BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra
Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1A 1AA
As part of the BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra ‘ACCESS ALL AREAS’ campaign the BBC asked Showcase Studios & Striking Faces to shoot the photography and panoramic imagery to link the insides of the Radio 1 studios in Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, onto Google Streetview. The project received a great deal of media attention and the BBC launched the campaign live on air and via a
YouTube clip on the Striking Faces Blog
Using Google Maps Business View was a perfect opportunity for the BBC to showcase their new Portland Place building and give listeners a chance to experience the famous Live Lounge for themselves. The tour put sights to sounds and the benefits to the BBC are obvious; it’s fun for listeners and it gives greater transparency.
There were challenges on this shoot. Scheduling during live broadcasts was crucial to getting good shots while causing minimum disruption. Additionally the ability to move between floors in a Google Maps Business View was still being developed at the time, so Striking Faces worked very closely with Google to make it happen. But happen it did and has been viewed over 1million times!
Take a look for yourself. It is really interesting being able to see inside the studios and get a feel for the inner workings of a real live working radio station. Also, take a walk down the famous corridor that celebrity sign when they visit. See who you can spot…
