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48-559: The Underwater Stage is an underwater film and television 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 tank is permanently filled, and the water is constantly heated, maintained at 30 ˚C (87 ˚F) . The water is filtered using an ultraviolet system which creates crystal clear water and

96-480: A ballroom, a Victorian-style Turkish bath , and an indoor squash court. Due to its seclusion, it was used as a discreet meeting place for high-ranking politicians and diplomats; the agreement to create the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed there. In 1934, building tycoon Charles Boot (1874–1945) bought the land and turned it into a country club . The ballroom was converted into a restaurant and many of

144-405: 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. Following consultations with the local community the plans changed to reflect the community's opinions and suggestions. However, the planning application

192-616: A comfortable environment to work in, for both cast and crew. Plans for the construction of the stage were first announced in April 2004. The stage was opened on 18 May 2005, by Gordon Brown , the then Chancellor of the Exchequer . Brown opened the stage by pressing a button that dropped a car into the water tank. The stage has been used for television, film, commercials, pop videos and photo shoots. The stage has hosted: The Da Vinci Code , Basic Instinct 2 , Scoop , Silent Witness ,

240-502: A joint venture in the US with Pinewood Atlanta Studios . In 2009, Pinewood and Shepperton received a BAFTA Award for their Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. The Pinewood Studios Group was subject to a hostile takeover approach in 2011. Manchester-based The Peel Group acquired a 73% stake, but Warren James Jewellers retained a 27% stake, so preventing a full takeover. In 2012 Financial Services Authority considered cancelling

288-464: A loss of £3.5 million, mainly due to big budget flops. One of the largest of these had been Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), which was originally budgeted at £250,000, but which eventually cost £1,278,000 (the equivalent of £60.2 million in 2023). The Doctor film series, produced by Betty Box and directed by Ralph Thomas , began with Doctor in the House (1954), the most successful film at

336-403: A music video for James Blunt , and a Water Aid promotion with actress Keira Knightley . It has also been utilised for scientific experiments involving imaging sonar. It has also been used for a sport relief special called Strictly Underwater where two couples from the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing battled it out by dancing underwater. It is also commonly used by EastEnders when

384-454: A purpose-built security entrance 500 m (1,600 ft) further along the road) also features in My Week with Marilyn (2011) when Eddie Redmayne greets Judi Dench . This film also contains many shots of the dressing-room corridors in the main make-up block. Heatherden Hall (converted to production offices) has appeared in several films: it was made to look fire-damaged and derelict for

432-518: A shortfall in funds, brought about by financial overspends the previous year, Rank did not have enough money to market The Red Shoes sufficiently at first in the US, but it became Rank's biggest earner up to that point, grossing over £1 million by 1951 (the equivalent of £34.9 million in 2023 terms). In the same year, John Davis was appointed managing director. By the following year, Rank had run up an overdraft of £16 million (the equivalent of £612 million in 2023), and announced

480-539: Is one of the sponsors for the short film competition "Enter the Pitch," also known as the Pitch, which launched in 2009. The Pitch is an online short film pitching competition that invites film makers to submit a project that takes inspiration from any story, character, or theme in the Bible . The top ten finalists are invited to Pinewood Studios, where they pitch their film to a panel of industry professionals. The person giving

528-601: Is still in use. In the years that followed, he also undertook further work on both the Pinewood Film Studios and the Denham Film Studios , both of which had by then become a part of the newly-formed Rank Organisation . On 30 September 1936, the studio complex was officially opened by Dr Leslie Burgin , Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade . The first film director to use the facilities

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576-710: The Underwater Stage , and an Exterior Tank backed with a green screen measuring 73 m (240 ft)x18 m (59 ft). In November 2007, Pinewood announced a £200m expansion plan, known as Project Pinewood. If would have included 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,

624-486: The sound stages as warehouses . Despite this, from the 1950s Denham became one of the most important centres for recording film music, the studio played host to Bernard Herrmann , John Barry , Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams , among others. After the closing of the film studio, Stage One Music Theatre was used periodically by Pinewood Studios and Rank to record film scores, including for Vertigo , The Three Worlds of Gulliver and Mysterious Island . In 1966

672-453: The 1950s to the 1970s the studio became best known for recording film music, including the scores for Alfred Hitchcock 's Vertigo , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , and Star Wars . The studio buildings were demolished in 1981 and the site re-landscaped as a business park; as of 2017 it has been turned over to residential use. The studios were founded by Alexander Korda in 1935, on a 165-acre (668,000 m ) site known as 'The Fisheries' near

720-525: The American film centre in its second syllable". Construction began in December of that year, with a new stage completed every three weeks. The studios were finished nine months later, having cost £1 million (approx. £85.8 million at 2023 prices). Five stages were initially completed and there was provision for an enclosed water tank capable of holding 65,000 imperial gallons (300,000 L), which

768-1103: The Roof (1971), Sleuth (1972), The Day of the Jackal (1973), Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), Alien (1979), and the James Bond films Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Four James Bond movies, For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), and The Living Daylights (1987), among several other large productions, such as Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), Superman III (1983), Krull (1983), Legend (1985), Aliens (1986), Stanley Kubrick 's Full Metal Jacket (1987), and Tim Burton 's Batman (1989), were all produced at Pinewood. The 1990s saw large-scale productions, such as Alien 3 (1992), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and The World Is Not Enough (1999) produced at

816-458: The Studios second largest stage at 2,800 m (30,139 sq ft). Pinewood Studios paid tribute to Richard Attenborough 's body of work by naming a purpose-built film and television stage after him. The Richard Attenborough Stage has an area of 2,800 m (30,139 sq ft). In his absence because of illness, Lord Puttnam and Pinewood chairman Lord Grade officially unveiled

864-723: The United States would be located south of Atlanta at a complex consisting of 280 ha (690 acres) in Fayette County, Georgia . Pinewood Atlanta is a joint venture between Pinewood and River's Rock LLC, an independently managed trust of the Cathy family , founders of the Chick-fil-A fast-food chain. In August 2019, Pinewood sold their shares in the Atlanta location. The studio officially ended its relationship with

912-659: The ancient woodland Burnham Beeches and Black Park to Pinewood (as well as to Shepperton and Bray studios) made Burnham Beeches a desirable filming location for productions being filmed at Pinewood. Burnham Beeches was used for Robin Hood Prince of Thieves , First Knight , Goldfinger , The Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , Fahrenheit 451 at Black Park. The studios announced in April 2013 that its first film production facility in

960-673: The armed forces, the Royal Mint and Lloyd's of London were installed on sound stages at Pinewood, and were open for business for the duration of the war. The Company of Youth , the Rank Organisation acting school, which launched several film careers, was founded in 1945. The next year, Pinewood re-opened for (non-war-related) business. Two significant films produced at Pinewood were released within two months of each other in 1948: Oliver Twist , directed by David Lean , and Powell and Pressburger 's The Red Shoes . Due to

1008-494: The bedrooms became furnished suites. In 1935, millionaire flour magnate J. Arthur Rank (1888–1972) went into partnership with Boot and they transformed the estate into a film studio. Boot based designs for the studio complex on the latest ideas being employed by film studios in Hollywood , California. Boot named the new studio Pinewood because "of the number of trees which grow there and because it seemed to suggest something of

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1056-653: The best pitch wins an apprenticeship with industry professionals and is mentored on how to turn their pitch into a short film. The inaugural Pitch winner was Simeon Lumgair's Derelict (2009); the most recent as of 2020 was Oneikeh Campbell's Five Thousand Stars (2020). Denham Film Studios Denham Film Studios ( later dubbed Anvil Studios) was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda , in Buckinghamshire . Notable films made at Denham include Brief Encounter and David Lean's Great Expectations . From

1104-527: The box-office of its year in Great Britain. All of the Doctor films, running until 1970, were shot at Pinewood. The Carry On franchise began in 1958, produced on behalf of Rank by Peter Rogers (who was married to Box), and directed by Gerald Thomas (brother of Ralph). The Norman Wisdom comedies, the last of which was released in 1966, were also filmed at the facility. During the 1960s Pinewood

1152-403: The cast and crew are filming underwater scenes. This article about a film studio is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath , England. It is approximately 18 miles (29 km) west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over

1200-732: The children's film The Amazing Mr Blunden (1972) and also appeared as the Indian residence of Governor Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond in Carry On Up the Khyber (1969). The studios have acres of backlots where large sets have been built, from castles to whole villages including the Baker Street set built for Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and Godric's Hollow from the Harry Potter film series . The proximity of

1248-540: The demolished buildings, are included on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . In 2017 the Grade II listed main studio building and surrounding land were redeveloped as luxury flats and houses. The Art Deco main building, which included a film processing laboratory and cinema, is the only surviving building from the original film studios. Made on the site during construction: The first film to be made at

1296-521: The development of a new film and television studio facility in Iskandar Malaysia . Construction began towards the end of 2010, with completion expected by the end of 2012. The facilities being built as part of the studio complex include 9,300 m (100,000 sq ft) of film stages, ranging from 1,400 m (15,000 sq ft) to 2,800 m (30,000 sq ft). The first two at 1,400 m (15,000 sq ft) while

1344-480: The expansion plans. The Chief Executive of the studios, Ivan Dunleavy, said he expected to appeal against the latest decision to the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles , who rejected the previous application, a year earlier. On 19 June 2014 it was reported that Pinewood Studios had received approval to go ahead with the multimillion-pound expansion plans which would see it rival Hollywood film sets. Pinewood Studios

1392-404: The film production company Anvil Films moved into the large music stage at Denham. Led by Ken Cameron (brother of the famous journalist James ), Ken Scrivener, Richard Warren and Ralph May, Anvil recorded post-synching dialogue, Foley sound effects and music. By 1969, the studio claimed it was the most technologically advanced recording studio in Europe. Important films recorded during their time at

1440-623: The home of Korda's London Films . It was merged with the Rank Organisation 's Pinewood Studios to form D&P Studios ; Pinewood is just 4 miles south of Denham. Film makers were said to prefer Denham as a location, leading to Pinewood Studios being used for storage during the Second World War. Some of the notable films made at Denham include, The Thief of Bagdad , 49th Parallel , Brief Encounter , Great Expectations , Hamlet . Bernard Miles said that "when

1488-683: The location in October 2020 with the renaming of the studio to Trilith. Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios is a studio complex located at a 20 ha (49 acres) site in Iskandar Puteri , Johor, managed by The Pinewood Studios Group. It targets the Asia-Pacific region. Pinewood Shepperton plc entered into a strategic agreement with Khazanah Nasional Berhad , the investment holding arm of the Government of Malaysia in connection with

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1536-465: The other two at 1,900 m (20,000 sq ft). The biggest stage at 2,800 m (30,000 sq ft) will have a water tank for productions that require work on or under water.[1] There are 2 TV studios, each at 1,100 m (12,000 sq ft). In July 2019, Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios was rebranded to Iskandar Malaysia Studios and the affiliation with Pinewood Shepperton plc ended. Pinewood's water filming facilities include

1584-476: The stage on 23 April 2012. Opposite it, is a post-production block named in honour of Stanley Kubrick . The studio also has two specialist TV studios, named TV One and TV Two, complete with integral galleries, TV studio floors, TV lighting grids and SD or HD facilities. Both studios stand at just under 835 m (8,988 sq ft). Pinewood is situated on the old estate of Heatherden Hall which still stands today. The mansion, its gardens and other parts of

1632-687: The stock market listing because nearly all the shares are held by two groups. In June 2016, five new stages and 10 new workshops were opened at Pinewood. In 2019, the Walt Disney Studios announced a 10-year lease of most of the Pinewood Studios in September 2019, to start in 2020. The 007 Stage was originally built for the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and featured one of the largest water tanks in Europe. The stage

1680-533: The studio, included Ryan's Daughter , Jane Eyre , International Velvet , Superman , Star Wars , the TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth , Alien and The Empire Strikes Back . The company was forced to move in 1980 when the studio was bought by a developer. The buildings on the south of the site were demolished in 1980 and the area redeveloped and landscaped as Broadwater Park business park. The landscaped gardens, by Preben Jakobsen and utilising spoil from

1728-842: The studios adopting the "unit system", an American industry practice. That enabled several pictures to be filmed simultaneously and, ultimately, Pinewood achieved the highest output of any studio in the world. During the Second World War , Pinewood was requisitioned, and the Crown Film Unit , No. 5 Army Film and Photographic Unit , Royal Air Force Film Production Unit , and Polish Air Force Film Unit were based there. The Crown Film Unit completed many classic wartime documentaries, and Roy Boulting 's Desert Victory , Humphrey Jennings ' Fires Were Started , Coastal Command and Pat Jackson 's Western Approaches (all 1943) were filmed there during that period. As well its use by

1776-505: The studios have been used in various productions over the years. Peeping Tom (1960) shows people driving out through the main gate and has various shots in the studios (showing things behind the camera), offices and corridors. Return to the Edge of the World (1978) includes shots of director Michael Powell driving into the studio. The main gate (no longer used due to the construction of

1824-643: The studios which kept Pinewood operating. The Rank Group owned the studio until 2001, when it sold Pinewood for £62 million to a group led by Michael Grade and Ivan Dunleavy and financed by private equity group 3i , who held an 80% stake. The purchase of Shepperton Studios from a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott , gave rise to the Pinewood Group , eventually comprising Pinewood Studios, Shepperton Studios, Teddington Studios , Pinewood Toronto Studios , Pinewood Indomina Studios , Pinewood Studio Berlin, Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios , and

1872-518: The technicians, the electricians and carpenters and so on, on the floor, who had been watching a scene filmed, applauded, you knew it was good, because they'd seen the best." Colin Sorensen, who as a schoolboy often watched the work going on at Denham recalled the sight "of the main studio buildings, a great mass of, probably asbestos , grey-green roofs" and the smell of "cellulose paint merged with newly cut soft wood." The proximity of Denham Aerodrome

1920-494: The village of Denham , Buckinghamshire , and designed by architects Walter Gropius and Maxwell Fry . At the time it was the largest facility of its kind in the UK. In 1937, Queen Mary visited the studios while The Drum was being filmed. In 1946, 'Stage One Music Theatre' opened. Designed by sound recordist and engineer Cyril Crowhurst , the stage could accommodate 120 performers. The studios were known by various names during their lifetime including London Film Studios ,

1968-475: The years from large-scale films to television programmes, commercials, and pop promos, including the James Bond and Carry On film franchises. Pinewood Studios was built on the estate of Heatherden Hall , a large Victorian country house which was purchased by Canadian financier, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentford and Chiswick , Lt. Col. Grant Morden (1880–1932). He added refinements such as

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2016-541: Was Herbert Wilcox , completing London Melody (1937) featuring Anna Neagle (his wife), portions of which had already been filmed at British and Dominions Imperial Studios in Elstree, before a fire there halted production. The first film to be made entirely at Pinewood was Talk of the Devil (1936), directed by Carol Reed . There followed a prolific period of Pinewood and British film history, with Pinewood following

2064-408: Was built on the stage. As well as the 007 Stage, which is the largest stage at any of the studios under The Pinewood Studios Group at 5,500 m (59,202 sq ft), the studio has fifteen other stages ranging from just 160 m (1,722 sq ft), to cater for productions of all sizes. One of those studios, the T Stage, is a specialist stage for both television and film productions and

2112-551: Was destroyed by fire in 1984; it was rebuilt four months later and renamed Albert R. Broccoli 's 007 Stage in time for filming to commence on A View to a Kill . Another fire on 30 July 2006 seriously damaged the stage, causing the roof to partly collapse. Construction of a new stage began on 18 September and was completed in under six months. Since then, the stage has accommodated large productions including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Quantum of Solace (2008). The whole fishing village from Mamma Mia! (2008)

2160-516: Was no longer solely dependent on the Rank Organisation to fill its stages. "Renters" (producers hiring the sound stages for a film-by-film agreement) were using half of the stages as Pinewood turned into a four walls facility. The James Bond franchise began at Pinewood with the Terence Young directed Dr. No (1962), and has continued to be based at the studios since then. J. Arthur Rank (by then Lord Rank) retired as chairman in 1962 and

2208-492: Was rejected by South Bucks District Council in October 2009, following a opposition campaign by local residents, who formed a "Stop Project Pinewood" group. Pinewood appealed against the decision and a public inquiry commenced on 5 April 2011 and on 20 January 2012, it was announced that the appeal had been turned down. On 15 May 2013, local councillors in South Buckinghamshire rejected a pared down version of

2256-548: Was sometimes difficult. Mary Morris remembered that an intimate scene with Leslie Howard , for Pimpernel Smith was "interrupted 22 times by aircraft noise." Denham's final film was made in 1952, and the J. Arthur Rank Company went on to rent the facility to the United States Air Force between 1955 and December 1961. In the 1960s and 70s Rank occupied the Art Deco office buildings and used most of

2304-472: Was succeeded by John Davis, who had begun to move the Rank Organisation away from mass film production and towards more profitable and less risky businesses such as bingo and holidays. During the 1970s Pinewood studios were being used more for television programmes, including ITC Entertainment 's UFO (1970), The Persuaders! (1971), starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore , and Space: 1999 (1975–1977). Major films shot at Pinewood included Fiddler on

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