A lifetime of Freddie Mercury's possessions, including lyrics, pianos and clothing go up for auction

(3 Aug 2023)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
London - 3 August 2023
1. Exterior of Sotheby's, London, zoom to Freddie Mercury flag
2. Zoom in to window with "Freddie Mercury: A World of his Own" signage
3. Wide of fake moustache on building
4. Wide of Freddie Mercury's cape and crown
5. Pan of cape and crown
6. Close of crown
7. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London:
"We felt that making the exhibition absolutely special and unique was very important. And we've been asking ourselves - all the team at Sotheby's- our mantra has been, 'What would Freddie do? What would he say? Yeah, go for it.'"
8. Wide of room featuring art from Mercury's collection
9. Various of artworks
10. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London:
"You've got works by Picasso, Matisse, Chagall. But at the same time, you've got fun things. You've got to have a bit of fun with it, too. The big things have got to breathe. Freddie deserves a lot of respect as a collector, but you've got to have fun with it as well. Hence the mustache over our front door."
11. Tilt down of room featuring Mercury's clothing
12. Wide of moustached maniquins wearing Mercury's outfits
13. Various of outfits
14. Medium of kimono collection
15. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London:
"I think when I first heard, before we even went to Garden Lodge, his home, I assumed that much of the collection would be the costumes and the textiles. I didn't realize how careful a collector he was, how buying beautiful things they often had to have a story. Everything had to have a background. It had to speak to him on many different levels. Whether that was from his own experiences in his own background, or whether because it was a work of something that keyed into a costume perhaps he wore or, a moment in his professional career."
16. Various of baby grand piano
17. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London:
"The piano is like the nuclear reactor within the collection, isn't it? That's that, that's the point. That's the source code. That's where it all comes from. And we know that he loved it. So treating it with respect has been absolutely at the forefront of our minds. Making sure that it's visible and that people can come in and see it and see the tool of his trade, his easel and his palette. That's mega."
18. Close of photo of Mercury
19. Medium of display cases containing lyrics
20. Close of lyrics to "Killer Queen"
21. Zoom in to close of lyrics of "Bohemian Rhapsody"
22. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London:
"If you come into the exhibition, put your iPhone on, your earpods in, find the tune and play it, and just follow those lyrics with your finger through the case. And it's quite amazing because you can see the emphasis he's placing on particular words where he's underlined something, That's really cool."
23. Various of lyrics
24. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London:
25. Close of kimono, pull out to medium
26. Various of artworks
27. Various of jukebox
28. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London:
29. Various of party invites
30. Wide of room featuring Mercury's vintage clothing
31. Various of outfits
32. Various of outfit featuring eyes, known as "The Prawn"
33. Wide shot clothes on rail
34. Zoom in cat waistcoat

STORYLINE:










Another musical highlight is Mercury's jukebox, which he kept in his kitchen.




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