The film-maker who's revamping wedding videos

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10 April 2012

Back in April, when I RSVP'd to Robert and Celestia Fox's invitation to their daughter Louisa's forthcoming wedding to restaurateur Tom Byng, I had no inkling that I'd end up post-ceremony, prancing about on the lawn, hat in hand, belting out a line from Queen's Don't Stop Me Now in order to appease Daisy Jenks, a vivacious 20-year-old wielding a camcorder and a sheet of A4 paper.

I just assumed persuasive Daisy was a groovy young guest. I might have asked her what she was intending to do with my over-animated performance but I think I was probably too distracted by a waiter carrying a tray of drinks to wait for an answer.

I remember seeing two tiny bridesmaids filmed doing pirouettes in the far distance and an elderly relation gamely waving his arms in the air but I didn't give it another thought. Four days later I was sent a video link from the bride via Facebook. One click, and suddenly not only was I transported back to the day of the wedding, I was also a bit player in the most heart-warming, all-singing, all-dancing musical starring each and every one of the guests at the wedding.

The wedding video opens with bride-to-be Louisa getting ready. The film is set to the soundtrack of Going to the Chapel and film-maker Daisy skilfully cuts from Louisa miming the opening line of the song in her bedroom to the groom echoing "going to get married" before moving on to various other family members joining in with the pre-wedding preparations. You see the ushers gleefully dancing in formation down the street; the mother-of-the-bride in curlers and stripy T-shirt thanking God for good weather while singing "spring is here, and the sky is blue", and even the vicar himself gamely joining in with a heartfelt welcome of Going to the Chapel of Love.

The second part of the video is a rousing rendition of Don't Stop Me Now featuring every guest at the party.

The end result is Mamma Mia! meets home movie. An amateur Richard Curtis short that leaves one with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Forget cupcakes and party favours: the customised party video is the must-have accessory of the decade. This is what the 21st century is all about - personal history preserved. For a generation who tweet and blog and update excessively it makes total sense to me that an intimate, professional home-movie is the next frontier.

Louisa Byng says: "It made our wedding. Daisy captured the atmosphere and the joy on celluloid for ever."

Jenks then explains how she has come to love her art: "I was always much more visual than cerebral and used to make my sister and brother dress up and film music videos of them on my Apple. I didn't even use a camera initially, I just used to follow them about with my laptop."

When she left school, Jenks wrote to Hugo Burnand, the official photographer of Kate and William's wedding. "I suggested myself as someone who could film parties then post the videos online but I never heard back."

Undaunted, she went to Greece last summer and worked as a waitress while making short movies "just for fun" of all the guests enjoying themselves. "Guests seemed to love them and when I came back I was asked to film a wedding in Cornwall." Friends told friends and suddenly she was in demand. By default she'd found her career.

Last week it was my son Archie's 25th birthday.

Without him knowing, I gathered all his friends at our house and had Daisy film us cavorting and singing to S Club 7's Reach For The Stars - an unashamedly corny song that I used to play at top volume when doing the school run.

On July 28, Archie woke up to find a message from me telling him to look at the video I'd posted on Facebook. When he did he found all his family and friends dancing down the street urging him to remember that "good friends are there for each other, never forget that I've got you and you've got me".

And if some of us are slightly off beat, and if I'm dancing like an embarrassing parent, so what?

Archie can forever look back on that video and remember that it was made from the heart. "Best birthday present I've ever had," he declared. Memories are made of this.
daisyjenks.co.uk. youtube.com

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