Pinewood Studios has announced a revenues boost for the 2013/14 financial year. The company reported an increase of 16.5% on the previous year and highlighted key developments including the completion of its new Q Stage and progress on Pinewood Atlanta Studios in the US.
Visual effects company Double Negative and India-based entertainment services provider Prime Focus World have announced a merger agreement to create the industry’s biggest visual effects company. Double Negative’s recent work has included Man of Steel and Formula One drama Rush.
The BBC closed a cove in the Cornish town of Porthwgarra on the south-west tip of England as they filmed scenes for new period drama Poldark. Production is based at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, but filming is also taking place in Cornwall where the story is set.
A former Warner Bros executive has made a major deal with a Shanghai media conglomerate that could result in more US-China co-productions. Jeff Robinov oversaw Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy for Warner Bros and his new Studio 8 venture has partnered with Fosun International Ltd.
New York surpassed Los Angeles to become the most popular city in North America for TV drama pilot filming in the 2013/2014 development cycle. The figures from FilmLA show that 24 drama pilots shot in New York, compared to 19 in Los Angeles, while Vancouver took third place.
Filmmaker Michael Bay helped secure two active-duty US Navy destroyers for the filming of miniseries The Last Ship. Bay’s first TV production as a producer focuses on a Navy crew struggling to find a cure to a deadly virus that has wiped out most of the world’s population.
Period drama series Turn will return for a second season filming on location in Virginia in the eastern US. Set during America’s Revolutionary War of the late 18th Century, the series features British film star Jamie Bell as a member of a clandestine spy ring aiding George Washington.
Authorities in Ireland are exploring their options for developing new film studios. The Irish Film Board is working with the government to gauge private sector interest in expanding Ireland’s studio facilities and enabling the country to host more high-profile productions like Vikings.