Two new sound stages are taking shape at Kumeu Film Studios and construction is due for completion early in 2018.
The studio spaces – which are being funded by the private land owner of the 27ha site – have a footprint of 2336 sqm each and an internal height of 14m clear to the lighting grid, making them New Zealand’s largest purpose-built sound stages.
As towering pre-fabricated concrete slabs and metal trusses make their way onto the site, the skeleton frame is quickly morphing into a solid addition to Auckland’s screen landscape.
The development is an exciting addition to the city’s screen infrastructure portfolio and has been made possible by a landmark four-way partnership between Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) on behalf of Auckland Council, the New Zealand Film Commission (on behalf of the Government), the owner of site, and the two international studios – Warner Bros and Gravity Pictures – which invested in the site’s development to enable it to be used for production of the feature film MEG.
The new concrete structures complement existing buildings converted over the past 18 months into a fully-fledged international-class film studio.
The site is also home to a 4.9m deep covered dive tank and 40m wide ocean tank, built for MEG, due for release in 2018.
The legacy created by leaving behind those assets helped Warner Bros and Gravity qualify for the 5 per cent ‘uplift’ available as part of the Government’s screen grant programme.