Written by new-contact on Jan 12, 2011. Posted in On Location

First ‘Hollywood-benchmarked’ studios launched in Mumbai

Mumbai is already a thriving filmmaking centre, but the city is gaining the first studios built to the Hollywood ‘benchmark’, meaning they’ve been constructed in line with “strict Hollywood compliant design specifications.”

Reliance MediaWorks, DreamWorks’ partner, is behind the new facility - dubbed RMW Studios - that will account for 25% of the total studio market in Mumbai.

Anil Arjun, Chief Executive Officer of Reliance MediaWorks, said: “There is a severe shortage of high quality infrastructure in Mumbai and this need becomes more acute every year with the constant increase in big-budget film, broadcast and advertising commercial productions.

Anil Arjun, Chief Executive Officer of Reliance MediaWorks, said: "These Studios are a one-stop solution that blends infrastructure with technology, experience and aesthetics, and a prominent step in a strategy to increase our footprint across the entire entertainment services value chain.”

The new studios were designed by Los Angeles-based Wylie Carter & Associates, which has been responsible for developments like LA’s Raleigh Studios and Hollywood Centre Studios. The Mumbai facility has 55-foot high ceilings - the tallest in the city - as well as double walls and double ‘elephant doors’. These ensure sync sound filming when they’re closed, but can also be opened wide to enable full truck access to the stages themselves.

In addition, the facility’s fire safety specifications have been designed in line with Los Angeles County Fire Department regulations for Studios. A second phase of development at the studios will take place from this summer with the building of a permanent green screen stage and a full technical inventory.

Production bookings will take place from next week and the first shoots are expected from the first week of February. American Express, Dulux and Phones4U are among the major brands to have filmed in India recently, but historically the country’s primary appeal has been the locations on offer. This could change with the launch of RMW Studios.