An ERC-funded conference exploring film studios as a global phenomenon held at the Watershed, Bristol, 5-7 June 2023 Watershed 1, Canon’s Road, Bristol BS1 5TX Register here by 18th May MONDAY 5TH JUNE 1000-1100 Registration 1100-1230 Welcome and Keynote 1 Noa Steimatsky, ‘Displaced in Cinecittà: Historiographic itineraries’ 1230-1330 Lunch 1330-1500 Panel session 1 Panel 1A: Studios and filmmaking afterContinue reading “Film Studios: Histories, Evolution, Innovation, Futures”
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Creating Miniature Worlds
By Sarah Street The appeal of ‘tiny things’ has long been recognized to satisfy ‘our desire for mastery and elucidation’. Film studios were perfect environments to demonstrate their usefulness in ‘bringing scaled-down order and illumination to an otherwise chaotic world’ (The Guardian, 4 Nov 2018). This was particularly the case in post-war Britain, as the studiosContinue reading “Creating Miniature Worlds”
‘Philippa’ arrives at Pinewood
By Richard Farmer The summer of 1946 was an exciting time at Pinewood. The studio had just reopened after the war, de-requisitioned after being used for a variety of filmmaking and non-filmmaking purposes during the conflict. Visitors to the site would have found a studio seeking to face up to the challenges of the post-war world, eager toContinue reading “‘Philippa’ arrives at Pinewood”
Film Studios conference, Bristol
Call for Papers Film Studios: Histories, Evolution, Innovation, Futures 5-7 June 2023 University of Bristol Keynote speakers: Brian R. Jacobson; Noa Steimatsky The ERC-funded STUDIOTEC project welcomes proposals for individual twenty-minute papers and pre-formed three-paper panels for Film Studios: Histories, Evolution, Innovation, Futures, an in-person, three-day conference organised by the University of Bristol, UK, and held at the Watershed,Continue reading “Film Studios conference, Bristol”
Breakfast at Cinecittà’s: Italy’s Glocal Studio Tours
By Carla Mereu Keating As recently observed in the case of Britain, Germany and France, film studio tours featured prominently in studios’ promotional agendas and attracted significant media attention over the years. Following on from previous STUDIOTEC posts on the subject, this section casts an eye on film studio tours in Italy and explores the wide range ofContinue reading “Breakfast at Cinecittà’s: Italy’s Glocal Studio Tours “
Touring the French studios
By Morgan Lefeuvre Closed to the public – which gave them a dose of mystery and enhanced their appeal – the French studios welcomed throughout the period (and particularly in the 1930s) many representatives of the press, but also of political, economic or social circles. The studio visits, often reported in detail in the press,Continue reading “Touring the French studios”
Southall studio at war
By Richard Farmer Southall studio Southall studio in west London was built on the site of, and possibly converted from, a former aircraft hangar. It opened in 1924, remained largely unused until 1928, and was converted for sound production in the early 1930s (the vagueness of some of these dates is indicative of the relative paucityContinue reading “Southall studio at war”
‘Who wouldn’t want to have a peek?’ Studio Tours in Britain and Germany
Sarah Street and Eleanor Halsall Inspired by our visit to the Bottle Yard Studios, we wanted to know more about previous occasions when film studios opened their doors to outsiders. Studios entertained important guests such as film executives, financiers, critics, members of the civil service, royalty etc., but some visitors had less obvious importance to business,Continue reading “‘Who wouldn’t want to have a peek?’ Studio Tours in Britain and Germany”
The studio as star: Teddington
By Richard Farmer Many film studios appear in films. Of these, some feature as film studios, such as when MGM-British was transformed into the home of Commonwealth Pictures in The Intimate Stranger (1956) or Denham’s similarly pseudonymised cameos in both Thursday’s Child (1943) or We’ll Smile Again (1942). More common, though, are cases where parts of studios are passed off as other kindsContinue reading “The studio as star: Teddington”
‘The rats have eaten my set!’ Letters from a German film architect in 1930s India
By Eleanor Halsall On the 21st of March 1935, a young German stepped off the boat in Bombay. His name was Karl von Spreti and he had been offered a job managing set design at The Bombay Talkies, one of India’s newest film studios. ‘The task that awaits me is huge and I hope I willContinue reading “‘The rats have eaten my set!’ Letters from a German film architect in 1930s India”
Studiotec: Film Studios: Infrastructure, Culture, Innovation in Britain, France, Germany and Italy, 1930-60 