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Fountain Studios To Close

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NG
noggin Founding member
Inspector Sands posted:
noggin posted:

Pity BBC OBs - who were based in Kendal Avenue for a long period - are no longer just round the corner..

That OB company that burnt down earlier in the year isn't far away though is it?


It's not exactly close...

NEP Visions were, and are, based in Bracknell I think - so not significantly closer than CTV and Telegenic (who are in High Wycombe)

Kendal Avenue is literally a road away from LH2. Close enough to almost be feasible to cable to the old scanner hall.
WH
Whataday Founding member
LCL92 posted:
Whataday posted:
What does the LH in LH2 stand for? Not Limehouse?


Being located in North West London, I doubt it. Unless you're referring to the old Limehouse Studios in Canary Wharf?


I was wondering if there was some sort of legacy in the name or if it's something more mundane. When the original Limehouse Studios were demolished they moved to what is now Fountain.
MA
mapperuo
BGT will be easy enough to hire in an OB and sat truck for the week of live shows.

X Factor tricky, They'd have to hire the OB truck for 2 solid months if you assume rehearsal requirements etc? I can see them putting a gallery inside the studio and just getting a sat truck every Weekend.
IS
Inspector Sands
Markymark posted:
Inspector Sands posted:

That OB company that burnt down earlier in the year isn't far away though is it?


NEP Visions, Bracknell ?

Er yep, just down the road if that road is the M4!

Thought it was in West London Zipper
MA
Markymark
noggin posted:
CTV and Telegenic (who are in High Wycombe)


And amusingly almost opposite each other in the same road.
DS
Didely Squit!
LCL92 posted:
bluecortina posted:
noggin posted:

I'd be surprised if Syco decided to get into the facilities business. More likely for X Factor to be resourced with a scanner parked outside (as X Factor already do for Wembley shows - and they could negotiate a pretty good deal I expect for the run) or they'd partner with a third party to kit-out LH2 if that made business sense (which it might do or might not)

Whether there was any sense in moving second-hand kit from Fountain, which I suspect will be auctioned off, is also questionable.


I'm not sure, but I suspect a lot of the major items of Fountain kit are probably on a lease arrangement, although I don't know if that would prevent it from being sold off? I wonder how much of it is even current products. Perhaps the studio lamps might be worth a bit.


Fountain's parent company also owns Presteigne, a major broadcast hire company. They supply the studio with all of their kit. Fountain only owns a minimal amount of kit - almost all of the stuff used on XF & BGT has to be brought in.


The Voice and X Factor are from LH2 next year. BGT from Elstree.

Fountain own all their own kit - it's a 'fully-equipped' television studio. Some additional pieces are hired in from Presteigne.

Presteigne are no longer owned by Avesco, there was a management buyout about a month ago. Avesco themselves have just been acquired by NEP as of last week.
NE
neonemesis
What are these things on the ceiling?

http://www.lh2studios.co.uk/images/sized/uploads/Studio_grid_CU_0378-650x432.jpg
HC
Hatton Cross
Stepping/crawling panels for the lighting lads to use whilst they drop and position the lights from? There looks to be some space between the panels and the next thing to hit your head.

With a grid of 60ft high (according to the LH2 website tech specs), it's easier to go up in height, rather than use poles to move the lights around, or use scaffolding cranes/cherry pickers.
DO
dosxuk
It's designed as a rehearsal space for arenas and the like, so the roof is designed to allow riggers to go up above the ceiling and drop motor points in wherever is needed (to then hang truss / speakers / screens / etc). When you're rehearsing the build / breakdown of these things, stuff get moved around, so having the walkable area means you don't have to dismantle other stuff just to get a new motor point in. Once you're into proper venues you're more limited in your positioning, but once it's up, it's up. The whole grid there is designed to that people can walk / work around above it without needing harnesses or access equipment.

Unlike an actual studio, there's no actual lighting rigging there. It will all have to be brought in and flown.
DE
deejay
If it moves into more frequent television production though, I wouldn't have thought it would break the bank, or be structurally impossible to fit more permanent television lighting grid equipment. This could be the start of a new television studio facility, and lets face it, there's a distinct shortage of them in London at the moment!
XQ
XQD
deejay posted:
If it moves into more frequent television production though, I wouldn't have thought it would break the bank, or be structurally impossible to fit more permanent television lighting grid equipment. This could be the start of a new television studio facility, and lets face it, there's a distinct shortage of them in London at the moment!


True, I feel it's just a shame it's so far out of central London.
HC
Hatton Cross
Err.. it's about 20 mins on the Piccadilly Line to Park Royal, and 5 mins stroll down the A40.

Far quicker than getting to Elstree or Pinewood.

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