Studios Spotlight – Behind the scenes at Patchway Studios, Bristol
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The latest focus in our Spotlight series is Patchway Studios in north Bristol, a relative newcomer to the physical production landscape but one with big plans for expansion already in place.
In our latest Q&A, we asked Monty at Patchway Studios about the large-scale HETV production the facility recently hosted, and how consulting with experienced HoDs lends insight and expertise to plans for the future.
How did the studio come about?
Patchway Studios began life as a refrigeration warehouse – inherently dark, thick-walled and boasting a hefty power supply, it had the essential production space A-lister credentials, ready to be the star of its own show.
We opened for business in May 2022, when SG Capital Partners [the main backers of Patchway Studios] provided space for an HETV show. Since then, adjustments have been made to ready the site for future productions looking to make the most of what the region around Bristol has to offer.
In recent months, SG Capital Partners has appointed industry experts to its Advisory Board which demonstrates its commitment to further investment in this bustling corner of the UK.
Can you tell us about any productions you have recently hosted?
Most recently we hosted the HETV production The Winter King for Bad Wolf / Sony Pictures, a large-scale, 10-part adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s The Warlord Chronicles, based on Arthurian legend.
The show will be released this autumn (initially in the US and then on ITVX in the UK) and will clearly showcase the many locations featured across the South West and South Wales.
Set build for The Winter King
It was a major operation which saw the team transform our vast space into a staggering Saxon world (both internally and externally on our backlot), thanks to production designer James North and his team.
What would you say are your studio’s standout offerings?
We could talk all day about the benefits productions enjoy when choosing Patchway Studios! But, if we were to identify three offerings, we’d say: location, plentiful flexible space and industry approval.
Location because we’re just minutes away from the M4/M5 interchange, a super short drive away from Bristol Parkway Railway Station (connecting London-based teams to our facilities in just a 75-min journey every half-hour) and the breathtaking, diverse locations within a very easy reach. It is also perfectly placed to make the most of nearby, often award-winning hospitality provision – hotels, restaurants and bars…
Space because we have 10,000 sq ft of production-ready flexible space, with more literally around the corner…
Industry approval, because we’ve connected with many of the talented crew based locally and they’ve shared some solid feedback about what we have on offer to teams opting to call Patchway Studios home…
You recently announced major expansion plans – can you elaborate?
Patchway Studios is the first site in an international investment strategy for SG Capital Partners, with plans to expand to other sites in the UK and Europe.
We are aiming to expand our operations in north Bristol to around 180,000 sq ft of stage space and a similar amount of ancillary space to complement, over multiple phases during the next four years. This will drive fantastic job creation for the local industry and residents, which will help to deepen the skill base.
We’re working on our plans with the local authorities responsible for economic development and industry organisations such as the British Film Commission.
You are consulting with three well-known UK HoDs about the plans – what does that lend to the facility and future plans?
Having an advisory board made up of working industry professionals [including Bristol-based production experts, location manager Poppy Gordon Clark, location manager Monty Till and production designer James North] is invaluable to our operations at Patchway.
Their insight and up-to-date experience of all things production enables us to ensure our offering is aligned with the expectations and needs of the production teams who come to us. We know which way the industry is leaning and are nimble and ready to address those requirements.
In addition, our industry experts aid us in balancing our commercial operations, systems and processes against the swift, sometimes immediate calls from the sector, as we understand the rationale behind some of those less conventional, more ‘film-centric’ requirements.
One example of how their insider knowledge informs our developments (and ultimately best serves the industry in which we operate) would be when reviewing site-layout options and the composition of differing spaces across a site, and discussing ways to make operations more environmentally friendly.
They can advise us on exactly how much space a costume designer might need or how many make-up articulated trailers would fit in a certain space, for example.
With many thanks to Monty and the team at Patchway Studios for their help in compiling this article.
All images courtesy of Patchway Studios.
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