With the Empire and the Odeon, Leicester Square's two largest cinemas, screening the film, the event attracted one of the biggest crowds for a London movie premiere. Fencing was removed from the Square's gardens to allow the TV crews and fans to gather, as the Harry Potter stars moved through a predetermined layout to sign autographs and give interviews.
On behalf of West Design, which was masterminding all technical production including lighting and sound, Bluman Associates erected two 9m x 4m high video screens, set up in cinemascope format, to show a specially edited trailer for the film, interspersed with interview footage relayed live from the Square.
"As usual, it was raining and we had strong winds forecast which might have required us to drop the screens," says Bluman, who has consulted with West Design on a number of high-profile events, including previous Potter premieres. "Fortunately the weather held up and the 3,000-plus crowds were able to enjoy some of the biggest video screens I've put on a premiere like this."
(Jim Evans)
