“The Leadenhall Building” by Photographer Paul Raftery and Film Maker Dan Lowe, which follows on from the successful “Making The Leadenhall” released in 2013, completes the story of the construction of the building by taking the viewer inside to discover the interiors and panoramic views.
The architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners commissioned us to make the film after they saw our film of The Shard. The Leadenhall Building was already under construction so we had to work quickly and started filming in Novemeber 2012.
Shot over two years from different vantage points and through varying seasons and times of day, the timelapse film uses more than 320,000 images shot on Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras using a whole range of lenses to capture the building at its best from every angle.
The movie uses images to document the final two years of construction, especially from the roof of the 50 storey (224.5 metres) building, which is the tallest skyscraper in the City of London, as well as offering a glimpse inside the office spaces. The interior spaces are awe-inspiring, and serve up some of the best views London has to offer.
One of these floors will become the new home to the building's designers – the London-based architecture firm originally founded by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Rogers – who this week confirmed they would relocate from their west London home of the past 30 years.
Although filming in the City of London has occasionally proven problematic for cameramen due to security restrictions, Rafferty and Lowe's biggest obstacle was gaining access to the inside of the Cheesegrater itself due to construction site rules.
"We didn't really encounter any problems filming in the City or anywhere else across London," explained Lowe. "Finding the perfect spots to film from was the hardest challenge, and getting permissions and access to rooftops, but when you show people what you are working on they are always more than happy to accommodate."
CREDITS
Directed and photographed by Dan Lowe and Paul Raftery.
Commissioned by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
Edited by James Simpson.
Music by George McLeod.
Colouring by Kenny Gibb at StudioRM.
Motion Control by Justin Pentecost.
