We at the Newham Film Office, managed by The Film Office, have been put right in the festive mood by some of the shoots over the past month in our borough. Check out some of the highlights below!
Giri/Haji
Set across both Japan and London, Giri/Haji, produced by the BBC in conjunction with Netflix, stars Takehiro Hira as Kenzo Mori, a Tokyo detective who travels to London in search of his presumed deceased brother Yuto, played by Yosuke Kubozuka, who is accused of brutally killing the nephew of a Yakuza member which, as a result, threatens to start a gang war…This international series shot on location across London including filming office scenes at Newham Dockside. The production contacted the Newham Film Office looking for a modern glass office that would perfectly for their office scenes.
Shooting over the course of the night the production filmed various scenes around the building utilising empty office space, lift areas and the main glass atrium. Available exclusively on weekends only, Newham Dockside (Building 1000) is an imposing, modern glass fronted building offering 6005 sq ft of space and spectacular views of City Airport and Royal Albert Dock. Set over five floors plus basement, the location is predominantly open plan office spaces with numerous breakout areas and meeting rooms. Lift lobbies and balconies galore providing great top shots. There is a large atrium at the entrance with barriers to the building with spectacular palm trees and foliage that bring the outside in. The lower level also provides the perfect setting for a cafe/waiting area in an airport with City Airport providing the backdrop view.
Jacob Hughes-Rodgers, the Film Officer working on the job commented “Newham Dockside is a fantastic versatile location for a variety of shoots, it’s expansive glass windows offers productions a unique look and feel. Shooting at the location can be tricky as it is a working council building, and we ideally want council workers coming in the next day unawares that any filming has taken place. It was great to see all the hard work come to fruition with the opening scene of the very first episode showing off Newham Dockside in all its glory!”
Catch up on all the episodes now here!
Get in Shape For Christmas!
With the food extravaganza of Christmas fast approaching, its time to get into shape before piling on the pounds! Primark is releasing their new line of sportswear and with that comes a variety of promotion. KO Productions filmed scenes for an in store and social media campaign, advertising their new line. The chosen location for this was Newham Leisure Centre which offers a variety of different locations that suited the productions needs perfectly.
Newham Leisure Centre is the largest of the leisure centres in the borough and features a great variety of facilities including a 5m swimming pool and a teaching pool, a fully equipped gym on two floors – with a range of equipment including the Synergy 360 unit, Multi-sports centre including 8 court sports hall for badminton, cricket and basketball, an Olympic standard outside running track and an outdoor astro turf football pitches. We can’t wait to see Newham Leisure Centre shining bright when the campaign is released in the new year!
Winter Vibes With Local Singer Hamzaa
Up and coming artist Hamzaa filmed scenes for her new music video in Manor Park Underpass. Originally from the East End, the singer and pianist, who started at 4 years old dropped her first EP in 2019, the sublime First Signs of Me. Hamza performed pieces to camera in this gritty urban location. We are about to witness even more signs of Hamzaa’s greatness in 2019 and we were glad to support her journey.
The pedestrianised underpass located near Manor Park has a cycle track through the centre of it. Running under a train track it has a gritty urban feel with gratified walls. It is a former road that has been converted into a public highway and is easily managed for a variety of productions. Check out the music video here!
Children in Need
It’s the time for giving, and Children of Need returned for its 39th year and filmed scenes in the borough for their flagship commercial. The production got in contact wanting to film a local rugby team at the location as part of their campaign. The chosen location was Memorial Recreation Ground, a beautiful space that plays home to several rugby teams on the pitches there. The location also offers a children’s playground, the aforementioned floodlit football and rugby pitches and a ball games court. More specifically the production were filming the East London Vixens Rugby Club, in a multitude of scenes of the girls playing rugby, incorporating a drone shoot from above. Check out the ad below! You can still donate, so follow the link here!
Merry Christmas from everyone at Newham Film Office, and we can’t wait to see what the new year brings!
