01/02/2011

British studio behemoth Pinewood Shepperton; Framestore, one of the largest digital VFX houses in the world outside of the US; and former British Film Commissioner Steve Norris have teamed to form a new production services company.

The new entity, Apollo Productions, will advise on all aspects of film production in the UK, from film qualification and the UK cultural test, to co-production status and tax credits, as well as managing the production process for its clients.

Norris said, “With the global landscape for film and media production in constant flux, I wanted to create a production services vehicle for international filmmakers that brought together the very best of the UK’s expertise to make the UK easily accessible. We’ve become a base of choice for big budget films and we want Apollo to help productions of all sizes and budgets access the UK’s talent pool and locations.”

Pinewood CEO Ivan Dunleavy said, “Apollo will strengthen the service we offer to clients. It allows us to add yet another string to our bow as we develop our business in the UK and across the world. We are confident that the combined experience and expertise of Pinewood, Framestore and Steve will create a compelling new service to international clients.”

Framestore CEO William Sargent added: “Apollo is the natural next step for us as we, as a company, take an ever increasing role in the films we’re involved in. Our brand and reputation is based on state of the art creativity, combined with world-renowned quality and support for the filmmakers that choose to work with us. We want their experience in the UK to be the best it can be.”