London Bus Movie Explosion

[HMS Ark Royal]

To be fair, the explosions and gunfire you see on TV and in film are quite different to the reality "crack" that real gunfire and explosives make - it's clear that the bus blast was for flame effect, was focused to push a flame upwards to look impressive and the bus structure would have been pre-cut to separate in a controlled manner. The post activity would have reinforced the filming nature of the blast - the image of this happening on street though, is insensitive to the people that were murdered in the 2005 bombings.

I assume that's why they went for a Sunday? Brave of the driver to drive explosives a few feet from him!!!

Imagine you'd just commenced a journey on the London Eye and been unaware of what was about to happen, which as a Japanese tourist, say, would almost certainly have been the case: then you are stuck in the air for another 30 minutes thinking you have witnessed a terrorist explosion, not knowing what is going to happen when you get down. Crass and insensitive are two words I would use to describe what went on, the same two words oddly that could describe the increasingly-part-time mayor.

I respectfully disagree...

 

[edwin_m]

I assume that's why they went for a Sunday? Brave of the driver to drive explosives a few feet from him!!!

Choosing a Sunday would have been to minimise traffic disruption. And presumably it was set up by a company that specialises in this sort of stunt, so either the driver would have been appropriately protected from the explosion or the bus would have been remote controlled.

 

[Busaholic]

My last word on the subject - I can understand why the authorities considered the request, and they were right not to turn it down out of hand, but I think they have been shown to have got it wrong, all things considered, and I would be very surprised if such a stunt was allowed to be played out again in central London in the future, even on a Sunday or at 4 a.m.

 

[LAX54]

Its taken years and years to get film makers to come to London / UK to make films, as soon as they do, people start moaning about it, so in the end they will all end being made back on the streets in the USA, or a backlot at Pinewood.
and of course CGI will just look 'false'

 

[Busaholic]

Its taken years and years to get film makers to come to London / UK to make films, as soon as they do, people start moaning about it, so in the end they will all end being made back on the streets in the USA, or a backlot at Pinewood.
and of course CGI will just look 'false'

So what does London, and, more pertinently, the people living there, get out of such a stunt? Disruption of traffic on the one day of the week when the effects of all the cycling roadworks are mitigated to an extent. Were the people involved in this stunt staying in local hotels, eating at local restaurants, etc? Of course they weren't. I doubt there was even any employment of 'extras'. The people of Paris certainly experienced all the film crews racing there after the November atrocities - do you not think they would have preferred it if there are had been no reason for them to be there? Be careful of what you wish for!

 

[matt_world2004]

Imagine you'd just commenced a journey on the London Eye and been unaware of what was about to happen, which as a Japanese tourist, say, would almost certainly have been the case: then you are stuck in the air for another 30 minutes thinking you have witnessed a terrorist explosion, not knowing what is going to happen when you get down. Crass and insensitive are two words I would use to describe what went on, the same two words oddly that could describe the increasingly-part-time mayor.

I wouldn't be the mayor that authorised this but TfL and Metroline. TfL would have authorised the street closure and publicity of the explosion and Metroline flogged the production company the bus. I don't think this bus explosion Is a bad thing (Although the premise of the film is ****) However it could have been done with more publicity being quite explicit about what is being filmed. The film is also going to be dated very quickly because of the construction works at the palace of Westminster.