The Pinewood Studios Group
Encyclopedia
The Pinewood Studios Group (officially Pinewood Shepperton plc) is a multinational
film studio
company headquartered in Iver Heath
, United Kingdom
. The group operates Pinewood Studios
, Shepperton Studios
and Teddington Studios
in the UK and Pinewood Toronto Studios, Pinewood Indomina Studios
, Pinewood Studio Berlin
and Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios
in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Germany and Malaysia respectively.
To date over 1,500 productions have used facilities/services provided by The Pinewood Studios Group. By 2013 it is planned to have a combined square footage of nearly one million square feet of studio space across all of its facilities.
A period of rapid international expansion began in 2009 when The Pinewood Studios Group took over sales and marketing of what was then Filmport (now Pinewood Toronto Studios). Then within three months, three new ventures were announced, two being completely new studio complexes. The first was Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in partnership with Khazanah Nasional Berhad (the investment holding arm of the Government of Malaysia). Next came the announcement of Pinewood Studio Berlin. Then in February 2011 the company announced that it was planning to open a 35-acre film and television studio in the Dominican Republic.
Later in 2011, The Peel Group acquired a controlling 71% interest in the company for £96 million.
An application for planning permission was formally submitted in June 2009. However, the planning application was still rejected by South Bucks District Council in October 2009, following a prolonged opposition campaign by local residents, who formed a "Stop Project Pinewood" group. Pinewood have since appealed the decision and a public inquiry commenced on 5 April 2011. The outcome of the inquiry has not yet been published.
Pinewood Studios is probably most famous for its connection with the James Bond (film series)
, however it has been the home for many productions over the years, the large and the small. With a total of seventeen stages (including TV studios and the Underwater Stage
), Pinewood is the UK's largest and most prolific studio.
, which used eight of the fifteen stages at Shepperton.
was shot at Teddington Studios.
The first film to receive funding is A Fantastic Fear of Everything
starring Simon Pegg. The film was shot at Shepperton Studios.
Pinewood Toronto Studios is a major film and television studio complex in Toronto. The 11-acre site has over 250,000 sq ft of production space, comprising of eight stages including North America's largest purpose-built soundstage.
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
film studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
company headquartered in Iver Heath
Iver
Iver is in the south-east corner of the English county of Buckinghamshire and it forms one of the largest civil parishes in the South Bucks district.Iver railway station is in Richings Park.-Etymology:...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The group operates 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...
, Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
and Teddington Studios
Teddington Studios
Teddington Studios is a large British television studio complex located in Teddington, South-West London, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on BBC television, ITV, and Channel 4 along with others...
in the UK and Pinewood Toronto Studios, Pinewood Indomina Studios
Pinewood Indomina Studios
Pinewood Indomina Studios is a major film and television studio complex in the Dominican Republic.-History:Pinewood Indomina Studios was born out of a long-term agreement between The Pinewood Studios Group and the Indomina Group to build and operate a new film and television studio complex in the...
, Pinewood Studio Berlin
Pinewood Studio Berlin
Pinewood Studio Berlin is a partnership between The Pinewood Studios Group and Studio Hamburg GmbH. The venture provides film production services and first class film and TV stages to European and international filmmakers, making it easier to take advantage of the benefits of filming in...
and Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios
Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios
Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios will open in 2013 providing the Asian-Pacific with a state-of-the-art studio complex managed by The Pinewood Studios Group, whose portfolio includes Pinewood Studios, Shepperton Studios, Teddington Studios, Pinewood Toronto Studios, Pinewood Indomina Studios and...
in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Germany and Malaysia respectively.
To date over 1,500 productions have used facilities/services provided by The Pinewood Studios Group. By 2013 it is planned to have a combined square footage of nearly one million square feet of studio space across all of its facilities.
History
The Pinewood Studios Group was formed by merger of Pinewood and Shepperton Studios at the start of the new millennium. The company floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2004 as Pinewood Shepperton Plc. In 2005, Teddington Studios was purchased by the Group.A period of rapid international expansion began in 2009 when The Pinewood Studios Group took over sales and marketing of what was then Filmport (now Pinewood Toronto Studios). Then within three months, three new ventures were announced, two being completely new studio complexes. The first was Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in partnership with Khazanah Nasional Berhad (the investment holding arm of the Government of Malaysia). Next came the announcement of Pinewood Studio Berlin. Then in February 2011 the company announced that it was planning to open a 35-acre film and television studio in the Dominican Republic.
Later in 2011, The Peel Group acquired a controlling 71% interest in the company for £96 million.
Project Pinewood
In November 2007, Pinewood announced a £200m expansion plan, known as Project Pinewood. If built the development would see replicas of streetscapes and zones replicating locations from the UK, Europe and the USA. Planned zones include a college campus, Amsterdam, modern European housing, Venice, Lake Como, Paris, an Amphitheatre, Prague, West coast American housing, warehousing and downtown New York sets, Chicago, Vienna, a castle, a UK canal, Chinatown and a London street market built. In addition it will also be used as residential housing, with the proposed creative community, expected to be in the region of 2000 and 2250, being integrated with the film locations. Job creation is also a key part of the plan, helping to boost the economy of both the region and the nation as a wholeAn application for planning permission was formally submitted in June 2009. However, the planning application was still rejected by South Bucks District Council in October 2009, following a prolonged opposition campaign by local residents, who formed a "Stop Project Pinewood" group. Pinewood have since appealed the decision and a public inquiry commenced on 5 April 2011. The outcome of the inquiry has not yet been published.
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is probably most famous for its connection with the James Bond (film series)
James Bond (film series)
The James Bond film series is a British series of motion pictures based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond , who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories, followed later by films with original storylines...
, however it has been the home for many productions over the years, the large and the small. With a total of seventeen stages (including TV studios and the Underwater Stage
Underwater Stage
The Underwater Stage is an underwater film studio stage at Pinewood Studios in Iver, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. It is the only one of its kind in Europe. The stage was opened in 2005 after four years of planning and development. The stage's water tank is permanently filled, and the water is...
), Pinewood is the UK's largest and most prolific studio.
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is often described as the home for independent filmmaking in the UK but it has also been used for the production of a number of blockbuster films including Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, which used eight of the fifteen stages at Shepperton.
Teddington Studios
Teddington Studios is a specialist television studio complex on the banks of the River Thames. It has eight television studios ranging from 383 sq ft to 8,891 sq ft. The first UK sitcom to be shot in high definition, The Green Green GrassThe Green Green Grass
The Green Green Grass is a British sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, produced by Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a spin-off of the long running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis, Sue Holderness and Jack Doolan...
was shot at Teddington Studios.
Pinewood Films
In 2011, The Pinewood Studios Group created Pinewood Films to help fund and and provide facilities to independent British films with budgets of approximately £2million. Pinewood Films would invest equity up to 20% per film with the intention to support four films each year..The first film to receive funding is A Fantastic Fear of Everything
A Fantastic Fear of Everything
A Fantastic Fear of Everything is an upcoming film starring Simon Pegg, written and directed by Crispian Mills with Chris Hopewell as co-director. It has been described as a low-budget British "semicomedy" about a children’s author-turned crime novelist who has become obsessed with murder and...
starring Simon Pegg. The film was shot at Shepperton Studios.
Pinewood Toronto Studios
Pinewood Toronto Studios is a major film and television studio complex in Toronto. The 11-acre site has over 250,000 sq ft of production space, comprising of eight stages including North America's largest purpose-built soundstage.
Pinewood Indomina Studios
The Dominican Republic will be the home of Pinewood Indomina Studios, a film and television production facility. When it initially opens in 2012 a highlight will be an eight acre water facility including a 55,000 sq ft exterior tank with natural ocean horizons and blue screen capabilities. In Phase 1, there will be 74,000 sq ft of soundstage space.Pinewood Studio Berlin
Pinewood Studio Berlin is a partnership between The Pinewood Studios Group and Studio Hamburg. The joint venture provides film production services and first class film and TV stages (ranging from 6,481 sq ft to 25,900 sq ft) to European and international filmmakers, making it easier to take advantage of the benefits of filming in Germany.Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios
When it opens in 2013, Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios will include 100,000 sq ft of film stages, 24,000 sq ft of TV studios as well as offices, workshops and post production facilities.Los Angeles sales office
The Pinewood Studios Group has US based sales office located at Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City, Los Angeles.See also
- Pinewood StudiosPinewood StudiosPinewood 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...
- Shepperton StudiosShepperton StudiosShepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
- Teddington StudiosTeddington StudiosTeddington Studios is a large British television studio complex located in Teddington, South-West London, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on BBC television, ITV, and Channel 4 along with others...
- Pinewood Toronto Studios
- Pinewood Indomina StudiosPinewood Indomina StudiosPinewood Indomina Studios is a major film and television studio complex in the Dominican Republic.-History:Pinewood Indomina Studios was born out of a long-term agreement between The Pinewood Studios Group and the Indomina Group to build and operate a new film and television studio complex in the...
- Pinewood Studio BerlinPinewood Studio BerlinPinewood Studio Berlin is a partnership between The Pinewood Studios Group and Studio Hamburg GmbH. The venture provides film production services and first class film and TV stages to European and international filmmakers, making it easier to take advantage of the benefits of filming in...
- Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia StudiosPinewood Iskandar Malaysia StudiosPinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios will open in 2013 providing the Asian-Pacific with a state-of-the-art studio complex managed by The Pinewood Studios Group, whose portfolio includes Pinewood Studios, Shepperton Studios, Teddington Studios, Pinewood Toronto Studios, Pinewood Indomina Studios and...