SPECTRE filming continues on River Thames in London
Bond is back in London! After some scenes for the new film ‘SPECTRE’ had been filmed in the capital back in December, the production crew returned for some more filming on Sunday May 17. ‘Eye on Bond‘ had an agent on the ground witnessing the action.
Stunt filming on River Thames © 2015 FameFlynet.uk.com
Preparations had begun early on Sunday and several lights were put up on the riverside terrace of SIS Headquarters as well as the Golden Jubilee Bridges, Lambeth Palace and on buildings along Albert Embankment and Millbank. Our man on the ground reported around 30 crew trailers were on site as well as a strong security force of around 150. No wonder, filming in a metropolis like London naturally draws a lot of attention. Later on Sunday evening, boats took to the river. Daniel Craig and Bond Girl Léa Seydoux could be observed on the Thames in a bulky boat after having discussed the scene with director Sam Mendes.
The actors soon switched places with their stunt doubles to film the trickier scenes. The giant film lights from the opposite embankment reflecting in the water, the boat raced towards the Palace of Westminster and back to Vauxhall Bridge chasing a slow flying helicopter. Judging by the photos from the set, the scene has likely been filmed several times under different lighting conditions.
Stunt filming on River Thames © 2015 Anthony Devlin/PA
The helicopter used during filming took off several times from Kennington Park close to Vauxhall Bridge and the famed MI6 headquarters. For the shoot, a section of the River Thames stretching from Vauxhall Bridge to Westminster Bridge was chosen by the film crew. While Lambeth Bridge, situated between the two other bridges, was completely closed for traffic between 9.00pm and 5.00am, the other two were opened for traffic in-between filming takes. Big lights positioned on the buildings close to the river illuminated the night scenes as the helicopter thundered back and forth, passing iconic buildings such as Tate Gallery, MI5 Headquarters as well as the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben.
After some quiet weeks without big news from the set of the latest Bond film ‘SPECTRE’, the many fans lining the embankment were really in for a nice treat yesterday evening. It is understood that four more night shoots around Vauxhall are scheduled for filming.