“Behind the scenes of one of Japan’s biggest music stars’ iconic album campaign.”
In 2011, I was fortunate enough to work as Location Manager on the photoshoot for Ayumi Hamasaki’s thirteenth studio album, Party Queen. Produced for Avex Trax, one of Japan’s largest and most influential record labels, the campaign brought one of Japan’s biggest music stars to England, where we transformed the magnificent Copped Hall in Essex into the backdrop for one of her most memorable album campaigns.
For anyone unfamiliar with Ayumi, she is widely regarded as the “Empress of J-pop”, having sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Her influence on Japanese popular culture is immense, making this one of the most exciting commercial projects I’ve had the opportunity to work on during my career.
The creative brief was to find a location that felt elegant, dramatic and timeless—somewhere that could complement Ayumi’s distinctive style while providing a series of striking backdrops for the Party Queen album artwork.
Project Information
Artist: Ayumi Hamasaki
Photographer: Leslie Kee
Client: Avex Trax / Good Films
Location Manager: Steve Mortimore
Location: Copped Hall, Essex, England
Location Brief: Grand English country house with a romantic, partly ruined aesthetic.
Finding the Perfect Location for the Party Queen Album Photoshoot
After exploring a number of possible locations, we selected Copped Hall, just outside Epping in Essex.
From the moment we first visited, it was clear the house offered exactly what the creative team were looking for.
As a Location Manager, you occasionally arrive somewhere and instinctively know you’ve found the right place. Copped Hall was one of those locations. Before a single light had been set up or a camera unpacked, you could already picture how the house would photograph. Every doorway, staircase, window and garden offered another visual opportunity, and it was easy to imagine how the creative team would transform each space into something truly special.
Its magnificent Georgian architecture, elegant interiors, formal gardens and atmospheric ruined sections gave us an incredible variety of backdrops, all within one estate. Every corner offered a completely different look, allowing the creative team to produce a remarkably diverse collection of images without ever leaving the location.
For a high-profile Ayumi Hamasaki photoshoot, it proved to be the perfect setting.
Working with Leslie Kee
The campaign was photographed by internationally renowned fashion photographer Leslie Kee, whose work with musicians, celebrities and fashion houses has earned him a worldwide reputation.
Watching Leslie transform each room and garden into part of the visual story was fascinating. Natural light, architectural details and carefully chosen compositions all combined to create the distinctive look that would define the Party Queen album artwork.
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a Location Manager is seeing a location evolve through another artist’s creative vision, and this project was a perfect example of that.
Working with Ayumi Hamasaki
Although Ayumi is one of the biggest recording artists in Japan, the atmosphere on set was relaxed, professional and incredibly creative.
Despite her global success, the entire production remained calm, collaborative and completely focused on creating the very best images possible.
Throughout the shoot, the house became a series of completely different sets, each complementing a spectacular wardrobe change and helping create the elegant, theatrical style that became synonymous with the Party Queen album.
It’s always satisfying watching a location you’ve chosen become such an integral part of an artist’s visual identity.
Why Copped Hall Was the Perfect Choice
One of the biggest challenges in location scouting is finding somewhere that offers enough visual variety without requiring the production to relocate throughout the day.
Copped Hall delivered exactly that.
Elegant staircases, weathered walls, historic architecture, formal gardens and beautiful natural surroundings all sat within a single estate. It allowed the photographer and creative team enormous flexibility while maintaining a consistent visual style throughout the Party Queen album photoshoot.
Looking Back
It’s incredibly rewarding knowing that a location you helped discover became part of the visual identity for one of Japan’s most successful artists. Working alongside Ayumi Hamasaki, Leslie Kee, Avex Trax and the wider creative team made this a genuinely memorable production. Looking back now, it’s easy to see why the location worked so well.
More than a decade later, it’s wonderful to see that Ayumi Hamasaki’s Party Queen continues to be celebrated by fans around the world, and I’m proud to have played a small part in helping bring that iconic campaign to life.
Original Location Scout Photographs from the Party Queen Photoshoot
Fortunately, I still have many of the original location scout photographs that I personally took while searching for the perfect location for the Party Queen album photoshoot, and I’m delighted to share them below.
These photographs provide a genuine behind-the-scenes look at the location before the production arrived. They show Copped Hall exactly as I first encountered it, before the cameras, lighting, styling and creative team transformed it into the finished campaign.
Comparing these scouting photographs with the completed Party Queen album artwork demonstrates just how much creativity, planning and collaboration goes into transforming an empty historic house into an internationally recognised music campaign.
Finished Party Queen Album Artwork
Below is a selection of the finished campaign images created during the photoshoot at Copped Hall, showing how the location became the striking visual backdrop for Ayumi Hamasaki’s Party Queen.
Official Party Queen Music Video
Watch the official Party Queen music video below and see how the beautiful surroundings of Copped Hall helped bring the creative vision to life.
