Sunday 18th November 2012 is a day that will stay
in my memory for a very long time. I’m also quite sure that it will always
bring a smile to my face. If I was ever to appear in a production of Peter Pan
and had to think of a happy memory to help me fly, the memory of this day will
be on the list! What was so special about this day?
I previously wrote about the day that Woapa members, both
adults and children, gathered together in a local school to record a mixture of
our usual repertoire and a selection of Christmas songs. This is to be sold in
aid of Cancer Research and has already been released. As a result of this
Witneytv ( it is all one word), approached our choir leaders and asked us to
appear in a video that they produce every year for Christmas. Last year they
produced the ‘I am a Foxbury Farmer’ video which featured the choir but only
our voices as we sang the song played on the video. This year however, they
wanted us to appear in the film as well as doing the singing. Well we didn’t
need asking twice and on this beautiful sunny Sunday in November around 150
adults and children descended on Cogges Manor Farm for the filming.
I arrived at 9.15 and filming was already in progress in the
lovely old house which dates back to Tudor times. 3 children, 2 boys and a girl
were dressed up in Victorian clothes and were filmed in the house. 1 of the
boys was filmed jumping out of bed and running to the window to look out on
some of the choir ladies singing as snowflakes wafted around us. Thus the video
began in the same way as Raymond Brigg’s Snowman. But that’s where the similarity
ended, but I won’t give the story away! If you want to watch it you can find us
on Witneytv on the internet.
As this was going on, gradually the rest of the performers
arrived. They all gathered in the café area and the noise level was incredible
as everyone chattered excitedly about the day ahead. Earlier in the year I’d
been fortunate enough to take part in the filming of a tv programme featuring
Lynda Bellingham, the ‘Oxo’ lady! I was therefore prepared for all the hanging
around and repeating things over and over again. But as the morning turned into
lunchtime you could hear groans of “not again” as we were once more asked to
sing the same song and smile and look as if we were having fun! But the sight
of one of the choir leaders doing his version of Gangnam style soon put a smile
on all our faces. Personally, I didn’t have a problem smiling as I was so
excited to be a part of it! There was a snow machine and Christmas hats after
all!
We were filmed all together, as well as separately, in the
barn, on the lawn, in the walled garden and even the pig sties. At one point we
attracted an audience who were passing by the side gate as we were singing the
song for what seemed like the hundredth time. They even applauded us when we
finished. Bonnie one of the farm cats tried to get in on the action when some
of the adults were being filmed singing on the steps up to the upper part of
the stable where the cats are fed and sleep. Even the roosters and geese joined
in with the singing at one point! Santa himself may even have made an appearance.
Finally it was a wrap. Weary but happy we all gradually drifted off home to wait in excited anticipation for the film to be edited and await the announcement of when it would be available to view. At the time of writing this I didn’t know when it would be released. And we were asked to keep it under wraps so as not to spoil the surprise of what is on the video. I can now reveal that the song we are singing is Shaken Steven’s ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’. Here is a publicity video shown by Cogges. Enjoy! :).
http://www.witneyradio.co.uk/content/merry-christmas-everyone
Merry Christmas everyone :) xxx
P.S. here we is a taster of us performing at cogges at their Christmas fair!
http://youtu.be/vYpLnNm36XE Merry Christmas. xxx
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