the video, but I’ve just been watching it again and can’t do so anymore, even with the benefit of modern digital playback and frame by frame stills. I do remember I was standing near to a girl that I was a nodding acquaintance with in the Brunswick. She features quite a lot in close up (slo-mo sequence at 1:30 for example).”
“The floor was packed and sweaty. Most of our 6th form was there and we went through the video frame by frame to see who we could spot. Still a great album too!”