PINEWOOD STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD IN THE UK
If you ask the average person where Star
Wars, James Bond and Harry Potter are made, invariably they’ll answer ‘in Hollywood’ without thinking twice. Would you know it, all three mega-franchises actually call the UK home, specifically Pinewood Studios. Just 20 miles west of London, Pinewood has been one of the world’s most sought-after film studio facilities for over 80 years; not to mention the steady influx of TV productions, commercials and video games.
The facility features many large sound stages, post production facilities for both film and sound, an underwater stage, TV studios, a media hub/ park with over 150 businesses in residence and the famous Heatherden Hall; a Georgian-style mansion with beautiful gardens, fountain, picturesque lake, and an interior that contains a spectacular wood-panelled boardroom and ballroom you may have spied in the odd blockbuster.
When I arrived at Pinewood Studios, I was greeted by a strict security and privacy regimen; no cameras (unless cleared by a section head, which I had) and definitely no selfies! The only photos we were sanctioned to take were those inside the theatre where I interviewed two of the studio’s most famous mixers
Once inside, the Pinewood Studios lot is — to put it simply — huge. Massive aeroplane-size hangars wrapped in that season’s blockbuster imagery. Trucks endlessly motoring around the maze of internal streets and alleyways in a logistical masterpiece.
A familiar font, writ large on a billboard had me dreaming of stumbling onto the new Disney/ set and glimpsing a piece of the Empire. However, access to Pinewood lots is split up into secure fiefdoms. Entry by swipe-card is required at every
