EXCLUSIVE: A brand new movie and TV studio has opened its doorways in Queenstown, New Zealand. Screentime New Zealand is behind Outstanding Studios NZ and the Banijay label has already filmed a serious drama venture there. The studio is now open for enterprise to 3rd events.
Used because the backdrop to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Queenstown’s panorama is acquainted to filmmakers, however Outstanding Studios NZ is its first studio. The hope is the brand new facility, which is a repurposed and not too long ago vacated division retailer, makes Queenstown a hub for main manufacturing moderately than a location base or second-unit shoot choice.
Screentime New Zealand CEO, Philly de Lacey, is the brains behind the venture. Talking to Deadline from New Zealand, she stated the seek for a studio house like this has been occurring for 5 years. “The flexibility to movie right here and have moist climate cowl or indoor units to provide crews a break from filming exterior has been a really lengthy problem for the area,” she stated. “After which this division retailer lease got here up and immediately I stated: ‘Oh, my God, we’ll take it.’”
From an infrastructure perspective, the Studios are 5 minutes from Queenstown airport and near a number of lodges. The two,300sqm house has been repurposed and sound-proofed and has workplaces, building areas and a loading bay. Screentime christened the Studios by taking pictures drama collection A Outstanding Place to Die there. Banijay is at MIPCOM this week with the collection, procuring it to worldwide patrons.
Marco Bassetti, CEO, and Fred Balmary, Chief Enterprise Officer, Banijay Leisure paid testomony to De Lacey for realizing the studios venture.
In a joint assertion they stated: “Standing as our tenth studios globally, however actually first in a re-purposed division retailer, the groundbreaking services have emerged on the excellent second – a time the place manufacturing prices are hovering, and producers in every single place are in search of economical options. In Queenstown, producers now have the posh of a large number of places, in addition to an inexpensive, absolutely functioning manufacturing complicated.”
The Banijay prime brass additionally famous the constructive financial affect for the area, a message echoed Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Glyn Lewers. He advised Deadline that the brand new studios can be a serious increase to the realm and assist Queenstown shut floor on extra established Kiwi manufacturing facilities in Auckland and Wellington.
“Movie has been an essential contributor to our native financial system for many years, due to our cinematic alpine places, expert crew base and welcoming communities,” Lewers stated. “However having a devoted movie and tv facility so as to add to that package deal will unlock extra alternatives for our native business. Screentime can be a key participant within the New Zealand manufacturing group, so we’re thrilled that they’ve determined to determine a base right here.”
New Zealand has a storied movie historical past, and De Lacey hopes the mix of latest Studios, surroundings, infrastructure and respectable tax incentive, can be a shot within the arm for the business, which weathered a tricky time by means of Covid.
“There’s been lots of challenges going through the business, it’s good that we’re seeing lots of worldwide dramas coming again right here, or within the works, and New Zealand is basically ramping up,” she stated. “The alternatives for co-production, worldwide filming and taking a look at this area and New Zealand as a complete is on the rise post-COVID. It feels prefer it’s the best time to be doing one thing like this.”
