Photo by Gustavo Fernandez
This
spring we had the pleasure of working with Benefit Cosmetics (acquired by leading luxury brand LVMH) to produce the premiere of their original film “Glamouriety”. With only a little bit of time,
a TON of ideas, and a lot of hard work, our team was able to pull it off: a
night of over-the-top glamour and fun. Glam was certainly the word of the
month for us leading up to the big day. Red carpet isn’t quite glam
enough – make it pink! (We had a custom pink carpet made to match the PMS
colors of Benefit's special tone.) Those centerpieces are pretty but they need
some bling—glam it up (a HUGE thank you to Blueprint
Studios for doing just that!)! We need some gals to check coats but
maybe we could have them look like 1920’spinups? GLAM!
Wham
bam glam, we took off running working with the perfectly powdered and glossed
benefit power-women. Their creativity is boundless, and their tireless
dedication to fabulous is inspirational. The point wasn’t just to create
something pretty, it was to create a “once in a lifetime” feeling. What’s more,
it had to be a roadmap of sorts. This event would shape the design and
production of the international premiers to follow. We had to design a
lighting scheme that would transform the iconic black and red hued Bimbo’s 365
Club into a Benefit-wonder-land: pink everything! Our lighting team, Entire
Productions AV, was amazing, washing the façade in dramatic hues,
shining star gobos across all the walls, and splashing the Glamouriety logo
across the pink carpet for a dramatic entrance. Aside from the clear goal
of premiering the film with crystal clear audio and picture, we aimed to have
champagne in hand, smiles on faces, and feet on the dance floor. Careful
planning and timing was everything. Mission accomplished.
Benefit
is a unique brand, it’s luxury with a quirky twist. We can jive with that. As
guests arrived in white limousines, they were greeted by a solo sax player
playing outside of Bimbo’s on the pink carpet, gorgeous show girls offering
makeup touchups, and gallant men in tuxes directing the benefit staff and VIPs
to their seats. We parked a vintage Rolls Royce Silver Cloud out front,
later joined by a striking vintage Bentley. Adding to the drama was the VIP
trailer parked out front. Pink-hued and "benefitted" with decals
depicting art from the film, the two stars of the evening got dressed and
relaxed in style before their big debut. Original film costumes were flown up
from LA, and we had character actors from the movie interacting with the crowd.
Fabulous food from Melons Catering piqued guests’ appetite after
the film, and Kelly Park Jazz Quartet played the film’s theme song
live. We had over 30 different entertainers throughout the evening,
ranging from DJ Matteo spinning as dancers in tuxedos did
back-flips across the dance floor, to vintage paparazzi cracking jokes with the
guests. All I can say is we were thanking our lucky stars for clearcom
headsets, nice weather, and amazing talent.
By
the end of the night, with the last guest safely tucked in a town car, we
looked at the glorious mess we had on our hands: empty champagne flutes, pink
ostrich feathers strewn on the floor, TONS of lighting to strike, custom made
lipstick stanchions that needed to be repacked in their crates (crates that
were delivered and subsequently torn open by frantic Entire Productions staff
minutes before first guest arrival). Relieved to slip into flats and that my
sense of humor was intact, I donned the feathered and jeweled headdress worn by
the Bimbo’s Mermaid at the step and repeat, rolled up my sleeves, and we
cleared the space. It was a long, fabulous, exhausting night. And we’d do it
all over again! Thank you to Benefit Cosmetics for trusting us with your vision
and letting us be a part of your special night. We certainly created memories
and made friends that will last us long after I finally get the Glamouriety
theme song out of my head.
-Elise Everett
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| Photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Restrooms decorated with Benefit items. Photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Showgirls and Silvercloud Photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Vintage Paparazzi photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Custom centerpieces by Blueprint Studios photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Custom Ice Sculpture by ChiselIt photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Custom Gobo light, lipstick stanchions, pink carpet. Photo Gustavo Fernandez |
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| Hair/Makeup Trailer for the Stars! Custom static stickers Photo by Gustavo Fernandez |
Check out the time-lapse video below!!!
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