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Using a mix of archive material, this film paints a colourful and surprising portrait of London's beating heart, the West End, from showbusiness and shops to riots and sleaze. (R)
BBC IPLAYER [may expire]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jzq75/London_on_Film_The_West_End/
Saturday 25 January 2014
Tourism in Piccadilly...
As a major intersection at the heart of London’s West End, connecting Regent’s Street, Piccadilly, Haymarket Coventry Street, Shaftesbury Avenue and Glasshouse Street, Piccadilly Circus is a popular meeting point for tourists who dwell for long periods in front of the screens.
The top five visiting countries to Piccadilly Circus are from the USA, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Regent street receives over 7.5 Million tourists a year.
The West End houses priceless treasures in 30 museums and galleries
The West End houses 40% of London’s hotels with over 65,000 beds
50% of visitors to Piccadilly Circus are from outside the UK.
http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/advertising/tourism
Entertainment near Piccadilly...
When the shops close, London’s Piccadilly Circus becomes a hub of entertainment with thousands of surrounding bars and restaurants, attracting an evening and weekend audience. It’s also located at the heart of theatreland and at the centre of the European film industry.
Friday and Saturday afternoons / evenings are the busiest times.
200,000 people travel through Piccadilly Circus on Saturday evenings.
The West End district boasts 28 Michelin starred restaurants.
Over 40 internationally renowned theatres are situated in the West End and is the largest and oldest theatre district in the world.
Neighbouring Leicester Square hosts over 50 premieres every year.
55% of visitors to Piccadilly Circus are there for leisure and entertainment purposes.
Retail near Piccadilly
London's West End houses over 2,000 stores - 217 of which are flagships, with more retail space than Rome or Paris.
Oxford Street is the longest shopping street in Europe at 1.5 miles.
Oxford Street is the longest shopping street in Europe at 1.5 miles.
Regent street was the first shopping street in the world and rivals the Champs-Elysees and Fifth Avenue as the world's leading retail destination.
With 2km of store frontage, Regent street is home to one of the finest collections of international brands in the world.
A 20 year, 1 billion pound investment programme has transformed Regent street into an award-winning international destination.
Piccadilly Circus timeline
1896
Piccadilly Circus before the turn of the 20th Century.
1931
In 1783 a young Swiss watchmaker, Jean Jacob Schweppe, patented his special process for making carbonated water, effectively making himself the father of the modern soft drinks industry. Schweppes' tonic water is still recognised by mixologists as key to making the best gin and tonic.
1939-49
The lights were switched off for 10 years during World War Two.
1956
William Wrigley Junior was one of the pioneers in the use of advertising to sell branded merchandise, using the principle "Even in a little thing like a stick of gum, quality is important." Wrigley brands can now be found in more than 180 countries worldwide.
1965
Diana Vreeland, Editor of Vogue Magazine, declares that "London is the most swinging city in the world".
1966
Even in 1931 it was 'Guiness Time', and that was still the case in 1966, hence the enduring clock. By 1966 it was 'Guiness Time' for over six million glasses a day. The profusion of Irish pubs around the globe today is unlikely to have taken place without this deep black liquid and its now famous white head.
1972
The VW Beetle becomes the biggest selling car in history, overtaking the T model Ford.
1988
Kodak, founded in 1880, has done more than make the camera 'as convenient as the pencil'. Their transparent roll film allowed the invention of the first motion picture camera in 1891 (and Kodak film is still used on most movie sets worldwide). Kodak's pivotal role in medical imaging began a little later, a year after the discovery of x-rays in 1895.
2000
The UK seemingly strolls through the Millennium Bug disaster.
2003
Another famous black liquid, whose company sells over a billion drinks a day, scarcley needs introduction. Coca-Cola has had a presence at Piccadilly Lights for over fifty years. Their new, enormous billboard, installed in 2003, allows for cinema-quality moving images that react to colour and movement in the crowd below, and even adapt their images to the weather. (2005 campaign shown)
2005
Samsung's recent global successes have been built on a string of world firsts in next-generation technologies...as a source of impossible and wonderful things we will soon come to take for granted, they are the market leaders. Along with Coca-Cola and McDonald's, Samsung's sign has also been updated to LED, tilting the balance of the site firmly towards the future.
2007
For over 100 years Piccadilly Lights has been imbedded in London's history, a beacon of success...
2008
A bigger, brighter McDonalds screen is installed
2011
Hyundai Motors signed launched with new LED screen, replacing Sanyo’s sign, the last to be run by traditional neon lights. The Samsung screen is upgraded and improved in autumn 2011.
2013
The Piccadilly Light Screen is removed to make way for the new ‘One Piccadilly’ screen.
http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/about/history
size stats
The Piccadilly Lights are one of London's and the world's best known landmarks and have been a feature of the city for over 100 years.
Dominating Piccadilly Circus, at the heart of London's West End, Piccadilly Lights reach an audience of over 2 million people each week, making it the world's most sought after advertising site.
Today, five leading global brands are present on Piccadilly Lights. With the launch of 'One Piccadilly' at the end of 2013, the new screen opens up and exciting opportunity for a sixth advertiser to secure space on this iconic advertising location.
| Name: | Sign size: | Total area: |
|---|---|---|
| SAMSUNG | 12.23 m x 12.44 m | 152.14 sq m |
| MCDONALD'S | 12.44 m x 5.49 m | 68.30 sq m |
| TDK | 21.16 m x 4.8 m | 101.57 sq m |
| COCA - COLA | 32.32 m x 6.34 m | 204.91 sq m |
| HYUNDAI | 21.16 m x 5.76 m | 121.88 sq m |
| ONE PICCADILLY | 24.6 m x 4.8 m | 118.08 sq m |
http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/about
Piccadilly Facts
- Coca-Cola have been present on the site since 1955. They have the longest continuous presence at Piccadilly Circus.
- The statue which stands in front of the lights and is commonly referred to as ‘Eros’ is, in fact, a representation is the angel of Christian Charity.
- Over 50 brands have appeared on the signs over the last 100 years
- The lights were turned off to mourn the deaths of Churchill and Lady Diana and more recently to mark Earth Hour for the WWF.
- The lights have been visible since Edwardian times. The Perrier sign, for instance, was first illuminated in 1908.
- 71,760,000Pedestrians walk past the lights every year3,560,544People in taxis pass the site each year23,218,936People see the lights from coaches or buses per year3,130,608People drive past the lights in cars per year767Square meters of advertising space774,144Number of pixels in the new Coca-Cola sign
http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/did-you-know
Advertising in Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Lights sit in the epicentre of London at Piccadilly Circus. Occupying a unique place in London’s history, culture and heritage, they are considered one of the most iconic landmarks in the World.
As one of the busiest attractions in London, the Piccadilly Lights attract a 24/7 audience of over 2 million visitors each week.
At the heart of London's West End, Piccadilly Circus receives over 100 million visitors a year.
1 Million weekly visitors to Piccadilly Circus are from the UK.
Piccadilly Circus receives 2 million weekly visitors by foot or by vehicle
The West End receives over 2 Million shoppers and tourists every year, spending £7.6BN.
Half of the adults visiting Piccadilly Circus are under 35, three quarters are under the age of 45.
http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/advertising
Introducing 'One Piccadilly'
http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/one-piccadilly#
The Perception of LIGHT AND COLOUR C.A.Padgham and J.E.Saunders
"It is interesting to digress just for a moment to consider other senses, for example hearing, in which the sensation of loudness is similarly coded and sent to the brain as action potentials in no way different from those of the eye" Pg 48
"A red filter absorbs all the colours of the spectrum except red, which it strongly transmits. This is called selective absorption.We can now see the whole chain of events in the perception of colour (Fig. 4.6). The emission of light and its selective reflection and its progress to the eye are purely physical phenomena, and up to this point there is no colour. As Newton said 'the Rays are not coloured'. But when this modified light enters the ye it is received by the retinal cones which absorb some and in doing so give rise to nerve signals which are interpreted by the brain as a colour perception." Pg 65
"A red filter absorbs all the colours of the spectrum except red, which it strongly transmits. This is called selective absorption.We can now see the whole chain of events in the perception of colour (Fig. 4.6). The emission of light and its selective reflection and its progress to the eye are purely physical phenomena, and up to this point there is no colour. As Newton said 'the Rays are not coloured'. But when this modified light enters the ye it is received by the retinal cones which absorb some and in doing so give rise to nerve signals which are interpreted by the brain as a colour perception." Pg 65
"When we come to the higher primate and man, it is of course their possession of larger and more complex brains which enable them to take advantage of the increased information available from their colour-conscious eyes. The fact that in the human colour assumes a great aesthetic importance is of course a bonus, but probably purely an accidental one. Colour to most people plays a very essential and often pleasurable part in their lives." Pg 67
New Media Shines A Bright Light As Times Square Gets Revamp
December 04, 2000|By San Jose Mercury News.
NEW YORK — Once seedy Times Square has cleaned up its act with the help of Disney, which renovated historical Broadway theaters here and launched shows such as "The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aida."
Now there's a new mouse in town, and this one clicks.
Last week, a 760-seat Internet cafetouted to be the world's largest--joined scores of technology companies and new media businesses contributing to the revitalization of a neighborhood that boasts 1.5 million visitors a day.
The easyEverything Internet cafe on 42nd Street, next door to the new Madame Tussaud's wax museum, is the first U.S. venture of London-based easyGroup, which owns 15 similar cafes in major European cities. Times Square companies such as Conde Nast, Firecom, Disney, Viacom, Reuters and others make up a dense concentration of communications and broadcasting might, industries whose definitions are evolving as they increasingly embrace technology.
Committee to Reclaim Times Square
August 20, 1989|By Russell W. Baker, The Christian Science Monitor.
NEW YORK — Ah, Times Square. Now that was a place-for great theater, cabaret, hotels or just a stroll with a sweetheart below the neon lights. It was also the site of some the nation`s largest and most emotional gatherings, from ringing in the New Year to proclaiming victory over the Nazis.
Those were the memories of what is known as the crossroads of the world, and the reason Times Square has been at the top of most tourist itineraries for 80 years, the undisputed pulsating heart of New York.
...But Times Square has become an urban wasteland, a dangerous place with open drug dealing, drinking and crime. The elegant restaurants have been replaced by fast-food outlets and the grand theaters shuttered or showing kung-fu or X-rated movies. Most New Yorkers stay away.
...Brendan Gill, an architectural critic and preservationist who heads the Committee to Reclaim Times Square, said the plan is ``a farce.``
``The war to save the theater district has been lost,`` he said, noting that 42d Street once housed more than 35 theaters. Fewer than 10 remain, most of them cinemas, some pornographic. Gill charges that the corporations that own many of today`s Broadway theaters, most scattered north of 42d Street, are not concerned with preserving an art form.
``The idea you can solve profound sociological problems by building skyscrapers is transparently false,`` Gill said. ``You don`t wrestle with them by putting up buildings for hot-shot corporate law firms to move into. . . . It (the plan) is a conspiracy to take away the one sort of village green-open place-we have.``
Gill charges that a subtext of the plan is that the area will be flooded with white and white-collar workers who will go home at 5 p.m.Although sponsors plan to put neon signs on the buildings to re-create something of the old Times Square feel, Gill said it just won`t be the same. There was daylight and skylight coming through the original signs, he said.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-08-20/business/8901060102_1_times-square-subway-station-renovation
Times Square`s Seedy Side To Be Cleaned Up
December 31, 1989|By George E. Curry, Chicago Tribune.
Less than a half-block from the annual New Year`s Eve festivities, along West 42d Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, lies perhaps the most dangerous block in New York City.
Pornography shops, con artists, seedy theaters and ladies of the evening have combined to transform this area adjacent to the Broadway theater district into a crime den. Last year 2,246 crimes were committed in that one block alone; 20 percent were murders, rapes, robberies or other assaults.
But the new year is supposed to bring about the beginning of a new Times Square. After fighting more than 40 lawsuits over the last five years, developers won yet another major legal victory this month.
That cleared the way for the $2.5 billion redevelopment of the square. When completed in 1995, West 42d Street might become as beautiful as the ceremonies that usher in each new year.
``By restoration of the theaters, the development of office space, of hotel space and retail space and the merchandise mart, we`ll bring different kinds of people there,`` said Brian Kell, a spokesman for the 42d Street Development Project.
...These days, tourists visiting Times Square might find it difficult to imagine what the area looked like when Fred and Adele Astaire, Noel Coward, John Barrymore, the Marx Brothers and George and Ira Gershwin all ``played Broadway.``
Now, visitors are treated to establishments advertising ``girls in private fantasy booths.`` In between the clothing stores and electronic outlets along the strip are promotions for X-X-X rated movies, peep shows and ``live nude reviews.``
Almost any drug can be purchased on the street. Addicts and homeless people often stand on the pavement and stare into space.
...``Times Square is a jumble of everything you`d imagine in a big city: a lot of lights, a lot of advertisements, public places, different kinds of characters and the warning to hold on to your wallet,`` said Judy Simmons, feature editor of Ms. magazine, which has its office on Times Square.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-31/news/8903220241_1_times-square-four-new-office-buildings-broadway-theater-district
Terrorist fears in Times Square
December 28, 1999|By From news reports
When the clock strikes midnight Friday in Times Square, more than a million people plan to be there partying. But one guy said he's staying far, far away.
Former New York FBI boss Jim Kallstrom fears a terrorist strike. "I personally wouldn't go to any event in Times Square," he said last week. "If there is a strike, it will be in a large gathering."
But staying away will be his loss, event organizers said. They said they've spent the past three years working with police, fire and security officials to make sure Times Square is safe. Police Commissioner Hoard Safir even said: "I will be in Times Square at 12 midnight on New Year's Eve, and my family will be with me standing right under the ball."
The Times Square party is expected to be one of the world's biggest. Besides the 1.5 million people expected to show up, 1 billion will watch on TV. And more than 1,000 performers - including musicians, puppeteers, dancers and actors - will pop up throughout the daylong celebration.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-12-28/features/9912280058_1_times-square-strike-partying
N.y. Gains Times Square Land
April 19, 1990|By New York Times News Service.
NEW YORK — After a 6-year legal battle, New York state acquired most of the Times Square development area Wednesday, and officials said demolition to clear the way for the $2.5 billion project could begin by fall.
The state Urban Development Corp. took title to about two-thirds of the 13-acre site, including the parcels at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street, on which four huge office towers are planned. It also includes eight of the nine theaters that are to be renovated as part of the project.
Officials called the action a decisive step toward the state`s largest public commercial urban-renewal project.
The plan calls for four skyscrapers from 32 to 57 stories and comprising 4.1 million square feet.
The buildings were redesigned to reflect the honky-tonk atmosphere of the area, with setbacks, angled roofs, reflective surfaces in blue and green glass and built-in multicolored neon signs.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-04-19/news/9002010667_1_times-square-urban-renewal-neon
New Hotel Is Music To Times Square
January 21, 1990|By New York Times News Service.
A $300 million hotel designed to look and light up like a giant jukebox has opened in Times Square, where the idea for the building took root in the mind of its architect almost 50 years ago.
The Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza-Manhattan, a 46-story hotel on the west side of Broadway between 48th and 49th Streets, is the second major hotel project to go up in the area in four years. Two others are under construction, and two more are being planned.
...A graduate of and a former teacher at Columbia University`s School of Architecture, Lapidus said:
``I grew up in Brooklyn, and it used to be a big thing for me as a little boy to come into Times Square at night, step out of the subway at 42d Street and be visually overwhelmed by the art moderne buildings and their lights, and my design seeks to re-create my reminiscences of that time.`
...with the image of the Times Square glitz of years ago in mind, he ringed the facade with giant banks of multicoloured lights.
Bugs Is What's Up In Times Square
October 20, 1996|By New York Daily News.
NEW YORK — Warner Bros. is planning a massive entertainment and shopping complex in the renowned "zipper" building in the heart of Times Square.
NEW YORK — Warner Bros. is planning a massive entertainment and shopping complex in the renowned "zipper" building in the heart of Times Square.
Determined to find a high-profile site for Bugs Bunny, Batman and other Warner products, the company is leasing the 22-story tower at One Times Square, which hosts the world-famous ball-drop on New Year's Eve.
The high-profile deal puts Warner directly across the street from arch-rival Disney, which opened its own studio store last week at 42nd St. and Seventh Ave. The moves are part of a national sparring match between the media giants, who are opening stores within steps of each other.
Warner's complex is likely to be similar to its newly expanded flagship store at 57th St. and Fifth Ave. which is reopening this week with such features as a three-dimensional cartoon theatre, Batplane shows and an interactive game room for kids.
The Times Square complex also will feature a glittering theme restaurant on the building's top four floors. Building the complex could cost as much as $50 million, experts said.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-10-20/business/9610200150_1_times-square-bugs-bunny-complex
Times Square pumps $55B into economy
May 08, 2007
Times Square, the area of midtown Manhattan that's evolved over the past century from a bustling theater district to a symbol of crime and decay and now to a sanitized entertainment mecca, pumps about $55 billion a year directly into the city's economy, according to a new study. That means that Times Square makes more money, the study said, than the combined economies of Panama and Bolivia.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-05-08/news/0705080291_1_times-square-economy-bolivia
Times Square, the area of midtown Manhattan that's evolved over the past century from a bustling theater district to a symbol of crime and decay and now to a sanitized entertainment mecca, pumps about $55 billion a year directly into the city's economy, according to a new study. That means that Times Square makes more money, the study said, than the combined economies of Panama and Bolivia.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-05-08/news/0705080291_1_times-square-economy-bolivia
Tuesday 21 January 2014
Light Show - Sometimes it pays to look into the light
CHARLES DARWENT Sunday 10 February 2013
“The
light here is electric, which is to say artificial, which is to say new.
Underlying all the work in Light Show is a Promethean anxiety, a wonder at (and
lurking fear of) modern man's ability to make light for himself. Light is what
we see by: no light, no vision. If that light is artificial, then so,
potentially, is what it allows us to see. Something at the heart of the way we
believe – an idea of enlightenment, of revelation through light – is made
uncertain. We are like the captives in Plato's cave, only worse, seeing what we
see more brightly than they do, but with all the less assurance that it is
real. Phew. If that sounds as though Light Show is going to make for heavy
viewing, then the opposite is true. The art in it tends towards the twinkly.
Thus the first work you see as you walk in, Leo Villareal's Cylinder II – a
20-foot column of white LEDs, bubbling effervescently like a 7-Up ad.
Villareal's work could be at Piccadilly Circus, except that all it advertises
is itself. That, I guess, is the point. Cylinder II seems to be telling us
something, selling us something. But in the end it is merely pretty, a closed
loop, a self-answering question.”
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