Beaconsfield Film Studios
Encyclopedia
Beaconsfield Film Studios is a British TV and film studio in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The studios were operational as a production site for films from the 1930's and continued producing films - and, later, TV shows - until the 1960's. Britain's first talking movie was recorded there, as were films starring British actors Peter Sellers
and John Mills
. From 1971 onwards it has been the home of an internationally-recognised postgraduate school for film and TV production, famous as the birth place of animated characters Wallace and Gromit
.
became the Crown Film Unit
. The present occupiers of Beaconsfield Film Studios, the
It has been have confirmed that the CFU was based at the studios. Fifty one productions are credited to the Crown Film Unit between 1940 and 1952 - when it was disbanded - although it is not known how many were physically filmed at Beaconsfield Film Studios.
Full list of Crown Film Unit productions, at IMDB
Several other films and TV shows are confirmed by IMDB as having been produced at IAS by other film production companies.
Full list of TV and film productions filmed at Independent Artists Studios, Beaconsfield, at IMDB
It is likely that the production company 'Beaconsfield Productions', credited as producing The Vicious Circle, filmed other titles at IAS. IMDB lists a further sixteen productions credited to Beaconsfield Productions in the late 1950's and early 1960's.
, whose alumni have won several BAFTA awards and Oscars.
, producers of the Carry On film series and owners at the time of the nearby Pinewood Studios
.
was started by Oscar winning director Nick Park
whilst he was a student at NFTS, and like all works created at the school, the film is credited as being the copyright of NFTS.
prize . In June 2009 it was formally named The Oswald Morris Building in honour of veteran cinematographer Ossie Morris
.
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
and John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
. From 1971 onwards it has been the home of an internationally-recognised postgraduate school for film and TV production, famous as the birth place of animated characters Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
.
British Lion Studios
The likely first name of the studios was British Lion Studios, in the late 1930's. At least three films are confirmed as having been produced at British Lion Studios in Beaconsfield during this era:-- Big Fella (1937 film)Big FellaBig Fella is a 1937 film directed by J. Elder Wills, loosely based on the novel Banjo by Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay.-Plot:...
- Calling All Stars (1937 film)Calling All StarsCalling All Stars is a 1937 British comedy and musical directed by Herbert Smith and starring Arthur Askey as the Waiter....
- The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940 film)
Crown Film Unit
Due to World War II, the GPO Film UnitGPO Film Unit
The GPO Film Unit was a subdivision of the UK General Post Office. The unit was established in 1933, taking on responsibilities of the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit...
became the Crown Film Unit
Crown Film Unit
The Crown Film Unit was an organisation within the British Government's Ministry of Information during World War II. Formerly the GPO Film Unit it became the Crown Film Unit in 1940. Its remit was to make films for the general public in Britain and abroad...
. The present occupiers of Beaconsfield Film Studios, the
It has been have confirmed that the CFU was based at the studios. Fifty one productions are credited to the Crown Film Unit between 1940 and 1952 - when it was disbanded - although it is not known how many were physically filmed at Beaconsfield Film Studios.
Full list of Crown Film Unit productions, at IMDB
Independent Artist Studios
After the Crown Film Unit was disbanded, the studios became Independent Artist Studios, and was the base for film production company Independent Artists for several films, including:-- The Man in the Back Seat (1961 film)The Man in the Back SeatThe Man in the Back Seat is a 1961 British B-movie crime film, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Derren Nesbitt and Keith Faulkner. The film was based on an Edgar Wallace story, and was tightly shot, with only four name-credited actors and much of the action taking place in a cramped flat...
- House of Mystery (1961 film)
Several other films and TV shows are confirmed by IMDB as having been produced at IAS by other film production companies.
- The Queen in Australia (1954 film)
- The Vicious Circle (1957 film, starring John Mills)The Vicious Circle (1957 film)The Vicious Circle is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring John Mills, Noelle Middleton, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Lionel Jeffries. A leading Harley Street specialist is forced to work with the police to nail a gang of international criminals, after being falsely accused...
] - The Battle of the Sexes (1959 film, starring Peter Sellers)The Battle of the Sexes (1959 film)The Battle of the Sexes is a 1959 British comedy film starring Peter Sellers and directed by Charles Crichton, based on the short story The Catbird Seat, by James Thurber. The story was adapted by Monja Danischewsky.-Cast:* Peter Sellers as Mr...
- Ghost Squad (TV series, 1961-1964)Ghost Squad (TV series)Ghost Squad, known as G.S.5 for its third season, was a crime drama series about an elite division of Scotland Yard that ran between 1961 and 1964. Each episode the Ghost Squad would investigate cases that fell outside the scope of normal police work...
Full list of TV and film productions filmed at Independent Artists Studios, Beaconsfield, at IMDB
It is likely that the production company 'Beaconsfield Productions', credited as producing The Vicious Circle, filmed other titles at IAS. IMDB lists a further sixteen productions credited to Beaconsfield Productions in the late 1950's and early 1960's.
Life as a film school (1971 onwards)
The studios are now exclusively the home of an internationally respected film school, the National Film and Television SchoolNational Film and Television School
The National Film and Television School was established in 1971 and is based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and it is located close to Pinewood Studios.-History:...
, whose alumni have won several BAFTA awards and Oscars.
The National Film School (NFS)
The NFS was created in 1970 and in 1971 bought the studios to be its home, thanks to a loan from the Rank OrganisationRank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
, producers of the Carry On film series and owners at the time of the nearby Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
.
The National Film and Television School (NFTS)
It was renamed the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in 1982. The first Wallace and Gromit film, A Grand Day OutA Grand Day Out
A Grand Day Out is an award-nominated 1989 animated film directed and animated by Nick Park at Aardman Animations in Bristol. This was the first adventure featuring the eccentric inventor Wallace and his quiet but smart dog Gromit...
was started by Oscar winning director Nick Park
Nick Park
Nicholas Wulstan "Nick" Park, CBE is an English filmmaker of stop motion animation best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep....
whilst he was a student at NFTS, and like all works created at the school, the film is credited as being the copyright of NFTS.
Recent expansion
NFTS students still use the original 1930's sound stage and 1960's TV studio building. To modernise and expand the teaching and administrative space, it commissioned Glen Howells Architects to design a strikingly modern two storey building (see photo). Upon its completion in 2008 it won a coveted RIBARiba
Riba means one of the senses of "usury" . Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin...
prize . In June 2009 it was formally named The Oswald Morris Building in honour of veteran cinematographer Ossie Morris
Oswald Morris
Oswald Norman Morris OBE, DFC, AFC, BSC is a British cinematographer. Known to his colleagues by the nicknames "Os" or "Ossie", Morris' film cinematography career spanned six decades.-Early life and career:...
.