Docklands Studios Melbourne
| Docklands Studios Melbourne | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Film and television studios complex |
| Location | Docklands, Victoria, Australia |
| Current tenants | Nine Network Dick Cook Studios |
| Completed | 2004 |
| Owner | State of Victoria |
| Website | |
| www | |
Docklands Studios Melbourne is a major film and television production complex located in Melbourne’s redeveloped Docklands precinct. The site is approximately two kilometres (1.2 mi) from Melbourne’s Central Business District. The complex opened in 2004 and its primary function is to support Victoria's film and television industry and attract international and Australian productions to Melbourne. It is one of three major studios in Australia, the others being Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast and Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. The facility is in an expansion phase, with construction due to be completed in early 2022 on a super stage (Stage 6) that will be comparable to the largest stages in the Southern Hemisphere.
Background
The push for Melbourne to build a major studio complex arose in the late 1990s amid concern that it was "losing some of its media city position to arch-rival Sydney and to the Gold Coast".[1] The strategic objectives were that construction of a major studio complex would represent Melbourne's maturity and global ambitions, develop production capacity to its next stage, and service the needs of the local film and television industry.[1] At the time, Melbourne had a number of smaller facilities with sound stages, but did not have a large state-of-the-art complex.[1]
History
Construction began in 2003 on a parcel of land provided by the Victorian government in the Docklands precinct.[1] The studios were a partnership between the Victorian government and a private consortium, Central City Studio Holdings. The complex opened in April 2004 under the name Melbourne Central City Studios and that year hosted the Australian feature film production, Hating Alison Ashley. In 2005, the American-backed Ghost Rider became the first international production at the studios and, with a budget of around $120 million, was the biggest feature film ever to be made in Victoria.[2] However, the number of international productions in the first few years of operation did not live up to expectations, partly because of the fluctuating Australian dollar.[3] In 2008 the private consortium withdrew and the Victorian government took control of the facility.[3] In 2009 the Victorian government and the studios commissioned the 'Future Directions' study, which reaffirmed the government's commitment to retaining ownership of the facility and led to a $10 million infrastructure upgrade.[4] In October 2010 the complex changed its name to Docklands Studios Melbourne, formally adopting the name by which the studios were commonly known.[5] In the same year, the Nine Network announced plans to relocate its television production to Docklands Studios, following the closure of its outmoded facility in Bendigo Street, Richmond.[6]
Recent history
Docklands Studios Melbourne is used by domestic and international feature films, TV series, and live TV broadcasts, of all sizes. In 2020-21 it housed a number of international TV series - Shantaram for Paramount Television and Anonymous Content,[7] Clickbait for Netflix[8] and La Brea for Universal Television.[9] In December 2021, the Victorian Government announced that the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man will begin filming at Docklands Studio in early 2022, becoming one of the largest movies to be filmed in the state.[10] In October 2019 it was announced that Dick Cook Studios, founded by former Walt Disney chairman Dick Cook, would set up its Asia-Pacific production base at the lot. At the same time the Victorian Government unveiled plans to build a super stage at the complex, to allow the studios to host large-scale blockbusters while still providing world-class facilities for smaller TV and film projects.[11] The $46 million, 3,700 m2 (40,000 square feet) stage is expected to be open for business in early 2022. Since 2009 the CEO of the complex has been former film producer and former Fox Studios Australia Director of Operations, Rod Allan.
Facilities
The studio complex consists of five sound stages with a total area of 6,318 m2 (68,010 sq ft), various production offices, a workshop divided into bays of different sizes and parking for 800 vehicles.[12] The sound stages vary in size from 2,323 to 743 m2 (25,000 to 8,000 sq ft). They are hired for production of feature films, drama series and audience-based television programs as well as television commercials, music videos and corporate events.
Productions
Feature films and TV dramas
by year of release or broadcast
- Hating Alison Ashley (2005)
- The Extra (2005)
- Last Man Standing (Seven Network, 2005)
- Charlotte's Web (2006)
- Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006)
- Ghost Rider (2007)
- Storm Warning (2007)
- Satisfaction (2007–09)
- As the Bell Rings (Disney
- Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
- Knowing (2009)
- The Pacific (miniseries) (2010)
- Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010)
- Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
- The Eye of the Storm (2011 - production base only)
- Winners and Losers (2011–16)
- Killer Elite (2011)
- Jack Irish (2012/2016/2020)
- Crawlspace (2012)
- Patrick (2013)
- INXS: Never Tear Us Apart (2014)
- I, Frankenstein (2014)
- Predestination (2014)
- The Dressmaker (2015)
- Oddball (2015)
- Childhood's End (2015)
- The Menkoff Method (2016)
- Restoration (2016)
- Lion (2016 - production base only)
- The Legend of Ben Hall (2016)
- The Leftovers (2017)
- The King's Daughter
- Berlin Syndrome (2017)
- Guilty (2017)
- Brothers' Nest (2018)
- Winchester (2018)
- Upgrade (2018)
- Bad Mothers (2019)
- The Wheel (2019)
- Choir Girl (2019)
- The Whistleblower (2019)
- Preacher (2019)
- Shantaram (2021)
- Clickbait (2021)
- La Brea (2021)
Audience-based and reality TV
- The Rich List (Seven Network, 2007)
- 1 vs. 100 (Nine Network, 2007–08)
- Hole in the Wall (Nine Network, 2008)
- Project Runway Australia (Foxtel, 2008)
- Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Network Ten, 2008–09)
- Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation (Network Ten and Nine Network, 2009–12, 2018–19)
- Beat the Star (Seven Network, 2010)
- Iron Chef Australia (Seven Network, 2010)
- Australia's Got Talent (Seven Network, 2010–12)
- Ben Elton Live from Planet Earth (Nine Network, 2011)
- The Million Dollar Drop (Nine Network, 2011)
- Millionaire Hot Seat (Nine Network, 2011–19)
- The AFL Footy Show (Nine Network, 2011–19)
- Everybody Dance Now (Network Ten, 2012)
- SlideShow (Seven Network, 2013)
- MasterChef Australia (Network Ten, 2014)
- Q&A, Melbourne episodes (ABC TV, 2016–17)
- The Big Music Quiz (Seven Network 2016)
- Dancing With the Stars (Network Ten, 2020)
- The Masked Singer (Australian season 2) (Network Ten, 2020)
References
- ^ a b c d Goldsmith, Ben (September 2003). O'Regan, Tom (ed.). Cinema Cities, Media Cities: The Contemporary International Studio Complex (PDF). Australian Film Commission. pp. 40–42. ISBN 0958015279. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ Ziffer, Daniel (15 February 2007). "Melbourne in frame gives filmmakers flaming headache". The Age. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ a b Bodey, Michael (16 April 2014). "Docklands studios makes it to 10 years". The Australian. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ Quinn, Karl (24 February 2013). "Film studio attracts more lights, camera, action". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ Chai, Paul (12 October 2010). "Melbourne studio gets name change". Variety. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ Knox, David (25 October 2010). "GTV 9 to rent Docklands Studios". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ "Ministerial media release". Film Victoria. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "Federal Government media announcement". Federal Government. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "State Government media announcement". Film Victoria. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Victorian Premier announcement". Film Victoria. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Bulbeck, Pip (21 October 2019). "Former Disney Studios Chair Dick Cook to Make Two Adventure Films in Melbourne". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "Docklands website". Docklands Studios Melbourne. Retrieved 2 February 2017.