30 replies to this topic

[Bond Bug]

My suggestion for a British location in Bond 23: Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth Harbour, south coast of England. It is a tower that was completed and opened to the public in 2005 and very near to where I live. Please let me know what you think.

Check the photos:


http://www.flickr.co... ...r -UFO&ct=0


Why Spinnaker Tower?

First, it is British! Of course this would be one location of several, but we should see at least a bit more of Britain.

It is a modern iconic image that has not been used before in a movie.

It has potential for Bond to have to climb on the outside, slide partly down, or jump off, perhaps with a rope onto a boat below, or into the water (creative licence required), sniper on the tower, gunfight on the stairwell.

Its clean sweeping lines mean it is extremely photogenic close up.

The panoramic view at the top is a cinematic backdrop to a meeting between two villains under surveillance by Bond.

The viewing platform at the top has a glass floor - that opens up Bond movie action possibilities.

It is in Portsmouth Harbour, a dock with many British Navy ships - perfect for Bond to be debriefed - or to even thwart a terrorist plot.

The harbour is ideal for boat chases - there are hovercraft (nearby), catamaran ferries, car ferries, pedestrian ferries just waiting for Bond to land a car on, yachts - all possible vehicles for original action sequences.

Examples:

Bond takes control of the Hovercraft to catch villains in the catamaran.


http://www.flickr.co...ksy/2972719642/


Note how the catamaran has air underneath it. Suppose Bond hid there in a small boat.

http://www.flickr.co...332/2581151540/


You can see other images of the catamaran here. Note the smaller yellow ones go to an island a couple of miles away called the Isle of Wight. The large white ones go to France:


http://www.flickr.co...p...w=all&s=int


Bond follows the bad guys to the UK Quantum headquarters - based in an old sea fort just outside Portsmouth Harbour - an ideal base for gun running by avoiding port authorities. Reclusive setting to train Quantum operatives. There are three of these forts in the area to choose from.

http://www.flickr.co...=...fort&m=text


Also old ships are on display for the public to visit in Portsmouth Harbour, most famously HMS Victory, what a great backdrop to a fight scene. Also a submarine museum, where the public can go inside old submarines - maybe Bond could meet Q there.

And all this action should happen during Cows Week, this is a week of boat races, mainly yachts each August, with over a thousand boats taking part - this would add confusion to Bond's action on the water.

http://www.flickr.co...oker/159871923/

A different type of boat chase for Bond.

What I suggest is not just a location, but a location that provides many action and plot possibilities.

[Captain Tightpants]

There's <whoops!> on this!

[Bond Bug]

There's already athread on this!

Why link to Quantum of Solace posts?

[Captain Tightpants]

There's <whoops!> on this!

Why link to Quantum of Solace posts?

Crap, sorry. I had that winow and the one I was trying to link to open at the same time; guess I got the wrong one. THIS is where you're supposed to be going.

[Zorin Industries]

My suggestion for a British location in Bond 23: Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth Harbour, south coast of England. It is a tower that was completed and opened to the public in 2005 and very near to where I live. Please let me know what you think.

Check the photos:


http://www.flickr.co... ...r -UFO&ct=0


Why Spinnaker Tower?

First, it is British! Of course this would be one location of several, but we should see at least a bit more of Britain.

It is a modern iconic image that has not been used before in a movie.

It has potential for Bond to have to climb on the outside, slide partly down, or jump off, perhaps with a rope onto a boat below, or into the water (creative licence required), sniper on the tower, gunfight on the stairwell.

Its clean sweeping lines mean it is extremely photogenic close up.

The panoramic view at the top is a cinematic backdrop to a meeting between two villains under surveillance by Bond.

The viewing platform at the top has a glass floor - that opens up Bond movie action possibilities.

It is in Portsmouth Harbour, a dock with many British Navy ships - perfect for Bond to be debriefed - or to even thwart a terrorist plot.

The harbour is ideal for boat chases - there are hovercraft (nearby), catamaran ferries, car ferries, pedestrian ferries just waiting for Bond to land a car on, yachts - all possible vehicles for original action sequences.

Examples:

Bond takes control of the Hovercraft to catch villains in the catamaran.


http://www.flickr.co...ksy/2972719642/


Note how the catamaran has air underneath it. Suppose Bond hid there in a small boat.

http://www.flickr.co...332/2581151540/


You can see other images of the catamaran here. Note the smaller yellow ones go to an island a couple of miles away called the Isle of Wight. The large white ones go to France:


http://www.flickr.co...p...w=all&s=int


Bond follows the bad guys to the UK Quantum headquarters - based in an old sea fort just outside Portsmouth Harbour - an ideal base for gun running by avoiding port authorities. Reclusive setting to train Quantum operatives. There are three of these forts in the area to choose from.

http://www.flickr.co...=...fort&m=text


Also old ships are on display for the public to visit in Portsmouth Harbour, most famously HMS Victory, what a great backdrop to a fight scene. Also a submarine museum, where the public can go inside old submarines - maybe Bond could meet Q there.

And all this action should happen during Cows Week, this is a week of boat races, mainly yachts each August, with over a thousand boats taking part - this would add confusion to Bond's action on the water.

http://www.flickr.co...oker/159871923/

A different type of boat chase for Bond.

What I suggest is not just a location, but a location that provides many action and plot possibilities.

Yeah, but it's Portsmouth. You can't polish a...tower.

[Jim]

The panoramic view at the top

...over Portsmouth.

And all this action should happen during Cows Week

Forgive my ignorance, but doesn't that take place in Cowes? Isle of Wight is about the least Bond place on Earth. Perhaps Leicester edges it, to be fair.

[YOLT]

I say S.Africa (Cape Town and natural enviorenment) and Japan( Tokyo, Osaka and an island) I am working for a story right now.

[Bond Bug]

The panoramic view at the top

...over Portsmouth.

And all this action should happen during Cows Week

Forgive my ignorance, but doesn't that take place in Cowes? Isle of Wight is about the least Bond place on Earth. Perhaps Leicester edges it, to be fair.

And all the dusty backstreets in developing nations are Bondian? Funny I've seen a few of those. What about Harlem for Live and Let Die? Portsmouth area is a Naval capital in the South. I don't see that Commander Bond would not go there. Fleming gave us such exotic locations as somewhere near Dover for Moonraker.

Granted my idea is NOT exotic to those who know the area - you think of the housing and depressing architecture if you know it and it does not sound like a playboy's resort, but that does not mean the tower and the harbour cannot be shot in a way that works and looks exotic - especially to those who do not know it. And this is one location of many in a movie - perhaps a pre-credit sequence.

The view would not be of Portsmouth - it would be of the Solent - perhaps with a telescope on a sea fort or a navy ship. You can see the English Channel, maybe an enemy boat approaching. No Bond has never given chase in a yacht before - he always uses a boat with an engine. I have never seen a stunt, where Bond hides under the hull of a catamaran. Forget Portsmouth, think in terms of the dynamic sweeping shape of the Tower as Bond clings onto it. Think of action on water with a thousand other boats there - you will have no excuse for another bog-standard boat chase.

Yeah, but it's Portsmouth. You can't polish a...tower.

Please see reply above.

[Captain Tightpants]

Again, there's already a thread on this.

[Bond Bug]

Again, there's already a thread on this.

Thank you for the info. I'm quite happy for mods to merge that other thread with mine! However, I would prefer to keep this thread to explore in depth this location.

[Bondian]

Unfortunately. I feel we're not in the 'exotic age' with Bond at the moment. Just look at some of the boring and 'housing estate' and deprived locations in Quantum of Solace.

I would never call 'The Barbican' an interesting place to film.

I agree with you, Bond Bug. Spinnaker Tower would make a very interesting location.

Cheers,


Ian

[Mister E]

Belize is a small but very beautiful country. I am all for seeing it Bond 23. I think secound place would be South Africa.

[The*SPY*]

I have always thought that Chicago, Singapore and Sydney would all make excellent locales. They all have excellent attributes in their own rights, but what is the common thread? Each are cities that have commodity or futures exchanges. Obviously Chicago is the financial futures capital and Singapore home to the Singapore International Monetary Exchange. London also has LIFE (London International Monetary Exchange). In 1987 I submitted an idea to EON and received a nice letter from their attorneys that they do not accept unsolicited material. The idea was a commodity trader and energy expert teaming up to threaten oil fields with a bioremediation organism (essentially an oil eating parasite)and using the futures exchanges to position themselves for great monetary gain. Obnviously this idea was somewhat used two years ago with the LeChiffre airline stock scheme. Anyhow...Chicago, Singapore and Sydney would still make great locales.

[Qbranchtech]

I would love to see Bond go back to Japan after 40 years. Maybe Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo? Since the EON people seems to like to revisit a lot of Bond's 60's elements in CR & QoS, maybe they should go to Japan again to remind us of YOLT? Heck maybe even a Japanese Bond girl again! (or maybe not) Singapore would be nice as well.

Edited by Qbranchtech, 18 November 2008 - 07:01 AM.

[Captain Tightpants]

Singapore would be nice as well.

I suggested Singapore in the other thread for the Singaporean Grand Prix. I've always wondered why Bond hasn't visited a Formula One race before; the glamour of the event combined with the locales of places like Monaco, Singapore, Valencia and Abu Dhabi, South Korean and New Delhi in the future would make it a really interesting and Bond-like setting. Bond wouldn't have to race the cars; I always imagined a game of cat-and-mouse in the infield with the sounds of the cars blasting past drowning out the noise of footsteps, and the cars actually going past on the edges of Bond's vision would make for a distraction.

However, I'm not sure how audiences would take to a sequence with the loud engines constantly going ...

[Bond Bug]

Singapore would be nice as well.

I suggested Singapore in the other thread for the Singaporean Grand Prix. I've always wondered why Bond hasn't visited a Formula One race before; the glamour of the event combined with the locales of places like Monaco, Singapore, Valencia and Abu Dhabi, South Korean and New Delhi in the future would make it a really interesting and Bond-like setting. Bond wouldn't have to race the cars; I always imagined a game of cat-and-mouse in the infield with the sounds of the cars blasting past drowning out the noise of footsteps, and the cars actually going past on the edges of Bond's vision would make for a distraction.

However, I'm not sure how audiences would take to a sequence with the loud engines constantly going ...

Yes, Bond is not just a spy. He's a playboy. I can see him going to these places out of choice. Funny we don't know anything about what Bond does in his spare time - apart from sleeping with women. Why is Bond such a good driver? Maybe we could find out.

[Loomis]

Isle of Wight is about the least Bond place on Earth. Perhaps Leicester edges it, to be fair.

I've never understood why the Bond series has so consistently failed to incorporate an action sequence at the Bath and West Show. If there was ever an event over which the spirit of Fleming loomed large....

There's also the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading (which would in addition provide limitless opportunities for product placement). But you get where I'm going with this: the possibilities for amazing English locations are simply endless!

[Bond Bug]

Unfortunately. I feel we're not in the 'exotic age' with Bond at the moment. Just look at some of the boring and 'housing estate' and deprived locations in Quantum of Solace.

I would never call 'The Barbican' an interesting place to film.

I agree with you, Bond Bug. Spinnaker Tower would make a very interesting location.

Cheers,


Ian

I salute you for your vision, your ability to imagine how good Spinnaker Tower could be and your courage in speaking out among those who are yet to be convinced. Clearly you deserve your Bondian name.

[Zorin Industries]

Isle of Wight is about the least Bond place on Earth. Perhaps Leicester edges it, to be fair.

I've never understood why the Bond series has so consistently failed to incorporate an action sequence at the Bath and West Show. If there was ever an event over which the spirit of Fleming loomed large....

There's also the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading (which would in addition provide limitless opportunities for product placement). But you get where I'm going with this: the possibilities for amazing English locations are simply endless!

Swansea....

Guildford high street at dawn...there's an old clock there apparently....

Crewe station with all its history....

Easterhouse in Glasgow...looming tower blocks and scope for burnt out Astons...

[Captain Tightpants]

I don't think Bond is so much interested in racing as he is in simply driving fast cars at high speeds. I can't really see him having a chase in racing cars as he'd simply be going around in circles, and you can't exactly break out of a closed circuit. The only situations where I could see him driving a racing car would be if he were undercover, investigating something like the mafia attempting to fix race results to turn a profit and Bond goes in as a driver to throw a spanner in the works, or if a villain was a lover of cars, and among his collection were several racing machines, one of which Bond steals to make his escape. Otherwise, maybe he could go to Goodwood or the British Grand Prix to investigate someone known within racing circles, but the whole thing would reek of Charlie's Angels.

I mean, not only would it be tacky to see him in an F1 car - if you get on YouTube search for Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond driving a Renault R25 around Silverstone's Stowe Circuit to see how difficult it is for an amateur - but I could see him tailing a suspect through the grandstands in Singapore (which is a night race and incredible), or getting into the infield and having the aforementioned cat-and-mouse game.

As an alternative, Bond could simply be involved in a chase through streets used in a street circuit. Most Formula One races are held on wide tracks to allow for overtaking, but get onto YouTube and look up the Macau Grand Prix. It's ridiculously narrow in places, and while most people wouldn't recognise it as being a racing circuit, it would still be pretty good.

One thing I'd like to see is Bond rally driving (again, YouTube it). Picture this: a group of terrorists have slipped botulism toxin into the milk supply, and Bond is chasing down a convoy of milk tranport tankers loaded wih toxic milk. Working undercover at the dairy, he takes a car from the car park and starts casing after them, picking them off one by one. But each one takes time to take out, and the others are getting ahead so Bond takes a shortcut off-road. It's narrow, it's slippery, and the trees throwing shadows over the road make it difficult to see. Bond gets more and more desperate as he tries to stop the deadly cargo, resulting in his hitting posts and embankments, so by the time the chase is over, the bonnet is crumpled, the rear spoiler is being dragged behind in a shower of sparks, the boot is loose so that it opens slightly every time Bond breaks, there's dents, scrapes everywhere, and the windscreen has spider-webbed from being hit by a branch ...

[Loomis]

I went to Swindon once. You know, call me crazy, but I think it has real Bond movie potential.

But here's the real doozy: Gerrards Cross Station. Man, that hill! Craig running up it, chasing or being chased (or both!!!!!!!!). You see where I'm going with this, don't you? The possibilities are.... amazing.

When us fans can come up with such great ideas, it beats me why Eon continues to pay megabucks to the likes of Purvis and Wade (who are apparently so blind as to be unable to see what's all around them in their own country LOL WTF!).

[Bond Bug]

I have always thought that Chicago, Singapore and Sydney would all make excellent locales. They all have excellent attributes in their own rights, but what is the common thread? Each are cities that have commodity or futures exchanges. Obviously Chicago is the financial futures capital and Singapore home to the Singapore International Monetary Exchange. London also has LIFE (London International Monetary Exchange). In 1987 I submitted an idea to EON and received a nice letter from their attorneys that they do not accept unsolicited material. The idea was a commodity trader and energy expert teaming up to threaten oil fields with a bioremediation organism (essentially an oil eating parasite)and using the futures exchanges to position themselves for great monetary gain. Obnviously this idea was somewhat used two years ago with the LeChiffre airline stock scheme. Anyhow...Chicago, Singapore and Sydney would still make great locales.

Are you a writer and did you you do anything else with your idea?

Yes Chicago is an incredible looking city - ideal for the business front of an evil organisation. It also has a lot of waterways. I remember seeing two skyscrapers with apartments that had the owners' boats below the car parking at the bottom of the buildings. Also the Sydney Opera House roofline and Bond - there is action waiting to happen.

[Captain Tightpants]

But here's the real doozy: Gerrards Cross Station. Man, that hill! Craig running up it, chasing or being chased (or both!!!!!!!!). You see where I'm going with this, don't you? The possibilities are.... amazing.

Haven't a clue, sorry. I'm antipodean.

When us fans can come up with such great ideas, it beats me why Eon continues to pay megabucks to the likes of Purvis and Wade (who are apparently so blind as to be unable to see what's all around them in their own country LOL WTF!).

Because if they degenerate into asking fans what they want, the series dies because they'll never be able to make a Bond film without our input again. And while that might not sound like a bad idea to some, we'll have so may conflicting ideas that the film will be very disjointed, and EON will be creatively bankrupt. Sure, some of us might have a shot at it; I'm doing screenwriting at unversity, but it's a really difficult industry to break into. I'm not sure if I'll even end up using it because I don't want to be stuck writing for HOME AND AWAY or NEIGHBORS for the rest of my life: I want to be creating my own shows. I don't think I'd doa Bond film unless they really wanted me to, though; as nice as it would be to be a part of Fleming lore, I wouldn't like knowing what was happening so far in advance. I mean, I've known for age what happens in QUANTUM OF SOLACE because some litte on another forum deliberately ruined it for me, and I hate knowing.

[Bond Bug]

I don't think Bond is so much interested in racing as he is in simply driving fast cars at high speeds. I can't really see him having a chase in racing cars as he'd simply be going around in circles, and you can't exactly break out of a closed circuit. The only situations where I could see him driving a racing car would be if he were undercover, investigating something like the mafia attempting to fix race results to turn a profit and Bond goes in as a driver to throw a spanner in the works, or if a villain was a lover of cars, and among his collection were several racing machines, one of which Bond steals to make his escape. Otherwise, maybe he could go to Goodwood or the British Grand Prix to investigate someone known within racing circles, but the whole thing would reek of Charlie's Angels.

I mean, not only would it be tacky to see him in an F1 car - if you get on YouTube search for Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond driving a Renault R25 around Silverstone's Stowe Circuit to see how difficult it is for an amateur - but I could see him tailing a suspect through the grandstands in Singapore (which is a night race and incredible), or getting into the infield and having the aforementioned cat-and-mouse game.

As an alternative, Bond could simply be involved in a chase through streets used in a street circuit. Most Formula One races are held on wide tracks to allow for overtaking, but get onto YouTube and look up the Macau Grand Prix. It's ridiculously narrow in places, and while most people wouldn't recognise it as being a racing circuit, it would still be pretty good.

One thing I'd like to see is Bond rally driving (again, YouTube it). Picture this: a group of terrorists have slipped botulism toxin into the milk supply, and Bond is chasing down a convoy of milk tranport tankers loaded wih toxic milk. Working undercover at the dairy, he takes a car from the car park and starts casing after them, picking them off one by one. But each one takes time to take out, and the others are getting ahead so Bond takes a shortcut off-road. It's narrow, it's slippery, and the trees throwing shadows over the road make it difficult to see. Bond gets more and more desperate as he tries to stop the deadly cargo, resulting in his hitting posts and embankments, so by the time the chase is over, the bonnet is crumpled, the rear spoiler is being dragged behind in a shower of sparks, the boot is loose so that it opens slightly every time Bond breaks, there's dents, scrapes everywhere, and the windscreen has spider-webbed from being hit by a branch ...

The car chase in Quantum was too quick to really savour it IMO. A prolonged car chase, like For Your Eyes Only, can be much more fun and more inventive. It was certainly fun to see that car roll over and end up so wrecked.

Yes the car fixing would have echoes of Zorin fixing horses - maybe they contaminate the fuel to marginally reduce performance for other cars, but there's a chemical in the villain's fuel tank that means it is not affected.

There is often the element of oneupmanship between Bond and the villain. Maybe Bond accepts the challenge to go round the track against the bad guy for a bet - hardly anyone else is there. It would be like the sword fight in DAD, the golf game in Goldfinger, the shooting scene in Moonraker, the horse jumping in AVTAK.

[_Ozu_]

A foot chase on 'La Alhambra' could be nice...or just a visit

[Captain Tightpants]

Yes the car fixing would have echoes of Zorin fixing horses - maybe they contaminate the fuel to marginally reduce performance for other cars, but there's a chemical in the villain's fuel tank that means it is not affected.

I don't know if you follow the sport, but something like that happened just last year. In a case of industrial espionage, the McLaren team were not only found to have been in possession of Ferrari's technical documents, but had also integrated parts of the F2007 into their car, the MP4-22. The thing came to light at Monaco when Ferrari found an unknown substance around the fuel recepticle of Kimi Raikkonen's car: a disgruntled employee had smeared it on in an effort to contaminate the fuel, the same employee who later gave Ferrari's documents to McLaren. The whole thing put a pall over the seasonfor months and ended up with McLaren being issued a $120 million fine - the largest ever issued in the sporting world - and exclusion from the 2007 World Champonship. They also had to submit their 2008 challenger to the FIA (the sport's governing body), and if any elements of Ferrari's car were found in it, they would face exlcusion before the season even began. Not sure how you could work a Bond film around that, but match-fixing would be a possiblily.

There is often the element of oneupmanship between Bond and the villain. Maybe Bond accepts the challenge to go round the track against the bad guy for a bet - hardly anyone else is there. It would be like the sword fight in DAD, the golf game in Goldfinger, the shooting scene in Moonraker, the horse jumping in AVTAK.

Send him to Goodwood! Put him in one of these beauties: Maserati 250F, Vanwall VW5, Lotus 16 or Mercedes W196

Also, check out this video for some of the machinery in action.

[Bond Bug]

I don't know if you follow the sport, but something like that happened just last year. In a case of industrial espionage, the McLaren team were not only found to have been in possession of Ferrari's technical documents, but had also integrated parts of the F2007 into their car, the MP4-22. The thing came to light at Monaco when Ferrari found an unknown substance around the fuel recepticle of Kimi Raikkonen's car: a disgruntled employee had smeared it on in an effort to contaminate the fuel, the same employee who later gave Ferrari's documents to McLaren. The whole thing put a pall over the seasonfor months and ended up with McLaren being issued a $120 million fine - the largest ever issued in the sporting world - and exclusion from the 2007 World Champonship. They also had to submit their 2008 challenger to the FIA (the sport's governing body), and if any elements of Ferrari's car were found in it, they would face exlcusion before the season even began. Not sure how you could work a Bond film around that, but match-fixing would be a possiblily.

I'd not heard of that - gives credibility to the idea. Don't follow any sport, I'm afraid. But it is the sort of thing a Bond megalomaniac would do. I suppose he would own the race track and cheat whenever he could get away with it - his men would have full access to contaminate the fuel. Every self-respecting Bond villain should have a sideline or an expensive hobby that attracts attention.

Yes those cars look incredible. I think I'll have the Lotus! A strong car racing theme at least for part of a Bond movie would be something new and I'm sure it could be very popular.

I guess typically it would work like this - Bond investigates the head of an organisation possibly linked to international crime. Bond meets the villain by associating himself with the villain's extra-curricula activities (car racing). Bond discovers the villain has been cheating and may try to sabotage it. The villain's heavies try to kill Bond. Meanwhile, Bond has learned enough to believe the villain is also upto something else much more sinister, but at this stage he does not know what - we have to wait until near the end of the movie to find out.

[Bondian]

Unfortunately. I feel we're not in the 'exotic age' with Bond at the moment. Just look at some of the boring and 'housing estate' and deprived locations in Quantum of Solace.

I would never call 'The Barbican' an interesting place to film.

I agree with you, Bond Bug. Spinnaker Tower would make a very interesting location.

Cheers,


Ian

I salute you for your vision, your ability to imagine how good Spinnaker Tower could be and your courage in speaking out among those who are yet to be convinced. Clearly you deserve your Bondian name.

Thank you kind Sir.

[Captain Tightpants]

Given the hijacking of the MV Sirius Star overnight, a supertanker loaded with one hudred millions dollars' worth of oil, perhaps Bond could take on piracy off the coast of Somalia. Another potential location would be the Greek Ship, a Greek-registered hi that ran aground off Kish Island, Iran in the 1960s and was not removed because it was considered too difficult to do so; Bond could always stay at The Flower of the East hotel ...

[Sir James Moloney]

I´d suggest the Azores.

Shouldn´t there be a thread that has all the suggestions, from everyone?