Film Commission Office. (October 2009) Location Newsletter

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1 Film Commission Office (October 2009) Location Newsletter I d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is David Begg and I am the Film Commission Assistant for Screen South, based at Pinewood Studios. I work very closely with Jenny Cooper, the Film Commissioner, and our role is to encourage, support and facilitate filmmaking within the Screen South region which incorporates the counties of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, the Isle of Wight and Kent. The Film Commission Office manages the database of local facilities, crew and locations which can be found on Screen South s website As a relatively new member of the team I would like to introduce you to some locations within the region that I personally find very filmically interesting and versatile. This is the first location newsletter that I intend to deliver quarterly in the future. I also mean to bring you any news from within the industry that I feel may possibly be of interest to you. If I can be of any assistance to your production you can contact me on or via david.begg@screensouth.org. Other relevant numbers within the Screen South region: Kent Film Office: Tel: filmoffice@kent.gov.uk Film Hampshire: Tel: info@filmhampshire.org.uk Film Oxford: Tel: production@ofvm.org Kent Development Fund The Kent Development Fund is a Kent County Council initiative, managed through Kent Film Office to attract film and television productions to Kent and support local infrastructure for the economic benefit of the county. The KDF may award up to 200,000 per year with a rolling deadline and is intended for projects relating to film and broadcast media. The fund currently does not support the following: short films, commercials, corporate games, audio visual fine arts projects, radio and stills. KDF is looking for applications in the following areas: Development (feature film and TV), Production, Skills and Training, Infrastructure. For more information please visit the Kent Film Office website ( or contact them via the telephone number above.

2 Hedsor House - Berkshire With 100 rooms creating 43,000 sq ft of usable space, Hedsor House is ideal as a film location. Filming is available inside and outside the property and in the surrounding 85 acre parkland. The property has undergone some restoration recently but still remains empty and can be dressed to suit any period and style. The house has been used to replicate London town houses. Taplow Works - Berkshire A 48 acre site which includes a decommissioned paper mill, warehouses, offices and two empty houses overlooking the river Thames. There are private roads available for car chases and a checkpoint style security entrance. The entire site is flanked on either side by a private stretch of the Thames, and a tributary, the Jubilee River, situated to the rear of the paper mill. On both rivers there are private jetties, acres of woodland, picturesque waterside locations and industrial backdrops. An incredibly versatile location that could double as a derelict factory, power station, old people's home, country house or military check point. 24 hour security, power and unit parking are all available on site.

3 Court Lodge Farm East Sussex Court Lodge Farm is a Jacobean manor house set in the middle of approx 200 acres of its own land. The house has seven large bedrooms (approx 25ft sq in 3 cases), five bathrooms, and large reception rooms. One of the reception rooms is approx 30ft x 40ft, the other approx 25ft sq which is fully oak-panelled. The ceilings are all very high. The kitchen is light and spacious with an Aga and a large painted scrubbed table. Set in an idyllic landscape the traditionally English gardens offer wide herbaceous borders, clipped box hedges and spacious lawns. There is a lily pond and a formal drive with iron gates and stone gate posts. It is part of a working farm which includes cattle, farmyard, stables, 15th century barn, cart sheds and a thatched cottage. There is approx 60 acres of ancient woodland with some enormous oaks and spectacular bluebells. On top of all that there is also a fabulous collection of vintage farm machinery, vintage cars and motorcycles. Court Lodge is 1 1/2 hours drive from central London and has unlimited parking. St John s Church - Hampshire Approximately 59.8 miles from central London this splendid and tranquil minicathedral is set in a cloistered monastic site. Access is via an ancient courtyard or through ancient water meadows making this location timeless. There are a number of stunning features including clean arches, an organ and a network of crypts.

4 MOD Daws Hill, High Wycombe, Bucks This location is a real gem and has just become available. Situated just off the M40 motorway at Junction 4 the site is within an hour of London. It is a former US Navy Base and contains a mix of empty buildings dating from the 1940s s, including an empty school. There are also a number of controlled roads, parking and trees. For more pictures please visit Redsand Towers Sea Fort - Apart from its obvious cinematic qualities, The Redsands Towers Sea Fort is an important historical monument. Situated about twelve miles off Kent s east coast, it was

5 built during WWII to defend our ports from German attack and housed up to 263 Navy/Army men. During the war effort the Redsands Fort assisted by the other forts along the Thames Estuary was responsible for shooting down 21 aircraft and 30 plus of the infamous Doodlebugs. The resemblance of these iron giants to the creatures described in H. G. Wells The War of The Worlds makes one wonder whether the novel was creator Guy Maunsell s inspiration for these jaw dropping sea defenses. Today the Redsands Fort is the only complete fort surviving in Kent and with the passion and dedication from enthusiasts in the area is in the process of being re-instated to its original condition. Always happy to accommodate filmmakers, the forts have recently featured in The Prodigy and BBC s Coast. However, they are awaiting their big movie debut. Contact Kent Film Office. Reelocations From sourcing the right film location for your shoot to providing local crew and production services (accommodation, catering, farm animals, horses & riders, transport and much much more ) Reelocations is a one stop shop for any emerging or established productions. Run by filmmakers Rebecca Bazzard and Hermann Djoumessi, who have 14 years experience in the Film and Television industry, the company is based in Buckinghamshire and specialises in countryside film locations, Army vehicles and Army sets.

6 There are over 40 army vehicles available - the models (from the 1980 s onwards) include all UK licenses to fire live ammo! with low loaders and qualified drivers to hand. Reelocations services have been used on many television and film productions over the years including: She carved her name with Pride, 1958', 'The Iron Maiden 1962', to 'Children of Men' - (Feature Film), 'Armoured Speed' - TV (Discovery Channel) 'A Very Social Secretary' - TV (C4) 'Top Gear' - TV (BBC), 'Ride On' - TV (C4), 'Noel's House Party' - TV (BBC 'Miss Marple, 2008', 'Midsommer Murders, present', and more recently the feature film 'Creation For more information please visit their website or contact Becky Bazzard on: and Hermann Djoumessi on: