The death of Queen Elizabeth II has shocked the world. I live in London. The streets have been filled with well-wishers flocking to Buckingham Palace to pay their respects. The TV and radio stations have non-stop items about Her Majesty. For anyone not in the UK, it is hard to explain the emotional sense of loss we feel, as we see an end to an era.
Tributes from stars have flooded in. My most memorable one is from the bad boy of rock himself: Mick Jagger:
The day of her passing found Elton John at his concert in Toronto.
I’m reflecting on the impact Queen Elizabeth has had. And like Mick Jagger, the Queen has been the one constant in my entire life. What is more, as a filmmaker, I have always marvelled at the impact she has had on the arts, more particularly, to filmmakers.
Queen Elizabeth Had 7 Lessons For Filmmakers
1. The Queen knew the importance of a great script
Her many public appearances demanded words of wisdom and inspiration. She delivered thousands of speechs, and many of the words she voices will stay with us forever.
One that stands with me, is her quote from Shadowlands, which was voiced by Sir Antony Hopkins:
Grief is the price we pay for love,
– spoken after the horror of 9/11
Queen Elizabeth always had great scripts. You can read 30 of her most memorable quotes and learn.
2. She knew the value of a brand
Filmmakers all know the value of a brand, be it personal branding or a film’s branding.
The Queen too had self-branding and her business branding.
As a person, she became known for her articulate speech, poise and humour. and as the Champion of Brand Britain.
Today, as seven decades ago, we in Britain rely on our ability to attract foreign investment and sales.The Queen understood this perfectly. On one hand she avoided saying anything controversial in public, yet held regular meetings with each of the 15 Prime Ministers that passed through her reign. Ask each of the 800+ companies that were allowed the “by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen”. to their masthead. This is sheer marketing genius.
As filmmakers we ofter struggle with our branding. Lets never forget that the Queen’s personal brand had nothing to do with crowns or palaces – but simply what people thought of her. And as far as our films and movies go, we must never forget that genre is the secret of branding. It’s what Queen Elizabeth II did with her HRH brand so successfully.
The Queen also knew the importance of her brand. Her Christmas messages brought the Commonwealth to a halt each year. Being knighted by the Queen was a very special honour.
Brits and the Royal Family also share a passion for festivals and celebrations. As the Royal Family pulls off weddings, Jubilees and funerals in a spectacular way, so too the film industry celebrates with the Oscars and the British Independent Film Awards.
3. Queen Elizabeth knew how to raise money
No one raised more money for charity than the Queen. She favoured charities that dealt with community and social issues, and with education also part of her portfolio.
As filmmakers we need to learn from the Queen how she was able to raise over $2billion.
4. She understood fashion
The Queen famously said that if you wore beige, no one would notice you. Her dress was never over or undersated. And her use of block colours has informed the fashion industry.
And who could say this more eloquently than Sarah Harris in Vogue?
Imagine never getting it wrong. Ever. Stylistically, every day of your life, nailing it. Never feeling overdressed, underdressed or otherwise just wrongly dressed. Queen Elizabeth II’s style choices were faultless. Always correct, composed and confident, and though it might have looked relatively straightforward in terms of shape and silhouette, her attire never failed to convey a message of optimism, diplomacy, hope and stability.
Costume design in a movie is so important. Get it wrong and you can destroy the impact of your characters. Get it right, and you can win over an audience. As Sarah says (above) The Queen nailed it time and time again. Read The Queen’s Style Was A Royal Lesson In Modern Dressing.
Getty Images5. The Queen knew the Impact of a camera
Few people, if any, have been photographed as often as Her Majesty. Note in these pictures how she shows the knack of finding the camera time after time.
As a model, she is featured in over 950 portraits painted by everyone from Lucien Freud to Andy Warhol.
7. She never lost her playfulness
Remarkably, Queen Elizabeth II was fully functional until she died. Tuesday, having met with Boris Johnson and Liz Truss to perform one last state function, is a tribute to her dedication.
Her playfulness and wit are well known, and who could forget her parachuting into Olympic Stadium in 2012, or having tea with Paddington this June?
Fade Out
It would be easy to say that Elizabeth was born with the proverbial Golden Spoon and her success was too easy. It is true to say that she was born to plenty. It’s also true to say that she maximised her impact through damn hard work. She also assembled an excellent team to guide and advise her.
There is nothing in the Queen’s success story that can’t be adapted and used in our own creative efforts. True, the Queen’s scale of achievements can dwarf those of our own, but we should never forget that her success was secured one small step at a time.
