This is Popular filming location doubles from across England the English regions v Cover image: Steps leading Introducing a selection of filming location onto the beach on Tresco, Isles Inside of Scilly, South West England Introduction 1 ©Visit Isles of Scilly, Peter Kiss doubles found outside London Filming in England 2 World class facilities 3 Filmmaking on your doorstep 4 Ours is a country steeped in filmmaking history. England’s A vast national network… all in one place 4 wealth of diverse locations means that wherever you are filming in VisitEngland 5 the country, you are never far from a site that can double for another Location doubles around England city, another country or another period in time. With attractive tax Victorian 8 breaks in place for film and high-end TV production, England has London 20 never been a more inviting place to shoot. England's Infrastructure 30 Location doubles around England (cont.) Creative England is the first port of call for productions looking to Europe 36 America 46 film in England, outside of London. Our Production Services team Landscapes of the World and Beyond 54 takes enquiries from international and domestic productions, large Open for business 64 and small, all of whom have specific ideas and requirements in mind when it comes to finding that perfect location for their work. Based on the enquiries we receive, we have put this book together to showcase some of the most sought-after doubles in England. From Victorian streets to jungle backdrops, the English regions contain a breathtaking array of landscapes and moods. This wealth of locations, coupled with our local crews, facilities and first class infrastructure, means that England can accommodate productions of any size and ambition – which can help save productions time and money along the way. Working Title Films’ Les Misérables is a prime example of England doubling as somewhere completely different. Location Manager Camilla Stephenson said: “People might be surprised to discover that only a tiny portion of our film was actually filmed in France. There are some fantastic locations to be found in our stunning English regions that worked perfectly for early 19th Century France.” www.creativeengland.co.uk Follow us on Twitter: @creativeengland www.facebook.com/wearecreativeengland www.VisitEngland.com Follow us on Twitter: @VisitEngland www.facebook.com/EnjoyEngland Working Title Films’ Les Misérables shot some scenes at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard ©Universal Pictures Produced by Creative England in partnership with VisitEngland 1 England’s filming locations have never Creative England’s database holds hundreds of doubles for England’s wealth of locations is warehouse which is ideal for build space. Further north is American locations, from landmarks such as Ivy League campuses Manchester’s ever-evolving Sharp Project Studios. With five been in greater demand. During 2013, 800 to mid-west landscapes and New England clapboard houses. matched by the spread of studios and new, high-spec stages opening in 2014, this central hub will have over 100,000 sq ft available to TV and film production, along with productions were shot across a combined Of course England has also doubled for mainland Europe build spaces across the country, ensuring a support infrastructure including construction workshops, prop in dozens of features, not least for Paris in Les Misérables and stores, and flexible office space for short and long-term 6,000 days on location outside of London. for Moscow in Paramount Pictures’ Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. that wherever you are shooting on location, production rentals. Our forests can match any across Europe, as Ridley Scott proved there will be a world-class studio and This included over 900 days on 80 major features such as in Dreamworks’ Gladiator, while our log cabins and mountain lakes In neighbouring Salford is MediaCityUK’s centrepiece, Philomena for BBC Films, Fox 2000 Pictures’ The Monuments Men in Cumbria, North West England, have saved many filmmakers post-production house nearby. dock10 studios, one of Europe’s leading digital production venues and Warner Bros.’ Jupiter Ascending. There were also 75 TV dramas a trip to Canada. and a favourite of the BBC, whilst Leeds is a production centre including Downton Abbey (Carnival Films), Last Tango in Halifax Spread across England, over 40 studios and practical build spaces, in England’s North East, and is home to a number of facilities But it’s not only foreign lands for which the English regions can (Red Production Company) and Sherlock (Hartswood Films). large and small can accommodate productions and suit budgets including Prime Studios. Launched in 2012 - and offering full double. If your story requires the teeming streets of London, then of every size. production, stage and post-production facilities - Prime Studios’ The net effect of all this activity was a £61.6 million investment Liverpool in our North West, Birmingham in the West Midlands and largest space at over 5,100 sq ft has proved a popular base for from location spend in England’s regional economies, and a boost Bristol in the South West can supply them. There are near doubles Familiar to most, in England’s south eastern corner sits Elstree primetime UK TV dramas and independent feature films. to England’s growing film tourism industry. of Buckingham Palace across the country and even the Tower of Studios, a facility that has produced over 1,600 feature films and London has its own twin in Dover Castle on the south coast. television programmes since it was founded in 1926. The studio On the occasion that a studio cannot house a production’s Creative England’s Production Services team handles over 1,000 boasts seven stages and over 60,000 sq ft of space, including the scale of ambition, or when a unique setting is required, then one of enquiries a year with locations doubling for London and Victorian We’ve also got Victorian music halls, gothic streets, bustling famous George Lucas stage which measures among the tallest in England’s many build spaces can handle almost any brief. As with landscapes among those in greatest demand. London markets and sleek European architecture all over England Europe. Less than an hour’s drive from Elstree is the Pinewood locations and crew, Creative England is on hand to provide the from the northern edge to our south western tip. In this book we International productions often seek lookalikes for European Studios Group, Europe’s largest provider of stage and studio most up-to-date details of which spaces are available. have put together a selection of some of our favourite location or American locations and our expert team knows just where space that has accommodated productions of all sizes, from doubles – along with some hitherto undiscovered gems – to give One such build space is Cardington Studios. A former RAF to find them. action blockbusters such as Eon Productions’ Skyfall to a flavour of the rich variety and diversity of England’s cities and station used by Warner Bros. for some of its largest productions studio-dependent sci-fi epics such as Twentieth Century Creative England research has shown that bits of America landscapes that are often used as doubles for the world. including The Dark Knight and Inception, this Grade II listed hangar Fox’s Prometheus. crop up all over the country. Did you know, for example, that the is ideal for big projects. Offering extensive hardstanding, flexible So, while you might previously have pictured little rolling hills, 1940s’ Brooklyn of Paramount Pictures’ Captain America was Studio facilities aren’t only found circling London, however. infrastructure, vast production offices, workshop spaces and a thatched villages and winding rivers outside London, English actually shot in Manchester, North West England? Or that there In Bristol is the South West’s largest dedicated studio space, 15-acre backlot, the site measures an impressive 223,300sq ft landscapes are indeed more diverse than an episode of is a near exact replica of the White House in Essex, in the east The Bottle Yard. In addition to three production stages, workshops and has a maximum height of 180ft. Downton Abbey might suggest. of the country? and wardrobe facilities, The Bottle Yard also boasts a 200,000 sq ft Filming in World-class England facilities ©Creative England ©Pinewood Studios Ltd h On set for Ruby Film's Dancing on the Edge, which used the West Midlands to double for London v Liverpool doubled for Moscow in Paramount's Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit j Pinewood Studios: Europe’s largest provider of stage and studio space k Snow White and the Huntsman, by Roth Films shot key scenes in Cumbria ©Paramount Pictures ©Universal Pictures 2 3 A truly distinct backdrop that offers unparalleled authenticity, Filmmaking A vast national unrivalled diversity and state of the art facilitation; England is on your network… not only a premier filming location – it’s often the place that inspires the stories being told. Rich in history and riddled with doorstep all in one place eccentric charm and an irrepressible character in every city, fishing village and field, the English landscape tells a story One of the major benefits of filming in At the beating heart of this network is Creative England, many thousands of years in the making. a national not-for-profit company that offers free and England is the ease of travelling between comprehensive production services to anyone working its world-class studios, build spaces and in England, outside of London. the locations that surround them. Our national team operates at a local level, with experienced staff on hand to help you at every stage of your production from inception to wrap. No matter what the query, we can help you find Thanks to a network of major transport hubs situated around and access the industry’s finest locations and crew, liaise with local country – including international airports, railways and sprawling, authorities, film offices, regional and national partners to gain high-speed road links – locations are easy to access and rarely filming permissions and facilitate a smooth shoot.