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January, 2023 Queenstowns film industrys set for a major shot in the arm froma multi-million dollar production facility. Best described as a large film shed rather than a full-blown studio, itll be sited near the airport at Franktons Remarkables Park, and be able to house indoor sets, production offices and wardrobe and art departments. Called Frame, the hubs the brainchild of local cinematographer/director of photography Heath Patterson, and his family trust, whove secured a site 200 metres north of SITE Trampoline. The plan is to start building within the next few months and hopefully be up and running by October/November this year, Patterson says. Were accommodating the Queenstown film industry and just hoping it will bring more work. Patterson, whos about to file for resource consent, says hes been planning the facility for about a year. We totally need it for our industry, which is actually quite big. Productions can all be housed in one roof so theres not this jumping around between buildings in industrial areas and making good of what they can find. Hes adopting a build it and they will come philosophy. Its just under 1200 square metres, and it really is just a big space were providing. It will have a little office space to the side, but its very small. Patterson says the building will be engineered in a way we can do whatever we like with it. It can be many things, its what ever the person who hires it wants to do with it. The only rule is they take out whatever they put in. Were not providing anything else like lighting, were not providing anything Queenstown already has. Patterson says they havent specifically looked at the space as a post-production facility, but its definitely on the cards. Due to some element of secrecy in the film industry, he expects producers would hire the whole facility, but if were talking about building interior walls temporarily to split up two productions, thats totally something we could do. Well just see what the industry throws at us. Helping the industry that brought him up: Queenstown cinematographer Heath Pattersons behind a proposed production hub for the resort Patterson a former pro snow boarder whos shot for TV commercials, web advertising, reality TV, Netflix and a bit of feature film work since 2011 says his motivations to help the industry that has brought me up and all my friends in the film industry family that I know in the area. He doesnt see plans for an international film studio complex in Wnaka posing any threat. Well be right next to an international airport, and were closer to Milford Sound and Glenorchy. The extra hours travel to Wnaka could also deter producers looking for a way to shave any money off their production. Queenstowns Brett Mills, whos hired out gear to the industry since 1987, says Pattersons proposals a fantastic, benevolent contribution to the local industry. Hes in no doubt itll make a difference to producers weighing up whether to shoot here by offering a large space you can build sets in, shoot, do weather cover and potentially use as a production base. Most other towns you go to, you can find some abandoned industrial buildings. The problem with Queenstown is, apart from our yard, theres no industrial buildings available. Last year, local-based Great Southern Television boss Philip Smith, whos brought TV drama series One Lane Bridge to the resort, told Mountain Scene the Whakatipu needed such a hub, believing if it existed then, itd be over-subscribed. Last month, it was announced Target3D, a multi-million dollar virtual production studio, is a tenant in a research and innovation building under construction else where in Remarkables Park. Source: Mountain Scene
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