Behind the Scenes: Special Ops: Lioness

IBC

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Paul Cameron is a distinguished cinematographer who is now making a move into the director’s chair. IBC365 spoke to him about his latest project, Special Ops: Lioness, a military drama for showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

As cinematographer, Paul Cameron ASC, has helped lay the template for the look of modern action films. Collaborations with accomplished directors include: Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Déjà Vu), Len Wiseman (Total Recall), and Dominic Sena (Swordfish, Gone in Sixty Seconds) among others. His cinematography for director Michael Mann’s Collateral (2004) was one of the first major studio films to embrace digital cinematography.

Now he has moved into the director’s chair, helming two episodes of Special Ops: Lioness, the latest series from acclaimed writer/showrunner Taylor Sheridan, starring Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman, Michael Kelly and Morgan Freeman.

“After shooting a lot of movies with A list talent I am used to being around high-end actors and functioning in a high-end way,” Cameron told IBC365. “On some films where I’ve been a DP there’s often been more communication between myself and the actors then they had with the director. So, I feel comfortable speaking with actors about performance.”

He said he learned about working with people on set from Tony Scott. “I noticed how Tony befriended actors and won them over and then, when he had conversations about scenes and intent or character arcs, he can hit on them in a much more playful way since he has this bond.

“That taught me a lot. Making TV drama you have so little time with actors to build their trust and confidence in you so that they feel they can experiment and try things.”

The acting talent attached to Lioness wasn’t the only reason Cameron wanted to get involved. Sheridan’s scripts were another pull as was the hook of the story which is based on an actual US military program.

“This is about a faction of the CIA which was formed during the military experience in Afghanistan, when confronted with the problem of how to deal with female prisoners. The CIA decided to create a unit of women to handle captives. Our story is about a Special Ops division of young female intelligence agents attempting to infiltrate terrorist targets.”

Cameron was part of the initial conceptualising, scouting, and narrative development of the Paramount+ original, setting the look by photographing the first two episodes and directing two more.

They shot on location in Virginia and Baltimore, in Mallorca and Morocco, doubling for Yemen. Zero Dark Thirty [photographed by Greig Fraser ACS, ASC] “set the bar very high” for its realistic depiction of special ops forces dealing with terrorism and was a key tonal reference.

There are also parallels to Homeland, starring Claire Danes, but the Lioness filmmakers chose a different visual path than either of those productions.

Cameron shot large format, pairing the Alexa Mini LF with Canon K 35 and vintage Zeiss Distagon Primes.

“We used two sets of Zeiss 2 Distagon, one with the optical coating removed from the front and another set where the coating is removed front and back. This lent the image a beautiful halation and radical flaring. We see so many shows that are photographed digitally that feel digital so we wanted to deconstruct the image as much as we could.”

“We did discuss doing all the car photography in an LED environment but I will never go into a volume stage without either shooting or supervising the plates I will use in that environment. The producers were very comfortable with shooting on green screen and getting plates later which is also a very tenuous scenario for me because I do like to light for the plates and it’s difficult to rely on gathering plates later.”

In the director’s chair

It’s not unheard of for a cinematographer to slip into the director’s chair. Nicolas Roeg is perhaps the most celebrated example. Wally Pfister (Dark Knight Trilogy) helmed Transcendence and Steven Soderbergh shoots his own movies under a pseudonym, but such crossovers are exceptions.

Cameron previously directed episodes of HBO’s Westworld and said directing is a natural progression. “I’ve always been very interested in the script and I love to discuss storyline and script development in preproduction.

“When I got the call about Lioness I talked about directing right away because they only had two directors onboard. Taylor is also very comfortable with DPs stepping up to directorial positions.

“I knew I’d have a great relationship with Zoe and Michael but I’ll admit to being a little nervous about directing Morgan Freeman. But he was a sweetheart, an incredible professional and just very available and open to discussing scenes.”

For reasons of logistics, including location shoots on three continents, he ended up working with three DPs on the episodes he directed.

“When I go to location and scout I find that being a director is very much like being a DP. I see the scenes, I see the dialogue and see the actors come into the space, how a scene manifests and how it resolves,” he said.

“Working with DPs means I can offer very specific ideas about how to handle things. It is difficult at times not to be the DP when I direct but it’s also an incredible relief not to have to worry about rigging or changes of weather as much as I would normally. Not having to micro-manage all of that was good.”

There are more directing roles in the pipe including a feature Cameron said he is developing and a limited series to be shot in the UK in 2024 for which he has been asked to direct all six episodes.

“Another thing I learned from Tony Scott was using multi-cam,” he shared. “There are so many interesting places to put a camera but people use multi-cam just for coverage, for matching close ups, for example. Tony used multi-cam to get a certain type of an emotional shot that, when you cut it in to the scene, has great impact. It could even be a shot that most other directors would throw away as a transitional shot.”

I tried to do something similar in Lioness in the episodes I shot and those I directed, choosing intimate shots, different angles, profiles, reflections or specific rack focus shots.”

Cameron, like much of Hollywood, is playing a waiting game while the writer’s strike pauses production. Once resolved, he thinks that the flood gates will open in the same way that pent up demand rushed through industry after the pandemic.

In the meantime he has had time to reflect on the advance of Generative AI into the creative arts.

“It is frightening in one respect because this is lighting and photography created by a machine,” he said. “I’m just hoping it’s not all or nothing and that we’re not going to have an AI design the look of the show and a DP just goes and shoots it.

“For me the question is how do we still empower the cinematographer to have a voice in terms of the conception and visualisation of the show. I’d like to be positive and ask if we can employ AI to do things that DPs couldn’t do before perhaps because of budget constraints. Things like creating massive lighting sets ups or testing or large scale VFX.”

He likens the introduction of Generative AI to the switch from film to digital cinematography. “The principals of understanding how to light and expose film to get a certain look remained constant,” he said. “So, so long as someone is driving AI by making creative choices when it is deployed then perhaps we’ll find attributes that are surprisingly empowering for cinematography in future.

“The same goes for directors. On the one hand, we’re all afraid of this idea of having stories written by AI. We want the connection with writers and with real voices of real people to be sustained. Telling stories is a part of folklore and passing our history down to generations. The question is at what point does that get interpreted by AI? What is the real purpose of having an AI choose where to put the camera and interpret the intent of the script?”

“AI is image making and it can be astounding but I don’t believe it captures reality,” he adds. “AI is image making without the moment of capture and that, I think, will always be the difference.”

Live Events Have Become a Whole New Thing

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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour only began in March and is set to become the biggest tour of all time only a third of the way through its worldwide run, having already grossed over $2.2 billion in North America. According to Live Nation, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour finished having earned north of half a billion at the box office. 

Are these mega-star anomalies or is such success replicable? 

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“This feels like a cultural moment we’re living in,” says Adam Chitwood of TheWrap, joining a conversation that assessed trends in live entertainment. 

“It’s not enough to just go to the concert. People wanted to experience the concert before they go and after they’ve been.”

Everyone agrees that the pandemic has influenced how we now view live events. The fact that for two years fans couldn’t go out has generated a pent-up desire (mania) to ensure that they do now that they can. 

But it’s not just about live or music. The billion-dollar global box office takings of “Barbie” were in part propelled by audiences participating in the experience more than they would any standard movie — dressing up and attending multiple showings.

We want to enjoy an experience in the company of others, including strangers.

“[Audience members] want to go with a bunch of friends, they want to buy the merch, and they want to participate in every way with their full energy,” confirms Levi Jackson, head of music marketing at WME (William Morris Endeavor). “Now they want a shared experience.”

For artists — or do we call them brands? — like Beyoncé, Harry Styles or Taylor Swift — as well as entertainment companies —  business has become much broader than selling tickets or merch. 

“We have all these different products and verticals that are involved with each actor or event,” explains Ross Gerber, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management.

Jeff Clanagan, president of Hartbeat, Kevin Hart’s production company, notes that despite the higher cost of living, the demand for live experiences has rocketed: “Ticket prices have never been at this level. Fans are paying $300 to $1,000, you know, sometimes more depending on the artist.”

Compelling, Authentic Experiences

That Taylor Swift’s concert film is releasing into cinemas while her tour still has a year to run was never going to diminish the demand to see her live. “Absolutely zero chance it’s going to impact ticket sales,” says Clanagan. “There’s still a huge audience that might not have gone to that stadium to see Taylor or Beyoncé because of the ticket prices, but also people who went to the shows want to really have that experience in a theater. So it’s just another touch point for the consumer to share that experience.”

Not every artist can command this volume, however. Fri Forjindam, who leads global business development, branding and communications for Mycotoo, thinks that’s down to artist authenticity: “You can’t quantify an emotional connection that resonates with people. That means there’s a promise that’s being made. [The artist is] saying you’re going to get all of me, you’re gonna get my full catalog, you’re gonna get performance showmanship, tech, everything VIP. There’s an experiential overlay that is delivering on that promise, as opposed to just gouging.”

Rather than just blindly consuming anything an artist does, she thinks fans are extremely discerning. “They don’t want bulls**t. They want to come and have a compelling, profound experience that allows them to have agency and authenticity, and to see that in the things that they’re engaging with.”

Mycotoo has worked with the Studios on IPs from Netflix’ “Stranger Things” global tour to “The Mandalorian” to Prince’s Paisley Park to create experiences from theme parks to live events to brand activations. 

Forjindam says the job is to leverage IP into an ecosystem that engenders loyalty. Whether it’s a concert, a museum or theme park, how do you take all those principles and turn it into a revenue based experience or entertainment destination? 

Leveraging Ideology and Mythology

One ingredient to success is understanding context. It’s vital, she says, “to have a shared emotional experience align with a brand and artists that reflects who they are in their ideology, in their consumer spending, in their way of life, in their sexuality in all the things that make you whole. It can’t just be about seeing the artists, there needs to be something deeper.”

For example, when working with Netflix on the “Stranger Things” global tour, the intent wasn’t to recreate the show, but to give fans a reason to get excited about the next season of the show on Netflix.

The goal was to “give them a physical place where they can commune with others and have this sort of ‘choose your own adventure’ [experience] and be the hero of their own story, using live performance. It’s redefining what live entertainment is first and then figuring out what the revenue verticals are to make it a viable business proposition.”

Ticketing Trauma and Technology to the Rescue?

It’s true that fans continue to have difficulties getting tickets to live events. The global market is pretty much a monopoly run by Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment received widespread public criticism and political scrutiny over blunders in selling tickets to the Eras Tour. There’s no easy answer.

Jackson says, “We’ve worked with a bunch of tours and talent, and we worked with every ticket company and I think the challenge is actually too complex for an individual artist to fix. Even for someone like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. These companies are so big, you know, the contracts that they have, the tickets are difficult, but the technology of ticketing is actually so challenging.

Gerber admits he can’t express his true feelings about Ticketmaster, “because it’s, controversially, you know, negative,” but suggests that an individual’s smartphone could be a better way of validating tickets.

Forjindam agrees: “We’re using technology to attempt to solve the climate crisis. We’re using technology for automated vehicles and smart cities and literally building Ukraine from the ground up. Why can’t we use technology to figure this [ticketing issue] out? 

“How do we allow it to be able to maybe learn what someone’s user pattern is, or fandom level is, as a way to give them additional points to get ahead of the line because they are a legitimate fan, regardless of whether they can afford $1,500 or not.”

Not coincidentally, there is a trend toward upgrading and building venues with new technology, not just giant LED screens but also better sound and lighting systems, to give fans a more immersive experience. The pinnacle of this right now is the Las Vegas Sphere.

“The Sphere is challenging artists to really think about that experience,” emphasizes Jackson. “Every show that’s going in there at the moment has to be bespoke to that venue. It’s making a unique experience as a destination at that venue — people are flying in from around the world to go to the Sphere.”

 

Hot Picks: Obituary

Broadcast

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Kilraven, a small fishing village in the west of Ireland, is the fictional setting for this black comedy-drama about a serial killer who works as an obituarist for the local paper.

“It’s such a strong and simple concept,” says executive producer Laurent Boissel, joint chief executive and founder of Paris-based independent production and distribution company APC Studios.

The crime thriller was created for Disney-owned streamer Hulu, with Irish broadcaster RTÉ pre-buying. AMC Networks International in Spain has also pre-bought the series, for which APC holds worldwide rights outside those territories.

“The show has an Irish flavour but its story and themes are universal,” says Boissel. “Hulu was the first to commit. They fell in love with the material.”

Boissel says Obituary offers something “completely different” from other crime series. “There’s the overarching murder mystery across the six parts, but suffused with a darkly comic element, reminiscent of Killing Eve, Dexter and Fargo.”

Boissel was pitched the concept in 2020 by Paddy Hayes of Tua Films, the indie behind 2022 Irish Oscar entry Foscadh and TV drama Corp & Anam.

“They only had a few pages from writer Ray Lawlor – who was on no one’s radar at the time – but we shared an instinct that this could be something special, and we knew instantly that Ray was a fantastic writer,” Boissel says.

The drama, which was set up as a 50-50 co-pro between Tua (also known as Magamedia) and APC Studios UK, went through a year of development culminating in a pilot. Hulu boarded shortly afterward.

“Because we had that major signature quite early on, it gave us a lot of confidence in financing the show,” says Boissel. The support of Screen Ireland was also “essential” he says.

The series was written by Lawlor (Le Ceangal), directed by John Hayes (Dublin Murders; Bancroft) and produced by Nell Green (The Outfit; The Undeclared War).

Renowned Irish TV and theatre actress Siobhán Cullen (The Dry; The Long Call) plays the lead role of underpaid obituarist-turnedmurderer Elvira Clancy,.

Prep started towards the end of 2022 and location photography in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, took place between January and March this year. “We shot in winter but we didn’t want a Nordic noir-looking show,” says Boissel. “We didn’t want the gloom. This is not social realism. It is beautiful and edgy. As our lead character says in the show: ‘So much weird shit happens in the village’.”

The title comes to market with APC Studios enjoying recent success with The Light In The Hall and BBC1 crime drama Wolf. But Boissel says Obituary could surpass its predecessors.

“The degree of excitement in the APC team is one I have rarely seen in our 10 years of existence,” he says. “Obituary comes hot on the heels of Wolf. We’re having a fantastic 2023. Both shows are unique and like no others in their respective genres.”

The premiere date for Hulu is still to be confirmed. RTÉ began airing the show in September.

Hot Picks: Davey & Jonesie’s Locker

Broadcast

Created by Canadian comic Evany Rosen, Davey & Jonesie’s Locker is a female-led teen comedy set in a high school, with a multiverse twist.

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The 10 x 30-minute series from Marblemedia is brought to market via streaming co-commissioners Prime Video in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and Hulu in the US.

Writer, actor and stand-up comic Rosen is best-known for Canadian mockumentary New Eden for local SVoD Crave, which she co-created and co-starred in with her own best friend, actress Kayla Lorette.

It is her friendship with Lorette that serves as inspiration for Davey & Jonesie’s Locker, for which she also serves as showrunner.

“This is a best friends story of kooky characters who let their freak flag fly,” says Diane Rankin, executive producer and executive vice-president of rights at Distribution360. “It mimics her life, to a degree.”

The action centres on eccentric best friends Davey and Jonesie, who stumble through a multidimensional portal built by their science teacher and hidden in one of their lockers. Having always felt out of kilter with their peers, the portal seems like an escape from the mediocrity of their lives.

However, their adventure into multiple dimensions leads them back to the same high school, albeit each time in a different bizarre, alternate reality, surrounded by offbeat versions of their classmates.

Veronika Slowikowska (What We Do In The Shadows) stars as Davey and Jaelynn Thora Brooks (Heartland) plays Jonesie, with the ensemble cast of fresh faces and seasoned actors including Dan Beirne (The Handmaid’s Tale), who plays quantum physicist-turned-physics teacher Mr Schneider.

“The multiverse set-up means there’s an infinite variety of storylines but they all tap into some element of Davey and Jonesie’s relationship that they need to work through or their relationship with their peers,” says Rankin

Rankin and Marblemedia vice-president of kids AJ Trauth shaped the concept and brought it to Hulu and Amazon, with investment from Canada’s Shaw Rocket Fund and Distribution360.

“It’s a unique play in that these two platforms compete in certain territories and are now working together,” says Rankin. “It’s been a really nice process with notes and collaboration.

“We’re creating for a 12-17 age group. It’s a space that our target buyers said there was a need for on their platforms. It’s clean from a comedy and language perspective and young adults aged just out of this cohort would totally get it too.

The comedy is a touch more sophisticated than teens would normally see.”

Prime Video and Hulu plan to launch Davey & Jonesie’s Locker later this autumn and Distribution360 is in active conversations with the BBC and Disney+.

Rankin says the sales focus is not solely kids’ channels: “The comedy will travel wider than that so we’re looking at a broader universe.”

Hot Picks: Strip

Broadcast 

The inner workings of a Las Vegas strip club are laid bare in constructed reality series Strip, made by Firecracker Films for Paramount+ UK.

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“We set out to make a compelling, glossy reality series about a group of aspirational, self-made women who are making big money at the top end of their profession,” explains Firecracker chief creative officer Jes Wilkins. “That profession is stripping and with 20,000 girls dancing there, Las Vegas is its mecca.

“We wanted to gain access to one of the top strip clubs in the world, where dancers can earn tens of thousands of dollars in one night, and we were delighted that Crazy Horse III was willing to open its doors to our cameras and give us such fantastic access.”

It’s an environment rarely seen on screen, but the film was made with the full participation of both the dancers and their customers. The 6 x 60-minute series also shows a side to strippers that has never been captured before in unscripted TV.

“This has all the best and most recognisable tropes of hit reality shows,” says Nick Tanner, director of sales and co-productions at Passion Distribution, Firecracker’s Tinopolis Group stablemate. “It’s set in an often frowned-upon, male-dominated world where women are objectified, but Strip is a celebration of powerful women taking life into their own hands, making it work for them and having fun at the same time.”

Malibu, Sufi, Natalie, Christina, Londyn, Amber and their colleagues are a cast of characters that Wilkins describes as “diverse, gorgeous, sassy, funny and never afraid to say what they think”.

While we see the punters interacting with the women, the focus of Strip is “on a group of women making a positive choice to do what they do”, says Tanner. “Each of them has a fascinating backstory.”

In episode one, we meet a newcomer embarking on her first stripping job. “She is walking into a hornet’s nest of these very experienced women,” Tanner says. “There’s a really interesting dynamic between the cut and thrust of how to make it in a super-competitive world and the camaraderie of their sisterhood.”

In another episode, we see how the family of an American-born Iranian react to learning about her job. A Cuban immigrant who travelled overland through nine central American countries to get to the US is the focus of another story.

“She commutes to Vegas from her home in Miami, so the story is very relatable in the sense of having to balance family with work life,” says Tanner. “It just happens to be in a provocative profession.”

The series premiered in the UK on 1 October on Paramount+, and Tanner says “it seems natural that we’d try to extend that partnership in various territories”.

“It is a bit edgy. It’s definitely spicy. So its best home is on streaming or on platforms associated with broadcasters,” he adds.

“We are all confident this is a highly returnable show since audiences will fall in love with the characters and want to see them again next year.”

Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms

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‘Investiture of the Gods’ is to Chinese audiences what The Lord of the Rings and Shakespeare is to Western culture. The epic novel, written in the 16th Century, combines ancient mythology with Chinese traditional arts to depict an epic historical tale. Also known as Fengshen, the tale has now been brought to the screen in a suitably epic trilogy, the first of which, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, was released earlier this year.

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The fantasy feature spins numerous dramatic plot lines and contains many multilayered battle sequences, but for Director Wuershan and Cinematographer Wang Yu, the most important job was to capture the story’s emotional heart.

“The core of the story is the characters and especially the relationship between a father and his son,” says Wang Yu. “They fight each other, they love each other, and while we have dozens of complex action scenes, we knew the story would only work if audiences could feel the passion of the performances.”

Kingdom of Storms features 2,400 shots, including 1,800 VFX shots, and was filmed back-to-back over 438 days with A/B units with the other two parts of the series beginning in 2018. Wang Yu was intimately involved with preproduction and previz, which entailed massive amounts of research and meticulous planning, including a trip to Digital Domain in LA with the director for VFX tests. Wuershan sought advice from Director Peter Jackson while The Lord of the Rings producer Barrie M. Osbourne participated in the production.

It was the creation of extensive VFX with storytelling grounded in organic performances that led Wang Yu to shoot exclusively on RED cameras.

“This is a story about heaven, earth and demon. The story needs to be grounded on earth if we are to feel moved about magic.”

The project was conceived to be shot in stereo 3D, requiring multiple, compact digital cameras suitable for stereo rigs. Although this idea was later abandoned, the project retained a requirement to shoot digital high resolution.

“We wanted to capture the absolute best image against blue and green screen that could hold up through the VFX pipeline. So, my choice of RED MONSTRO 8K VV was this perfect combination of large format sensor, ultra-high resolution capture and postproduction resilience.”

He adds, “There are so many moving parts in this production that I wanted to have something reliable and best in class at the core of everything we did. To me, that meant RED MONSTRO.”

Wang Yu’s main and second camera unit worked with up to 10 MONSTROs with multiple cameras arrayed on some of the most complex action sequences. They recorded full frame 8K in REDCODE Raw into an IPP2 workflow.

“We primarily used three sets of Leica Thalia full frame lenses because I found the image to be very sharp while the out-of-focus is soft and the color feels moist,” says Wang Yu. “I used Angenieux Optimo Ultra 12x 36-435mm T4.2 zooms to match the clarity and color of the high-resolution images.”

The production built 20 large-scale sets, including one for an entire forest at Oriental Movie Metropolis in Qingdao, and also shot on location including in Xinjiang and Tibet provinces in the west of China.

The mammoth production was made with 8,000 crew and a cast drawn from a pool of 15,000 applicants, many of whom had not acted before. This included Yu Shi, who plays hero Ji Fa, who learned not only how to act but to do so while performing his own horse-riding and archery stunts.

“In the ancient world, warriors were incredibly skilled horse riders and went to combat on a horse. Our actors trained extremely hard for months so that we could capture this realism without having to resort to clever editing, stunt work or CGI. To do justice to the strength and power of their performance, it was especially important to me that we capture this in camera.

“For all the immense action sequence and the scale of this project with hundreds of extras, the magic that the story conveys is only possible if we believe in the emotion of the characters.”

The climactic scenes of Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms were among the very first to be filmed in 2018. “After we filmed that, I knew we could bring truth to the audience across the whole of the film,” Wang Yu says. “Using the camera to dance with the actors and using images to join the actors’ performances is what I am most proud of as a director of photography. Not only to be the Lord of the Rings in China, but also to be the Fengshen to the world."

 

Studios set to navigate slowdown

Broadcast

article here (my write up)

As the post-Covid boom begins to level out, leading figures from the studios sector discuss the effect of stagnant economic conditions and the US writers’ strike

We’ve had high occupancy post-Covid and up to 92% occupancy at the start of this year – then a real downturn of enquiries coinciding with first rumours of a [US] writers’ strike,” reports Garden Studios chief operating officer Anthony Gannon.

“We turned our attention from high-end drama to entertainment and TV, but felt that was quite slow as well. Even though we had a lot of interest for pilots, many new commissions didn’t materialise.”

His comments chime with those of other studio execs Broadcast assembled for a virtual roundtable to assess the UK’s current studio landscape.

Pinewood Shepperton has long-term leases in place for Netflix and Disney, and is building 17 new stages for Amazon Prime and Netflix. “That business model sort of insulates us from the writers’ strike, but its effect is filtering through the whole industry and slowing things down,” says Pinewood head of TV Sarah McGettigan. “I feel there will be a lull before picking up again.”

Pinewood also has returning ‘bankers’ such as Taskmaster but is still finding business “really slow” for new entertainment shows.

BBC Studioworks commercial director Jon Noakes echoes this view. “The strike is definitely having an impact, although the tail-off in bookings arguably began this time last year when Netflix announced its loss of subscriber numbers. There’s a general softness in the whole market.”

While the consensus is that the entertainment sector is stable, more money is going towards feature film and HETV drama.

“Our view of the shiny floor sector is that it is steady but not high growth,” Noakes says. “It’s a valued part of the schedule but I’ve not heard any broadcasters saying quizzes and panel shows are going to double in size over the next five years.”

Maidstone Studios reported 96% occupancy in 2022, with returning entertainment staples such as Catchphrase and Family Fortunes towards the end of the year. This has continued into the first quarter with Blankety Blank, among others. “However, like everyone, I feel we are in for a slightly quieter summer with new commissions taking time to come to fruition,” says commercial director Josephine Clark.

Versa opened its London studios a year ago and already has return bookings and some new shows, and there is drama in production across the group’s other sites in Manchester and Leeds. “Everyone has felt the impact of the writers’ strike and ad market slump,” says executive director Charlie Ingall. “The key for us is to be diverse, offering space for drama and TV.”

Rebalancing the sector

The narrative for the UK studios sector has long been that space can’t be built fast enough to fulfil demand, mainly stemming from investment by streamers and Hollywood majors. Even when the writers’ strike ends, the panellists agree there will be a rebalancing towards long-term norms, away from make-do warehouses and towards quality.

Noakes says: “There’s been an under-supply over the past five years for sound stages, which meant that make-ready facilities were used. As more professional stages come on stream, there will be a better match of supply and demand. This will mean that lower-quality facilities will drop away or have very low utilisation.”

He continues: “The 100% occupancy of recent times will revert to more normal levels. Clients won’t have to book a site for five years just in case they need it, but will increasingly book as and when they require space.”

The current climate is also negatively impacting the freelance market. Pinewood’s McGettigan says that many freelancers are worried about being able to pay the bills. “The risk is that they will move out of the industry to seek permanent work, and therefore exacerbate the already acute skills shortage,” she says. “People leaving the industry is an absolute disaster, but often they don’t have a choice.”

Although layoffs during the pandemic pushed up the number of freelancers in the industry, Gannon estimates that up to a quarter may now have exited due to a lack of regular employment.

The paucity of work is also dissuading those who might replace them, he says. “When there’s a lack of commissions, newcomers find it hard to break into existing teams and therefore become disillusioned. We have to be mindful of how we treat people when they do come into the industry.

“A close-knit community, where lighting directors and lead camera operators have preferred crew, might be great for team cohesion, but doesn’t necessarily nurture new talent.”

There are numerous training avenues available to new recruits – Garden Studios has its on-site MetFilm School, with three virtual production training suites and two volume stages which it hopes will combat the huge skills gap around VP. Pinewood hosted the inaugural Futures Festival in November (and will again this autumn), a screen industries career fair that attracted more than 4,000 people.

Maidstone allows students of Kent’s University of Creative Arts to use its studios and galleries.

Versa also invites industry entrants into its facility “to experience everything from construction builds to being behind the camera or in the gallery”, Ingall says. “We all have a responsibility to do as much as we can.”

BBC Studioworks invests in trainees – and Noakes acknowledges that its scale allows it to absorb that cost better than some smaller operators. “We are all going to have to dig deep and invest in people,” he says. “Without people, the rest is irrelevant.”

Despite this, Gannon points out: “You can do all this training but if there are no jobs at the end of it, then they will probably drift back into the gaming sector – which is booming.”

Green agenda

Ingall says that Versa’s facilities are powered by green energy, which clients can use toward their Albert accreditation: “We get asked by 99% of our shows about sustainability, so it is an important part of decision-making. Sustainability is only going to become more important.”

The picture is mixed, though. McGettigan says environmental concerns vary by broadcaster and Gannon says “others scramble around after the event for information about energy use in order to tick boxes”.

He adds: “We find it becomes a paper exercise for some. It depends on who they are answerable to.”

Twelve studios participated in the Bafta Sustainability Scheme based on 2022 data, with BBC Studioworks topping the scorecard, with an overall sustainability rating of 83%, compared with an average of 59%. Gannon takes issue with the measurement criteria and calls for studios with legacy buildings in particular to be given a fairer assessment.

“I see three types of studio: historic, conversions and modern builds. All three are being judged against the same criteria. Older studios are naturally going to be fighting for sustainability credentials more than newer builds or recent upgrades. I feel like we should have more of a balance in how we are assessed.”

McGettigan agrees that Pinewood’s vintage studios have challenges: “We are working on them. You can be sustainable with new builds but you can only do your best with older ones.”

Similarly, the fabric of one of Maidstone’s studios is 40 years old, but Clark reports there were some changes it was able to make: “We changed the lighting to PIRs and step by step little things like that help make everything more cost- and carbon-effective.”

Studios are united in wanting to produce in the most economic way possible but with energy bills skyrocketing, often the only way to survive is to pass those costs on. “We’ve got solar panels on the roof,” Gannon says. “Do they generate enough power for a broadcast TV studio? No. As studio businesses we are all trying, but there should be a fair way of balancing that takes into account all different studio types.”

Virtual production has generated almost as many column inches as artificial intelligence in recent times as its efficiency and creative benefits continue to be explored. Nonetheless, volume stages are not going to replace traditional sound stages anytime soon – and demand is not perhaps as high as the hype would suggest.

“We see it as a fantastic tool, but it is not the be all and end all for a production,” says Garden Studios chief operating officer Anthony Gannon. Garden Studios has hosted more than 85 productions in two years at its volume stages, ranging from adverts and multicamera drama to TV pilots. “VP has to be fit for purpose.” he says. “We will offer to join visiting productions for script run-throughs and advise them whether it can work.”

The rate card for a day on Garden’s volume stage is £10,000, which also includes the studio’s full service. “That’s pretty good value,” Gannon says. “It’s not as expensive as it was and the market has become more competitive. It’s important to understand what is realistically achievable. Having the expertise of a VP team on site means you can advise a production that some jobs may be better in a conventional studio.”

Sony has opened a VP space in Pinewood that is primarily for training, but gives producers and DPs an idea of what to expect and test out scenarios.

“The question for many studios is: do you need to install the kit yourself or do you work with a third-party supplier that can bring in kit and technicians as required?” says Noakes. “Like any equipment, we judge whether it becomes obsolete before return on investment, what is the upfront capex and likely utilisation. VP as a method of filming will continue to grow. It depends on your economics as a studio operator.”

One of the main benefits to VP is the cost savings and reduction in carbon emissions from not having to transport and accommodate crew on location.

“The twin issues of cost and sustainability are mutually aligned, says Noakes. “Everyone wants lower energy costs. Even if prices come down, it is the right thing to do to invest in greening your studio. But this is not a competition. We all need to work together to manage sustainability and bring down carbon footprints.”