Film studio takeover will 'bring back the buzz'

The studios have been empty since operators Stage Fifty went into administration

A company taking over a film studio says it hopes to bring the "buzz" back to the area.

Winnersh Film Studios in Winnersh Triangle Business Park, Reading, has been vacant since April 2024, and 12 months on Wokingham Borough Council approved plans to knock it down.

But now, SCIO Capital, which also owns Wycombe Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, has secured a 30-year lease to take the site over.

Operations director Laurence McCormack said reopening the studios would be beneficial for the local community as well as the industry.

Both he and Wycombe Film Studios project manager Terry Winter worked for the previous owners of the studios, Stage Fifty, which went into administration following the 2023 writers and actors strikes in the United States.

'Signs of recovery'

Mr McCormack said: "The industry has had quite a downturn in the last 18 months.

"But it looks like there's some really good signs of recovery now, and whereas we'll be running Winnersh on a smaller footprint, there is quite an increase in smaller independent films in the UK at the moment... we're well positioned and suited in terms of physical footprint to accommodate productions like that."

Mr Winter said it was a "nice" studio that, because of the location, could offer opportunities beyond just studio space, such as scenes set in the nearby park, on the surrounding streets, or in the stairwells of other buildings.

"There's good options - [the] full package for any production that comes in, not just an empty box that you build a set in," Mr McCormack added.

Mr Winter said there was a "good buzz" around the studio when it was open, and Mr McCormack said it had been good for the local economy, something they wanted to bring back.

"There's any amount of supplies that are required to fill the gaps in to make a film, and we always encourage local businesses to be used," he said, citing examples such as construction materials, and hair and make up.

He said the park felt "dead" after Stage Fifty went into administration.

"Having the film studio back up and running it will bring that buzz back to the area," he said.