Dragon Studio Wales,[1] is a complex of film and television studios in Bridgend[2] in Wales, United Kingdom about 5 miles from Bridgend, 14 miles (23 kilometres) from the Welsh capital, Cardiff. The project was first developed by the consortium Dragon International Studios, chaired by Richard Attenborough. In 2018 the site was acquired by Shadow Holdings which has since developed the complex.[3]
The complex has five sound stages, ranging between 10,000 square feet (930 m2) and 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) in size.[3][4] Dragon Studios has dedicated support space of around 75,000 sqft. Stages 1 – 4 all have a two-story office block all fitted with toilet block, boiler room and kitchen. All floors are fitted with disabled access. Across the site, there are various buildings built for executive offices, post-production, editing, art department, costume and makeup. Additional production workshops have been built for construction, prop, electrical department and storage space. The Backlot is situated central to the site, and is a large 6 acre gravel area.[5]
S4C filmed a live audience show there with X Factor's Rhydian.[11]
The first production to use the site was Mythic International Entertainment's Ironclad in 2009.[12]
Construction
Since 2018 the site has undertaken significant development, with the new owner building a fifth 28,000 sq ft sound stage, along with offices, dressing rooms and workshop space.[13]
The construction of a film studio in South Wales was first proposed in 2001, with two developers, Fairfield Properties and Westair Properties backing the production of a 350-acre site in Llanilid near Bridgend.[14] The Welsh Assembly government at first objected the plans, unhappy with proposals to link the studios to the M4 motorway by building a new junction to connect the site.[15] Discussions in October 2002 between the Assembly and Rhondda Cynon Taf local council, Assembly member Pauline Jarman and the consortium behind the bid resolved the issues.[15] Agreements were reached that any new access links to the M4 would only occur if a percentage of the development was completed and the construction of a theme park, which was part of a "Phase 2" of the plans.[16] The initial proposals had an estimated budget of £350m, rising to a cost of £1bn after the completion of a screen academy and the theme park.[17]Lord Attenborough, who was the chair of Dragon International Studios Limited, promised the studio would create 1,700 local jobs, with the local council believing a further 6,000 jobs would be created from a proposed adjacent development by the Villard Partnership, which planned to build hotels, a conference centre, health spa and a new hospital.[18] Due to the collapse of heavy industry in South Wales over the previous decades, the development, itself built on the site of a former open-cast coal mine, was seen by those involved as a major economic boost to an area with high unemployment.[14][18]
The following year, despite approved planning and a proposed completion date of 2004, no work had commenced at the site. The then chief executive of Dragon International Studios, Steve Villard, accused the Welsh Assembly of holding up the project through failing to approve grants needed to begin construction and threatened to move the whole project to a rival site in Newport.[19] The government's response was to state that they gave assistance to cases that provided "truly viable business case".[19] In August 2004 commencement of work was finally declared.[17]
In early 2005, with no buildings complete, work was delayed again after dormice, a protected species in Britain, were found on the site.[20] Despite Lord Attenborough's belief that the studio would be completed by 2004, a hold up in a grant meant that by May 2005 work at Llanilid had not commenced.[21] In July 2005 work again halted when the firm was found not to have the necessary permits to carry out sewage works. This was followed by further delays when bad weather hampered progress until March 2006.[22] Six years after the project was first proposed and nearly four years after planning permission was granted, construction work started on the first phase of the scheme in August 2007.[23]
Finance
The business was acquired by Shadow Holdings in 2018, since then a fifth 30,000 sq ft stage. In May 2022 the studio secured £9m in funding from Bergen Finance to expand its facilities.[24] Ethos Asset Management INC USA announced a new long-term financing partnership with Shadow Holdings Ltd, specifically aimed at refinancing existing debt and to construct a new state of the art studio and additional support facilities.[25]
In March 2008 administratorsPricewaterhouseCoopers were called in to resolve the financial situation after both Dragon International Studies and Westair Ltd went into administration.[26] The companies owed £15m to creditors including £3m to Barclays Bank and £600,000 to the Welsh government.[27] The administrators appointed Edward Symmons to advise them, who as of 2012 was continuing to seek a buyer for the stages as well as looking for television and film opportunities.[28] One option open to the administrators has been to sell off the additional land on the site that was ear-marked for the "Phase 2" developments.[29] This has led to various proposals by businesses to develop the land next to the film studio including plans for 2,000 homes, a primary school, health centre, library, recreation facilities and shops.[30][31]
References
^"Dragon Studios". dragonstudioswales.com. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
^"Dragon Studios Wales homepage". Dragon Studios Wales.
^ ab"FILM STUDIO TO EXPAND WITH BERGEN FINANCE BACKING". Insider Media Limited. 24 May 2022.
^. bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"Dragon Studios". britishfilmcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"Willow and Star Wars actor Warwick Davis joins the celebs holidaying in Wales". walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
^"Dragon Studios". britishfilmcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^. www.britishfilmcommission.org.uk. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013.
^"Filming starts on the most expensive US TV show ever shot in Wales". 29 November 2016.
^"Dragon Studios". britishfilmcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
^. s4c.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"Ironclad filming brings Hollywood to South Wales". BBC. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
^"Dragon TV and Film Studios in multi-million-pound funding boost". Business Live. 27 May 2022.
^ ab"Film studios complex plans released". BBC. 30 August 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^ ab"'Valleywood' film studio plans back on". BBC. 1 October 2002. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^. wales.gov.uk. 6 October 2006. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^ ab"Valleywood work to start". BBC. 27 August 2004. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^ ab"Director promises 'Valleywood' jobs". BBC. 6 December 2002. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^ ab"Valleywood could switch location". BBC. 12 June 2003. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"Mousehunt delays Valleywood". BBC. 12 January 2005. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"More delays for Valleywood studio". BBC. 11 May 2005. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"Delays hit Valleywood film start". BBC. 28 January 2006. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"'Valleywood' building work begins". BBC. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"FILM STUDIO TO EXPAND WITH BERGEN FINANCE BACKING". Insider Media Limited. 24 May 2022.
^"Ethos Asset Management Inc., USA Announces Deal with Shadow Holdings Ltd., United Kingdom, to Develop their Dragon Studio Projects, the Welsh TV and Film Studio to Expand their Facilities". Yahoo!Finace. 14 June 2022.
^"Valleywood studios worries mount". BBC News. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^Wightwick, Abbie (12 December 2009). "Hope For Valleywood". walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^Smith, Mark (10 March 2011). "Medieval movie heralds Valleywood's first release". walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"Valleywood studio is £15m in red". BBC. 21 March 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"Housing plan on ex-opencast mine site unveiled". BBC. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
^"Super-school plan for 'Valleywood' site at Llanilid". BBC. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
January 07, 2023
dragon, international, film, studios, dragon, studio, wales, complex, film, television, studios, bridgend, wales, united, kingdom, about, miles, from, bridgend, miles, kilometres, from, welsh, capital, cardiff, project, first, developed, consortium, dragon, in. Dragon Studio Wales 1 is a complex of film and television studios in Bridgend 2 in Wales United Kingdom about 5 miles from Bridgend 14 miles 23 kilometres from the Welsh capital Cardiff The project was first developed by the consortium Dragon International Studios chaired by Richard Attenborough In 2018 the site was acquired by Shadow Holdings which has since developed the complex 3 Dragon Studios WalesThe main gates of the studiosIndustryFilm and television productionFounded2006HeadquartersBridgend Wales Contents 1 Studio facilities 2 Productions 3 Construction 4 Finance 5 ReferencesStudio facilities EditThe complex has five sound stages ranging between 10 000 square feet 930 m2 and 28 000 square feet 2 600 m2 in size 3 4 Dragon Studios has dedicated support space of around 75 000 sqft Stages 1 4 all have a two story office block all fitted with toilet block boiler room and kitchen All floors are fitted with disabled access Across the site there are various buildings built for executive offices post production editing art department costume and makeup Additional production workshops have been built for construction prop electrical department and storage space The Backlot is situated central to the site and is a large 6 acre gravel area 5 Productions EditIn 2021 Dragon Studios was the production base for Disney new series of Willow starring Warwick Davis 6 Productions previously filmed at the studios Universal Studio s Brave New World 7 FX Network s The Bastard Executioner 8 TNT Network s Will 9 BBC s Doctor Who Upstairs Downstairs and Merlin 10 S4C filmed a live audience show there with X Factor s Rhydian 11 The first production to use the site was Mythic International Entertainment s Ironclad in 2009 12 Construction EditSince 2018 the site has undertaken significant development with the new owner building a fifth 28 000 sq ft sound stage along with offices dressing rooms and workshop space 13 The construction of a film studio in South Wales was first proposed in 2001 with two developers Fairfield Properties and Westair Properties backing the production of a 350 acre site in Llanilid near Bridgend 14 The Welsh Assembly government at first objected the plans unhappy with proposals to link the studios to the M4 motorway by building a new junction to connect the site 15 Discussions in October 2002 between the Assembly and Rhondda Cynon Taf local council Assembly member Pauline Jarman and the consortium behind the bid resolved the issues 15 Agreements were reached that any new access links to the M4 would only occur if a percentage of the development was completed and the construction of a theme park which was part of a Phase 2 of the plans 16 The initial proposals had an estimated budget of 350m rising to a cost of 1bn after the completion of a screen academy and the theme park 17 Lord Attenborough who was the chair of Dragon International Studios Limited promised the studio would create 1 700 local jobs with the local council believing a further 6 000 jobs would be created from a proposed adjacent development by the Villard Partnership which planned to build hotels a conference centre health spa and a new hospital 18 Due to the collapse of heavy industry in South Wales over the previous decades the development itself built on the site of a former open cast coal mine was seen by those involved as a major economic boost to an area with high unemployment 14 18 The following year despite approved planning and a proposed completion date of 2004 no work had commenced at the site The then chief executive of Dragon International Studios Steve Villard accused the Welsh Assembly of holding up the project through failing to approve grants needed to begin construction and threatened to move the whole project to a rival site in Newport 19 The government s response was to state that they gave assistance to cases that provided truly viable business case 19 In August 2004 commencement of work was finally declared 17 In early 2005 with no buildings complete work was delayed again after dormice a protected species in Britain were found on the site 20 Despite Lord Attenborough s belief that the studio would be completed by 2004 a hold up in a grant meant that by May 2005 work at Llanilid had not commenced 21 In July 2005 work again halted when the firm was found not to have the necessary permits to carry out sewage works This was followed by further delays when bad weather hampered progress until March 2006 22 Six years after the project was first proposed and nearly four years after planning permission was granted construction work started on the first phase of the scheme in August 2007 23 Finance EditThe business was acquired by Shadow Holdings in 2018 since then a fifth 30 000 sq ft stage In May 2022 the studio secured 9m in funding from Bergen Finance to expand its facilities 24 Ethos Asset Management INC USA announced a new long term financing partnership with Shadow Holdings Ltd specifically aimed at refinancing existing debt and to construct a new state of the art studio and additional support facilities 25 In March 2008 administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers were called in to resolve the financial situation after both Dragon International Studies and Westair Ltd went into administration 26 The companies owed 15m to creditors including 3m to Barclays Bank and 600 000 to the Welsh government 27 The administrators appointed Edward Symmons to advise them who as of 2012 was continuing to seek a buyer for the stages as well as looking for television and film opportunities 28 One option open to the administrators has been to sell off the additional land on the site that was ear marked for the Phase 2 developments 29 This has led to various proposals by businesses to develop the land next to the film studio including plans for 2 000 homes a primary school health centre library recreation facilities and shops 30 31 References Edit Dragon Studios dragonstudioswales com Retrieved 24 June 2022 Dragon Studios Wales homepage Dragon Studios Wales a b FILM STUDIO TO EXPAND WITH BERGEN FINANCE BACKING Insider Media Limited 24 May 2022 Studios bfi org uk Archived from the original on 8 March 2012 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Dragon Studios britishfilmcommission org uk Retrieved 31 August 2013 Willow and Star Wars actor Warwick Davis joins the celebs holidaying in Wales walesonline co uk Retrieved 24 June 2022 Dragon Studios britishfilmcommission org uk Retrieved 31 August 2013 Dragon Studios British Film Commission www britishfilmcommission org uk Archived from the original on 19 October 2013 Filming starts on the most expensive US TV show ever shot in Wales 29 November 2016 Dragon Studios britishfilmcommission org uk Retrieved 24 June 2022 Rhydian puts the spotlight on new talent s4c co uk Archived from the original on 19 March 2013 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Ironclad filming brings Hollywood to South Wales BBC Retrieved 24 June 2022 Dragon TV and Film Studios in multi million pound funding boost Business Live 27 May 2022 a b Film studios complex plans released BBC 30 August 2001 Retrieved 31 August 2013 a b Valleywood film studio plans back on BBC 1 October 2002 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Dragon International Film Studios wales gov uk 6 October 2006 Archived from the original on 31 May 2014 Retrieved 31 August 2013 a b Valleywood work to start BBC 27 August 2004 Retrieved 31 August 2013 a b Director promises Valleywood jobs BBC 6 December 2002 Retrieved 31 August 2013 a b Valleywood could switch location BBC 12 June 2003 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Mousehunt delays Valleywood BBC 12 January 2005 Retrieved 31 August 2013 More delays for Valleywood studio BBC 11 May 2005 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Delays hit Valleywood film start BBC 28 January 2006 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Valleywood building work begins BBC 13 August 2007 Retrieved 31 August 2013 FILM STUDIO TO EXPAND WITH BERGEN FINANCE BACKING Insider Media Limited 24 May 2022 Ethos Asset Management Inc USA Announces Deal with Shadow Holdings Ltd United Kingdom to Develop their Dragon Studio Projects the Welsh TV and Film Studio to Expand their Facilities Yahoo Finace 14 June 2022 Valleywood studios worries mount BBC News 18 March 2008 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Wightwick Abbie 12 December 2009 Hope For Valleywood walesonline co uk Retrieved 31 August 2013 Smith Mark 10 March 2011 Medieval movie heralds Valleywood s first release walesonline co uk Retrieved 31 August 2013 Valleywood studio is 15m in red BBC 21 March 2008 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Housing plan on ex opencast mine site unveiled BBC 2 July 2010 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Super school plan for Valleywood site at Llanilid BBC 23 July 2013 Retrieved 31 August 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dragon International Film Studios amp oldid 1125166051, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
