British Cinematographer issue 51 - Imago

British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 051 ––– May 2012 24
25
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 051 ––– May 2012
Production Focus
–––Warner Bros. Studios,
Leavesden
Film-friendly
and ready to fly
Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden
gets ready for take off.
When JK Rowling hunkered down
in the cosy confines of Nicholson’s
Café, Edinburgh, to pen the first
stories about a young wizard, his
schoolmates and their fantastic
adventures, little could she have
conceived of their massive success,
nor their potential to positively
impact on the British film industry.
Report by Ron Prince.
Brown field... the new WBSL
has been built on a large plot
that has a long history of aero
manufacturing.
The Harry Potter franchise, in movies alone, has taken
$7.7 billion at the box office worldwide. The success
has been such that the site at Leavesden, near Watford,
where each of the eight movies was made, has
encouraged Warner Bros. to invest in excess of £100m
into a state-of-the-art studio complex.
Known as Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden (WBSL),
the new facility has increased studio capacity in the UK
by a third, and is set to become a destination for major
Hollywood productions, as well as a huge attraction for
Potter-files. Its launch spells great news for the multitude
of the talented filmmaking professionals based in the UK.
But does it pose a threat to existing studio facilities? Will it
ever house more than just Warner Bros. own productions?
And will the service be all it’s cracked up to be? Ron
Prince and Alan Lowne got an early tour of the new
facility from the studio’s senior vice president, Dan Dark.
At the time of our visit in February, it was bitterly
cold, the ground covered in snow. The site was clad in
scaffolding, and teaming with construction workers in
hardhats getting the place ready for its official opening
in June. Although pressed to give details of the greatand-good
who might attend the opening ceremony,
Dark preferred to keep the information a closely
guarded secret.
Arriving at WBSL was easy enough. Despite a
detour to the edge of Watford, for emergency petrol
and sucrose sustenance, the new studio complex is
conveniently situated within a few minutes drive from
Junction 19 on the M25, providing easy for access for
London-based crews and service companies dotted
around the M25 belt.