#Millstreet Films

[eurovision-revisited]

Birmingham 1998 - The stage and set design

Wow. Just wow. The Point Theatre was dark, enclosed and resembled the late lamented Industrial Zone on the Crystal Maze. In contrast, the BBC have gone to town with the light bulbs.

In layout, the stage most resembles that used in Millstreet in 1993 or Wembley in 1977. Big, open and surprisingly huge with the orchestra tucked slightly behind and to the side in a highly bespoke orchestra pit. Yes, there is still an orchestra.

There are so many cameras. Audience cameras, crane cameras, standard fixed cameras, shoulder-mounted mobile cameras that the director can send into the orchestra pit to film the percussionist wrestle with his huge cymbals while the drummer smirks.

There's some latitude with what the delegations can do on stage. Malta have brought massive wrought-iron candlesticks with actual candles for instance.

There's dry ice available. I haven't checked in detail, but I think this may be a first for any Eurovision. Several of the acts make use of it to create a light and mystical fog around their ankles.

The postcards are fantastic, combining the best of contemporary UK pop (finally Britpop on Eurovision!) along with the standard tourism scenes. There's a delightful guessing game how the national flags will be revealed as part of the scene, sometimes in surprising ways. They're some of the most fun postcards that have been created since they started in 1970.

Then there's this. The most shocking sight of the evening. Product placement on the BBC, even if the scoreboard can do maps and animated little stars with each of the countries' points, this was a flabbergasting sight in the UK. The scoreboard is situated up high, on the gantry that Guido Horn scaled successfully during his performance.

Behind the stage, there's a custom built green room to allow the artists to relax and watch the contest on big screens, with a huge central bar.

One less obvious innovation was that the BBC consulted with fan groups and gave them tickets to the front rows to ensure that the cameras could see the fans get excited and wave flags. The National Indoor Arena is one of the biggest venues for Eurovision yet. There's an electric atmosphere only heightened by the edgy humour, the risk of televoting catastrophe, and the tense finish to the voting with the home singer involved until the final votes.

It's a high wire act that comes off - even if the winner was somewhat late for her trophy.

The designer was Andrew Howe-Davies. It's as if he and the BBC have gone back to look at the last five years worth of Eurovision and nicked all the bits that worked.

Then added dry ice.

[ukcinemas]

UK film releases for the week starting 5th April 2024: Monkey Man, One Night in Millstreet, Seize Them!, The First Omen, The Trouble with Jessica. Full details of all these films and trailers are available on https://www.britinfo.net/cinema/

[victorysp]

The book 'Máxima Zorreguieta. Motherland 'by Marcia Luyten is getting its own TV series. Millstreet Films announced on Tuesday that it had bought the film rights from publishing house De Bezige Bij.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[froy]

De Premier

‘De Premier’ moet zowat de (Vlaamse) film van 2016 geweest zijn, het brak dan wel niet het record van aantal bezoekers dat ‘Loft’ in 2008 deed, toch zette Erik van Looy weer een kaskraker van formaat neer. Wanneer de Belgische premier gekidnapt wordt vlak voor zijn ontmoeting met de Amerikaanse president die op werkbezoek is in België wordt hij bedreigd dat zijn gezin vermoord zal worden als hij…

[steveliz]

Ryanne van Dorst in Baantjer-film

Ryanne van Dorst in Baantjer-film

Fedja van Huêt, Jelka van Houten en Ryanne van Dorst zijn toegevoegd aan de cast van Baantjer het Birth up, de nieuwe film gebaseerd op de boekenreeks over rechercheur De Cock. Dat heeft producent Millstreet Motion photos woensdag bekendgemaakt. Read More

[frankbakker]

Berlijn Festival brochure voor Millstreet films

[thatsgamingnl]

New Post has been published on That's Gaming

New Post has been published on https://wp.me/p4wsnI-8qG

SOOF 2 overtreft bezoekersaantal SOOF

Het chaotische leven van Soof en haar gezin heeft opnieuw een enorm aantal bezoekers naar de bioscoop weten te trekken. Binnen zeven weken heeft SOOF 2 het bezoekersaantal van SOOF zelfs overtroffen. SOOF draaide maar liefst zestien weken in de bioscoop en eindigde op 786.000 bezoekers. SOOF 2 gaat daar nu al overheen. De romantische komedie draait nog in 130 zalen. 

Hoofdrolspeelster Lies Visschedijk is overdonderd door het fantastische nieuws: “Ik had niet durven hopen dat we dit enorme aantal bezoekers ooit zouden overtreffen. Met een vervolg is het altijd spannend of men opnieuw naar de bioscoop zal gaan. Ik ben dan ook zeer dankbaar dat het publiek Soof en haar gezin weer in hun hart hebben gesloten.”

Ook regisseur Esmé Lammers is dankbaar voor het succes; “De producenten en ik hebben de film samen met scenarist Marjolein Beumer en de acteurs met enorm veel liefde gemaakt. Alleen al omdat we het publiek van de eerste SOOF wilden belonen. Dit lijkt nu gelukt en dat is echt geweldig. Daar ben ik heel dankbaar voor.”

Over de film: Na een flinke dosis relatietherapie lijkt de koek voor Soof en Kasper echt op. Het hoge woord komt eruit: ze gaan uit elkaar. Althans, dat wil Kasper. Soof probeert het van de zonnige kant te bekijken, maar is de controle over haar toch al chaotische leven volledig kwijt. De Kooksoof inspireert niet meer, de kinderen lijken vooral bezig met hun tienersores en Kasper slaat te snel een veel te jong en slank ding aan de haak. Soof herpakt zich na een ontmoeting met Jim Cole, maar hun timing lijkt zoals altijd net verkeerd. Dan ontmoet ze de knappe chef-kok en ‘foodie’ Bauke. Hij blijkt een ware goochelaar in de keuken en belangrijker; hij ziet Soof zoals ze is. Maar of hij uiteindelijk de oplossing voor Soofs huwelijksproblemen is?

Soof 2 is ontwikkeld en geproduceerd door KeyFilm en Millstreet Films in samenwerking met RTL Entertainment en is tot stand gekomen met steun van het Nederlands Filmfonds, Netherlands Film Production Incentive en het Abraham Tuschinski Fonds. Soof 2 is, net als Soof 1, geschreven door Marjolein Beumer. De regie is in handen van Esmé Lammers.

[eurovision-revisited]

1993 Millstreet - Number 2 - Niamh Kavanagh - "In Your Eyes"

What can I say? The deserved winner of Eurovision 1993. On home ground in Ireland Niamh Kavanagh delivers a stunning vocal performance of one of the best ballads performed at Eurovision ever. She's so confident - with a rich, soulful voice singing about the first flush of love. There's not a missed beat or note with some stunning singing. The home crowd roar their appreciation at the end. This is one of the Eurovision moments.

Niamh herself has represented Ireland again at Eurovision, in 2010 although only finishing 23rd. As Dustin the Turkey opined, the knack of a good song seemed to have deserted the Irish at that point although Niamh's voice remained undiminished.

Prior to 1993, her big claim to fame was a vocalist on the soundtrack album of the film The Commitments, a film that celebrated soul music. Niamh's voice is soul personified. Despite this, she was not an internally selected act. She had to compete in the Irish Eurosong '93 held in Dublin. Her victory there is one of the most comprehensive ever in a national final. She was only two points away from hitting the maximum of score of 120 with a maximum 12 points from each of the regional juries bar one.

Niamh is now a national treasure, singing at many events although she's not released many singles or albums. She's a performer first and last.

But why is she only at number 2? Well, that's personal preferences coming into play and also you'll have to see what's at number 1. However, of the songs that were in Millstreet, this is head and shoulders the best.

[eurovision-revisited]

1993 Millstreet - Number 20 - Inga - "þá Veistu Svarið"

Ingibjörg Stefánsdóttir was Iceland's representative at Eurovision in 1993 having won Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 1993 finishing clear of second place by some margin. In Eurovision itself she finished 13th, which was perhaps something of a disappointment.

þá Veistu Svarið (Then You'll Know the Answer), is a strangely upbeat and grand ballad about a woman waiting for the return of a lover who left. It's in the 'look at what you're missing' subgenre of ballad, similar to Sonia's entry in the 1993 contest. The verse wafts by as Inga waves seductively before the chorus swells with orchestral oomph and Inga's admirably soaring voice. Meanwhile a saxophone does its thing somewhere in the background.

Inga herself went on to act in films and TV for a few year, and has appeared as recently as 2021 in the Icelandic TV series Ófærð (Trapped). Her singing career was confined to this song and this contest. She didn't enter again.

[eurovision-revisited]

1993 Millstreet - Number 25 - Ditte Højgaard Andersen - "Første forårsdag"

Yes, the above is a photo and not a video, but you only have to fast-forward to 33:50 in the below video for Ditte

"Første forårsdag" (First Day of Spring) managed to finish fourth of ten entrants in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix of 1993. It was written by Søren Bundgaard Nielsen perhaps better known as one half of the Danish Band Hot Eyes. As part of the duo with Kirsten Siggaard Andersen, Søren had managed to finish 4th in the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest, 11th in 1985 and 3rd in 1988. He also wrote the Danish song in 1989 again coming 3rd. With two other Dansk Melodi Grand Prix entrants too, Søren has immense pedigree with DMGP and Eurovision.

This song was given to Ditte Højgaard Andersen, a young operatic soprano with no previous (or subsequent) Melodi Grand Prix experience. Ditte hands the song well, with a light and airy voice floating above what can only described as one of the weirdest mix of backing musicians scene on a national final stage.

There's a sax and bongos, both very common in mid-90s pieces. Two other musicians are on percussion, one with a large shaker and the other hitting a block of wood with a xylophone mallet. Then there is the feature instrument. The Akai 1000 EWI - a breath-controlled synth held like a clarinet or saxophone and producing an electronic warble. They are supposed to extremely hard to play well.

It's gentle and evocative of the spring day it's written about, lilting and restful, calm about the longer warmer days to come. A delicate song that the very artificial warble accompanying it fails to derail.

Another technology in its infancy is the steadicam. Here there are two camera teams walking around Ditte making her almost dizzy with their attempts to circle her and keep the cables out of the way. They also manage to film each other on several occasions.

Ditte Højgaard Andersen went on to have an established career as an opera singer while Søren had one last go at composing for the Melodi Grand Prix in 1999.