In Broadcast - October/November 2011 - 26

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011

InSTUDIO
Arena-style Shows Boost Stage Bookings
Cont.
in particular has meant Pinewood can play to its strengths, and the flexibility of the studios and stages across the group has meant we have been able to offer stages, that have traditionally just been used for film, to TV productions requiring complex sets and large studio audiences,” says Paul Darbyshire, Pinewood’s MD for Television. Elstree Studios also caters for TV and feature production where MD Roger Morris, ensures that neither overwhelms the other. Elstree played host to Dancing on Ice series 7 and the new Big Brother for C5 plus recent features The Kings Speech and Jack the Giant Killer. “The conventional fully equipped TV studio is fairly dead cost-wise,” believes Morris. “Set standing and fantastic OB trucks or de-rigs are much more practical. The set standing also allows rehearsals on non-show days. Our large film stages are now rediscovered by the film industry and we are doing very well. Before my arrival they had spent a decade on the dark side of the moon. They are fantastic stages, the highest in the UK, all are soundproofed with high grid loading capability.” Tighter budgets have kept productions away from studios, and increased location shooting without the costs of regular studio crew. “Low production budgets have also made it very difficult for studios to meet their overheads (hence the importance of being able to offer other services),” says Portbury. “However, small margin or non-

Pinewood hosted Sky’s Got to Dance

profit bookings are still booked under the premise that it is better than having no business at all and may lead to bigger projects in future or regular work. The negative result of this is an undercutting of rates which is subsequently detrimental to the studio market.” She also believes that decreased budgets have led to more productions using non-studio locations which may not be soundproof and therefore the sound is of poorer quality.

Rolling Investments Retain Competitiveness
The continued demand for HD has been the most significant change, with the investment required to outfit studios from SD to HD causing the owners of some to close or re-develop the space (as at 124, MTV at Camden and Stephen Street Studios). “Any investment decisions that we make about new kit are, as far as possible, future proof,” says Mariana Spater, MD, The Fountain Studios which boasts the UK’s

The Football League Show set at MediaHouse

ESPN WRC studio

largest TV studio. The X Factor (Talkbackthames/Syco for ITV1) The Cube (Objective Productions, ITV1) and Britain’s Got Talent (Talkbackthames/Syco for ITV1) are all housed there. “If there are issues which might affect the sector moving forward, then I am happy to say that they have not affected Fountain’s programme of investment,” says Spater. “Our engineers keep abreast of the latest changes and schedule these into our investment programme.” MediaHouse has been busy with a raft of capex and refurb projects. All of its studios are now HD and it

will shortly have two additional HD galleries (one of which is 3D ready) which can work with three different studio spaces 2,000sq ft, 1,400sq ft and 800sq ft. Its 1,000sq ft HD studio for the Premier League News content service has been running since last August. MediaHouse’s investments don’t stop there and include an integrated EVS network across the site making it a fundamentally tapeless facility and a tripling of HD connectivity to suppliers including BT Tower, Globecast, Arqiva and EBU. ESPN’s live football presentation and sports shows such as Talk of The Terrace and Between the Lines are produced by IMG Media from the studios as well as BBC1’s The Football League Show. The most significant investment currently underway at Pinewood is the build of a new 30,000sqft stage, suitable for film and TV. “It will be able to house a huge TV audience, ensure easy access for OB trucks and link with production accommodation,” explains Darbyshire. “We are also constantly working to upgrade the facilities, as well as the supporting infrastructure and technology on site.” Upgrades are a continual process at 85-year-old Elstree Studios (though the oldest of the stages was built in 1965) but Morris is looking to spend up to £10 million building more stages on a disused part of the site: “I have turned away lots of work over the last two years and the new stages envisaged will double our capacity,” he says. BBC Studios and Post Production can deliver HD from all 12 studios at TVC, but it has also invested in a fifth permanent HD studio (home to Britain’s Best Dish for ITV1) and opened the first 1080 50P and 3D capable TV studio in January.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

http://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_tab_home_top http://www.twitter.com/inbroadcast http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpzEatLsHdE&feature=youtube_gdata_player http://www.facebook.com/pages/InBroadcast-e-zine/226166444076212 http://WWW.INBROADCAST.COM

In Broadcast - October/November 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - October/November 2011