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Shepperton Studios

January 19, 2024

Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused with the Californian recording studio of the same name).

Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios in January 2014
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryFilm, television
GenreFilm studio
Founded1931; 93 years ago (1931) (as Sound Film Producing & Recording Studios)
Headquarters
Shepperton, Surrey
,
England
OwnerThe Pinewood Studios Group
ParentThe Pinewood Studios Group

History edit

1930s–1960s edit

Shepperton Studios was built on the grounds of Littleton Park, which was built in the 17th century by local nobleman Thomas Wood. The old mansion still stands on the site.

Scottish businessman Norman Loudon purchased Littleton Park in 1931 for use by his new film company, Sound Film Producing & Recording Studios; the facility opened in 1932. The studios, which produced both short and feature films, expanded rapidly. Proximity to the Vickers-Armstrongs aircraft factory at Brooklands, which attracted German bombers, disrupted filming during the Second World War, as did the requisitioning of the studios in 1941 by the government, who first used it for sugar storage and later to create decoy aircraft and munitions for positioning in the Middle East. The Ministry of Aircraft Production also took over part of the studios for the production of Vickers Wellington bomber components early in the war.

After re-opening in 1945, the studios changed hands. When Sir Alexander Korda purchased British Lion Films, he also acquired a controlling interest in Sound City and Shepperton Studios.[1] Among the films in which he was involved during this period were The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949) which was shot both at the studios and on location and has been referred to as the best British film noir.[2]

In spite of such successes, British Lion ran into financial difficulties in the 1950s when it was unable to repay a 1949 loan from the National Film Finance Corporation and went into receivership on 1 July 1954.[3] In January 1955, a new company, British Lion Films Ltd, was formed and Roy and John Boulting took over at Shepperton Studios. The studio was rebuilt and reopened in September 1958.[4] The Boulting's comedies, such as I'm All Right Jack (1959), were produced there, as were dramas from other film-makers such as J. Lee Thompson's The Guns of Navarone (1961). The studio's other projects from the same decade include Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove (1964)[5] and the musical Oliver! (1968), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.[6]

1970s–present edit

 
A street sign at Shepperton Studios

Despite the financial ups and downs of British Lion and the changing of hands, the studios remained active until the early 1970s. In 1969, the studios produced 27 films; by 1971 this number had fallen to seven. Production throughout the 1970s was erratic, reaching a low of two films by 1979. Among the problems faced by Shepperton Studios during this time was the desire of new British Lion director John Bentley to sell the grounds for housing, since redeveloping the land would have nearly doubled its value. A compromise was proposed, and in 1973 the area of the studios was reduced from 60 acres (24 ha) to 20 acres (8.1 ha).

The studios' 1970s credits include Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and Jimmy Perry and David Croft's Dad's Army (both 1971), Richard Attenborough's Young Winston (1972) and Fred Zinnemann's The Day of the Jackal (1973). Also around this time, the rock group Led Zeppelin filmed some concert scenes at Shepperton that were used in their live concert film, "The Song Remains the Same". These scenes were used to fill gaps in footage of a Madison Square Garden concert from 1973.

In 1975, the studios were again transferred to new ownership and in spite of sparse production schedules served as the filming site of some high-budget productions, including Richard Donner's The Omen (1976), Franklin Schaffner's The Boys from Brazil (1978), Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980), Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) and David Lean's A Passage to India (1984). In 1978, rock band The Who filmed live concert scenes at Shepperton for their documentary The Kids Are Alright (1979). These turned out to be the band's final live performance with drummer Keith Moon, who died later that year.

In 1984, Shepperton Studios changed hands coming under the control of brothers John and Benny Lee, who renovated the studios but soon lost control as a result of the "Black Monday" of 1987, the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike and internal issues within their company, Lee International. Bankers Warburg Pincus acquired the studios, which became busy with the filming of TV shows including Thomas & Friends and its sister series, TUGS, as well as such films as Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990), Kevin Reynolds' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) and Nicholas Hytner's The Madness of King George (1994). In 1995, the studios were purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which led to an extensive renovation of the studios as well as the expansion and improvement of its grounds.

In 2001, Shepperton Studios was sold to the Pinewood Group, which also owns Pinewood Studios in the UK, as well as Pinewood Studio Berlin in Germany, Pinewood Toronto Studios in Canada, Pinewood Indomina Studios in the Dominican Republic and Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Malaysia.

In July 2019, Netflix announced that it would be opening a hub at the studios.[7]

In November 2021, Netflix announced that it would extend its long-term deal with the studios. The studio's owner Pinewood Group also announced that the studios would expend approximately 1 million square feet of the new production space, with the overall studio set to comprise 17 sound stages.[8]

In February 2022, Amazon Prime Video signed a multi-million pound long-term deal with the studios for exclusive use of new production facilities.[9]

Stages and locations edit

Shepperton Studios has 15 stages, ranging in size from 3,000 square feet (280 m2) to 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2), five of which are equipped with interior tanks for water and underwater filming. Although often described as the home of independent film and TV production in the UK, the studios have also served as a production base for big-budget films such as Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the filming for which used eight of the fifteen stages. The British TV series Thomas & Friends was shot on the "T Stage" from 1984 to 2008, after which the live action models originally used were replaced with computer animation.

The nearby Little House and surrounding grounds have been used as a filming location for films such as The Omen (1976) and The Young Victoria (2009). The studios also have two large backlots, which were used to create two castle compounds for the film 47 Ronin.

Selected film credits edit

Many films have used Shepperton Studios, including (in chronological order):

Source:[10]

1930s edit

1940s edit

1950s edit

1960s edit

1970s edit

1980s edit

1990s edit

2000s edit

2010s edit

2020s edit

Selected television credits edit

References edit

  1. ^ Shepperton Studios – History
  2. ^ See for example Malcolm, Derek (16 March 2000). "Carol Reed: The Third Man". The Guardian. The Third Man... [Carol Reed's] second collaboration with Graham Greene, is probably the best film noir ever made out of Britain.; reprinted in Derek Malcolm A Century of Films, London & New York: I.B Tauris, 2000, p.51-53, 51
  3. ^ The Times, 2 June 1954, page 6: Receiver for British Lion Film Corporation – found in the Times Digital Archive (subscription required) 25 July 2014
  4. ^ "Chatter: London". Variety. 10 September 1958. p. 150. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  5. ^ the casting credits after the film indicate the studio.
  6. ^ "The 41st Academy Awards (1969) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  7. ^ Sweney, Mark (3 July 2019). "Netflix strikes production deal with Shepperton Studios". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  8. ^ Ritman, Alex (16 November 2021). "Netflix Extends Shepperton Deal, U.K. Studio to Double in Size". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  9. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (9 February 2022). "Amazon Prime Video Pacts With Pinewood to Take U.K. Studio Space at Shepperton". Variety. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Credits". Pinewood Studios. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  11. ^ ""The Borrowers, 1997": cars, bikes, trucks and other vehicles". IMCDb.org. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Keira Knightley ambitious visual experience for 'Karenina'". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 20 June 2012.

External links edit

  • Shepperton Studios
  • The Pinewood Studios Group

51°24′24.80″N 0°27′54.65″W / 51.4068889°N 0.4651806°W / 51.4068889; -0.4651806

January 19, 2024
shepperton, studios, film, studio, located, shepperton, surrey, england, with, history, dating, back, 1931, part, pinewood, studios, group, during, early, existence, studio, branded, sound, city, confused, with, californian, recording, studio, same, name, janu. Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton Surrey England with a history dating back to 1931 It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group During its early existence the studio was branded as Sound City not to be confused with the Californian recording studio of the same name Shepperton StudiosShepperton Studios in January 2014TypeSubsidiaryIndustryFilm televisionGenreFilm studioFounded1931 93 years ago 1931 as Sound Film Producing amp Recording Studios HeadquartersShepperton Surrey EnglandOwnerThe Pinewood Studios GroupParentThe Pinewood Studios Group Contents 1 History 1 1 1930s 1960s 1 2 1970s present 2 Stages and locations 3 Selected film credits 3 1 1930s 3 2 1940s 3 3 1950s 3 4 1960s 3 5 1970s 3 6 1980s 3 7 1990s 3 8 2000s 3 9 2010s 3 10 2020s 4 Selected television credits 5 References 6 External linksHistory edit1930s 1960s edit Shepperton Studios was built on the grounds of Littleton Park which was built in the 17th century by local nobleman Thomas Wood The old mansion still stands on the site Scottish businessman Norman Loudon purchased Littleton Park in 1931 for use by his new film company Sound Film Producing amp Recording Studios the facility opened in 1932 The studios which produced both short and feature films expanded rapidly Proximity to the Vickers Armstrongs aircraft factory at Brooklands which attracted German bombers disrupted filming during the Second World War as did the requisitioning of the studios in 1941 by the government who first used it for sugar storage and later to create decoy aircraft and munitions for positioning in the Middle East The Ministry of Aircraft Production also took over part of the studios for the production of Vickers Wellington bomber components early in the war After re opening in 1945 the studios changed hands When Sir Alexander Korda purchased British Lion Films he also acquired a controlling interest in Sound City and Shepperton Studios 1 Among the films in which he was involved during this period were The Fallen Idol 1948 and The Third Man 1949 which was shot both at the studios and on location and has been referred to as the best British film noir 2 In spite of such successes British Lion ran into financial difficulties in the 1950s when it was unable to repay a 1949 loan from the National Film Finance Corporation and went into receivership on 1 July 1954 3 In January 1955 a new company British Lion Films Ltd was formed and Roy and John Boulting took over at Shepperton Studios The studio was rebuilt and reopened in September 1958 4 The Boulting s comedies such as I m All Right Jack 1959 were produced there as were dramas from other film makers such as J Lee Thompson s The Guns of Navarone 1961 The studio s other projects from the same decade include Stanley Kubrick s Dr Strangelove 1964 5 and the musical Oliver 1968 which won the Academy Award for Best Picture 6 1970s present edit nbsp A street sign at Shepperton StudiosDespite the financial ups and downs of British Lion and the changing of hands the studios remained active until the early 1970s In 1969 the studios produced 27 films by 1971 this number had fallen to seven Production throughout the 1970s was erratic reaching a low of two films by 1979 Among the problems faced by Shepperton Studios during this time was the desire of new British Lion director John Bentley to sell the grounds for housing since redeveloping the land would have nearly doubled its value A compromise was proposed and in 1973 the area of the studios was reduced from 60 acres 24 ha to 20 acres 8 1 ha The studios 1970s credits include Kubrick s A Clockwork Orange and Jimmy Perry and David Croft s Dad s Army both 1971 Richard Attenborough s Young Winston 1972 and Fred Zinnemann s The Day of the Jackal 1973 Also around this time the rock group Led Zeppelin filmed some concert scenes at Shepperton that were used in their live concert film The Song Remains the Same These scenes were used to fill gaps in footage of a Madison Square Garden concert from 1973 In 1975 the studios were again transferred to new ownership and in spite of sparse production schedules served as the filming site of some high budget productions including Richard Donner s The Omen 1976 Franklin Schaffner s The Boys from Brazil 1978 Ridley Scott s Alien 1979 David Lynch s The Elephant Man 1980 Attenborough s Gandhi 1982 and David Lean s A Passage to India 1984 In 1978 rock band The Who filmed live concert scenes at Shepperton for their documentary The Kids Are Alright 1979 These turned out to be the band s final live performance with drummer Keith Moon who died later that year In 1984 Shepperton Studios changed hands coming under the control of brothers John and Benny Lee who renovated the studios but soon lost control as a result of the Black Monday of 1987 the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike and internal issues within their company Lee International Bankers Warburg Pincus acquired the studios which became busy with the filming of TV shows including Thomas amp Friends and its sister series TUGS as well as such films as Franco Zeffirelli s Hamlet 1990 Kevin Reynolds Robin Hood Prince of Thieves 1991 and Nicholas Hytner s The Madness of King George 1994 In 1995 the studios were purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott which led to an extensive renovation of the studios as well as the expansion and improvement of its grounds In 2001 Shepperton Studios was sold to the Pinewood Group which also owns Pinewood Studios in the UK as well as Pinewood Studio Berlin in Germany Pinewood Toronto Studios in Canada Pinewood Indomina Studios in the Dominican Republic and Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Malaysia In July 2019 Netflix announced that it would be opening a hub at the studios 7 In November 2021 Netflix announced that it would extend its long term deal with the studios The studio s owner Pinewood Group also announced that the studios would expend approximately 1 million square feet of the new production space with the overall studio set to comprise 17 sound stages 8 In February 2022 Amazon Prime Video signed a multi million pound long term deal with the studios for exclusive use of new production facilities 9 Stages and locations editShepperton Studios has 15 stages ranging in size from 3 000 square feet 280 m2 to 30 000 square feet 2 800 m2 five of which are equipped with interior tanks for water and underwater filming Although often described as the home of independent film and TV production in the UK the studios have also served as a production base for big budget films such as Captain America The First Avenger 2011 the filming for which used eight of the fifteen stages The British TV series Thomas amp Friends was shot on the T Stage from 1984 to 2008 after which the live action models originally used were replaced with computer animation The nearby Little House and surrounding grounds have been used as a filming location for films such as The Omen 1976 and The Young Victoria 2009 The studios also have two large backlots which were used to create two castle compounds for the film 47 Ronin Selected film credits editThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it July 2020 Many films have used Shepperton Studios including in chronological order Source 10 1930s edit Reunion 1932 The Ghoul 1933 Menace 1934 Colonel Blood 1934 Rolling Home 1935 Birds of a Feather 1936 Reasonable Doubt 1936 Second Bureau 1936 It s Never Too Late to Mend 1937 1940s edit The Fallen Idol 1948 The Third Man 1949 Gone To Earth 1949 1950s edit The Tales of Hoffmann 1951 The Holly and the Ivy 1952 An Inspector Calls 1954 Richard III 1955 The End of the Affair 1955 It s a Wonderful World 1956 A King in New York 1957 The Passionate Stranger 1957 Suddenly Last Summer 1959 Left Right and Centre 1959 1960s edit Mysterious Island 1961 The Innocents 1961 Lawrence of Arabia 1962 The Painted Smile 1962 The Servant 1963 Dr Strangelove 1964 Becket 1964 The Spy Who Came In from the Cold 1965 Dr Who and the Daleks 1965 The Bedford Incident 1965 Lord Jim 1965 Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A D 1966 Georgy Girl 1966 Fathom 1967 2001 A Space Odyssey 1968 Oliver 1968 1970s edit Scrooge 1970 Dad s Army 1971 Young Winston 1972 Psychomania 1973 The Return of the Pink Panther 1975 The Omen 1976 Star Wars 1977 The Boys from Brazil 1978 Superman 1978 Alien 1979 The Kids Are Alright 1979 The Martian Chronicles TV miniseries 1979 1980s edit The Elephant Man 1980 Flash Gordon 1980 Saturn 3 1980 Blade Runner 1982 Gandhi 1982 The Pirates of Penzance 1983 A Passage to India 1984 Out of Africa 1985 The Princess Bride 1987 Cry Freedom 1987 Gorillas in the Mist 1988 Henry V 1989 1990s edit Hamlet 1990 Robin Hood Prince of Thieves 1991 Chaplin 1992 The Muppet Christmas Carol 1992 Four Weddings and a Funeral 1994 The Madness of King George 1994 Mary Shelley s Frankenstein 1994 Judge Dredd 1995 Restoration 1995 Sense and Sensibility 1995 Muppet Treasure Island 1996 The Wind in the Willows 1996 Evita 1996 101 Dalmatians 1996 G I Jane 1997 The Borrowers 1997 11 Lost in Space 1998 Shakespeare in Love 1998 The Mummy 1999 Notting Hill 1999 Sleepy Hollow 1999 2000s edit Billy Elliot 2000 Chocolat 2000 Gladiator 2000 Bridget Jones s Diary 2001 Gosford Park 2001 Just Visiting 2001 Spy Game 2001 The Mummy Returns 2001 About a Boy 2002 Bend It Like Beckham 2002 Dirty Pretty Things 2002 The Four Feathers 2002 Love Actually 2003 The Life of David Gale 2003 Alexander 2004 Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason 2004 Finding Neverland 2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004 Troy 2004 Wimbledon 2004 Batman Begins 2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 Mrs Henderson Presents 2005 Sahara 2005 Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith 2005 The Da Vinci Code 2006 Atonement 2007 Elizabeth The Golden Age 2007 The Golden Compass 2007 Doomsday 2008 Mutant Chronicles 2008 Cheri 2009 Inkheart 2009 Moon 2009 Nine 2009 The Boat That Rocked 2009 The Young Victoria 2009 2010s edit Centurion 2010 Clash of the Titans 2010 Iron Man 2 2010 Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang 2010 Robin Hood 2010 Captain America The First Avenger 2011 Hugo 2011 Jane Eyre 2011 Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 2011 Anna Karenina 2012 12 John Carter 2012 47 Ronin 2013 Fast amp Furious 6 2013 Gravity 2013 World War Z 2013 Jack the Giant Slayer 2013 Thor The Dark World 2013 Guardians of the Galaxy 2014 Into the Woods 2014 Paddington 2014 Avengers Age of Ultron 2015 The Lady in the Van 2015 Mr Holmes 2015 Victor Frankenstein 2015 Alice Through the Looking Glass 2016 Doctor Strange 2016 Patient Zero 2016 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 2016 Beauty and the Beast 2017 Life 2017 The Sense of an Ending 2017 Christopher Robin 2018 Holmes amp Watson 2018 Mamma Mia Here We Go Again 2018 Mary Poppins Returns 2018 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 2018 Detective Pikachu 2019 Downton Abbey 2019 Dumbo 2019 The Hustle 2019 Fighting with My Family 2019 The Good Liar 2019 Fast amp Furious Presents Hobbs amp Shaw 2019 Rocketman 2019 1917 2019 2020s edit Dolittle 2020 The Old Guard 2020 The Midnight Sky 2020 Cruella 2021 The Bubble 2022 Matilda the Musical 2022 Enola Holmes 2 2022 Heart of Stone 2023 Luther The Fallen Sun 2023 Selected television credits editThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it July 2020 8 Out of 10 Cats 2014 Anatomy of a Scandal 2022 Big Ticket 1998 The Crystal Maze 1990 Dancing on Ice 2011 Rebecca 1997 Red Dwarf 1991 1999 2009 2012 Russell Howard s Good News 2014 Thomas amp Friends 1986 2008 Series 2 12 TUGS 1988 1990 Gladiators 2008 2009 You Bet 1988 1997 The Vicar of Dibley 1994 2000 Last of the Summer Wine 1990 2010 1899 2022 Anatomy of a Scandal 2022 The Sandman 2022 References edit Shepperton Studios History See for example Malcolm Derek 16 March 2000 Carol Reed The Third Man The Guardian The Third Man Carol Reed s second collaboration with Graham Greene is probably the best film noir ever made out of Britain reprinted in Derek Malcolm A Century of Films London amp New York I B Tauris 2000 p 51 53 51 The Times 2 June 1954 page 6 Receiver for British Lion Film Corporation found in the Times Digital Archive subscription required 25 July 2014 Chatter London Variety 10 September 1958 p 150 Retrieved 25 May 2023 the casting credits after the film indicate the studio The 41st Academy Awards 1969 Nominees and Winners Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Retrieved 25 August 2011 Sweney Mark 3 July 2019 Netflix strikes production deal with Shepperton Studios The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 3 July 2019 Ritman Alex 16 November 2021 Netflix Extends Shepperton Deal U K Studio to Double in Size The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 16 November 2021 Ramachandran Naman 9 February 2022 Amazon Prime Video Pacts With Pinewood to Take U K Studio Space at Shepperton Variety Retrieved 9 February 2022 Credits Pinewood Studios Retrieved 5 June 2022 The Borrowers 1997 cars bikes trucks and other vehicles IMCDb org Retrieved 8 May 2022 Keira Knightley ambitious visual experience for Karenina The Arizona Republic Retrieved 20 June 2012 External links editShepperton Studios The Pinewood Studios Group Official history Shepperton Studios Biography 51 24 24 80 N 0 27 54 65 W 51 4068889 N 0 4651806 W 51 4068889 0 4651806 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shepperton Studios amp oldid 1192874839, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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