Disneyland is deeply rooted in its past as its fan and Disney officials and Imagineers continually look toward the future and how they can expand upon Walt’s dream and enhance the guest experience. As a salute to Walt and the changes that have happened at Disneyland since it opened on July 17, 1955, I had the opportunity to interview Justin Arthur, an archivist with the Walt Disney Archives, and discuss opening day, look at some momentos from early Disneyland and discuss how the Disneyland Diamond Celebration has roots in so much of what happened in the early years. As an added bonus, Disney shot part of our interview on the very same kind of camera used to shoot Walt’s opening day speech that was broadcast throughout the United States on that amazing days 60 years ago.

To be on the same kind of camera only step from where Walt Disney gave his speech and dedicated Disneyland is an opportunity I could have never dreamed of and was an incredible honor. For your reference (and viewing pleasure), here is what the Walt’s opening day speech.

My video shoot wardrobe was provided by Pinup Girl Clothing. They have a fabulous store in Burbank, California and an online store with a HUGE selection of dresses and separates.

A Look Behind the Scenes

When it comes to bringing videos like this to life, it takes a lot more than getting up in front of the camera–it requires a lot of hard work by a lot of people.

For this shoot, I started by working with Pinup Girl Clothing to come up with just the right vintage-inspired outfit for the retro feel of the video. We chose to go with this peasant top and skirt from their Magic of Mary Blair Collection. How incredibly fitting to be wearing Mary Blair art in a vintage Disneyland piece, wouldn’t you say?

The morning of the shoot, I was off to hair and makeup because I just don’t roll out of bed looking like this! It took two incredible makeup artists to get me looking like this! I can never thank them enough for their artistry and expertise.

Once at our shooting location, the work that goes into bringing a piece like this to life is amazing. As mentioned in the video, a portion of this video was shot on the very same camera (type) used to shoot Walt Disney’s opening day speech and dedication. A two-camera shoot is much more difficult than a one camera, as it requires two camera operators and a director (as well as audio and lighting crew).

After meeting my interview subject, the director goes over how the piece will work and my preference for the shoot. I am then miked up so that you cannot see the microphone pack or microphone.

Once the camera is running and recording, the “slate” us so that they can identify who I am on the footage and we are ready to roll!

Once filming, I have to be mindful of my interviewee, the artifacts on the table, what camera I am looking at and when AND try not to be distracted by all of Disneyland going on around us! It is not as easy as you might think.

But that’s not all that went into making this video. Once at home, I have to edit the “B-roll” (all of the shots overlayed into the video) and place them into the view and researched through my personal collection of 1950s Walt Disney Magazines to find extra photography to feature as cutaways as well.

Doing videos like these are one of my favorite projects for Babes In Disneyland and I hope you enjoy them and the amount of work that goes into making them a reality!

If you have questions about the Disneyland Diamond Celebration, I encourage you to click on the link below to check out our planning guide where you can find all of our posts on everything that has to do with the Disneyland 60th anniversary!

Thank you to the Disneyland Resort for hosting me for the Disneyland Diamond Celebration media event and to Pinup Girl Clothing for providing me with the adorable clothing worn in this piece.