LEADING moviemakers will not have to wait long to enjoy the full complement of offerings at the eagerly-anticipated Shinfield Studios.
Three of the five construction phases are expected to be completed in the coming weeks, with the 18 soundstage facility set to become the fourth largest of its kind in the UK.
Wokingham Today had the opportunity to visit the site with joint managing director, Nick Smith, and head of studio operations Dean Horne; and there’s no two ways about it – the site is impressive.
Besides the general hustle and bustle that comes with any construction site, there’s a real sense that something remarkable is beginning to take shape.
On entering the facility, Nick and Dean painted a visual picture of the soon-to-be-installed masthead that will soon welcome the world’s finest crews and actors.
They half-jokingly compared it to the Hollywood Studios sign, only partially in jest due to the quality of facilities on site.
Nick explained: “I’ve put up a lot of stages around the world in the past where budgetary issues have meant that you’ve had to cut corners. This time, we just said we’re doing it properly or we’re not going to do it at all.
“What we have in Shinfield is the best of the best.”
Of all the studios’ impressive offerings, Stage 3 is a stand-out. Covering 41,000 square feet and standing at 50-foot high, it is the largest on site and can house any extensive action, battle or crowd scene.
As with all of Shinfield Studios’ sound stages, it is fully air-conditioned and cancels noise at a NR25 decibel level meaning productions can be shot undisturbed by the next-door clanging of cranes.
The building stages are split into Phases 1, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D, with the completion of Phase 1 seeing the first four stages and workshops opened last year.
At the time of writing, Nick stated that nine sound stages could be made available for use and have already housed films and streamers. The million-foot facility is not restricted to a specific content type or production company.
Developers are committed to ensuring the studios provide educational and employment opportunities for people in the local area.
“First and foremost, we are trying to recruit locally,” Nick explained.
“There’s a lot of training and education that has to take place as part of that. It’s not going to be an overnight thing, you’ve got to train people up for a number of years, but this area is ripe to bring people into the business.
“We hope that a lot of people are going to be working here who live in the local borough within a few years’ time.”
