Toronto Pinewood Toronto Studios | 10m | 1s | Pinewood Group | HOK
isittimetomoveyet
Active Member
Haven't seen it yet, but as a huge LOST fan, I'm really looking forward to this one!
Pity about the show leaving too
Fair Comment
New Member
News Release posted on website talks about the opening of Filmport today.
http://www.tedco.ca/pdfs/MediaRelease20August08.pdf
http://www.tedco.ca/pdfs/MediaRelease20August08.pdf
smuncky
Senior Member
rdaner
Senior Member
Nature and cities abhor a vacuum
With Filmport available for events as well as the Automotive building being rebranded as the Allstream Centre, the amount of large format event space in Toronto is getting a significant boost. I wonder if this will boost the city's event space ranking in North America as a whole. Also, it is nice to see mixed use being incorporated in new developments.
New Film Studio Available for Corporate Events
http://www.bizbash.com/toronto/ (interesting resource)
Filmport Studios, the first phase of Toronto's new state-of-the-art film studio, officially opened Wednesday. And, the facility, located on 45 acres in the Port Lands, not only offers 250,000 square feet of production space for filmmakers, it's also a unique venue for corporate events, according to Filmport general manager Linda Ferguson. "We do host events. Our only difficulty with that is we can't guarantee a one-day event very far in advance," she said prior to the opening ceremony. "So if you need a space a month away, we're happy to do that. Otherwise it's difficult for us."
Ferguson explained that film productions take precedence over bookings for one-day events. However, the studios—which were recently home to a trade show for Astral Media and will host an International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees art display next week—can accommodate large-scale corporate functions, including teambuilding activities (think laser tag) in one of the seven sound stages. The lobbies located in the main buildings on the Filmport and Heward campuses are also available for receptions.
Designed by Quadrangle Architects Ltd., Phase 1 of Filmport Studios is the largest and most technologically advanced film studio in Canda. It is also the largest studio complex outside of Los Angeles and, officials say, it is home to North America's biggest purpose-built sound stage, which covers 45,000 square feet and is designed with flying buttresses on the outside to eliminate the need for internal support pillars, thereby allowing for the construction of elaborate film sets. "For me, I have to say that the mega stage is now my Notre Dame. It's my cathedral, and I plan to worship there regularly," Canadian director David Cronenberg said during a press conference at the site Wednesday.
Cronenberg, whose films include The Fly, A History of Violence, and Eastern Promises, was on hand to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony along with Toronto Mayor David Miller, Toronto Economic Development Corporation president and C.E.O. Jeffrey Steiner, and Filmport president Ken Ferguson. In addition to the studio lot, Filmport will ultimately include space for film and television businesses, such as post-production companies and film schools, as well as a series of shops and restaurants.
—Susan O'Neill
With Filmport available for events as well as the Automotive building being rebranded as the Allstream Centre, the amount of large format event space in Toronto is getting a significant boost. I wonder if this will boost the city's event space ranking in North America as a whole. Also, it is nice to see mixed use being incorporated in new developments.
New Film Studio Available for Corporate Events
http://www.bizbash.com/toronto/ (interesting resource)
Filmport Studios, the first phase of Toronto's new state-of-the-art film studio, officially opened Wednesday. And, the facility, located on 45 acres in the Port Lands, not only offers 250,000 square feet of production space for filmmakers, it's also a unique venue for corporate events, according to Filmport general manager Linda Ferguson. "We do host events. Our only difficulty with that is we can't guarantee a one-day event very far in advance," she said prior to the opening ceremony. "So if you need a space a month away, we're happy to do that. Otherwise it's difficult for us."
Ferguson explained that film productions take precedence over bookings for one-day events. However, the studios—which were recently home to a trade show for Astral Media and will host an International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees art display next week—can accommodate large-scale corporate functions, including teambuilding activities (think laser tag) in one of the seven sound stages. The lobbies located in the main buildings on the Filmport and Heward campuses are also available for receptions.
Designed by Quadrangle Architects Ltd., Phase 1 of Filmport Studios is the largest and most technologically advanced film studio in Canda. It is also the largest studio complex outside of Los Angeles and, officials say, it is home to North America's biggest purpose-built sound stage, which covers 45,000 square feet and is designed with flying buttresses on the outside to eliminate the need for internal support pillars, thereby allowing for the construction of elaborate film sets. "For me, I have to say that the mega stage is now my Notre Dame. It's my cathedral, and I plan to worship there regularly," Canadian director David Cronenberg said during a press conference at the site Wednesday.
Cronenberg, whose films include The Fly, A History of Violence, and Eastern Promises, was on hand to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony along with Toronto Mayor David Miller, Toronto Economic Development Corporation president and C.E.O. Jeffrey Steiner, and Filmport president Ken Ferguson. In addition to the studio lot, Filmport will ultimately include space for film and television businesses, such as post-production companies and film schools, as well as a series of shops and restaurants.
—Susan O'Neill
CGM
Active Member
junctionist
Senior Member
The dollar has fallen sharply in value recently. It closed at around 85 cents US this afternoon. A low Canadian dollar and these high quality facilities will be positive for Filmport and Toronto's competitiveness in the industry.
Dan416
Senior Member
I'm glad this thing got built. It'll be good for the Toronto economy.
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Then there is the matter of financing the films...
CGM
Active Member
I'd expect the dollar to fall further and the Flmport to be very busy next year
khris
Senior Member
Toronto film stage to get new partner
Big British movie firm to buy minority share in the city's underused facility, reports say
Dec 10, 2008 04:30 AM
Tony Wong
Business Reporter
John Spears
City Hall Bureau
Filmport, Toronto's giant but underused film stage, is about to get a new partner – the big British film company Pinewood Studios.
Sources told the Star yesterday a group including Pinewood, ROI Capital and Castlepoint Realty Partners is buying 60 per cent of Filmport.
However, the deal is not firm yet.
No one involved in the deal was talking yesterday, but a late addition to the agenda of today's city council meeting is a confidential report on proposed amendments to Filmport's lease with the Toronto Economic Development Corp., or Tedco.
Tedco is owned by the city. It holds the land on which Filmport sits, and has leased it to Filmport for 99 years.
A source said the lease amendments are needed because Pinewood has struck a deal to buy a minority interest in Filmport.
That should be good news for Filmport, whose huge sound stage in the Portlands has been sitting idle since it opened this summer.
Pinewood produces blockbuster movies. Recent films include the newest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, The Bourne Ultimatum and Brideshead Revisited.
Pinewood in fact had bid in 2004 to build what is now the Filmport studio, but lost out to a competing bid. Pinewood and Castlepoint Group then bought a site at Bloor St. W. and Lansdowne Ave. to build their own studio.
Alfredo Romano, a principal at Castlepoint, would not comment yesterday.
However, if the deal goes through, the west end Toronto studio that was supposed to be slated for Pinewood would likely not proceed, says a source.
If Pinewood does proceed with a partnership in Filmport and brings production business to Toronto, it would be good news for an industry that has been hit hard in recent years.
Spending on movie, television, commercials and music videos in Toronto peaked at $1.3 billion in 2000, but last year had declined to $755.8 million, according to the city's film and television office.
The industry was also buffeted earlier this year when the Canadian dollar soared in value, increasing the cost of filming in Canada for U.S. companies.
Source
Big British movie firm to buy minority share in the city's underused facility, reports say
Dec 10, 2008 04:30 AM
Tony Wong
Business Reporter
John Spears
City Hall Bureau
Filmport, Toronto's giant but underused film stage, is about to get a new partner – the big British film company Pinewood Studios.
Sources told the Star yesterday a group including Pinewood, ROI Capital and Castlepoint Realty Partners is buying 60 per cent of Filmport.
However, the deal is not firm yet.
No one involved in the deal was talking yesterday, but a late addition to the agenda of today's city council meeting is a confidential report on proposed amendments to Filmport's lease with the Toronto Economic Development Corp., or Tedco.
Tedco is owned by the city. It holds the land on which Filmport sits, and has leased it to Filmport for 99 years.
A source said the lease amendments are needed because Pinewood has struck a deal to buy a minority interest in Filmport.
That should be good news for Filmport, whose huge sound stage in the Portlands has been sitting idle since it opened this summer.
Pinewood produces blockbuster movies. Recent films include the newest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, The Bourne Ultimatum and Brideshead Revisited.
Pinewood in fact had bid in 2004 to build what is now the Filmport studio, but lost out to a competing bid. Pinewood and Castlepoint Group then bought a site at Bloor St. W. and Lansdowne Ave. to build their own studio.
Alfredo Romano, a principal at Castlepoint, would not comment yesterday.
However, if the deal goes through, the west end Toronto studio that was supposed to be slated for Pinewood would likely not proceed, says a source.
If Pinewood does proceed with a partnership in Filmport and brings production business to Toronto, it would be good news for an industry that has been hit hard in recent years.
Spending on movie, television, commercials and music videos in Toronto peaked at $1.3 billion in 2000, but last year had declined to $755.8 million, according to the city's film and television office.
The industry was also buffeted earlier this year when the Canadian dollar soared in value, increasing the cost of filming in Canada for U.S. companies.
Source
Let's hope the Canadian dollar's recent decline again signals a return to film production in this city. If this studio were sitting empty, it wouldn't make much sense for Pinewood to build here as well. If the Pinewood deal here does go through though, it would signal a much more assured future for Filmport and the city's film industry as a whole. Bring on the Bond flicks!
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p5connex
Active Member
How does 60% constitute a minority stake in the facility? Nonetheless, whoever owns this monstrosity will definitely benefit from a low dollar.
Regardless, I still wonder if the rest of this complex will be built - by that I mean the building from Alsop?
p5
Regardless, I still wonder if the rest of this complex will be built - by that I mean the building from Alsop?
p5
Towered
Senior Member
I thought Pinewood was building a studio in the Bloor and Landsdowne area?
Towered
Senior Member
Uh, nevermind...just spotted the other thread. I hope that doesn't mean that that lovely tower won't be renovated and re-used...