An Anonymous Request

Well our anonymous feedback has mostly proved to be a source of amusement for what rubbish people can send us. Just got the message below through, if anyone feels they have an answer I will feed it back, something a bit different at the very least.

query: Hi,

I am looking for a pub as the main location of a music video which I hope to shoot during the week of the 15th of March 2010. So far we have not had much luck in finding a public house which we can use, so I am therefore now writing to you in the hope that you may be able to help with the matter.

We are looking for a pub with an old style interior, possibly victorian - but basically just nothing modern. We would need the space for 2 full days.

If you have any ideas or suggestions I would really appretiate any help with the matter, in return for any help you were able to give us we would credit Pubs Galore in the video, which would of course be a great opportunity to advertise wherever the video plays.

I look forward to your response,

Kind Regards,

Someone whose name I have just deleted

I think SWNIHJD needs to give an idea of what might be in it for the pub/publican - I can't see many considering roping off even a corner of their pub for 48hrs without something interesting crossing the bar, maybe in a paper bag...

Sadly, I would have thought that there are enough closed pubs around (many of which keep most of their fixtures and fittings for quite a while) that Mr Whoeverheis could just step outside his office door and take a walk around Whereverheworks and find his location within half-an-hour...

Fair point rp, but one would hope that pubs with a traditional interior, esp Victorian, are not forming a high percentage of the failed & closed pubs statistic. I wonder how well-received an enquiry might be to use an empty pub, should they found an appropriate venue?

This is an easy one!

Dozens of pubs in the city (Clerkenwell etc) are closed at the weekends due to the offices being shut and most are available for private hire. I’m sure that an offer of some money would secure exclusive use of one of these pubs for two days.

I suspect he's trying to do it on the very cheap, if not free. Has he perhaps approached the PR depts of the usual pubcos M&B, Spirit, Young's even and been quoted some daft price?

What would an average wet led pub - not some massive JDW - in central London off the tourist routes take? A couple of grand a day would be at the upper end I'd guess - that's 200 going through people spending a tenner each, quite a lot midweek or on a Sunday if you think about it. So £5000 should secure him a venue for a couple of days no problem, especially as the management will have little to do and most of the staff get a couple of days off, were you to approach them directly.

The alternative, building a set would cost many times that by the time you've paid for studio time, design work, materials, the blokes to build it and any number of hangers on.