PINEWOOD SHEPPERTON STUDIOS

Britains' Pinewood Shepperton Studios Ltd. has won a successful bid, to build a $150 million Toronto studio, designed specifically for blockbuster film productions.

Michael Grade, Pinewood Shepperton's executive chairman, and producer-directors Ridley and Tony Scott, who are co-chairmen (from Shepperton Studios) said they will launch their North American studio operations in Toronto in 2004.

"Toronto has everything ..." Grade said at a Toronto news conference. "What was missing was that central focal point -- the big facility. And at long last it's going to happen."

Following 2 years of negotiations and lobbying by the Toronto film community, the successful Pinewood Studios consortium includes San Diego-based real estate developer Sequence Development Group, a specialist in worldwide campuslike construction for such companies as Nortel Networks and Cisco Systems, and Canada-based Shoot City Studios, a long-established Canadian film-TV production company that will handle marketing.

Situated 20 miles west of London, Pinewood Studios was originally 'Heatherden Hall', a Victorian estate with spectacular grounds. The property was purchased by Canadian financier, Lt. Col. Grant Morden who transformed the mansion into a showpiece, adding a huge ballroom and Turkish bath. In the early 1930's, Heatherden Hall became a retreat and private meeting place for politicians and diplomats. When Morden died in 1934 the property was purchased at auction by Charles Boot, a builder with movie ambitions, determined to establish a British studio. The vast pine trees on the grounds inspired him to re-name the estate Pinewood. In 1935 Boot met J. Arthur Rank (later Lord Rank) and they became partners in the Pinewoods studio project. In December of that year, construction began. The studios were finished nine months later. The first production to be made entirely at Pinewood was 'Talk Of The Devil', directed by Carol Reed. Boots dream had cost close to $3 million, but by 1936 Pinewood was leading the film industry through what was regarded as the unit system, enabling several pictures to be filmed at once. During the Second World War, Pinewood was requisitioned by the armed forces. Subsequently in 1942 the Army Film Production Unit was based there. That unit disbanded Christmas 1945. In 1947, six major films were produced at Pinewood, including 'Oliver Twist', directed by David Lean, and the million dollar production of 'The Red Shoes', a landmark in British film making for its use of color.

In recent years, a tradition of technological excellence has been achieved at Pinewood, with production of films such as the 'James Bond' franchise, 'Superman', 'Aliens', 'Batman', 'Interview with the Vampire', 'Mission : Impossible', 'The Fifth Element' and 'Tomb Raider'. Early in 2001, Pinewood Studios and Shepperton Studios (Ridley and Tony Scott) completed a successful merger.


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		RIDLEY SCOTT'S PINEWOOD STUDIOS IN SUCCESSFUL BID TO BUILD TORONTO MEGASTUDIO Britains' Pinewood Shepperton Studios Ltd. has won a successful bid, to build a $150 million Toronto studio, designed specifically for blockbuster film productions. Michael Grade, Pinewood Shepperton's executive chairman, and producer-directors Ridley and Tony Scott, who are co-chairmen (from Shepperton Studios) said they will launch their North American studio operations in Toronto in 2004. "Toronto has everything ..." Grade said at a Toronto news conference. "What was missing was that central focal point -- the big facility. And at long last it's going to happen." Following 2 years of negotiations and lobbying by the Toronto film community, the successful Pinewood Studios consortium includes San Diego-based real estate developer Sequence Development Group, a specialist in worldwide campuslike construction for such companies as Nortel Networks and Cisco Systems, and Canada-based Shoot City Studios, a long-established Canadian film-TV production company that will handle marketing. THE HISTORY OF PINEWOOD SHEPPERTON STUDIOS Situated 20 miles west of London, Pinewood Studios was originally 'Heatherden Hall', a Victorian estate with spectacular grounds. The property was purchased by Canadian financier, Lt. Col. Grant Morden who transformed the mansion into a showpiece, adding a huge ballroom and Turkish bath. In the early 1930's, Heatherden Hall became a retreat and private meeting place for politicians and diplomats. When Morden died in 1934 the property was purchased at auction by Charles Boot, a builder with movie ambitions, determined to establish a British studio. The vast pine trees on the grounds inspired him to re-name the estate Pinewood. In 1935 Boot met J. Arthur Rank (later Lord Rank) and they became partners in the Pinewoods studio project. In December of that year, construction began. The studios were finished nine months later. The first production to be made entirely at Pinewood was 'Talk Of The Devil', directed by Carol Reed. Boots dream had cost close to $3 million, but by 1936 Pinewood was leading the film industry through what was regarded as the unit system, enabling several pictures to be filmed at once. During the Second World War, Pinewood was requisitioned by the armed forces. Subsequently in 1942 the Army Film Production Unit was based there. That unit disbanded Christmas 1945. In 1947, six major films were produced at Pinewood, including 'Oliver Twist', directed by David Lean, and the million dollar production of 'The Red Shoes', a landmark in British film making for its use of color. In recent years, a tradition of technological excellence has been achieved at Pinewood, with production of films such as the 'James Bond' franchise, 'Superman', 'Aliens', 'Batman', 'Interview with the Vampire', 'Mission : Impossible', 'The Fifth Element' and 'Tomb Raider'. Early in 2001, Pinewood Studios and Shepperton Studios (Ridley and Tony Scott) completed a successful merger.