Curious Films screened Reclaiming Amy in the courtyard
“With an Oscar-winning piece already made about her life which was well-watched globally, we asked ourselves if there is anything left to say about Amy’s story,” explained Dov Freedman, CEO and co-founder of Curious Films. “We went and met Amy’s mum, Janis, and as soon as we’d met her and re-watched the film that had already been made, we realised that there was a lot more to be said. There was a circle of people very close to Amy who hadn’t really spoken before, and those who had spoken weren’t really part of her inner circle,” he added.
Screening Reclaiming Amy in the courtyard was a way to celebrate not just the film, but also the renewed energy in London and Perseverance Works after lockdown. A Covid-safe outdoor space, the courtyard is a perfect meeting location, too. Fingers crossed for more courtyard action in 2022!
The courtyard had its moment of fame on prime time television!
Fans with a keen eye will have spotted a familiar background in the first episode of the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing. Earlier this year, the BBC came to PW to film the professionals’ opening sequence of the brand new series in the courtyard. Dancing to Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles, the sequence was broadcast in black and white with yellow details including the beautiful courtyard lampposts!
PWFL reinvests money from courtyard and film shoots or parking into shared spaces. Recently, we’ve been able to fund the purchase of plants, an understairs cupboard at Unit 21, a courtyard café defribrillator and CCTV, making the site a nicer and safer place to be.
Tech investment meant big business for Splice
Although lockdown restrictions may have lifted, we’re still at home more often than we used to be pre-pandemic. For post-production company Splice, this rise in demand for television, and an increased investment in the technology needed to support a remote workflow, made 2021 their busiest yet.
Splice delivers a monitor and a box to the client, which effectively extends the keyboard, mouse and monitors sat in Splice to the client. Clients are then able to drive the computers at Splice, allowing multiple edits to happen at once.
‘Producers can sit there watching what the editor is doing, and they can comment on what they’re seeing immediately. It’s exactly like they were sitting in Splice!’, Duncan Western, co-founder and creative director at post-production business Splice, told Works Post. And thanks to the broadband capacity we have at Perseverance Works, all this can happen in real-time.
PW launched broadband 2.0
Last year, a site-wide connection with 20-gigabit capacity launched at Perseverance Works. This service is now available in addition to the original service, strengthening the resilience of our connectivity.
A total of £200,000 has now been spent on a state-of-the-art engineering network at PW, funded through grants and collaborations. With the majority of tenants on monthly rolling contracts, bandwidths doubled at no extra cost.
This fantastic infrastructure means tenants can stream conferences, tuition, casting and gaming events; last year, the circuit ran a 1-gigabit upload uninterrupted for 13 hours, allowing a TV commercial to be directed from Los Angeles.
We spent an astonishing third of our waking hours watching television or streaming services during the first lockdown. And with the huge demand for television continuing long after lockdown, PW tenants stand in excellent stead to make valuable contributions to the industry.
Post-lockdown wedding boom saw Michelle Oh Jewellery thrive
‘People aren’t able to spend money on a lavish wedding or honeymoon, so they’re actually able to divert that money to having the rings they really want. The couples who were trapped together during lockdown were forced into getting married or breaking up!’ Michelle Oh, founder of Michelle Oh Jewellery, told Works Post.
Established in 2011, Michelle Oh Jewellery – one of PW’s newest tenants – designs one-of-a-kind jewellery alongside a small ready-to-wear collection. But their most popular product is the bespoke engagement ring.
Michelle’s unit also contains a small workshop for re-sizing, cleaning up castings and making small amendments. But the large industrial casting processes happen in London’s historic jewellery district, Hatton Garden.