..
On the
9th March, EON began filming at Limehouse Docklands, near the site of the
Millennium Dome. EON production signs have been spotted around the area,
and filming the stunt where Bond is dropped onto the roof of the Dome is
expected to be carried out before the end of the month. Judging by the
current script, the scene will not last longer than a minute or so, but
it's inclusion in the pre titles sequence will surely be a crowd-pleaser.
The Dome is involved when Bond is chasing a female assassin, The "Cigar
Girl", down the River on high-speed boats. The assassin jumps into a nearby
hot-air balloon and attempts to take off. Bond's boat goes up a ramp, takes
off, and he manages to catch hold of the balloon's mooring ropes while
the boat flies through the air. He shoots the balloon down and falls onto
the roof of the Dome. Read the script
to read exactly what happens.
On
Wednesday 31st March David Williams
once again went undercover and took photographs of the film crew and the
Q Boat at the Millennium Dome. David, disguising himself as a tourist and
boarding a Thames cruising boat, was able to get an excellent view of the
proceedings. Many thanks to David. The pictures are shown below.
This
shot shows the North Side of the Dome and Eon's setup there. The balloon
that the Cigar Girl uses to escape is small and has multicoloured stripes
down the side, and had unfortunately been removed by the time this photograph
was taken. Many stuntmen were present at the set, some of whom posed as
"visiting dignitaries" during the speed boat stunt. Fire engines were also
present in case of any mishap. |
The
boat "ramp" which Bond uses to get his boat out of the water. The boat
in the picture appears to be a mock-up of the Cigar-Girl's (Assassin's)
boat, and Bond probably uses it to launch his own boat into the air. When
I was shown around the site myself, I was shown the mock-up which is essentially
just an outer shell. Bond aims his craft at the boat, which forces his
own boat up into the air. |
On 1st
April, London Tonight showed special footage of the filming that has been
taking place at the Dome. They talked briefly about the "drop from balloon"
stunt, and other footage showed a *very* lifeless Bond dummy clinging to
a rope from half a balloon being lifted by a crane around the Dome while
filming was taking place.
The
report concluded that filming was continuing tomorrow (Thursday) and for
a few weeks as yet with stunts planned at Tower Bridge. There was also
a short interview with Michael Wilson who explained why they had chosen
London- because it's just as interesting as all the other locations and
because the films are created here, it tends to get "overlooked" as a location.
|
|
|
A
member of the crew has his photo taken with the Canary Wharf Tower in the
background.
|
The
high-visibility 2nd unit crew talk about suitable places to engineer controlled
explosions.
|
| For
those wishing to keep an eye on the Millennium Dome as finishing touches
are added to it's construction, there are two sites which offer live picture
updates: |
The
BBC DomeCam
or
The
Daily Mirror DomeCam |
....
|
The
location of the dome right next to the Thames, and several miles downstream
from the MI6 Building, is crucial to the structure of the explosive pre-title
sequence. |
..
Dome
Facts
..
| Since
being announced by the Government over three years ago, the Millennium
Dome has attracted a deluge of criticism, and little praise. It has been
a controversial matter from start to finish, in part due to it's cost:
it is expected to have cost £1.25 Billion pounds by the time it is
completed, most of it being funded by British tax payers.
Built
primarily to celebrate to new Millennium, the dome will house a number
of exhibitions on what life is expected to be like in the 21st century,
and will be open all year round to members of the public. The inside of
the dome is expected to set the tone for the new millennium.
The
Millennium Dome, compared to a "dustbin lid" by its many critics, will
be the largest in the world, with a circumference of one kilometre. Two
Wembley stadiums could fit inside, or 12.5 football pitches. It will also
be tall enough to house Nelson's Column and 40,000 people at a time. It
will glow at night, providing a beacon on the Thames peninsula.
Originally
the skin was to be made from PVC. Greenpeace criticized this decision,
saying that PVC was a noxious substance and would pollute the environment
through its manufacture and by giving off harmful dioxins at the site.
The
government relented and ordered a new covering which will cost £8-14m
more than the PVC cover. This will be supplied by the New York firm Birdair
and will mean the Dome can stand for 25 years. The new roof covering may
even be renewable after 25 years. The Teflon-coated glass covering will
hang over 12 steel masts, each 100 meters high. Controversially, the huge
dome will also contain a large ventilation shaft from the Blackwall Tunnel.
This will poke out through the top of the building but, according to the
government, it will not pose any respiratory problems for visitors to the
exhibition.
The
Millennium Experience's purpose is also to showcase British inventions
and designs. In particular, the government will encourage British innovations
through a scheme launched in September this year called Products 2000.
This will give grants to individuals or companies to help them develop
exciting products for the next millennium, giving an emphasis to environmentally
beneficial inventions and advanced technology.
On
New Year's Eve 1999 huge screens in or near the Dome will allow people
to see the year beginning in time zones all over the world. |
|
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