FORMER RAF AIRFIELD IS NEW HOME FOR MIDDLE EARTH
A film studio based on a former RAF airfield has said it is proud to be used by the production team of Rings of Power after it left New Zealand.
The second series of the Lord of the Rings prequel used Bovingdon Airfield Studios in Hertfordshire after Amazon Studios relocated to the UK as part of a plan to consolidate its footprint in the UK.
The fantasy franchise, based on books by J. R. R. Tolkien, has been mainly filmed in New Zealand since Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning film trilogy released in 2001.
Bovingdon's managing director Harvey Mash said: "We were very proud to secure that deal, it's great to work with the production."
In a post on social media, the studio said the show used 120 sets, most of which were brand new and built to scale.
It has previously been reported that the series is the most expensive show ever made.
Bovingdon Airfield Studios said it was estimated the second series cost $700m (£533m), with three film units working independently around the country.
It added some sets were shipped from their old home in New Zealand to the UK in 70 shipping containers.
Dacorum Borough Council, the local authority, recently described the area as the UK's answer to Hollywood.
Bovingdon Airfield Studios is no stranger to big productions - 2024 record-breaker Deadpool & Wolverine was also filmed at the former Hertfordshire airfield.
Mr Mash said: "The number and calibre of productions that have filmed with us is impressive - ranging from the world's biggest film franchises - Bond, Star Wars and Harry Potter - to war classics such as 1917, and much-loved yearly live audience TV shows like Dancing on Ice.
"Overall, there's a really nice story behind our studios; we’re independent, family-run and doing things properly, building great facilities to help great productions make some of the best film and TV material coming out of the UK."
Bovingdon Airfield was built on land owned by Mr Mash's family between 1941 and 1942.
Initially used by RAF Bomber Command, it was handed to US Army Air Force later that year and B-17 bomber crews trained there.
The site changed hands between the British and Americans over the decades until it was closed in 1972 and given back to the land's original owners.
Since the 1960s the airfield has been used as a film location and in 2018 Bovingdon Airfield Studios opened.
It was operated by ITV, who used it to film TV shows such as Dancing on Ice and Michael McIntyre's The Wheel.
The studio was expanded in 2022 and is now home to about 90,000 Sq ft of stage space and more than 100 acres of land.
Mr Mash believes the size of the studio, and the flexibility of the outside space, is what has made it an attractive destination for production teams.
He said: "We try to say yes to as much as possible, while still keeping in mind impact on local residents.
"1917 was the most impressive use of the space, the scale of the sets, the trenches, the no-man's land.
"Here they could actually build everything in a large scale, where as normally they would shoot in small segments. It gave a sense of the horror."
The Sam Mendes directed movie, which won seven British Academy Film Awards including Best Film, was shot to look as if it was filmed in one long take.
Actor Dean-Charles Chapman recalled: "It was really amazing to sort of look around the set, standing in the middle of the trench, just looking down the trench and seeing 100 people all dressed up in the army uniform.
"It would honestly take your breath away, they're my fondest memory of set."
On Thursday the studio was granted planning permission by Dacorum Borough Council to build another permanent stage to allow for more filming.
Mr Mash said: "It's definitely been growing, post-covid it boomed, the strikes in America have caused a slight slow down, but we feel like 2025 and 2026 we will be back to being busy.
"You get a huge sense of pride from it, I suppose I am quite ambitious and want to keep improving the site and what we can offer. We are hoping the next couple of years will be good for us."
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2024-09-08T05:48:16Z dg43tfdfdgfd