EXCLUSIVE: A brand new movie and TV studio has opened its doorways in Queenstown, New Zealand. Screentime New Zealand is behind Exceptional Studios NZ and the Banijay label has already filmed a significant drama undertaking 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 Exceptional Studios NZ is its first studio. The hope is the brand new facility, which is a repurposed and lately vacated division retailer, makes Queenstown a hub for main manufacturing slightly than a location base or second-unit shoot possibility.
Screentime New Zealand CEO, Philly de Lacey, is the brains behind the undertaking. Talking to Deadline from New Zealand, she mentioned the seek for a studio house like this has been occurring for 5 years. “The power to movie right here and have moist climate cowl or indoor units to provide crews a break from filming outdoors has been a really lengthy problem for the area,” she mentioned. “After which this division retailer lease got here up and immediately I mentioned: ‘Oh, my God, we’ll take it.’”
From an infrastructure perspective, the Studios are 5 minutes from Queenstown airport and near a number of resorts. The two,300sqm house has been repurposed and sound-proofed and has places of work, development areas and a loading bay. Screentime christened the Studios by taking pictures drama collection A Exceptional 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 undertaking.
In a joint assertion they mentioned: “Standing as our tenth studios globally, however actually first in a re-purposed division retailer, the groundbreaking amenities have emerged on the excellent second – a time the place manufacturing prices are hovering, and producers all over the place are searching for economical options. In Queenstown, producers now have the posh of a large number of areas, in addition to an affordable, totally functioning manufacturing advanced.”
The Banijay prime brass additionally famous the constructive financial influence for the area, a message echoed Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Glyn Lewers. He instructed Deadline that the brand new studios can be a significant increase to the world and assist Queenstown shut floor on extra established Kiwi manufacturing facilities in Auckland and Wellington.
“Movie has been an vital contributor to our native economic system for many years, due to our cinematic alpine areas, expert crew base and welcoming communities,” Lewers mentioned. “However having a devoted movie and tv facility so as to add to that package deal will unlock extra alternatives for our native trade. Screentime can also be a key participant within the New Zealand manufacturing group, so we’re thrilled that they’ve determined to ascertain a base right here.”
New Zealand has a storied movie historical past, and De Lacey hopes the mix of recent Studios, surroundings, infrastructure and respectable tax incentive, can be a shot within the arm for the trade, which weathered a tricky time by means of Covid.
“There’s been lots of challenges dealing with the trade, it’s good that we’re seeing lots of worldwide dramas coming again right here, or within the works, and New Zealand is actually ramping up,” she mentioned. “The alternatives for co-production, worldwide filming and this area and New Zealand as an entire is on the rise post-COVID. It feels prefer it’s the correct time to be doing one thing like this.”
