Event Planner Breaks Down Luxury Party Scenes from Movies | GQ

[Music] there is a clear difference between black tie and formal imma say it again it's a clear difference between black tie and formal formal is a suit black tie is a tuxedo there you have it hey gq i'm carlene roy i'm an event planner and this is the breakdown first up crazy rich asian [Music] closet it looks a little crazy but this actually is a real live scenario our company the venue group actually have planned events at a private airport for a celebrity birthday it looks like they are in a private hangar there's no cost involved but there is a cost involved with the actual airplane it looks like they have g4s in the back and a few heavy sized helicopters so a g4 g5 would probably run you about eight thousand dollars an hour in this heavy helicopter that they are in that's probably gonna be about five thousand dollars an hour so it looks like they are in a sikorsky helicopter so sikorsky is like the mother of all helicopters if you already don't have a private plane or a private helicopter and you want to book one you have to go through a private helicopter or a private jet broker just like you have apartment brokers they actually have brokers for private aviation so with all major events not like your mom's event in the backyard you have to have some sort of certificate of insurance there is some sort of disclaimer that you have to put in place to do things like this and it's minimum cost i would say maybe an extra few thousand dollars [Music] i have no idea how much a boat like this cost but what is interesting about it is that the side of the boat is branded basically means like it's customized that would probably cost you maybe five thousand dollars and all that is a big ass vinyl sticker that you put on and you put off at the end of an event it's just a big old tank on water so the event planner is actually bringing in the fancy the sound the lighting the confetti so i can see why the cost of this type of boat is a little bit more affordable than a private yacht [Music] [Applause] this is the emotion that every event planner lives their life for the client has arrived they are excited they have this moment of gaiting and joy this is super realistic also you would notice it in the background you still kind of hear the helicopter it's probably taken off so you have to actually land in a helipad most big boats most big buildings already have a helipad there and clearance to land but in some occasions a venue won't have a helipad but you can arrange one with the local flight agencies [Music] [Applause] loading is a very important part of event planning that's when you actually bring all the materials all the elements into the actual location or venue so for something like this they didn't just like go in the middle of c and start loading these things in there they actually probably arranged a slip which is a whole different cost so a slip was probably maybe like five ten thousand dollars which is basically a parking space for a boat and at the slip is where they did their load in something that all event planners have to pay for and that's how they got all the elements onto the boat cargo ship or a barge is not the most pristine type of boat on the inside so i'm sure they had to do a lot of pre-production before they actually loaded in but prior to that they probably also did renderings to scale so that they made sure that before they loaded in it actually was going to look how they wanted it to look these girls that you see they did not just pull up at the boat just around in the neighborhood and came to this big ass boat these women had to be arranged you either worked with a chick wrangler or a modeling agency to get all these girls there and that is a fee i have myself probably spent upwards of twenty thousand dollars to get hot girls in the party for this big old bazooka gun if they didn't order it from amazon like the rest of the world i'm sure the entertainment company they got the confettis and the chicks and the water that's something that they would rent to them for the duration of the party i would hate to see what the sound and lighting line item was for this scene i'm looking at all the led screens basically it's like the brightest biggest projection there is i'm sure that they probably spent upwards of two hundred thousand dollars just in sound and lighting and also because there's so much power that's involved with this they probably had to also get a few generators you also need a generator when you have a lot of electricity going on because if you try to plug into the house system you'll crash the whole system for an event like this i think it should take you at least 30 days to get it off the ground we usually have a 14 day window to plan these very high profile big budget events if we get an event where we have 30 days to plan it then it's like god has shined a light down on us it's very rare that we get that much time most people who are that jet set celebrity type of industry they don't care about time they don't care about restrictions that's why they hire people like us to get the job for them they just want it done and that just comes with the business with being an nick what event you worried about you have to keep rachel happy he's just lucky to be here nice eddie oh what because the bachelor is from a rich well-to-do affluent family i'm sure that they can't have no bad press that comes out about what he's doing in his personal life i'm sure the event planner had to arrange some sort of non-disclosure agreements or confidentiality agreements so the debauchery and all the fun that was happening on the boat didn't get out or get leaked to the press in addition to the confidentiality agreements i'm sure everybody also had to sign a waiver that means if you come on here and you bust your ass or if you fall overboard we are not liable and this is all on you so these are some of the things that you have to take into consideration if you are planning an event for someone that is high net worth or someone that's high profile most everyday people are not going through these extra precautions but safety first is always our motto so my overall assessment for the crazy rich asians bachelor party is they probably paid three million dollars the most expensive event that we have ever planned was a anniversary event for a very rich man i think we spent anywhere from 20 to 25 million dollars everybody flew private everybody's selling on yachts and also we had a private concert one night and we actually built a skating rink in the middle of the sand desert that's your budget right there next up the great gatsby the whole city packed into automobiles and all weekend every weekend the pull-up is crazy but what you don't see in this scene right here are valet attendants so you see all these dope cars all these people all this commotion that has to be organized you want tons and tons of valet attendance because you don't want these people waiting so you want to make sure that you over staff at an event like this at a house party you will probably find a location that's less than a mile away hopefully closer than that that has some sort of big lot or big area where you can park all the cars must have ballet at a party like this [Music] if the party is playing right it'll be very difficult for an unwanted guest or a party crasher to enter a party like this at most house parties at big lavish houses something like what's in this movie you will have several checkpoints if you ain't even on the list you wouldn't even be able to approach the actual house i see party crashers all the time you name it i've seen it i've seen people scale buildings i've seen people jump over brick walls i've seen people pop outside of a trunk but guess what they can do all that extra they want if they get to the front and they're not on the list they're not getting in before i became an event planner and i worked for diddy to help him curate the guest list and that takes some finesse that takes knowing how to wrangle the right people in a room a good party you want a mix of personalities you want a mix of guests film stars broadway directors morality protectors high school defectors and ewing clip springer dubious descendant of beethoven that's what you need that is the variety and diversity that makes a party dope the guest list and having the right people in the room is key when i work for diddy and of course because he is who he is all these people he had on speed dial and in his phone i would be inviting these superstars texting them emailing them directly nowadays the organizer is probably working with a talent wrangler or the publicist or the manager of talent [Applause] [Music] when you are planning a party in someone's home you take a lot more care into it because it is actually their house so you are taking a lot more precaution with how you move the furniture you actually are inventorying everything like the couch was here in room a the vos was here in room b so you really are handling things with a fine-tooth comb you always want entertainment at a party like this it just keeps more things visually for the eyes to see when they're in the room so dancers like this the costume the makeup let's say for maybe 10 or so dancers that probably was anywhere from 20 to 25 thousand dollars just for dancers and the dancers usually work on a two hour set i love the lighting in this film because it feels very grand and whenever you have an event the lighting has to be perfect because the lighting changes the mood a good event planner knows how to change the mood throughout the evening and also once you invest a lot of money into your event the food the decor all the elements you don't want the party so dark where your guests actually can't see what is happening in the venue i think your lighting line item will probably run you anywhere from a hundred thousand dollars to two hundred thousand dollars modern time alone and a little embarrassed i decided to get roaring drunk one thing i like about this film is that there is a surplus of staff you see a million people pouring champagne you see a million people with hors d'oeuvres and that is just called over hosting your guests you never want your guests to wait you never want to feel like when is the next meatballs coming by like you want to always keep the food always want to keep the drinks going carrying inheritances on gatsby's beach i just want everybody to look at how much they are drinking they are spending a load amount of money on just food and beverage and that is the one of the most expensive line items for any event any party once you pay for the venue the most expensive thing is always your catering catering can be hundreds of thousands of dollars especially for an event at this scale and knowing gatsby they wasn't drinking no whale drinks they are drinking the finest top shelf liquor there is and that also is always the most expensive liquor package you have and this is open bar keep in mind this takes place in the 20s but a catering and bar line item these days for what they're doing is probably at least two hundred thousand dollars [Music] his smile was one of those rare smiles the fireworks have to be scheduled in advance for most cities you have to schedule your fireworks or get your firework permit at least seven days in advance not like you going to party city and just getting some fireworks like these are like real deal professional fireworks that have to be launched by a professional for novelty splash things like this i think short and quick is the best way to do it i would say fireworks show like this probably cost you anywhere from 15 to 25 000 again this party took place in the 20s so i would say in today's time they probably spent around 5 million to pull this off next up step brothers you guys seem to be hitting it off oh honey oh my god this is the greatest party an event like this especially like a wine mixer you don't have to do much just let the scenery and the vibe speak for itself like the grounds is beautiful the sun is beautiful like that is the scene already the purpose of a wine mixer is to educate yourself on the different wines in a more festive setting so you're there to try probably flights of wine and a flight of wine is basically a sample of a bunch of different wines i like this party because it's low fuss you don't have to do a lot of work so if you notice from the setup it's very simple they have six foot tables high boys picnic wicker type you know soft furniture so it's not a lot of bells and whistles that goes on with this it's very nice to see you robert i think i think brennan organized this whole thing to get us back together you also notice at this type of event the music is low enough where people actually can talk and have a conversation so you never want the music too loud at this type of event where it's so loud that you can't hear what people are saying if you are ever trying to save money a beer and wine package is the way to go because it is the most economical bar package that you could have at any event let's say at an event for 150 to 200 people a beer and wine package would probably cost you about 84 per person whereas an open bar top shelf type of event would cost you 200 250 per person guys this is supposed to be jicama not bok choy sorry folks you will see the style of how the food is served is way casual so it looks like it's buffet style where they have servers actually serving the food and the buffet line to guests the guests then take their play and go sit at their tables and it's no assigned seating you sit where you want like this is a very low fuss low brow type of way to serve food to your guests a buffet is always gonna be cheaper than a plated formal meal hey brandon good to see you dale thanks for hiring our canyon company easy decision you guys have an outstanding tracker don't get food every catering company and every chef is not the same you want to work with a catering company that is tried and true and that is a line item that you don't want to skimp on so make sure that you are vetting who your caterer is very rarely will i hire a caterer that i never work with for a big event i would probably test them out on a small event first to see how they show up and how they produce and if they pass the test for the small event maybe i'll give them another chance to do a bigger event with us we are california's preeminent 1980s billy joel cover cover bands are the worst i don't know why people hire cover bands like it's just like the epitome of like cheesy weddings a no for me hey listen we only sing 80s dog i'll take your skank hook your wife and get out of here if there was a fight between a guest and a higher staff i would try to handle it as discreet as possible because you never want to make a scene and you never want the guests to see you sweat would defuse the situation maybe pull them to the side and whoever is at fault that person got to go and that is when security steps in you cost me money so this isn't even a judgment call man you're outta 5 000 my friend dear can we talk about this is everything okay no he just fired me an event planner wouldn't be fired on the spot for something like this because the event planner still needs to see the event through like get through the rest of the event but i highly doubt if that client will hire them again okay here's the thought i see an empty stage i see drums i see a drummer i see a microphone and i see a singer dad come on what who gave that stuff up prices happen in live events all the time that's nothing new but one thing i would never do as an event planner is solicit another guest to step in after entertainment because the band just up and left for whatever reason what i would do in this scenario is take my phone go to wherever the little control area is for the music and play some sort of playlist anything so that there is not dead silence and that the party could continue to go and the guests don't know anything about it there is nothing worse that if you're at a party and you're dancing and having a good time and then the music says it's like the worst thing that could ever happen i have been in events where the music has went out we did offset's birthday party in l.a last year and the music went out and i saw offset jump over a million people to get to the dj booth and ask the dj what the hell is going on i've had events where the band was so terrible that i literally had to pull the plug like yo y'all's time is a wrap so things with the music and hiccups like that happens all the time that is why you have a sound check to make sure that the transition is always cool and that's why you have plenty of generators to make sure there ain't no power issues [Applause] [Music] so you only see ice breaking or glass breaking in movies but it's something that actually happens if the music is so robust if it's so strong in actuality will break the glass and that is where your damage fee come in and that's where having good insurance comes in because you just clean it up and you keep going about your business we were doing an event with quavo from migos and there was one scene at the event where we had glasses on the shelf and as we were running through the rehearsal for the event and doing the sound check the music was so robust it was so strong that it broke all the damn glass it came shattering to the ground we had a few hours before doors out open but in the end we replaced it and it all worked out my final thoughts on this catalina wine mixer is they probably spend anywhere from 150 to 200 000 next up ocean's 8. this is spot on for the met gala and shout out to whoever organized this because i'm sure they had to get the blessing of vogue the met the city to recreate this whole iconic scene which is such a cultural moment in hollywood so the way they did this chef's kiss that is the press pit so that's where all your paparazzi is that's where you have people doing commentary for media outlets also like this because you are press and paparazzi there's a dress code for you as well so you will notice that all of the photographers are in black tie as well as the people who are interviewing the celebrities as they come up steps you just can't pull up because you have on a tuxedo and a camera they have to come with their own clothes they have to have their own tuxedo it's nothing that the met gala is dressing them for they ain't the celebrity okay your name uh hindu schneider oh here it is now this part to me is not realistic okay if this is a general check-in list the check-in would have happened outside of the tent or outside the entrance you don't want to give party crashers or people who are not invited the opportunity to even step foot inside the party if they don't want to be there so i'm assuming because the med gal is so on point that this is probably the second or third check-in before talent goes up the famous steps next we have serena williams how are you i'm good hurry i'm good thank you so you've conquered the court you've conquered motherhood for a red carpet event there is some coordination that goes involved with it if there's a budget you usually are sending a car for the talent to come you're arranging with them how many people are in their party or are they coming with security is security allowed inside for the med gala it doesn't look like they allow talent to come with security which most big celebrity events don't allow because you have so much damn security there they spend a million dollars on security probably so wrangling talent and having talent arrive at a red carpet it's definitely a science so for just any run-of-the-mill red carpet even they show up when they show up they get a notice this is the time that the red carpet opens this is the time that the red carpet closes if they want their photo taken they gonna show up between that window for something as orchestrated as the med gala i'm sure that they give a notice to the talent in advance of a window of time kim kardashian you need to arrive between 7 and 7 15 so that it's not so jumbled on the carpet hedges have to be custom and when i say custom because the hedges have to go along the vibe of the steps or the shape of the actual steps and that cream carpet that you see that carpet is not there every day so that carpet has to be cut it has to be laid it has to be installed it has to be broken down and right before the guests come you see the people vacuum in the carpet to make sure there is not a spot on it so the outside entry alone carpet hedging tinting the velvet drapes we probably looking at and the lighting probably 300 000 or more you will see that the lighting mood has changed already we do events in phases or in stories like story a's 3b for their rivals it was very bright you saw spotlights because people are getting their photos taken and now you can see which looks like phase b it's a bit more moodier because they're probably set in the scene for what is happening next dinner or performance [Music] so this looks like your standard reception style or dinner style setup area you would notice that you have small florals on each table you want the florals either small and low or high and skinny and that is because you want to be able to see the people that you actually are talking to as you are eating dinner for florals such as this they're not over the top they're not too crazy it's just florals and some tea lights that probably is like 150 to 200 a table just on that small white floral arrangement they probably work with the fine china vendor to get them the china settings and that can run you let's say for a 200 person dinner probably 17 000 in china alone the met gala is dope for two reasons one is just such a beloved sacred event second because it's in the metropolitan museum of art so it means you have so much high quality high priced art there so the art in conjunction with the fashion that is the theme for that year's event i mean the security around not touching all of that stuff alone is like i can't even wrap my head around it most security guards cost anywhere from 50 to 65 dollars an hour and looking at the security guards that they have for this event i'm sure they blew the budget on security and they also have put in place subtle security measures so that you also can like see the art and see the beauty of the garments but also it's not like a construction like don't touch sign so it's a way more chic way to protect the art and the garments hi everybody how are you hi the met gala is known for being like so pristine and the secrecy of like what's happening in the inside if you don't get invited then you just don't get invited so there are a few security measures that you can put in place so that your event is not photographed for people who doesn't need to see if you can do a phone check-in they'll walk through a metal detector so it's not like they can hide it and then they will have to give their phone you put it in a lock sleeve and that they put it almost like in a cubby or a locker you also can put up wide notices around that says like please no photography no posting during this time for something like this i would assume that's what they do here because it'll be pretty hard to get these celebs in the world of instagram not on their phone also the met gala is so gangster and people want to get invited again i'm sure they're not gonna try to like sneak photos because they want that invitation i'm guessing for a fancy high class event like this that the tables for eight guests probably run you about three hundred thousand dollars all in all oceans eight met gala budget i think we're looking at about three million dollars next up spectre this is very much about the city the vibe the energy and just community and culture to do an event like this or to hold an outside festival like this you have to get permits for the streets you have to get permits for the sidewalks and all of this has to be organized through the mayor's office so you would work with the events department to get the proper permits this scene takes place in mexico cities but in the u.s specifically new york city a permit would probably cost you around one thousand dollars a day i actually think that this movie inspired mexico city create an actual day of the dead celebration because it was just like such a frenzy around this scene in the movie i have personally never made a float but i do know that there are fabricators fabricator is someone who can custom build custom create things looking at this and just the scale and intricacy of it this looks like it probably costs at least thirty thousand dollars to create this and most floats are housed in like a warehouse and it's a whole storage situation that goes into it there is a few mechanics that goes probably into the cost what the real cost in this type of parade is crowd control security restrooms and cleanup that is where the bulk of the money is going so the city is not paying for the lavish costumes or the makeup and all that people are paying for that on their own again the key thing with any type of mass gathering is permits and crowd control i cannot stress that enough safety is first you want to make sure that there is a clear pan to get people in and out areas of egress so you would work with your security and you will probably work with the local precinct to make sure that those measures are in place in this scene you see them going down this massive street but you also see it looks like buildings or residencies or companies on both sides tenants that are occupying those businesses they need to be working in concert with the police and the security department so they're probably going to be closed for business because i don't know how much they want to be involved with the frenzy but they need to be on board with what's happening in the community in the vicinity as well also anytime there is a festival or a parade or something big like this happening in town best believe that whatever the neighboring hotels are they are up charging for those days probably double the price for hot ticket weeks like this next up office christmas party this looks like a tragedy like i would never want to plan an event like this um a mess clearly there is no event planner for this party they definitely ain't called me to do nothing like this we do have some corporate clients we work with netflix we work with youtube we work with google and they never have christmas parties like this thank god keep going [Music] it didn't look like they spent a lot of money on this event but looking at this ice slide contraption and this ice sculpture i think that's where the bulk of their money went and an ice sculpture something like that probably cost them around five thousand dollars if i had to guess i've seen ice luge before and it seems like the most unsanitary thing in life i don't know why people want to participate in it like please somebody tell me i think ice sculptures ice anything is so dated just period let me just say that but you definitely can bring in an ice sculpture to any type of building any type of venue most ice sculptures come with some sort of like bin to catch the actual water that's leaking from it so that it doesn't spread throughout the event venues one thing to keep in mind with ice sculptures the heavier it is you need to get clearance for the actual building to make sure that it's strong enough to actually hold it we do tons of parties with rappers and we did one event with offset from migos and he wanted to have a bentley truck ice sculpture this ice sculpture it was actually the same weight as an elephant and we had to get clearance from the venue to actually bring it in it was a whole situation it wasn't too crazy but it was a few thousand dollars the ice slot in this scene is probably the craziest thing i've ever seen i'm sure that they have some sort of contraption or situation to actually catch the actual water that was melting from the slide because i'm sure with them drinking and being drunk and sliding on an ice slide there is water all over the place like that is like damage 101. there is really no way to calculate damages for a party to the nose but a good event planner knows to have a 10 contingency line item your contingency line item is for overages extras that come up that you may not know of and then also is to cover any damages anything that happened at the event that was unforeseen so always budget in a 10 contingency line item so that you cover all of these costs and you don't have to go back to your client to ask them for more money damages can be anything from cigarette burn to tearing up a floor from nail polish being poured on a persian rug you name it i have seen the damages and guess what that's just the cost that we're going to have to eat and pay for at the end of the event [Music] there are levels to having a photo booth at your event it can go from as cheap as 500 to upwards of 10 000 in the days of instagram everybody wants to outdo everybody with their photo booth activation but you can see in this scene they have a very generic photo booth this probably cost you around 800 900 for a party overall with this party i think they spent no more than 50 000 next up meet joe black this looks like the ideal venue because it looks like it's already an amazing structure you see it looks like the lights already live there the great sprawling lawn like those things are already there so those are elements that you don't have to pay for so if you can find a venue that already has a panache with it it's less work that you have to do to design it out as an event planner outside events are completely beautiful but you always have to keep the weather in mind a good event planner always has a rain plan in place so if you're looking for an outside venue you want to make sure that it is transitional should it be rain or should it be cold at night does this event location lend me putting up a tent or having tons of people with umbrellas like these are things you should be looking at or thinking about in the back of your mind and also as the event planner you're going to be checking the weather that we like crazy and the call or the best practice for calling if you're going to transition to your rain plan is usually 24 hours in advance is when you say we're doing our rain plan or not you need 24 hours because you actually want to give ample time to get the tents loaded and get them to the venue and so that they can be erected in time i thought i was going to sneak away tonight this style event is what we would call like gala style or banquet style you see very traditional round tables everybody is dressed up you have a big band on the stage someone is giving remarks this style is something that is tried and true and very classic nailing the style of the event is the first thing that you want to get as a client when you are working with somebody i am the queen of a dress code because if somebody come in and the outfit is not right they got to go there is a clear difference between black tie and formal imma say it again it's a clear difference between black tie and formal formal is a suit black tie is a tuxedo there you have it formal is a long dress for a woman maybe it doesn't have all the embellishments and bells and whistles and black tie is more gown and style more embellishments more bells and whistles more jazzy more razzle dazzle this is quintessentially a black tie event the gentlemen have on tuxedos and the women have on long gowns your security needs to know that like anybody not within the dress code they can't get in there's a time and a place for everything so with the music in particular at a black tie event like this you don't want to turn up too easy you kind of want to ease your way into it so maybe the music is a bit softer you know a bit more chill the night increases then it's when you really have people rocking on the dance floor so i think the bones of this venue was already existing like it already lived there before they got there i do think this gazebo structure was actually built and designed in mind with the spirit of the venue because it kind of looks like it already goes but we know that they built this out for this birthday party there's a few things that goes into having a live band so this is a big band it probably looks like at least 30 people so you have to pay one for all the back line all the extra equipment and sound that a band actually needs to perform live so the back line plus the actual cost of the band for this alone that probably was close to i would say like maybe fifty thousand dollars not all cakes are real cakes so a lot of times event planners will get a faux cake made which is a fake cake and the cake has nothing in it this cake in particular 100 is a faux cake the top tier is probably real and that's where they put the candle in you blow in the candle you take it away but meanwhile behind the scenes you have a sheet cake that's already cut up in squares and ready to go to be served to the guests the face ic is a memory it may not be a perfectly perfect memory uh sometimes we had her ups and down one thing that this gentleman did really well is that he addressed the crowd during the event if people are getting dressed up if people are traveling town good manners is that the host will always give remarks thanking the crowd for attending their birthday party so bravo for him for doing this this event was a bit more formal from what we see they not turn it up too much it's not so crazy they already have a beautiful venue i would think that they spent no more than 750 000 on this party all in all these movies that we saw today i think that they were spot on nothing seemed too crazy or over the top that i have never experienced myself as an event planner and my number one rule i would say what makes a party a party is the energy and the spirit of the people in the room you can be at the world's classiest event during the cannes film festival or you can be at a dive bar in a lower east side but now you know we've had to make some pivots and some changes so we can still gather but now you have to gather in small groups and we have to just take a bit more extra precaution some things that event planners are doing now is you're having a covet officer on site someone to take temperatures someone that can do rapid testing you know before you used to tell people to like get dressed up and this is the dress code so now we're actually helping them with the dress code like we're gonna create some very fly masks for you and let's make your mask go with your outfit setting up sanitation stations around your location or your venue so there are smart ways to host a small group of people but keep safety and precaution and social distance in mind we don't want to miss out on life's milestones during this moment but we also want to be smart about it gq i had the best time hanging out with y'all today watching these movie clips so until next time

Channel: GQ

Views: 1,388,824

Rating: 4.9540095 out of 5

Keywords: the breakdown, breakdown, event planner, even planning, event planner breakdown, party scene, party scenes, party movie, party movies, party scene breakdown, crazy rich asians breakdown, the great gatsby breakdown, step brothers, ocean's 8, party scene break down, the breakdown gq, gq the breakdown, oceans 8, office christmas party, meet joe black, spectre, spectre breakdown, break down, event planners, gq, gq magazine

Id: 0XY5f8pqUoc

Length: 40min 12sec (2412 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 29 2020