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ath Of Fresh Air
eath Of Fresh Air
Now Cheltenham joins the elite ranks of British film studios
the old brown field site, he brought a keen attention to detail on his cre- ation. This was probably the result of years of industry work, rising through the ranks in films (some 60s Carry Ons, Arabesque, Fahrenheit 451) and TV to become a fully-fledged art direc- tor and designer.
Bill was in constant demand in the commercial world for
directors such as Alan
Parker, Tony Scott and
Adrian Lyne. In the recent Times/Channel 4 newspaper poll of the 100 best commercials of the last century, Bill had designed over a quarter of them, including the Smash Martians.
So he brings with him a certain flair, as well as an idea of what a film- maker might need, and how that need might best be met.
“There are 32 com- panies on the site now,” he continues, “ranging from the one man
band to companies
that employ 25 or
30 people. I’d say
two thirds are
involved in creative work attached to moving images or IT work, model mak-
ing, wardrobe. So
it’s a pukka little
film studio.”
Avoiding the costly mis- takes that were once made at Ealing Studios, Bill set about ensuring that this venture would be on a sound financial footing from the outset.
“We acquired the land,
and the first thing we did was
to make sure we were under-
pinned financially, making sure we had tenants in the buildings. That’s before we even thought about any creative work. That’s how the tenants arrived
“When I was at Shepperton, we were great lovers of the Bauhaus movement, and people like Pentagram, who had all their creative forces in one company. That’s what BBRK stood for. We don’t film anything, we don’t produce films, but the idea here is to do all those things under
one roof.”
To date the
productions that have taken advan- tage of the facilities at Cheltenham include the recent TV adaptation of Cider With Rosie, and a feature entitled The Ghost of
Greville Lodge. There have been com- mercials too, and an animated series called Merlin The Magical Puppy that is currently in production, which will air on ITV next autumn.
“The initial concept was that we would be an ideal weather cover studio,” says Bill. “When Cider With Rosie came in that’s what they wanted to do, but after seeing the programme I saw that nearly all the interior shots were done here, so it’s become more than that.
“What has also happened is that we have an indigenous film industry now. We’ve got some success stories, like three guys who are straight out of college who are based here. They are now working for Sky, doing all sorts of local and national stuff, which is great, and they didn’t have to go to London to do it. They could actually work where they lived.
“It’s also refreshing because we have a very enlightened council here, and this
being a festival town they wanted some- thing to do with the moving image here.”
The future is one filled with possibili- ties for Cheltenham Film Studios. There is now talk of a Film Festival run under their guidance, and planning permission has already been received for a new soundstage if and when it’s required.
“Initially I drew strength from the fact that
Aardman was doing well down in Bristol,” adds Bill. “I admired what they did, and thought we could do something here as well, and create that sort of impetus in the West Country. Apart from everything else, it’s a damn nice place to live.” ■ ANWAR BRETT
here, and not just lots of financial services companies either which would have been quite easy to do, but creative people.
Photos; (main) David Bill, Chairman Cheltenham Film Studios; and from top: Arle Court, the Grade ll listed house of the studios; Juliet Stephenson in Laurie Lee’s Cider With Rosie; the lake in the studio grounds; harbour scene from Merlin The Magical Puppy; the enormous “A” Stage; the formal gardens at Arle Court; Merlin The Magical Puppy; and George Cole in The Ghost Of Greville Lodge