New Year’s Eve 2020
London’s New Years Eve celebration is iconic. It traditionally draws thousands of people in person, and millions of viewers on television, to watch a spectacular fireworks themed display.
But 2020 was no ordinary year. Faced with a fresh set of challenges due to COVID-19, Jack was charged with an extraordinary task: create a poignant experience that bid farewell to a dire year and do it exclusively for a remote audience since people couldn’t gather.
The team rose to the challenge. Working closely with the Greater London Authority & The BBC, we crafted a mesmerising and moving piece of storytelling that brought together an evocative mix of fireworks, drone displays, lighting and sound designed specifically for live broadcast. The emotional and different tone carefully balanced the memories of a difficult year with a spirit of optimism for the year ahead.
For the first time ever, the display connected multiple landmarks across London which served as ‘stages’ across the City – from London Bridge, the O2, Wembley Stadium and Tower Bridge. The city was also lit up with the largest swarm drone lighting show ever seen in the UK.
The program was watched live on the BBC by 11 million in the UK and many more across the world, and it was seen by millions more online in news coverage. The official BBC video has been viewed over 8.2 million times on YouTube and there have been over 21 million views on the broadcaster’s Facebook page.
A truly extraordinary moment to mark the end of an extraordinary year.