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Atown long associated with festivals of the literary kind, Cheltenham now has something else to celebrate... its own film studio. As remarkable as it is unlikely, Cheltenham Film Studios is a beautifully appointed site set around the sumptuous 19th century Arle Court. Once owned by the Dowty family, the studios them- selves are on the site of the Dowty aircraft undercarriage factory.
They currently boast two soundstages - a 3400 square foot soundproofed stage, and a 1500 square foot sound deadened stage, as well as the possible locations offered by the large and imposing Arle Court itself.
There are also several animation stages, meeting rooms, a lake and some breathtaking ornamental gardens as well as many related services located on site. For the man behind this ambitious project, David Bill, Cheltenham Film Studios is the culmination of a long held dream.
An award winning production designer and film-maker, Bill has worked at Shepperton, and with his company BBRK once owned Merton Park and Ealing Studios. Away from the pressures of the metropolis, he sees this latest venture as a natural progression from the experience of those years.
“The decision to come here was really made around the dinner table,” the avun- cular Bill explains. “I’ve lived in the Cotswolds since 1978, both my children were christened down here, and the ques- tion someone asked was ‘Why do you want to go back to London every week?’. That made me think.
“But there were more serious reasons. The infrastructure here is good. In the States so many of the major companies are situated outside of Hollywood, and I thought it would be nice to stand back and have a breath of fresh air rather than struggling into Soho every day.
“You can get more work done down here, frankly. You don’t have to think of things like traffic so much, so you can real- ly concentrate on the job in hand. Apart from that there’s an awful lot of talent in this area.”
Five years ago Bill set about making this audacious dream a reality. Converting
studio facilities
EXPOSURE • 6 & 7