Projects > Liverpool 800 Day

Liverpool has reached the ripe old age of 800 years and held the biggest birthday party that the city had ever seen on the 28th August 2007. Morecambe Bay Moviemakers were asked by The North West Film Archive to go along to the celebrations and record the day for posterity.

A crew of four videographers, Chris Abram, Ken Russell, Dave Simpson and Dave Weatherley, arrived in the city early on the 28th August and immediately began work filming the Civic Service in St. Nicholas Church, the Civic Procession, the Birthday Pageant, the Lord Mayor’s Civic Lunch and exchange of gifts, plus the activities in the Festival Squares around the city.

The crew had to split up as there was so much going on over a wide area. Ken Russell and David Simpson went directly to the church and filmed the Lord Mayor, civic leaders from towns & boroughs in the area plus many Lord Mayors, VIP’s and delegates from twin towns and cities as far away as Shanghai, Berlin, Cologne, Dublin, Stavanger, Gdansk, Mons, Pathos, Chalon and Stuttgart. The service was filmed and then both our videographers then filmed the Civic Procession from the church to the City Hall.

Dave Weatherley went direct to St. George’s Hall to see the hundreds of performers getting ready to take part in the Pageant. He then became part of the Pageant Procession throughout the city.

Chris Abram went directly to the City Hall and filmed both the Civic Procession and the Pageant from the balcony.

A grandstand had been set up for the Lord Mayor and the VIP’s in Castle Street and it was arranged that when the Pageant arrived at the grandstand the leading “Giant” would present the Lord Mayor with a special Beatles cartoon done by a local artist. Ken Russell, David Simpson and Dave Weatherley were, by this time, in the thick of it, battling BBC and ITV cameramen to get the best close-up shots. Little did they know but huge confetti cannons were set to fire millions of pieces of paper in the air, right where they were filming.

Chris Abram was filming from the balcony of the Town Hall, also battling with the BBC and ITV crews, and filmed the wide shots.

Thousands of people took part in the Pageant and the streets were lined with many more. It was very spectacular indeed.

After the Pageant the Lord Mayor held a Civic Reception and we were there to record the whole proceedings, the only crew to do so. The Lord Mayor made a short speech of welcome and then he was presented with gifts from all the towns and cities represented. A special cake was cut by the Lord Mayor and shortly afterwards four crew members from Morecambe Bay Moviemakers were seen looking longingly at the cake. Posers!

Chris Abram interviewed the Lord Mayor in his Parlour whilst Ken Russell and Dave Weatherley went off the film the bands and other performers in the Festival Squares. David Simpson went looking for medieval performers in another square and Chris Abram joined him later.

The Liverpool Culture Company, who organise the whole week of celebrations, arranged for the crew to be given “All Area” access passes and accorded us the same privileges that mainline tv crews were given. They were so helpful and were constantly on the mobile phone to us asking if we needed any further assistance. Our crew were able to go anywhere at any time without any problems and consequently were able to gain some superb footage. This footage will now be given to The North West Film Archive and will be freely available to researchers for decades to come.

Morecambe Bay Moviemakers are very happy to have been chosen for this very prestigious role and are pleased to know that its work will be seen and preserved for many years into the future. Yet again, a perfect example of how we can work with local communities to record our living heritage.