london plus 1

www.londonplus.org STUDIOS LOCATIONS PRODUCTION POST

YOUR EUROPEAN PRODUCTION CENTRE

INSIDEINSIDE…

issue 1

May 2006

ALSOALSO

CRACKING THE CODECRACKING THE CODE

Set design andconstruction

Post productionand innovations

Locations galore

How The Da Vinci Code gotthe best of the UKHow The Da Vinci Code gotthe best of the UK

London Plus Covers 21/6/06 12:01

London Plus Covers 21/6/06 12:01

CONTENTS

Ron Prince: has manyyears experienceworking in the film, TV,CGI and visual effectsindustries. He is theeditor of British

Cinematographer magazine and runsan international communicationscompany.

Kevin Hilton: is afreelance journalistwho writes about thepeople and technologyinvolved in film andbroadcast production.

He contributes reviews and interviewsto publications worldwide.

Madelyn Most: is ane x p e r i e n c e dc a m e r a w o m a n ,filmmaker and journ-alist who writes about

production and cinematography for avariety of European and USmagazines.

Thank you to everyone who has giventheir time, energy and enthusiasm tothis project. Special thanks to StevenGaydos for inspirational insights.

PUBLISHERSProduced on behalf of London Plusby Laws Publishing Ltd,Pinewood StudiosIver Heath,Bucks SL0 0NHAlan Lowne Tel:01753 650101Stuart Walters Tel: 0121 608 2300

Design: Paul Roebuck

Editor: Ron PrinceEmail: [email protected] Box Publishing LimitedTel: +44 (0) 121 608 2300Email: [email protected]

www.londonplus.org

C O N T E N T S

page 04

page 17

EDITORIAL TEAM

cover:

How The Da VinciCode got the best outof the UK

The Da Vinci Code © 2006 ColumbiaTristar Marketing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved.

page 25

page 06 page 28

page 30

04 What is London Plus?: expertise plus locations equals movies

06 Making The Da Vinci Code: the inside track on the year’s biggestmovie

09 In My View: Variety’s Steven Gaydos on LA and London

10 Production Close-up: the joy of set construction

12 Film Finance: Pounds, Dollars and Sense

14 Post and Innovations: high-tech news

20 Q&A: with The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP

22 Location Location Location: great places to shoot

26 Who’s Shooting Where?: the low-down on the latest productions

30 London Plus News: news from around the region

www.londonplus.org

WHAT IS LONDON PLUS?

L ondon Plus is the gateway to an entireworld of film, a region of beautifulcountryside, stunning coastlines, and

fantastic architecture offering the best studios,facilities and technicians in Europe. Through theLondon Plus partners, filmmakers now have aneasy route to all of these resources, which havealready been exploited by directors such as TimBurton, Woody Allen and Alfonso Cuarón, todeliver Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, MatchPoint, Children of Men, V for Vendetta and HarryPottter, with more to come.

In the past visiting producers and directors hadto deal with numerous industry bodies andcompanies on an individual level to get whatthey needed for their films. Now London Plusprovides a single portal to locations, studios,post-production facilities and creative skills,bringing together some heavy-weight partners:3 Mills, Ealing, Pinewood and Sheppertonstudios, the Production Guild, regional agenciesFilm London, Screen East and Screen Southand post-production trade association UK Post.

From the dramatic cliffs of Sussex to the sanddunes of Norfolk, the London Plus area hasevery aspect of English life and countryside thatfilmmakers could hope for. The architecture anddignity of university cities like Oxford andCambridge, brash modernism in Milton Keynesand Croydon, the quaint village life ofBuckinghamshire and Kent and the diversityand grandeur of London. London Plus can help

find any location, deal with any officialprocedures, offer advice and active support withrules and regulations, and generally make aproduction happen.

The four studio partners have an impressivecombined portfolio: from 3 Mills in London’sEast End to Pinewood and Shepperton andEaling in the west, the best part of 70 stages areavailable, with extensive back lots, workshops,dressing rooms, post-production suites andsuch specialist facilities as a digital animationstudio. Among recent credits for the trio are: TimBurton’s Corpse Bride, Sunshine, Creep, Scoop,Imagine Me and You, Match Point, Pierrepoint,Stardust, The Golden Age, The BourneUltimatum, The Da Vinci Code, Children of Menand the new James Bond film, Casino Royale.

Location location locationReal places are as important as studios, and thefilm agencies are well placed to promote what ison offer. When people talk of filming in Londonthey invariably mean filming in the capital andthe surrounding areas. Film London and itsneighbouring organisations, Screen South and

Screen East, have information on all availablelocations and assist in obtaining the necessarypermissions, permits and licences, and liaisewith local councils and police authorities.

A lot can be done in London itself, as StanleyKubrick proved when he recreated the VietnamWar in Beckton for Full Metal Jacket. But the citydoesn’t have everything, so it’s likely that thelocation a director is looking for can be foundsomewhere in the London Plus area. After all,London is doubling for Los Angeles in theupcoming Amy Heckerling film I Could Never BeYour Woman and when Kevin Spacey wanted aMalibu beach scene for his Bobby Darin biopicBeyond the Sea, he went to the south coast.

As big a draw as the countryside and studios, isthe large pool of skilled technicians in theLondon Plus region. Look at the credits of anymajor international film since the 1950s andthere is a good chance that the set designer,production manager, director of photography,picture editor, visual effects supervisor, audioeditor or dubbing mixer is a Brit.

Expertise, expertise, expertiseKey to sourcing and contracting this breadth ofUK know-how is the Production Guild based atPinewood Studios. With over 600 members,ranging from line producers through toproduction co-ordinators, location managersand post-production supervisors, plus thelargest group of UK financial controllers,

When you are tired of making

films in London you are tired

of making films

Expertise plus locationsequals movies

V for Vendetta © 2006 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights ReservedTim Burton’s Corpse Bride © 2005 Warner Bros.

Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

by Kevin Hilton

www.londonplus.org

WHAT IS LONDON PLUS?

accountants and their assistants, the Guildand its top-level members are on speed dialof the most successful execs of the USmajors and key independents when theylook at coming to the UK.

Last year, Guild members were responsiblefor the physical management of, andreporting on, more than £545 million ofqualifying British film spend on the mostcommercially and creatively successfulfeatures made. Production Guild membersare kept up to date on the latest issuesaffecting film and TV production, andthrough their company affiliate programme,producers have access to over 50 of theessential film and TV supply companies inthe UK.

Post hasteUK Post represents many of the leadingpost houses in the country. While there aremany good regional centres the majority offacilities are located in London - to be moreprecise, in Soho. The UK film post-production sector is second only to that ofthe US and is rapidly expanding. Accordingto a report commissioned last year by UKPost for the visual effects sector turnoverand employment have quadrupled since 1997.

Post-production employs 4,400 personneldirectly and indirectly supports a further4,400. Over the past five years the sectorhas seen £100 million invested in

technology, R&D and training. In Sohoalone there are 15 companies offeringDigital Intermediate post production and,thanks to British ingenuity, high-resolutiondigital assets are now exchanged daily viasecure, high-speed networks betweenSoho and Burbank, Rome, New York, aswell as Australia and New Zealand.

From Alien to Charlie and the ChocolateFactory and the Harry Potter series, Britishvisual expertise has created new worlds andimages. It has also taught us what thoseworlds sound like too, as London boastssome of the most creative and best-equipped audio-for-picture suites in theworld, supported by leading music-recording studios.

By using British expertise and facilitiesoverseas productions are able to qualify asa UK production and obtain useful financialadvantages under the new tax credit systemfor filmmaking introduced earlier this year.

Away from such practicalities as staff,locations and money, many filmmakers justlike shooting their films in the UK, and in thesoutheast of England in particular. There isthe old cliché that London’s shoppingcentres and nightlife are a big draw, andthat could be as good a reason for cominghere as any. Had Dr. Johnson known aboutcinema he might have quipped, “When youare tired of making films in London you aretired of making films.”

3 Mills Studios

Melanie Faulkner,Bookings & Marketing ManagerTel: 020 7363 3336Email: [email protected]: www.3mills.com

3 Mills Studios is central London's largest studio complex. Set on asecure 20-acre island, we deliver a first-class service and extensiveon-site resources. Facilities include 16 stages, rehearsal room,production officers, locations opportunities and many more.

Pinewood Studios Group

Julia KennyTel: 01753 651700Email: [email protected]: www.pinewoodgroup.com

Our facilities are used for major national and international filmproduction, filmed television, studio television recording, the filmingof commercials and post production sound services.

UK Post

Gaynor Davenport, CEOTel: 020 7734 6060Email: [email protected]: www.ukpost.org.uk

UK Post is the trade association representing the post-production,audio and visual effects sector. We provide a single entry point forstudios and producers to engage with facilities and services inthe UK.

Screen South

Jenny Cooper, Film CommissionerKristen Platt, Information ManagerEmail: [email protected]: [email protected]: www.screensouth.org

Screen South is passionate about nurturing and promoting talentand production in the South East. There is an incredible wealth oflocations, crew and facilities, which provides an unrivaled UK basefor any production.

Film London

Sue Hayes,London Film CommissionerTel 020 7613 7676Fax 020 7613 7677Email: [email protected]

Film London is the capital's film and media agency. Film Londonsustains, promotes and develops London as a major internationalfilm-making and film cultural capital.

Ealing Studios

Jeremy Pelzer, Studio DirectorTel: 020 8567 6655Fax: 020 8758 8658Email: [email protected]: www.ealingstudios.com

Popular for its convenient central location, extensive facilities,warm atmosphere and rich film heritage. As well as providingstages and services to film producers, the Ealing Studioscommunity includes a wide range of companies that can assistwith all productions.

Screen East Locations

Katie Macdonald, Film Liaison Officer Tel: 01923 495051 Email: [email protected]: www.screeneast.co.uk

Promoting the East of England as the ideal location for film and TVproduction and attracting inward investment by marketing theregion’s locations, facilities and skills.

The Production Guild

David Martin, Chief ExecutiveLynne Hames, General ManagerTel: 01753 651 767Fax: 01753 652 803Email: [email protected]: www.productionguild.com

The leading industry association representing and servicing theinterests of the largest and most experienced group of seniorproduction personnel in the UK’s Feature Film & TV industry.

London and the southeast are alive withfilmmaking, both domestic and fromoverseas. At the centre of activity is theHarry Potter series, reportedly the mostsuccessful film series of all time. The traineewizard is almost stereotypically English, butbeing fantasy the films could have beenshot in Hollywood. Instead, locations atKings Cross station, Ashridge Estate inHertfordshire and the Bodlian Library inOxford have blended with intricate studiosets to create the magical world ofHogwarts School of Witchcraft andWizardry.

The lure of England has even touched theonce travel-shy Woody Allen. After anunhappy location experience in Paris andBudapest for his 1975 film Love and Death,Allen confined himself to the island ofManhattan. But as the Hollywood systemencroached on his autonomy the directorlooked elsewhere and came to London forMatch Point. Allen apparently loves living inthe city and enjoys the co-operation he gets

from those he works with, although hebackhandedly complimented London bysaying its grey skies and flat light gave “acolour saturation to everything that’s richand very beautiful for photography”.

Allen has gone on to make Scoop in Londonand after being frustrated again in Paris willbe back to make a third film here. The muchanticipated The Da Vinci Code was shotextensively in the London Plus region, aswere Separate Lives, V for Vendetta andBasic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction.

Filmmakers have long known about thefacilities around London, and today the cityand surrounding counryside are morefilm-friendly with the Police, local councilsand agencies well organised to supportfilmmaking. Apparently filmmakers arenow daring each other as to how far theycan go when they shoot in capital. After V forVendetta blew up great chunks ofLondon the mind boggles at what mighthappen next.

Filmmaking present and future

London Plus Partners

www.londonplus.org

PRODUCTION FEATURE

Making The Da Vinci Code

D an Brown’s bestseller, published in2003, has sold over 46 million copies in44 languages – so Ron Howard’s

opening night film of the 2006 Cannes FilmFestival could be expected to have a captiveaudience. Easter messages from the Pope inthe Vatican, and the Archbishop of Canterbury,warned of the film’s dangerous message, whilethe Roman Catholic Opus Dei, (that some callan ecclesiastical Cosa Nostra), hired a religiousPR firm to discredit the film and deal with‘damage control’ to their society after therelease of The Da Vinci Code.

But for anyone involved in the making of the film,there is a different story. “In all the years I havebeen making films, I’ve never had a happier time

as in the UK on The Da Vinci Code,” saysdirector Ron Howard.

In March 2005, Imagine Entertainment, RonHoward and Brian Grazer’s company, set uptheir production base at Shepperton Studios,UK, where set construction began on manystages, along with the 007 stage, exterier tankand underwater stage atPinewood Studios.

“We needed a huge amount of stage space andall the workshops and facilities that go with sucha large production,” says unit productionmanager Nigel Gostelow. “The management atPinewood and Shepperton responded brilliantly;everyone went out of their way to accommodate

us. Suppliers to the film and TV industry in theUK generally are quite remarkable, they alwaysdeliver a quality product on time and on budget- exactly what such a prestigiousproject required.”

Unrivalled experience and cooperation

Some of the UK’s most experienced techniciansand craftspeople (fresh from big productionslike Basic Instinct 2, Harry Potter and the Gobletof Fire, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, V forVendetta and Batman Begins) crewed up thetwo large units that filmed over five months inareas of France, England, Scotland and Malta.Director Ron Howard continued hiscinematographic collaboration with director of

page

6

As the biggest film of the year opens in Cannes, and on thousands of screensacross the globe, London Plus looks at how the region cracked the code.

The Da Vinci Code © 2006 Columbia Tristar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

by Madelyn Most

www.londonplus.org

PRODUCTION FEATURE

photography, Salvatore Totino from the US,whilst the 2nd unit was directed by executiveproducer Todd Hallowell, and photographed byFraser Taggart in the UK, with Alex Lamarque inFrance. Award-winning British productiondesigner Allan Cameron built over 100 sets withhis small team of art directors.

The majority of Dan Brown’s story takes place inFrance, but for many reasons (logistical, legal,cultural, religious and financial), filming inFrance became more complicated, and morescenes were rescheduled back to the UK.Under the 2005 UK tax laws, The Da Vinci Codequalified as a British film, as an “inwardinvestment production” – a large percentage ofthe film was shot in the UK, using British talentin front of and behind the camera, with aconsiderable part of the film’s budget spent inthe UK on staff and services. The producersalso gained considerable tax advantages underthe then ‘sales and leaseback’ agreement.

Shooting began in Paris in mid-July 2005, andalthough setting a precedent for being the firsttime a movie crew was allowed to film inside TheLouvre, the French government authoritiesseverely restricted what could be filmed atFrance’s most precious cultural landmarkduring the height of the summer tourist season.Despite many constraints, a Napoleonic Army-sized crew and an artillery of equipment, RonHoward succeeded in filming scenes with TomHanks, Audrey Tautou and Jean Reno in TheLouvre and at Château de Villette, that would becompleted later under more controlledconditions in the two UK studios.

After a two-week shoot in France, the companymoved back to England for location work. TheDa Vinci Code’s location manager SamBreckman says, “The level of cooperation inLondon and the counties was unrivalled. Wehad almost total access to everything.Westminster Special Events Department andthe London Plus Partners were brilliant andpulled out all the stops. People realized thenature and value of this project and the successit will bring, but I also think it had to do with theway we approached it. We assured theauthorities of our intentions and we were veryopen about all aspects of the filming. Everyonewe dealt with, without exception, was fantastic.”

Shooting the exteriors at Westminster Abbey inLondon meant shutting down the road duringthe weekend. The scene in the original bookwhere Sophie and Langdon escape on the tubehas been changed to a bus for the movie. Withthe aid of a rolling road block the productiongained control of a three-mile strip of road (FleetStreet, Cannon Street, Bishopsgate,Threadneedle Street and London Wall) in theCity of London on a Saturday.

“That was a thrilling day,” addsBreckman. “TheCorporation of London,the Metropolitan Police,and Film London wereall absolutelyincredible. Locationssuch as TowerBridge, TempleChurch and the InnerTemple all provedbeyond doubt thatfilming in London onsuch a massive scalecan be achieved with theright amount of planningand communication.”

This level ofa c h i e v e m e n tcontinued with somespectacular scenes

staged at other locations in the London Plusregion which included: Biggin Hill Airport, Kent;Dunsfold Airfield and Shoreham Airport, Sussex;Rotherhithe Tunnel; The London Assay office;The Farmiloe Building, Clerkenwell; FairfieldHall, Croydon; The Ark, Hammersmith; andBryants Lane Quarry, Leighton Buzzard. Surreylocations Minley Manor Forrest, Longcross TestTrack, and Hawley Lakes all doubled for scenesin the French countryside.

After location work was completed, the two unitsmoved back into the stages at Shepperton andPinewood. On the voluminous 007 Stage atPinewood, production designer Allan Cameroncreated the Grand Gallery of The Louvre, whichis said to be one of most magnificent sets everbuilt at Pinewood.

“We were going to shoot a lot of it in the Louvre,says Cameron, “but for various logisticalreasons, and particularly for Sal’s creativity (DPSalvatore Totino) – he wanted to light The Louvrein a certain way – we decided to build it back at

Pinewood. We used the entire 350ft-long stage, (one of the

largest stages inEurope) to build theGrand Gallery, which atthe Louvre is 1,800ft.long, and then

used visual effects toextend it.”

“In all the years I have been

making films, I’ve never had

a happier time as in the UK

on The Da Vinci Code”

Ron Howard, director

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7



www.londonplus.org

PRODUCTION FEATURE

The 2nd unit was directed by ToddHallowell and lensed by FraserTaggart who says, “The 2nd unitdid the historical reconstructionscenes, and Ron Howard added alot more to what is in the book.Normally 2nd unit matches to 1stunit, but Sal liked my work and said

I should give it my own look, whichmade it personally satisfying.Cathedrals are always a gift to lightand we had a huge shoot atLincoln Cathedral with 300 extrasfor the flashback to Newton’sfuneral at Westminster Abbey. Ithink this was the nicest project I’veever worked on. Both Ron and

Todd were so appreciative, you justwanted to give it your all for them.”

VFX supervisor on The Da VinciCode was Angus Bickerton. Heworked closely with visual effectsproducer Barry Hemsley, whosays, “The Da Vinci Code was adream project from start to finish.They had an amazing productionteam and crew, and we had a greatteam from five London VFXvendors who created 480 VFXshots in the 140-minute film:Moving Picture Company, DoubleNegative, The Senate, RainmakerUK, and Cinesite Europe. Theirartistry and creativity was vital tosolving all the puzzles Ron Howardand Dan Brown devised for us.”

Harmonious crewSpeaking about his experience ofworking in the UK with a mainlyBritish crew on The Da Vinci Code,US executive producer ToddHallowell comments , “It was themost satisfying work experience

I’ve had in some 20 odd years ofdoing this. What made it reallydifferent for me was the attitude ofthe crew. Not only were they reallypositive, but also reallycollaborative. You never got asense of ‘my department does this,or my department does that...’, wewere always sitting down in aroom, figuring out how wecollaboratively were going to solvea problem. I found that it not onlyled to much more interesting andsometimes unexpected solutions,but it also made it a lot more fun.These people take such care andsuch pride in what they do and theresults reflect that. It has beensuch a pleasure for me right frompre-production through to post. Itwas a big deal for me to work atPinewood because it is such apiece of history – for Americans it’salmost mythic.

“Overall, it was a phenomenalfilmmaking experience. I lookforward to doing it again.”

Supplying The Da Vinci Code:

A RRI Media supplied eight, at times 13, ARRICAM cameras, withAlpha Grip and ARRI Grips supplying up to fiveSuperTechnocranes for the Lincoln Cathedral shoot, and Lee

Lighting providing a huge lighting package. Stunt coordinator GregPowell (of the famous stunt family dynasty) supervised the drowning ofhis team of stuntwomen in Pinewood’s newly-built underwater stage(used earlier in 2005 on Basic Instinct 2), and the ‘burning at the stake’of his stuntmen in the forests of Hertfordshire.

Special effects supervisor Dominic Tuohy’s team was landed withmany more shots than planned for the plane scenes. Dick GeorgeAssociates was responsible for creating ‘real’ props that were true worksof art, including the famous ‘Cryptex’. David White of Altered States FXcreated the photo-real silicone body of Jacques Sauniere, while ArtemLtd produced a quite remarkable ‘offspring’ that is as ‘holy’ as it is‘perfect’. Action Vehicle Supplies Ltd and Land Rover provided thevehicles for the stunt and action sequences.

Director Ron Howard on the set of The Da Vinci Code David White of Altered States FX at Shepperton Studios wastasked with creating a naked, photo-real silicone body

“We all truly had such an amazing experience in the UK,it’s a hard one to top” Louisa Velis, co-producer

www.londonplus.org page

9

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IN MY VIEW

L et’s review the key differences. LA issunny, perky, fit as surgery-assistedfiddles, tanned and tan-lined. It’s the land

of a million miles of wide roads and millions ofwide smiles from the folks (read: out of workactors, directors, screenwriters, studio chiefs)who do everything from serve up your CaféAmericano to break down your new screenplay.

It’s the land of “go for it,” where crass ambitionand flaunting the first sign of wealth come asnaturally as never admitting desires of any kind,artistic, financial, sexual or otherwise, aswhingeing about the weather and housingprices (etc. etc.) and as dressing down forsuccess come to the average Londonshowbizzer.

So then, one wonders, why are most LAindustryites happy (read: ecstatic) for thechance to work in London?

Well, perhaps to get away, just for a few weeks,from all of the gleaming wonders of Americandentistry, the relentless sunnyness in the face ofabject poverty and rejection that begins to formthe first definite stages of outright madness, toflee the rigors of toning up and tuning intoshowbiz gossip at the expense of anyrecognition (read: IQ above poolwatertemperature) that the world is in a right mess,even perhaps more so than the latestdisappointing box office billions or perilous stateof the union and studios’ less than connubialrelations.

Maybe it’s a great relief to hit the stones ofPiccadilly Circus and find there’s a boisterous,

bustling life that’s not automatically hot-wired tomovie grosses, Bev Hills interior designers andstudio deck chair shuffling.

Maybe it’s bracing to see major actors(even...MOVIE/TV STARS!!!) working on stagefor a few hundred quid a week, just for the sheerjoy of getting their pampered asses kicked bythe critics.

Which leads us to my own personal joy, theabsence of which has sent me in mourningthough my five years in London ended last fall:READING!!!!

Imagine the shock of the jaded Hollywooditewho comes to London to discover a city (note tonewcomers: CITY, not a slapdash compendiumof bedroom bergs packed with suburbanthatched huts at $4 million per) with a half-dozensharp, funny, edgy, at times clinically loony,while alternately brilliantly incisive and vital newspublications instead of...the LA/NY Times. Letsomeone else extol the virtues of the talentbase, the crafts pool, the spectacular facilities,the historic locales.

I’m here in my Californio cubicle to tell my fellowshowbizzers that it’s worth crossing the globallywarming pond just to sit down with a (bad) cupof coffee to read the wicked, wild prose jockeysof the British press. I’m jealous of anyoneanywhere near Holborn station who’s readingpage one of the London Times and muttering,sputtering, laughing (quietly in that lovelyEnglish way) as the grandest and mostvenerable of daily news orgs thoroughly takesthe piss out of a story that our sanctimonious,irony-challenged Stateside Grey Print Ladies ofNYC and LA wouldn’t dare to try.

I would also mention the joys of The Heath, thepiano player at the Groucho (especially around2am), London cabbies, gin and tonic at theSavoy, anywhere Bill Wyman shows up and hastime to tell me his latest filthy joke and the viewsof London from Waterloo Bridge at night, but I’mafraid too many of Variety’s readership ofindustryites might flee to Blighty, which couldharm our daily Variety circulation here in LA andalter London’s personality, not necessarily forthe better. Perish the thought.

No, Churchill didn’t need a tummy-tuck, theQueen looks Queenly sans Botox and you don’tspoil George Michael’s charm with somethingsilly like driving lessons. Too many WolfgangPuck-imitating Angelenos might just spoil thatwonderfully inedible English broth we Yankscharmlessly refer to as Blighty. I rememberevery taste and smell (including Soho’s morepungent odors) and trust me, I miss them all.

So London, don’t go changin’, just to please us,as you might become us and then nobodywould ever escape the permanent bliss of thisLotus and Lasik-enhanced paradise.

And LA: please don’t jump the queue. Tut, tut.

Steven Gaydos is executive editor – features,Variety & Daily Variety

Escape from LA(to London)

Forget the sweater vs jumper, TV vs telly, suspenders vs braces,humor vs humour, knickers vs panties differences between theEnglish and the Yanks. When it comes to a real cultural chasm,nothing runs deeper or wider than LA River vs The Thames.Which makes the American film industry’s fondness, if notoutright lust, for production time in London all the moreamazing, says Steven Gaydos

“It’s worth crossing the globally

warming pond just to sit down

with a (bad) cup of coffee to read

the wicked, wild prose jockeys of

the British press”.

www.londonplus.org

PRODUCTION CLOSE-UP

The joy of set construction

The London Plus region abounds with locations for authenticity and realism andstudios for more stylised productions, not to mention the experienced people whocan make it happen.

The Da Vinci Code resorted to sets atShepperton and Pinewood Studios as stand-insfor several French locations. When it came toEngland and the London Plus region, theproduction made full use of Temple Church inHolborn amongst various sites around London,as well as Winchester Cathedral.

Whitehall or bustV for Vendetta required actual London locationsto give weight to its futuristic, fascist statestoryline. With the help of Film London, theLondon Filming Partnership, the Special Eventsand Filming Team of Westminster Council andseveral government departments, theproduction took over Whitehall, with the artdepartment removing advertising placards, busstops and any colour that would detract from thegreyness of the film’s totalitarian world. For theclimax, scale models of The Old Bailey and TheHouses of Parliament were painstakingly builton Shepperton’s H Stage and then blownto bits.

Often, sets come into their own for creatingplaces that do not exist. Tim Burton’s Batmanfilm built Gotham City on the backlot and soundstages at Pinewood, and the latest incarnation

of the Caped Crusader, Christopher Nolan’sBatman Begins, used what is claimed to be thebiggest ever indoor film set at CardingtonAirship Hangar in Bedfordshire. This was foundthrough Screen East’s locations library anddwarfs the biggest studio on Warner Bros.’Burbank lot. Many other sets built at Sheppertonwere carefully matched to locations found in thesouth east.

Out of this worldAt 3 Mills Studios, the Universe was createdentirely in-studio for Danny Boyle’s Sunshine, afuturistic tale involving a spaceship’s mission torekindle the dying Sun. The east London studiois also currently home to the physical and CGmanifestation of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld forSky One’s production of Hogfather. 3 MillsStudios also houses the standing set of theinterior of Larkhall prison for ITV1 seriesBad Girls.

TV drama requires sets and locations to thesame level as film and London and the southeast provide the necessary settings. Oxford’sspires shimmered in melancholy sunlight forseveral series of Inspector Morse and recentlymade a one-off return in a spin-off, Lewis. Fans

of the series looking for the grumpy detective’snorth Oxford flat are disappointed not to find it,largely because the location and set used is inEaling, west London.

David Martin, chief executive of the ProductionGuild, who was one of the key producer-repnegotiators on the current three-year deal withUK construction crafts grades, says, “The artand craft of set construction, design and build isan area of international excellence for the UK.

Our line producer members are responsible forworking with the top production designers,construction managers and their teams inensuring that the visual aspirations of directorslike Tim Burton, Ron Howard and AlfonsoCuaron are realised on time and on budget.”

Film London, Screen East, Screen South andthe Production Guild each have databases ofcontacts and details for crew including leadingproduction designers, line producers andconstruction managers. A supervisingproduction designer will liaise with the directorand then assemble a team, sometimes 250strong, of visual artists, model builders,carpenters and set decorators to build the set.

V for Vendetta © 2006 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory © 2005 Warner Bros.Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

Harry Potter © 2005 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.All Rights Reserved

by KevinHilton

www.londonplus.org

PRODUCTION CLOSE-UP

For more information please contact: Paul Skipper on 07931 377502or fax 01634 326949 [email protected]

RIGG

ING

LTD

LABOUR + ACCESS EQUIPMENT

STAGING + DRAPES +SCAFFOLDING + TRUSSING

Disney Channel - GoodMorning Raoul

Silent Witness

The Corpse Bride

The Lost Prince

The Lion King

Bad Girls

Dream Team

Madonna

Robbie Williams

Our list of credits include

Terry Ackland-Snow, who worked on Burton’sBatman film as well as Superman and the JamesBond series, now runs a production designtraining school at Pinewood Studios. He seesstudios such as Pinewood offering the greatestflexibility, with different stage sizes and the vitaltechnical expertise of the crews. “If I had achoice between a studio in Spain and PinewoodI’d come to Pinewood every time,” he says.

Stuart Craig, production designerAsk any filmgoer to name a film that has the bestsets and locations there’s a good chance they’llsay “Harry Potter!”. The man responsible forcreating Hogwarts and the other haunts of thetrainee wizard is renowned production designerStuart Craig. Potter has brought Craig toattention, including an OBE in 2002 and aBAFTA award for Harry Potter and the Goblet ofFire in 2006.

Craig’s extensive list of credits includes Ghandi,Dangerous Liaisons and The English Patient, allthree of which brought him Academy Awards forBest Art Direction & Set Decoration. In additionto designing the interiors of the wizard school on

stage sets, Craig combined the looks andarchitecture of European cathedrals with thoseof Durham Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral,Lacock Abbey and Christ Church College,Oxford to create the exterior of Hogwarts Castle.Craig says that although Hogwarts is“impossibly big”, there is an architectural realityand solidity about it. Which is a pretty good wayto sum up what a production designer does.

Leslie Tomkins, set designerSet designer Leslie Tomkins’ list of collaboratorsis a mini “Who’s Who” of directors. He workedon David Lean’s last film, A Passage to India,made four films with Stanley Kubrick andcurrently has clocked up four titles for TimBurton.

Tomkins started out in the business 40 yearsago in the blueprint room at Pinewood Studios,working his way up to junior draughtsmanbefore going freelance and becoming anassistant art director, art director and finallyproduction designer. His credits are eclectic,including Papillon, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and even a few CarryOn films.

For Kubrick, Tomkins designed Barry Lyndon,and The Shining, which he estimates was 95percent designed and built. For Full Metal Jackethe turned Beckton gas works into Vietnam andfor Kubrick’s last film Eyes Wide Shut, recreatedGreenwich Village, New York on the back lot atPinewood. His films with Burton are Batman,Sleepy Hollow, some scenes on Planet of theApes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Tomkins calls Charlie a “very enjoyable film”,despite the “enormous amount of work” itgenerated for the art department, including alarge exterior street in front of Willie Wonka’sfactory. That was enhanced by model workbased at Shepperton and some CGI. To draw upa design Tomkins has two to three meetings withthe director and then gets into the research andreferences necessary to create a creditable set.Not without justification does Tomkins callproduction and set designers “architects for thefilm industry.”

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FILM FINANCE

How do films quality?

Films must pass a cultural points test,administered by The Department for Culture,Media and Sport (DCMS). Any film that achieves16 or more points (out of 32) will pass this test.Points are divided into three sectors:

1. Cultural content, which looks at the setting,characters, and subject matter.

2. Cultural hubs, which looks at where the filmis made.

3. Cultural practitioners, which looks at theindividuals who make the film.

For details of the cultural points test visit:www.culture.gov.uk/creative_industries/film/revised_schedule1.htm

Expenditure in the UK must account for at least25% of the total “core expenditure” of the film.Core expenditure comprises, broadly speaking,the budget of the film less a few items, forexample, financing, insurance, anddevelopment costs, amongst others. UK spend

is measured in terms of activity taking place inthe UK – the nationality of individuals orsuppliers being of no consequence for thiscalculation.

This is a significant change from the old regimeand it means that fees payable to foreignpersonnel, Brad Pitt for example, for servicesperformed in the UK will qualify for the tax credit. The film must be made by a company subject toUK corporation tax. This would normally be a UKregistered company, although foreigncompanies with an established presence in theUK may also be acceptable in certaincircumstances.

There is also a requirement that, at the inceptionof the project, it must be the intention to releasethe film on a commercial basis theatrically.

What is it worth?

For films with total core expenditure of less than£20m, the credit is worth 25 pence for everypound of UK core expenditure, capped at a

maximum of 20% of the total core expenditure.For larger budget films it is worth 20% of the UKcore expenditure up to a maximum of 16% of thetotal core expenditure. In practice, acceptingthat development, finance, insurance and other“non-allowable” costs are an unavoidable partof filmmaking, the credit will be worth up to 17-18% of a film’s total budget for smaller budgetfilms, and up to 14-15% for larger budget films.The highest benefit is achieved on films with UKcore expenditure accounting for 80% or more ofthe total core expenditure. For films achievingless than this the benefit is reduced accordingly.

How to claim?

The tax credit will be released to the productioncompany following submission of a corporationtax return in which the company swaps anenhanced portion of its tax-allowable costsincurred as of that date for a cash repaymentnow. For each corporation tax return submitted,the production company must submit fullfinancial statements as well as, depending onwhether or not the film is complete, an interim orfinal British film certificate, obtained from theDCMS. Essentially, producers will deal directlywith the Government, in the form of HMRevenue and Customs and the DCMS.

What will it mean?

Given that this represents a significant changeover the way things have worked for the lastdecade or so, inevitably some will be better offthan they were before while others will be less

Pounds,Dollarsand $enseJohn Graydon at Tenon Media reports on afavourable tax regime change in the UK.

The new regime’s incentive

to shoot in the UK is good

news for UK based

companies as well as for

producers who habitually

use UK studios and

locations

In recent weeks, the UK Government has released much

needed and useful details of the new tax credit regime for

films. Although further detail is still necessary, the industry

has generally welcomed the news. What the tax credit

provides is a significant incentive for filmmakers throughout

the world to shoot in the UK.

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FILM FINANCE

well off. The demise of the film sale and leaseback relief mechanismalso takes with it many of the other opportunities for private tax-gearedinvestment in films.

At present, there is little that is positive in the new incentive for filmsshot overseas, even those employing chiefly British cast or crews,because the use of UK individuals while filming abroad will not attractany relief. Films such as critically acclaimed The Constant Gardener,which was necessarily shot significantly outside the UK, would bemuch worse off under the new regime, possibly receiving little or nobenefit at all. The UK film industry is currently lobbying HM Treasury onthese and other significant matters and it is hoped that, given the UKGovernment’s positive regard for domestic and inward filmproduction, that there could be some re-consideration of these areas.

At the other end of the scale the new regime’s incentive to shoot in theUK will be good news for UK based companies integral or peripheralto the film industry, as well as to producers who habitually use UKstudios and locations. It is also hoped that the Government’s recentenhancements to Venture Capital Trusts and Enterprise InvestmentSchemes (“VCT” and “EIS”) will encourage increased privateinvestment into film production companies. Such schemes offer taxincentives for private investment in unlisted British trading companies,which would include film production, and this extra tax-gearing couldcombine well with the new tax credit, given the right circumstances.

Better than the rest

Overall, the new tax credit is a worthy successor to the erstwhile andmuch-abused sale and leaseback system. Born of a desire to remove“middlemen”, the overhaul of the system has brought the benefitmechanism entirely within the control of the film producers and theirusual professional advisors, while offering increases in benefit to many– good news one would argue. On the international stage the level ofbenefit also compares very favourably – almost all other countriesproviding film incentives do so proportionate to the level ofexpenditure in the home territory, and few at the generous rate now onoffer here in the UK.

The tax credit provides a significant incentive for

filmmakers throughout the world to

shoot in the UK

John Graydon, heads up the film unit for Tenon Media,providing specialist advice on accessing film financingopportunities in the UK and overseas. He has substantialexperience in working on tax structures for both co-productionsand Schedule 1 British qualifying films, and was a leadingindustry representative throughout HM Treasury’s review of theUK film tax breaks system.

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POST AND INNOVATIONS

Framestore featureanimation studiostarts with mouse taleFounded with the aim of becoming London’s premiere permanentfeature animation studio, Framestore Feature Animation has – inpartnership with Universal Studios – commenced work on its firstproject, The Tale of Despereaux. Based on the award-winning children’snovel by Kate DiCamillo, the film is being directed by Sylvain Chomet,writer and director of the Oscar-nominated Les Triplettes de Belleville.The project’s producers are Allison Thomas and Gary Ross (Seabiscuit,Pleasantville).

Heading the new venture is David Lipman, who joined the company asmanaging partner after eight years at Dreamworks Animation, where hewas co-executive producer on the Academy Award-winning Shrek, andproducer on Shrek 2, the highest grossing animation movie to date.

Lipman commented, “The talent pool in the UK and Europe is secondto none, and we are looking forward to building an extraordinary team.” As might be expected, the development of Framestore FeatureAnimation will involve a large scale recruitment drive by the company,with up to 200 new staff expected to join as The Tale of Despereauxgears up through 2007.

Framestore CFC is a leading visual effects and computer animationstudio, with numerous Technical Academy Awards, BAFTA, EMMY andVES awards. Recent film credits include Harry Potter and the Goblet ofFire, Nanny McPhee, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and TheConstant Gardener, plus the DI grading on V for Vendetta.

LEM delivers mobile HDrushes for 007Along with providing the digital editing and infrastructuretechnologies for Casino Royale, the next feature in the JamesBond 007 series, hire company London Editing Machines (LEM)has also developed a mobile HD dailies viewing theatre.

During pre-production in 2005 LEM worked closely with the film’seditorial team, led by editor Stuart Baird, and London resellerRoot6, to design a workflow that would assist the film’sinternational production schedule taking place in Czech Republic,Italy, the Bahamas and the UK, with post production movingbetween Prague, the Bahamas, Pinewood Studios and London’sSoho.

The initial provision of equipment required the shipment of morethan 60 cases of editing equipment, with an Avid network installedby LEM’s technical support team. Along with the film’s producersand Bell Theatre Services, LEM has also established an HD rushestheatre. Using Rushplay software, the disc-based systemeliminates the need for expensive HD tape decks and can bequickly set up at any location, providing high-quality viewingfacilities for the crew including director by Martin Campbell andcinematographer Phil Méheux BSC.

“With HD dailies the hot topic right now, such portability andconvenience is likely to be highly attractive to filmmakers, and wesee this type of service expanding rapidly,” said LEM’s managingdirector Peter Watson. Casino Royale is scheduled for release inNovember 2006. Recent features supported by LEM include HarryPotter and the Goblet of Fire, Derailed, Cashback, Alien Autopsy,Sunshine, The History Boys and Lassie.

Audio mixing with PinewoodShepperton Post Production2005 was a busy year for the audiomixing facilities at PinewoodShepperton Post Production, startingwith Kingdom of Heaven in the KordaTheatre at Shepperton and finishingwith V for Vendetta at Pinewood. Inbetween, the company also workedon Batman Begins, These FoolishThings, Nanny McPhee, Valiant, Goaland Festival, which was nominatedfor a BAFTA award.

2006 promises many UK projects, along with films from the US, France, Spain andRussia. Already this year Pinewood Shepperton Post has worked on: The Wind thatShakes the Barley, Stormbreaker, Fade to Black, Mayo, It’s a Boy Girl Thing andGoal 2.

There are sixteen mixing, preview, Foley and ADR theatres across the two sites atPinewood and Shepperton, with substantial investment in the latest digital audiomixing and post production technologies. Theatre Three at Shepperton has justbeen re-equipped as a Pro-controller room and has just mixed FIFA’s Guide to theWorld Cup 2006.

Men from Mars add DIVisual effects studio, Men from Mars, located next to Ealing Film Studios in westLondon, has added Digital Intermediate (DI) to its facilities. The company hasinstalled Filmlight’s Baselight 4 system, capable of HD, 2K and proxy-based 4Kgrading, and to date has completed the DI on Derailed, Stoned, An AmericanHaunting and Fade To Black, working with leading DPs including JohnMathieson BSC, Peter Biziou BSC and the late Adrian Biddle BSC.

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Generating a lot of attentionin the camera departmentis MK-V’s Alien Revolutioncamera stabilisation system,modelled here by its inventorHoward Smith. The all-newproduct automatically maintains alevel horizon and can also be rotatedin-shot to create a variety of effects,and making possible a whole newrange of shots. The system enablesSteadicam operators to move thecamera from floor level to a lensheight of seven feet. AlienRevolution can work on oroff a traditional camerastabilisation system, or asa handheld unit.

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Abbey Road celebrates 75 yearsOn 12th November 2006, London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios willcelebrate 75 years of making music. The anniversary will coincide with thecompletion of significant upgrades to the studios’ film scoring rooms andequipment.

Film projects have already been quick to make use of the improvedrecording environments and equipment. Marco Beltrami recently recordedthe score to Omen 666 in Studio 1 on a newly installed AMS-Neve 88RSrecording and mixing console. The desk was uniquely customised to AbbeyRoad’s specification. Marc Streitenfeld has also recorded his score to RidleyScott’s A Good Year in the upgraded studio, with additional recording inStudio 3, plus mixing and editing in the newly refurbished Penthouse studiowith Peter Cobbin, one of Abbey Road’s team of skilled engineers.

The control room has been re-designed to improve the overall sound of theroom, and a brand new AMS-Neve, DFC Gemini digital desk has beeninstalled – the largest digital mixing desk in the UK.

Sohonet connectsto FotokemMedia services company Sohonet has just completed a deal toconnect Fotokem in Burbank to its expanding global usercommunity.

Sohonet provides a range of secure network services enablingcompanies in the media and film industries to communicate andexchange digital assets.

In addition to its London network, that includes all of the high-endpost companies in Soho, plus studios such as Pinewood andShepperton, the company has been building out substantiallyoverseas, and has full services available to Rome, New York, LosAngeles, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Warner Bros. in Burbank, already uses Sohonet to download from itsvarious London productions on a daily basis.

Swivel on this

Abbey Road modernises and celebrates

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INNOVATION

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Thrilling theworldVisual effects is,without doubt, thefastest growingsector of theglobal film indus-try. In Londonalone the cap-acity to handlevisual effectswork has quad-rupled in the lastfew years, writes UK Post chief executiveGaynor Davenport.

But, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Britainhas a long tradition and world-classreputation for special effects and modelmaking. Historically the UK pioneeredmany of the SFX techniques employedaround the world today. Films like Star Warsand the James Bond series pushed theboundaries ensuring the UK remainedhome to some of the world’s finest specialeffects technicians.

From large-scale floor effects andpyrotechnics to intricate animatronics,prosthetics and miniature work, the UKprovides a large pool of skilled techniciansand every imaginable material to fulfil themost obscure requests quickly andeffectively. Recent home grown specialeffects-laden productions include BatmanBegins, The Brothers Grimm, The HarryPotter franchise and Charlie and theChocolate Factory, to name just a few. Theinvestment and the imagination continueapace, creating images that thrill the world.

The team behind many of the effects in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hitchhikers Guide to theGalaxy and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also created the convincing and controversial visualeffects sequence in V For Vendetta, where famous London landmarks including The Houses ofParliament and The Old Bailey are blown to pieces.

The work, completed by Cinesite’s model unit, involved weeks of architectural research andextensive tests using different strengths of explosives, prior to construction and detonation of the 30fthigh, 10th scale models on Shepperton Studios’ 30,000sq.ft H stage. Cinesite supplied all of thevisual effects for the film, directed by James McTeigue. Cinesite has also completed visual effects forX-Men: The Last Stand, Omen 666 and Stormbreaker.

Cinesite explodes Londonfor Vendetta at Shepperton

LipSync Post expandsLipSync Post has announced a £1m expansion of its visual effects, graphics and digital gradingdepartments. The Soho facility has acquired an additional 3,000sq.ft of floor space above itsWardour Street facility to house its expanding visual effects and graphics teams, and has bought anarray of new compositing systems and infrastructure hardware. It has also expanded its DI facilitiesby becoming the first post house in the UK to acquire two Quantel iQ4 Pablo 4k grading systems.The company recently completed visual effects on Paul Greengrass’s 9/11 feature, United 93 forWorking Title. The twenty shots included greenscreen-keying, digital matte painting compositing andset repairs.

V for Vendetta © 2006 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Technicolor’s trans-Atlantic projectsTechnicolor Digital Intermediates has recentlycompleted several trans-Atlantic projectsbetween its facilities in Los Angeles andNew York.

On North Country, the negative scanning andonline conform were completed in LosAngeles. However, as the director was basedin LA, and the DP Chris Menges BSC wasbooked on a recce in England, Technicolor’sglobe-shrinking infrastructure meant that theproject could be graded in London byMenges and then viewed by the rest of theproduction in LA almost immediatelyafterwards. The only transfer required was thecolour decision list, which is small enough toe-mail rather than having to transfer the entirehigh resolution files from facility to facility.

This same approach is regularly used forcreating digital negatives in multipleterritories. For The Chronicles of Narnia, themain DI was completed in Burbank withidentical digital negatives for Europe createdin London.

One Post has completed a full DI on Scenes of a Sexual Nature, the new film from BAFTA-nominateddirector Ed Blum. Described by Blum as a film about the emotional and sexual underbelly of NorthLondon it comprises seven interlinked stories, featuring some of the UK’s best-known actors,including Ewan McGregor, Hugh Bonneville and Sophie Okonedo.

A low-budget film, Scenes of a Sexual Nature was shot entirely on location at Hampstead Heath,North London on Super 16mm. Following a tight three-week production schedule, the film was giventhe DI treatment at One, with Blum working closely there with his DP David Meadows and editor JoeMcNally to overcome changeable weather conditions on the shoot. This was achieved by isolatingparts of the picture and colour grading within those areas, creating a consistent radiance throughout.

Pepper has extended its long-running relationship with BAFTA award-winning director Michael Winterbottom, completing post on the director’slatest film The Road to Guantanamo, for which he and co-director MattWhitecross won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

Shot in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran on DV-Cam, the film mixes dramawith archive material plus interviews with the real-life ‘Tipton Three’ -friends whose trip overseas for a wedding turns in to an epic journey

taking them through Pakistan, Afghanistan and eventually toGuantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Pepper created a uniform look from the source footage, applying a warmgrade at the start of the movie to contrast with a cooler look as the dramamoves towards Camps X-ray and Delta. Uniquely, The Road toGuantanamo was the UK’s first simultaneous cinema, DVD andonline release.

Pepper grades Guantanamo

One Post gets sexy

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Physical EffectsFor Spyglass Entertainment’s Reign of Fire, British model maker andeffects specialist Artem built the head, body and 120ft-long wing of adragon, giving physical form to the film’s CG dragon, and enabling anactor to ride under its wing and slash into the dragon’s womb to extract aslime and blood-covered egg. Artem was also responsible for all of thefloor effects, pyrotechnics, prosthetics, mechanical rigs, action props,animatronics and wirework for Terry Gilliam’s The Brothers Grimm, and iscurrently working on Hot Fuzz.

For Polish film With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i Mieczem), a grand drama setin 17th century Poland during the Cossack uprising, London’s MachineShop created animatronic heads for a gory decapitation scene, ananimatronic horse that drowns, plus bullet hits and mutilations from spikesand swords. The company has also made miniatures, props and did thefloor effects for hairdressing romp Blow Dry.

In-camera on-set pre-vizJoe Dunton Cameras, the London camera-hire company known its forpioneering inventions, has collaborated with United Image Systems todevelop an updated version of its On Set Pre-Viz system as first used onHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The system lets low resolutionCG characters and environments be seen through the camera on theset whilst shooting. It follows camera moves in real time and a laptopcomputer generates the 3D image, seen by the operator through theviewfinder and a video monitor. The result is that the actors can be seenwithin a virtual CG set. The system works with encoded grip equipmentsuch as a dolly with track or a Technochrane. JDC is now in talks withleading facilities in San Francisco and New Zealand who want toharness the new technology for their visual effects production.

Moving Picture Company(MPC) has created a rangeof explosive effects forPoseidon, the WarnerBros.’ remake of the 1972disaster movie ThePoseidon Adventure,directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Along with creating CG environments anddigital set extensions, a large portion of MPC’s work involved thesimulation of water and fire. To achieve this MPC exclusively licensed thefluid simulation software Flowline from Munich based Scanline AG. Themain sequence to utilise the software is the inverted lobby sequence,

where the ship hascapsized and thepassengers are fleeingover a makeshift bridgeabove turbulent water anda flaming column of fire.Another key scene takes

place in the ballroom where water crashes through the windows. Other2006 releases to receive treatment at MPC include The Da Vinci Code, X-Men 3 and Sunshine, with The Golden Age and Harry Potter and the Orderof the Phoenix currently in post.

VTR does Glastonbury MPC sinks Poseidon

VTR and TMR, both part of VTR Group, completed the post production onJulien Temple’s Glastonbury. The film documents the world’s biggest andlongest-running festival of music and arts, and comprises 33 years ofpersonal testimonies using footage from a wide range of formats. TMRand VTR handled restoration, telecine, titles, effects work and DI for theproject. The main technical challenge involved creating a consistent lookwhilst jumping between the decades and footage ranging from HD, 35mm,16mm mini DV to VHS. The work on Glastonbury follows on the back of anumber of feature film projects completed at VTR. These include KeepingMum, Vera Drake, Rag Tale and The Upside of Anger. VTR also recentlycompleted post production on Reg Traviss’ World War II picture JoyDivision.

INNOVATION

INTERVIEW WITH THE RT HON TESSA JOWELL MP

JowellMP

If ever there was a film-friendly government in the UK,it’s the present regime. And who better to pitch ourQ&A to than… The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, theSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. AsCulture Secretary she champions the UK film industrywithin Government, and is one of the leading players whohelped usher in the widely welcomed new tax laws.

Tessa

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What are your top three films of all time?The English Patient, American Beauty and Powelland Pressburger’s A Canterbury Tale.

What makes you go to events like theFrames, Cannes and London FilmFestivals?I’m not only a champion for the UK film industrywithin Government, I also promote our filmindustry to other Governments and key playersaround the world. Festivals tend to be placeswhere a lot of filmmakers do business, so theyprovide the opportunity to promote the UK’stalent and locations. It’s important to be presentat major events so we can keep track of how theUK is fairing on the global stage and learn whatmore might be done to support our industry.

What are the most famous films orbroadcast productions shot in yourconstituency of Dulwich and WestNorwood? Reese Witherspoon filmed part of LegallyBlonde at Dulwich College Boys School. TombRaider also featured a shoot there. And PoplarRoad in Herne Hill starred as the site of thefamily home of Martine McCutcheon in RichardCurtis’ Love Actually.

Tell us about your role in bringing the newtax laws to fruition?The new film tax system is lead by the Treasury,but my Department has worked closely withthem to ensure that the new relief can help tocreate a sustainable British film industry.Together we have sought to develop a taxregime that is internationally competitive, butwhere the money is directed at film productioncompanies. We also worked very closely withthe industry and are grateful for their help indeveloping the new relief.

With the tax laws in place, how much morefilm-friendly do you think the UK is now, ascompared to two years ago? And ascompared to other European countries?The UK has always been a film-friendly placehaving had tax relief for film production since the1980s. The new tax relief for film productionoffers a generous tax relief to both smallindigenous producers and the US studios wherethey choose to base filming within the UK. Thelevel of benefit compares very well with that on

offer elsewhere in European and beyond. Smallbudget films will be entitled to claim a tax creditworth 20 per cent from Government where mostof the filming takes place in the UK, whilst largebudget films will be able to claim a credit worth16 per cent. The value of the relief will be evenmore where producers use it to offset againstprofits in the UK, thereby encouraging long-terminvestment decisions, which in turn will enablethe creation of a properly sustainable filmindustry in Britain.

What’s your hope now for the UK filmindustry? What sort of films would you liketo see being made here in the future?I believe we have laid the foundations for astrong, sustainable film industry here in the UK.We’d like to see every sort of film being madehere. From big budget films, such as The DaVinci Code, Harry Potter and the Order of thePhoenix and V for Vendetta to smaller budgetfilms including Vera Drake, Tristan & Isolde andPride and Prejudice. All are welcome.

What message do you have for USfilmmakers thinking about shooting in theUK?Simple. Come and make your film here. Wehave some of the best post-production facilitiesand film making talent in the world.

We can also offer production crews help andadvice if they want to come and film here - theUK Film Council being an excellent first port ofcall to anyone who wants to get the camerasrolling on British soil. And in London – theundisputed capital of film production in Europe

– we not only have world class studios, facilities,locations and crew, but we also have theLondon Filming Partnership. This aims to helpfacilitate all filming needs in the capital,including a specialist film unit within theMetropolitan Police.

What about the work you are doing with theUK Film Council?My department works very closely with the UKFilm Council to develop and deliver the bestpolicy structure to underpin a sustainable BritishFilm Industry. For example together we arenegotiating five new co-production treaties (withChina, India, Morocco, Jamaica and SouthAfrica) which, once signed, will bring economicand cultural benefits to the UK.

I’ve also asked the Film Council to do a filmpolicy MOT, looking into how we can attract bigbudget films, support UK production, improvedistribution and improve film culture.

Have you been to one of the new UK Digitalcinemas?I haven’t been able to get to one yet, but JamesPurnell, the former films minister recently went tothe Wakefield Cineworld – one of the first 50digital screens in the UK. He was incrediblyimpressed by the quality of the picture as wereJohn Hillcoat and Cat Villiers, the director andproducer of The Proposition, with whom hewent. As The Proposition has been distributeddigitally, it has been seen more widely than itcould have been if it was distributed on film,which is an immediate bonus for smallbudget films.

“Come and make your film here - we

have some of the best facilities and

talent in the world”

The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP

With 142 hectares of parkland, over 4,000 trees, a lake and a meadow,Hyde Park is one of the largest green spaces in central London and oneof eight Royal Parks in the capital. A popular location over many years, thepark has provided a backdrop to numerous films including The IpcressFile, Johnny English and The Mother.

Last year, filming on Stormbreaker, the adaptation of the Alex Rider novel

by Anthony Horowitz, stopped the traffic around Hyde Park Corner for thebiggest single continuous chase sequence ever staged through London.Alex the 14-year-old hero hired by British Intelligence to save millions oflives, is pursued across the park by the entire Household Cavalry onhorseback.

Film London worked closely with the Royal Parks and the production tocarefully co-ordinate filming, liaising with numerous agencies andWestminster Council to plan and manage this unprecedented shoot. TheRoyal Parks will launch new filming protocols in July 2006 to offer an evenbetter service to filmmakers.

Canary Wharf, London:

Canary Wharf, in the heart of London’s Docklands, is home to major banksand media firms, and offers a futuristic waterside cityscape.Redevelopment of the old docks area started in the 1980s andconstruction continues apace; the area now boasts the UK’s three tallestbuildings as well as the architecturally award-winning Canary Wharfunderground station.

Productions to film in the area include Layer Cake, 28 Days Later and thisyear’s Basic Instinct 2, which used the setting for its dramatic openingsequence in which Sharon Stone speeds through Canary Wharf in a sportscar before plunging into the Thames. The stunt was achieved with the helpof Film London who brought together the many stakeholders involvedincluding The Canary Wharf Group, British Waterways, Tower HamletsCouncil, the Metropolitan Police and London Underground.

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Basic Instinct 2 used Canary Wharf

Stormbreaker was shot in Hyde Park

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CardingtonAirship Hangar,Bedfordshire:

The biggest-ever indoor film set for WarnerBros.’ Batman Begins was erected atCardington Airship Hanger in Bedfordshire.The floor area of the hangar alone is thesize of 16 Olympic-size swimming poolsand Warner Bros.’ largest studio inBurbank in Los Angeles (Stage 16) could fitinto the hangar six times over.

The locationwas sourceddirectly fromScreen East’slocations library,the screenagency wasinstrumental inhelping tosecure the sitefor filming andobtaining the necessary planningpermissions. Michael Murray, ProductionManager on Batman Begins, said:“Nothing seemed to faze Screen Eastwhen you asked for their help and advice –they help to solve many problems thrownat production companies.”

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Bourne Wood, Surrey:

One of the most striking sequences in RidleyScott’s Gladiator is without doubt the visceralopening sequence - the war-ravaged Germaniccountryside, huge catapults, flaming arrows,and Roman Legionaries standing poised tocrush the last vestiges of resistance.

You would never know that it was shot just 45minutes away from central London, in therefined Surrey countryside. The production hadbegun scouting Eastern Europe, despairing offinding anything that would fulfil such ademanding brief in the UK, let alone be in easyreach of the facilities based at close byShepperton Studios. But they had not countedon the Forestry Commission, and in particular,Colin Palmer, whose brief includes helping find

locations for productions. Bourne Wood turnedout to be perfect, with one square mile of landthat had recently been felled, and a naturalamphitheatre.

And so the battlefield was constructed, alongwith a Roman camp, along with the facilitiesneeded to house up to 700 extras withweapons, plus the 300-strong crew. They evenrecruited local men to fill the sandals of theLegionaries.

Colin now regularly helps productions looking toshoot in the UK, and has facilitated The ManWho Cried, Highlander: End Game, Children ofMen, plus the shoots for The Golden Age andStardust.

Surrey doubles for war-ravaged Germany in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator

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3 MillsStudios:If you’re looking round fora prison to shoot in, thenlook no further than thepurpose built, three-storeyjail at 3 Mills Studios,London.

The set has been used by ShedProductions for prison drama BadGirls, now in its eighth year, andwas recently the backdrop forRachel Stevens recent music videoI Said Never Again (But HereWe Are).

Close by the jail cells, prison kitchen andgovernors office, is a prison hospital wing.Externally, imposing prison gates with razor wire were recently added.Adjacent to the main prison set is a three-story storage facility block forhousing wardrobe, make-up, assistant directors, locations department anddressing rooms.

The location at 3 Mills Studios has other advantages. The whole ofmetropolitan London is close by, including the diversity of the East End,Canary Wharf, The Docklands as well as Soho. 3 Mills Studios’ lot oftendoubles as a police station, hospital, nightclub and airport lounge, withcobbled streets, car parks, roads, walkways, rivers and canals all within astone’s throw.

With the extensivefacilities of PinewoodStudios just minutesaway, the amazingdiversity of Black Parkmakes it adaptable toalmost every locationrequirement. With a 14-acre lake, over 500acres of pine forest,large open clearings,native woodland,trackways and rides,and a variety of differentbuildings, Black Parkcan be wherever you want it to be. Access throughout the park is excellentwith well-surfaced tracks providing easy access for even the largest ofunits. There is direct access to Black Park from Pinewood Studios, allowingfor vehicles and props to be transported directly into the Park withouthaving to use any roads, which is particularly useful for non-roadworthy vehicles

Over the years many films have used the park transforming it into everyconceivable location. Rural France was recreated in the park for CharlotteGrey and Harry Potter has made several visits too. James Bond has alsobeen a frequent visitor - Goldfinger, Octopussy, The World is Not Enoughand Die Another Day have all featured the park, as have the more recentproductions of Stage Beauty and The Phantom of the Opera.

Black Park,Buckinghamshire:

Bad Girls shoots at 3 MillsStudios’ prison set

The set of Agent Cody Banks 2

• Conveniently located for Pinewood and Shepperton Studios

• Purpose built kitchens and refrigerated support vehicles

• 60 vehicle fleet to service any size production

• Provide on-site restaurant, stage and location catering at3 Mills Studios

• Isle of Man registered to take advantage of the islands specialtax status

• Only UK location caterer with 3 operational depots: London,Manchester & Southampton

• Newly opened Manchester depot, offering location cateringand facilities vehicles

• Through our facilities arm we are able to give Producers, LineProducers and Production Managers a one-stop shop forcatering and facilities

Wood Hall Catering is the leading location caterer supporting the UKVisual Production Sector. Please view our extensive credits at:http://www.imdb.com/company/co0164952/

11 Lyon Road,London

SW19 2RLTel: 020 8545 2140

Fax: 020 8542 8694Email:

[email protected]

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Deepdale Farm, Norfolk:D e e p d a l eFarm inNorfolk, liesnear the coast,north east ofLondon. Withits big openskies and flatl a n d s c a p e ,Deepdale successfully doubled for a North Korean paddy field forDie Another Day, the 20th film in the James Bond 007 series, inwhich Bond discovers the connection between a North Koreanterrorist and an adventurous diamond broker.

EON productions decided that the open fields of Deepdale Farmwould be an ideal substitute for the Far East. The dramatic sequenceinvolving a Lamborghini sports car appears near the end of the film.

Deepdale Farm has much to offer the filmmaker and has clearlyproved it can facilitate any requirements. Deepdale is an arable farmof a thousand acres. Part of the farmland is flat with water filledditches and springs. Outbuildings include barns that can be used forconstruction or storage.

Located in Central London, TheHonourable Society of the InnerTemple is one of the four Inns of Courtresponsible for the selection, trainingand regulation of barristers (triallawyers) in England and Wales.

An attractive location for film andtelevision productions, Inner Templeis the last remaining location inLondon to have working gas lampsand offers a wide selection of 17thcentury buildings, courtyards andgardens as well as Temple Church,which was partly constructed by thecrusading Knights Templar in the 12thcentury, as well as an unspoilt periodstreet, Kings Bench Walk.

The site also boasts a range ofinterior locations including abanqueting hall, library and smokingroom. Inner Temple has proved popularwith literary adaptations including Vanity Fair, David Copperfield and OliverTwist, as well as legal and detective dramas, while more recently keyscenes for The Da Vinci Code were filmed in the Inner Temple and insidethe Temple Church.

Inner Temple,London:

Kings Bench Walk, a cracking location for The Da Vinci Code

WHO’S SHOOTING WHERE?

Who’s shooting where?

As well as providing facilities to the production industry, Ealing Studios is an independent British Studio,producing feature films for international distribution. In the summer of 2005, together with Warner Bros.,Qwerty Films and N1 Produktions, Ealing Studios produced Alien Autopsy. Starring UK TV stars Ant andDec, directed by Jonny Campbell (Phoenix Nights, Shameless) and written by Will Davies (Twins, JohnnyEnglish) the film was released by Warner Bros. in April 2006. Producers were Barnaby Thompson and WillDavies, with Michael Kuhn, executive producer.

Principal photography utilised the sound stages atEaling Studios plus locations around London and LA.The film was lensed by DP Simon Chaudoir, withediting by Oral Norrie Ottey using systems providedby LEM.

Alien Autopsy is based on a true story of friendsRay and Gary who, on a trip to the USA, stumbleupon a top-secret military film that will change theway mankind perceives its place in the universeforever. Realising this is their one chance at thebig time they borrow money from an eccentricdrug baron and crop circle fanatic, Voros, and return to the UK with the footage. Fate deals them

a disastrous hand - the film has disintegrated and as a result, Ray’s life is on the line. What happens next proves,once and for all, that truth really is stranger than fiction. Also shooting at Ealing Studios is the feature comedy I Want Candy, Fallen

Angel, the story of a serial killer told in reverse, and Paradise starring Charlotte Rampling and Sam Neill.

Alien Autospy at Ealing Studios

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“I really enjoyed working at the studios;Pinewood is such a legendary place,” saidSharon Stone at the premiere of Basic Instinct 2:Risk Addiction at London’s Leicester Square.The film follows best-selling crime novelistCatherine Trammell, played by Stone,re-locating from San Francisco to London whereshe finds herself on the wrong side of the law.Following the death of a top sports star,Dr. Michael Glass (David Morrissey), is broughtin by Scotland Yard to perform a psychiatristprofile of Tramell.

Set in contemporary London, Dr. Glass’ officewas situated in the famous 30 St Mary Axe (akaThe Gherkin) that overlooks the city of London.Filming took place inside the actual building onan empty floor; the offices were then recreatedat Pinewood Studios, where the production shotfor 15 weeks.

One scene called for a Spyker sports car toplunge into the Thames in London’s famousDocklands. The submerged car was then filmedin Pinewood’s state-of-the-art Underwater

Stage. Opened in 2005, Basic Instinct 2 was thefirst feature to take advantage of the new facility,where ultra-violet filtration creates crystal clearwater and a comfortable environment for castand crew, and also eliminates “red eye.”

Basic Instinct 2 at Pinewood Above left: Sharon Stone andDavid Morrissey in BasicInstinct 2: Risk Addiction

Above right: filming thesubmerged car at Pinewood’snew Underwater Stage

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Casino Royale: the 21st film in the successful James Bond 007 franchise.Monsieur Le Chiffre, “the cipher”, is a money launderer for terrorists,running a poker game at a Madagascan casino to raise operational funds.Directed by Martin Campbell, produced by Anthony Waye, Michael G.Wilson, Matthew Stillman, Davie Minkowski and Barbara Broccoli forMGM/Columbia Pictures. Stars Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen,Jeffery Wright and Judi Dench. Shooting on several stages and the tank atPinewood Studios, plus a six month build on The Albert Broccoli 007 Stage.Releases November 2006. Cinematography by Phil Méheux BSC.

Death At A Funeral: two brothers attend their father’s funeral with thesupport of friends and family. But their day does not go as smoothly as theywould have hoped. Live action comedy directed by Frank Oz, produced byDiana Phillips, Share Stallings and Larry Malki. An Ealing Studios / SidneyKimmel Entertainment production, starring Rupert Graves, Ewen Bremner,Matthew Macfadyen, Andy Nyman, Peter Dinklage and Keeley Hawes.Shooting summer 2006 at Ealing Studios and London locations.

The Golden Age: the sequel to Elizabeth, is an exploration of the complexrelationship between Elizabeth I and the adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh.Directed by Shekar Kapur, and produced by Tim Bevan, JonathanCavendish and Eric Fellner for Studio Canal / Working Title. Starring Cate

Blanchett, Clive Owen and Geoffrey Rush. Started shooting at SheppertonStudios, plus locations in the London Plus region. Cinematography by RemiAdefarasin BSC.

Fade To Black: it’s 1948 and Orson Welles touches down in Rome to starin Black Magic. Still smarting from his split with Rita Hayworth and his fall-out with Hollywood, Orson is looking for relief and finance for his nextmovie, but gets involved in a conspiracy that goes right to the top. A liveaction thriller, directed by Oliver Parker and produced by BarnabyThompson, Jonathan Olsberg and Massimo Pacilio.

An Ealing Studios, Fragile Films and Dakota Films production inassociation with Odyssey Entertainment, Thema Productions, EndgameEntertainment, Isle of Man Films, Movieweb and Film 87. Stars DannyHuston, Diego Luna, Paz Vega and Christopher Walken. Shooting summer2006, at Ealing Studios, Rome, Isle of Man and Belgrade.

Flawless: Michael Caine and Demi Moore star in the movie based on ajewellery heist in 1960s London, when a janitor teams with an Americanbusinesswoman to steal from his irksome employers. Directed by MichaelRadford, produced by Michael A. Pierce and Mark WilliamsStudio / Prod Co: Future Films Ltd. Pierce/Williams Entertainment. Shooting

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Hogfather at3 Mills StudiosSky One and RHI Entertainment’s commission of Terry Pratchett’s worldwide best-sellingfantasy fiction novel, Hogfather, is underway at 3 Mills Studios, London, and nearby locations.The 2 x 120-minute HD television feature,is being shot by DP Gavin Finney BSCusing the new ARRI D20 cameras, andwill feature lots of bluescreen live actionand CGI. Releases Christmas 2006.

Set on the semi-medieval but strangelyfamiliar Discworld, the Hogfather, whodelivers presents to the kiddies at themidwinter festival of Hogswatch, hasgone missing. Will Death step in and ruinthings? Hogfather is Sky One’s biggestdrama commission to date and the firstto be shot on HD. It stars David Jason(Only Fools and Horses, A Touch of Frost,The Darling Buds of May) as Albert,directed by Vadim Jean (Leon the PigFarmer), and produced by Rod Brown

(Dream Team, Goal) and Ian Sharples (The Virgin of Liverpool). Elaine Pyke, commissioningEditor Sky One is executive producer for Sky One and Robert Halmi Sr (Dinotopia) is theexecutive producer for RHI Entertainment. Hogfather is produced by the award winningproduction company, The Mob Film Company.

Terry Pratchett

David Jason

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in an around London. Cinematography byRichard Greatrex BSC.

Hot Fuzz: follow up to the cult classic Shaun ofthe Dead, based around the uncoolest of globalcops – the British bobby. A London cop isseconded to deepest, darkest Somerset, only todiscover a series of grisly accidents amongst thegarden fetes and neighbourhood watchmeetings. Directed by Edgar Wright, andproduced by Tim Bevan and Nira Park for BigTalk Productions / Working Title. Stars SimonPegg, Nick Frost, Bill Bailey, Jim Broadbent,Paddy Considine, Steve Coogan, Timothy Daltonand Martin Freeman. Shooting at Park StreetStudios, Bushey Campus, Copped Hall, HatfieldHouse, Hillside Studios, The Corus Hotel, WardsHurst Farm. Special physical effects by Artem.Releases February 2007.

Reverb: a musician discovers a voice hidden inan old record - one that sets into motion a seriesof horrific events. Directed by Eitan Arrusi,produced by Frank Mannion for Swipe Films,starring Stephen Lord and Luke de Woolfson.Shooting across South London.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not: picks up with Ripleyat the time when he gained celebrity statusthrough a “Believe it or Not” column thatchronicled his search for the greatest oddities inthe world. Directed by Tim Burton and producedby Kenneth Atichity, Sean Daniel, Derek Frey, JimJacks, Chi Li Wong and Richard D. Zanuck forParamount Pictures. Jim Carrey stars. Shootingsummer 2006 at Pinewood Studios.Releases 2007.

Seven Seas: the story of a Bangladeshi womanand her personal struggle to reconcile hermarried life in England with the memories of herlife in Bangladesh. Directed by Sarah Gavron,produced by Alison Owen & Chris Collins. ARuby Films, Film Four, Ingenious, and UK FilmCouncil production, shooting summer 2006 at3 Mills Studios, London.

Stardust: in a countryside town bordering on amagical land, a young man makes a promise tohis beloved that he’ll retrieve a fallen star byventuring into the magical realm. Fantasy,directed by Matthew Vaughn, produced by NeilGaiman for Di Bonaventura Pictures forParamount Pictures. Claire Danes, Robert DeNiro, Sienna Miller, Michelle Pfeiffer and MarkStrong star. Currently shooting at PinewoodStudios, stages and back lot, as well aslocations around England, Scotland and Iceland.Cinematography by Ben Davis. Releases June2007.

The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard: when a couple oflocal politicians make a spectacle of themselvesoutside her shop, Yorkshire greengrocer RosPritchard, decides to stand for election herselfand winds up in Westminster. Six-part comedyTV series, starring Jane Horrocks, directed byDeclan Lowney, produced by Alison Jackson,Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford Collins forKudos Productions. Shooting at SheppertonStudios and locations across London.

The Lift: documentary filmmaker Marc Isaacs’full-length version of his documentary short Lift,that won at Clermont Ferrand. Shot almost

entirely of a lift in a Tower Block in London’s EastEnd. Produced by Belinda Giles for DualPurpose Productions.

The Mutant Chronicles: a 23rd century soldierMajor Mitch Hunter leads a fight against an armyof underworld NecroMutants. Directed by SimonHunter, with producers Stephen Belafonte,Alessandro Camon, Steve Christian, TimDennison, Charles Finch, Peter La Terriere,Fredrik Malmberg, Pras, Edward R.Pressman,Peter Sederowsky, for Paradox Entertainment.Thomas Jane and John Malkovich star. Shootingin Isle of Man, and Shepperton Studios.

The Walker: a high society murder story whichcentres on a chaperone who accompanies richwomen to parties that their busy and boredhusbands don’t want to attend. Directed by PaulSchrader, produced by Deepak Nayar for KintopPictures. Starring Lauren Bacall, WoodyHarrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ned Beatty,Moritz Bleibtreu, Willem Dafoe and Lily Tomlin.Cinematography by Chris Seager BSC. Shootingat Pinewood and locations in the UK

Viewfinder: five years after his rookie short TheDreamer sparked a Hollywood bidding war overthe remake rights, British director MiguelSapochnik is making his feature debut with acontemporary political thriller set in London,exploring the unseen world of governmentapproved killers and espionage. Produced byKeith Bell for Northmen Productions, with SophieOkenedo and Kevin McKidd starring.

Sunshine: it’s fifty years from now, thesun is dying, and mankind is dying with it.Our last hope: a spaceship and a crew ofmen and women with a device to breathenew life into the star. But their missionstarts to unravel, leaving the crew fightingnot only for their lives, but their sanity too.This Fox Searchlight sci-fi thriller,releasing October 2006, was shot entirelyat 3 Mills Studios, London. Directed byDanny Boyle, produced by AndrewMacdonald of DNA Films, it stars RoseByrne, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, TroyGarity, Cillian Murphy, Hiroyuki Sanada,Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh.Cinematography by Alwin Kuchler BSC,editing by Chris Gill, with editing kitprovided by LEM. Wood Hall Cateringdished up over 300 meals daily for eightmonths. Rigging services provided byBlitz and LGH.

From left: Chris Evans, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong,and Rose Byrne in Sunshine. Photo Credit: Alex Bailey

LONDON PLUS NEWS

All films applying for the new tax incentiveswill need to pass the “Cultural Test forBritish Films”. The new test focuses onthree core areas: Cultural hubs – are theproduction and filming based in the UK?Cultural practitioners – do the cast, crewand/or producers come from the EEA(European Economic Area)? And culturalcontent – is the film set in the UK, are thecharacters British?

The new system will allow producers toclock up points if they use UK content,facilities and personnel. And the wholeproduction sector will benefit from theincreased incentives to use British contentand facilities.

One thing the Cultural test is not, however,is an attempt to dictate the content orsubject matter of films. Vera Drake andRatcatcher could have qualified. And sotoo could Batman Begins – based infictional Gotham City, but filmed in the UK,employing Brits and using British facilities.

You can read all about the UK’S new taxregime in “Pounds Dollars and Sense” onpage 12.

Record year forfilming inLondon Film London recently announced a record-breaking 18% increase in filming in the capitalduring 2005, marking an upturn in London’sfilming fortunes for the second successive year.

The figures, which include films, TV andcommercials, are collated by each of London’s33 boroughs. They confirm the capital’simportance as a filmmaking centre andconsolidate London’s place as the third busiestproduction centre in the world.

In 2005, the total number of shooting days inLondon was 12,655 compared to 10,683 in2004. This brings the average number of crewsshooting every day in the capital to 35.

Batman would passnew cultural test

Dedicatedpolice team toassist filmingin London

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Batman Begins © 2005 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

The first-ever Metropolitan Police Service FilmUnit (MPSFU) was launched recently by LordDavid Puttnam CBE, and Commander ShabirHussain of the Metropolitan Police.

Now, a team of police officers, fully-trained infilming issues and associated police procedure,will provide a single point of contact and anintegrated service for filming requests thatrequiring police assistance across the capital.

The MPSFU was set up followingrecommendations from the London FilmingPartnership Executive Task Force, which looks atways to make filming in the capital easier. Thenew unit will liaise with all police departments,from traffic and transport to property services,and provide advice to filmmakers for particularlycomplicated shoots requiring police assistanceacross several boroughs.

The Metropolitan Police recently assisted withseveral high-profile film shoots including V forVendetta which involved hundreds of extrasstorming Parliament and closed Whitehall forfour nights, and Children of Men which sawWoolwich town centre transformed into a futurevision of London.Pinewood’s Underwater Stage

Europe’s only studio-based, underwater filmingstage opened at PinewoodStudios in 2005.Permanently filled, the newaddition complimentsseveral other water facilitiesavailable at the studios,including numerous stageswith tanks incorporatedinto the floors and anexterior tank with a largeblue screen backing.

“We don’t believe there isanything like this in theworld," said Nick Smith, Pinewood Shepperton’s sales and marketing director. "It is specificallydesigned to make underwater productions logistically easier and less expensive.”

The new Underwater Stage is 20ft deep, 66ft long and 33ft wide and is permanently heated to 90degrees. Ultraviolet filtration provides crystal clear water. There are also three viewing windows, a full-length lighting gantry, in-water blue and green screens, a wireless hydrophone communicationsystem plus changing rooms and showers. Underwater filming specialists, Diving Services UK,managed the stage are available to assist shoots.

Plans have just been revealed for a new awardsscheme that reflects the contributions made by UKfacilities, sound editors and dubbing mixers to theart of audio post production in film, TV andcommercials.

The Conch Awards are being organised and promoted by trade bodyUK Post with the idea having been borne out of the experiences of UKPost board member Dennis Weinreich, managing director ofVideosonics and Graham Hartstone, formerly head of post-productionat Pinewood Studios.

Weinreich and Hartstone reasoned that an awards programmededicated to celebrating and rewarding UK audio talent at all levelswas missing and, after many discussions, The Conch Awards wasformed. The call for nominations begins this month, with a deadline of22nd June, for details visit www.ukpost.org.uk/conch. The awardsceremony and party will take place on 21st September in London atthe Radisson Edwardian Mayfair, which will have a new 200-seatcinema to showcase the craft and talent.

Upgrades at 3 Mills Studios

Conch awardsrecognise audio talent

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Production office space is the latest in a range of new services fromFilm London, aimed at welcoming crews to the capital.

Fully serviced hot desks and office spaces are now available in FilmLondon's new Shoreditch premises. Location information can besourced from the extensive locations libraries of Film London, ScreenEast and Screen South which between them contain over 25,000location records. Also available are directories with details of skilledfreelancers working in the film and TV industries.

The London Plus Partnership has developed a series of deals andincentives to help reduce the cost of filmmaking on the ground.These include the services of an experienced location manager toprovide an initial script breakdown and locations search, as well as avehicle and driver to transport key crew on provisional recces. Alsoavailable are special discounted rates on mobile phones andaccommodation; London Plus also has established special rates witha range of hotels and serviced apartments.

New help and incentivesfor film crews

A large proportion oft h e p l a n n e dmaintenance andd e v e l o p m e n tprogramme at 3 MillsStudios was broughtforward last yearto accommodate theoccupancy andshooting schedule forDanny Boyle’s latestfilm Sunshine. Theseinclude electr icalimprovements toseveral Stages, new dressing rooms and make-up facilities, anenhanced paint shop, as well as improved machinery and ventilationfor its construction workshops. 3 Mills Studios has also refurbishedThe Still restaurant, and added additional parking.

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