Forget the Oscars: what appears to have been the biggest event in the film industry this year took place in London on 4 November at the Odeon Leicester Square. Crowds of fans turned out in their best wizard and witch outfits to attend the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the cinema was transformed into a replica of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

West Design commissioned Visual Elements and Spirit Design to illuminate the exterior facade of the cinema and, in turn, Mike Townsend approached Fourth Phase to supply the lighting equipment. As the cinema's fascia decorations had been painted with UV paint, Fourth Phase provided 30 Mac 600s, together with eight each of Studio Due’s City Colors and City Beams, used alongside a substantial quantity of conventional lighting to create a striking backdrop for the film's premiere. The long-awaited film will open to an eager public later this month and, with a staggering £1million in advance ticket sales, suggestions are that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will break all box office records. The books have received much critical acclaim and in the UK alone the young wizard's adventures have won author J.K Rowling numerous prizes, the most recent being Whitaker's Platinum Book Award 2001. The adventures of Harry Potter and his two friends, Ron and Hermione, have sold an amazing 120 million copies worldwide and, with the arrival of the film, Harry's fame looks set to last!


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