RD Studios founder Ryan Dean on their ground-breaking new sustainable studio

RD Studios, a new independent studio in the heart of London, opens it doors for the first time on Thursday 5 May.

The studios have been masterminded by Ryan Dean, founder of The RD Group, and are set to be the largest sustainable studios in Europe. This highly-anticipated addition to the UK film industry meets the soaring demand for high-end film and television production in the UK, whilst responding to the movement towards increasingly green priorities and values.

Through a high-specification build and cutting-edge technology, RD Studios is aiming to set a precedent for the future of sustainable film production.

The creative group RD has managed the £20 million construction of the studios, comprising over 45,000ft², directly, allowing total creative control over every element of the building. Made by creators, for creators, RD’s 12 years of experience in the industry have informed their creation of this intuitive, bespoke space for content creation.

When British Cinematographer spoke to Ryan Dean, he placed an emphasis on catering the studio primarily to the needs of the crew: “This has not been built by property developers to generate maximum rental yield. It’s been built by producers to try and speed up the process and have a great environment for crews who want to shoot amazing things. We wanted to give as much support to the crew as possible, for example having the truss and rigging coming as standard. I’ve spent years arriving at studios and going ‘Oh wow, there’s nothing here’. When cinematographers come here, I want them to see that we have really tried our best and given these stages a huge amount of consideration.

“So often these spaces don’t have simple things, like bathrooms, kitchens, or even running water. You don’t want to walk 20 minutes for a cup of tea. All these things were at the forefront of our mind.”

All five sound-proofed stages feature an automated truss that allows for rigging work at ground level, and a drive-in stage door for large set constructions. The studios also offer high-quality hair, makeup and wardrobe facilities on-site, as well as green rooms and extensive post-production facilities. It’s rare to find a space that offers this level of convenience for everyone involved in the production.

We asked Dean about how these stages will appeal to cinematographers in particular: “First and foremost, we’ve made this with comments from DPs in mind. We had DPs walking around the empty environment before we put anything in the ground.” Cinematographers and other crew members were shown around from RD Group and external, wide-ranging productions alike, including the Game of Thrones and Mission Impossible franchises. Dean added: “We’ve designed the space with all of these comments in mind. It’s appeal comes from it’s convenient location, and the stages are built to a much higher specification than they may be used to. The soundproofing is also impeccable, with Insul-Quilt and soundproof drapes in every stage”.

Realised through a net-zero carbon refurbishment of an existing warehouse, every decision in the studio’s build has also been made with sustainability in mind. Solar panels provide electricity to the entire premises, saving 45 tonnes of C02 emissions per year, with excess energy being returned to the grid. Rainwater is also harvested for use in toilets, saving 146,000 litres per year, and visitors are encouraged to make greener decisions by making use of the electric vehicle charging points and secure cycle stations.

Dean spoke highly of the studio’s sustainability: “The fact the building has everything from electric vehicle charging through to the solar panels on the roof and rain harvesting, those were all massive wins for us when looking for the perfect space.”

In addition, All building materials have been selected for their sustainable properties from the floor panelling to the paint, earning the studios an A+ EPC and 5 star ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating. Finally, the studios are home to a number of wildlife initiatives tailored to the local ecosystem, including biodiverse growing roofs, wildlife habitat panels, bird and bat boxes, and beehives.

Having built one of the largest creators of commercial and corporate content in Europe, building film studios was a natural next step for the company. Today, RD has four international offices and an annual turnover of £10 million. RD Studios is the first instalment in Dean’s ambitious plans to create 250,000ft² of independent studio space over the next five years.

Ryan Dean spoke passionately about RD Studio’s future, concluding: “We’ve got plans to build something about five times bigger than this in London. Not competing with the guys who are building huge facilities in the Midlands, we’re talking about a really conveniently located space. We’re hoping it can do all the things that we are trying to do here and within the next 36 months. In new York, we’ve also been looking at sites in Brooklyn, and even more urgently, we’ve been looking at places to build one of the largest post production facilities in Central London.

“In the next decade, when people think of our brand, I want them to think of us as being the very pinnacle of what a facility can be, and definitely something to aspire to.”