A day behind the scenes of The Screen in Piccadilly Circus, London
First and foremost, access to the roof of The Screen in Piccadilly, permission was granted after months of communication. I am grateful to the relevant authorities and individuals who made this happen. I am not going to indulge into various info re entry and exit to one of London's most iconic sites. The roof and entry to the premisses is extremely security tight. Just opening the door on its own does not take you anywhere near behind the screen. The three buildings housing the screen, have no walls! Literally no walls :) The screen acts as the wall to all three buildings. Yeah one would normally think that the glitzy panel of lights is attached and built to the buildings:) But not! When inside one of the buildings, you only see the back of the screen, consisting of many integral parts. This way, any faults are fixed there and then, from the back of the screen. A separate control room is located in the building, access to which, is limited to a few people. Standing in the square, look up and you will a little crane above the screen, thw purpose of which is to wash the front panels of the screen a few times a year and also, when necessary, to change the purpose produced, special led bulbs. Over the years brands like Perrier, Kodak, Fuji, Schweppes, Fosters and many more, had their names in neon lights. Currently, Coca Cola, Burberry, Samsung, McDonalds have presence on the iconic board. No tourist and visitor to Piccadilly goes home without at least a couple photos in front the screen. The screen generates £16m revenue annually to its owners. Spent nearly two hours on the roof:) Didnt talk much.. Admired the view from that unique angle. Did a good 40 minutes of footage with GoPro. An amazing day it was:)