The event was watched by over 200,000 people along the banks of the Thames and live at home by 13.7m through the BBC One broadcast. This year, through the partnership between the Mayor of London's Office and Vodafone, the live experience featured the world's first 'multi-sensory' fireworks display. Exotic fruit flavours, synchronised special effects and colour-changing LED wristbands were added to augment the firework display - adding an extra dimension to the midnight spectacular.
The Shell Centre, just to the side of the EDF Energy London Eye and an iconic landmark on the South Bank of the river, was used to project a selection of giant 'first' themed artworks plus a number of messages from sponsor Vodafone that led into the famous count-down to midnight which triggered the fireworks. The event was created as part of Vodafone Firsts (www.firsts.com) through which Vodafone inspires people to do something remarkable for the first time using mobile technology.
Ashton and his team at TPS have projected onto the Shell Building numerous times and are intimately familiar with the special quirks, idiosyncrasies and magic needed to optimise any images appearing on it.
Their brief for New Year's Eve included specifying the projection hardware and control system, and assisting in the format of artwork that best suited the building.
On the creative side, TPS worked closely with Vodafone's brand experience agency Wasserman Experience led by special projects director Mark Bustard - and video content producers Treatment from London, advising on the artwork configurations to complement the renowned 1960's architecture of the 107 metre high building designed by Sir Howard Robertson.
On site, they worked alongside projection hardware suppliers QED and construction contractors Acorn to design and build the projection towers and draw up the projection maps to fit the media precisely to the building.
Says Ross Ashton, "We've been involved in several ground-breaking New Years' Eve events before and also several others involving projection onto the Shell Centre, so it was great to be asked back to work on a site we know and love. It was also brilliant once again to work with Jack Morton who delivered such a dynamic, hugely successful and memorable event for London to see in 2014."
(Jim Evans)
