One of the key factors that makes studying at MetFilm School so unique is that their campuses are based within working film studios. Not only does this mean that they are surrounded by filmmaking experts from all fields, from hair and make-up to post production, but it also allows students to be completely immersed into the world of film from day one.
Below are the studio locations and the roles that they have played in film history, as well as how they’re leading the future of filmmaking through sustainability and state-of-the-art developments.
METFILM SCHOOL LONDON: EALING STUDIOS
Where better for MetFilm School London to call home than Ealing Studios, the oldest continuously working film studio in the world. First opened in 1902, Ealing Studios is a landmark name in film history, having produced a collection of films known as the ‘Ealing Comedies’ through the 1940s and 50s (including The Ladykillers, Passport to Pimlico, and The Lavender Hill Mob, which features a young Audrey Hepburn), as well as the first ever screen version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in 1912.
Ealing Studios has remained a key figure in the British film industry. Recent films including Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho and The Personal History of David Copperfield have been filmed here, as well as television shows such as The Crown, Downton Abbey, and Black Mirror.
Home to five stages, Ealing Studios also houses the likes of MadDog Casting, Timeline, and Delamar Make-Up & Hair Training Academy. As well as this, students walk past The Imaginarium Studios every day, the highly regarded performance and motion capture studio founded by Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish.
METFILM SCHOOL LONDON: GARDEN STUDIOS
In 2021, they announced their new partnership with Garden Studios, a state of the art and sustainability-focused film studio which has been specifically designed to support the latest production technologies. One of the highlights of this space is the virtual production stage, a 48,000 square foot space which allows filmmakers to explore their wildest – and most creative dreams.
Garden Studios collaborate with a number of industry experts, from ProCam Take 2, to Mo-Sys. Last year, the studio, alongside two of their partners – Quite Brilliant and MadeBrave, also doubled down on their commitment to sustainability, producing a completely carbon neutral film which also highlights the use of virtual production as a cost-efficient alternative to traditional shooting.
Thomas Hoegh, CEO and founder of Garden Studios and Co-Founder of MetFilm, had this to say about the partnership with MetFilm School: “We all share a passion for talent development, inclusion, and innovation with an ambition to create a community of like-minded entities on campus. We look forward to the great opportunities for cross-collaboration, practical learning, and innovation throughout the whole production process that our partnership will bring.”
METFILM SCHOOL BERLIN: BUFA STUDIOS
MetFilm School Berlin is based at the iconic BUFA Studios (which stands for Berliner Union-Film GmBH and Co Studio KG). The location overlooks the famous Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, and has been a part of film history since the silent era, even working on one of the first ever horror films, The Golem (1920) by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener.
In the 100+ years since The Golem, BUFA Studios have continued to host hugely influential film productions, from Walt Disney’s Emil and the Detectives and Bob Fossey’s Oscar-winning Cabaret, to Daniel Brühl’s Nebenan, which was released in 2020.
BUFA Studios consists of five film studios, one greenscreen studio, eleven dubbing studios, and two mixing studios, meaning that just like at Ealing Studios, students are constantly surrounded by industry experts, with post production, set building, and camera rental companies also calling the studio lot home.
While BUFA Studios is no doubt a historical centre of filmmaking, it continues to grow and change, as shown by the 2020 partnership with MVRDV. This partnership will bring a new sense of sustainability to the studio, as MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs explained: “By transforming this important piece of Berlin’s film history, we extend its lifespan to connect an exciting past with an optimistic future.”
METFILM SCHOOL LEEDS: PRIME STUDIOS
Finally, our newest campus location in Leeds can be found at Prime Studios, a state-of-the-art media production facility. Prime Studios includes make-up and wardrobe studios, props storage, as well as cinema and events spaces, the latter making use of our new neighbours, Archive Coffee House and Bar.
Prime Studios have already collected an extensive list of productions, including The Duke (starring Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent), Hope Gap, and The ABC Murders. Plus, the Studios are located right next door to ITV Studios, where the flagship soap Emmerdale is filmed.
Prime Studios is a much newer studio compared to Ealing Studios and BUFA Studios, having opened in 2012, but it has quickly become an essential base for the growing film industry in Yorkshire, even more so since its 2016 expansion, which brought a brand new studio (Studio 4) to the space.
