by
Chris Newbould
Oldham’s historic Booth House has provided the backdrop for a dramatic lighting projection spectacle depicting the rise of Toyota from a family weaving firm to a global manufacturing giant.
The 19th century building, formerly headquarters of the engineering giants Platt Brothers, was the focus for the highly complex and technically advanced location shoot, with the completed film of the event due to release in April.
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The event was powered entirely by “green” hydrogen, aligning perfectly with the film’s theme of Toyota’s progress towards a future carbon-free society. The film crew’s power needs were met by portable generators that produced 300kg of hydrogen (equivalent to about 1500 litres of diesel), while the action featured a variety of the zero emission vehicles Toyota is manufacturing today, including cars, coaches and fork lifts – even the on-set catering truck ran on hydrogen.
Although thousands of miles distant from Toyota Motor Corporation’s base in Japan, Booth House represents a significant moment in the company’s history. In 1929, the Toyoda family weaving business sold patents to its revolutionary automatic loom to Platt Brothers, once the world’s largest manufacturer of textile machinery, employing more than 12,000 people.
The funds raised through the sale were used by Kiichiro Toyoda to kick-start research into vehicle manufacturing, leading to the founding of the first automobile department at the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works in 1933. Three years later, the first car, the AA sedan, rolled off the production line. In 1937 the Toyota Motor Company was formed, the forerunner of today’s Toyota Motor Corporation, one of the world’s best-known and successful automotive businesses.
