It’s not often that I get to hang out south of the river, other than munching on venison burgers and brownies with my friend Emily at Borough Market, so after the Foale and Tuffin press preview, I hopped on the bus to County Hall at Waterloo to see the Water On The Lens exhibition at The Movieum.
The exhibition features behind-the-scenes, underwater photographs taken at Pinewood Studios that will have you wondering ‘how on earth did they do that’?
Pinewood Studios opened its Underwater Stage (U Stage) in 2005, after 5 years of development by Diving Services UK, making it into a world famous water-filming facility. It includes a permanently-filled water tank that holds an incredible 1.2 million litre of water.
To achieve their amazing shots, Pinewood create unique settings such as the elegant Parisian apartment above and construct them within the tank, ready for models, actors and musicians to jump in. The underwater shoots are captured by Phoebe Rudomino of Dive Services UK and they have appeared in films, adverts and music videos.
Keira Knightly seems to be a big fan of splashing around at Pinewood, as she filmed the scene in Atonement where she is submerged in the fountain, as well as a glam promo shoot in aid of Fresh 20, a water charity.
Jared Leto also had to hold his breath in an underwater car scene in Mr Nobody. Other shots include James Blunt hanging out underwater with some hot models, Matt Lucas and David Walliams in Little Britain, the scene stills from Elizabeth: The Golden Age and The Boat That Rocked and images of Sharon Stone and Eva Herzigova, who look just as gorgeous under the water.
The exhibition is sponsored by Hunter Boot, the brand renowned for their waterproof and festival-friendly wellington boots. Hunter are also showcasing their new collection of lime green and purple wellies, alongside their prestigious Balmoral and classic tall green models. I’ve got my eye on a pair of magenta ones with a Lara Croft-style side pouch and cream fleece detail. If they keep the Pinewood crew’s tootsies dry and warm, then they must be worth investing in for next year’s Glasto!
Credits:
Imagine 21 July 2006
The set of a Parisian apartment was recreated in U-Stage for a commercials shoot for Johnson & Johnson’s ‘Imagine’ Total Hydration body wash. The apartment becomes a watery, hydrated version of real life and the model ‘floats away’ at the end of the advert.
Keira for Fresh 2O 3 December 2005
Photographer Candice shot Keira Knightley submerging in haute couture dresses and jewellery for a photoshoot to promote water charity Fresh 2O.
Mr Nobody 19 December 2007
Jared Leto shoots a scene for upcoming feature Mr Nobody (2009) – a sci-fi fantasy that spans two time zones across the 20th & 21st Centuries. In this sequence, Jared Leto’s character is trapped in a car underwater.
Water on the Lens, sponsored by Hunter Boot, forms part of The Movieum of London in the Riverside Rooms, County Hall, Southbank, London SE1 open now until 28 October 2009.
Tickets £12 adults, £10 concessions, £8 children.