I love films. One of my earliest memories is going to see Richard Donner’s 1978 masterpiece, Superman.
My five year old self completely bought into the poster’s promise that you’d “believe a man can fly” and I left the cinema ‘singing’ John Williams’ title theme.
And as a film reviewer I get to indulge my love of films and get paid for it – seats at screenings and screener discs are a definite perk of the job.
But for the past three years the biggest perk of all has been a ring side seat at the BAFTA red carpet, provided courtesy of BAFTA sponsors EE and their predecessors Orange.
The buzz of the Red Carpet is almost indescribable, film journalists, bloggers and fans line the street to get a glimpse or even a word with the cream of British, Hollywood and international talent.
Of course, the excitement isn’t all one way. Many attendees can be seen taking pictures of themselves or their party on the Red Carpet and for the second year running Mr George Clooney looked delighted to shake hands with a pen of UK film bloggers.
Rumour has it, meeting us again was a condition of his attendance.
Beneath the glossy pictures and apparent effortless British ability to ‘do’ pomp, an army of BAFTA staff and PRs from companies such as Freud and M&C Saatchi work hard to ensure the night goes off without a hitch.
This year EE added an extra dollop of innovation by offering a 360° web stream which allowed fans to get their own ‘director’s cut’ view of proceedings.
EE’s Brand Director Spencer McHugh said the firm “wanted to do something truly ambitious and to use technology to enhance the BAFTA experience.”
Having had a look at the highlights package – presented by Laura Whitmore – embedded below, we think they succeeded.