Docklands Studios Melbourne is a major film and television production complex located in Melbourne’s redeveloped Docklands precinct. The site is located approximately 2 kilometres from Melbourne’s Central Business District. The complex opened in 2004 and its primary function is to support Victoria's film and television industry and attract international and Australian productions to Melbourne. It is one of three major studios in Australia, the others being Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast and Fox Studios Australia in Sydney.
Background
The push for Melbourne to build a major studio complex arose in the late 1990s amid concern that it was "losing some of its media city position to arch-rival Sydney and to the Gold Coast". The strategic objectives were that construction of a major studio complex would represent Melbourne's maturity and global ambitions, develop production capacity to its next stage, and service the needs of the local film and television industry. At the time, Melbourne had a number of smaller facilities with sound stages, but did not have a large state-of-the-art complex.
History
Construction began in 2003 on a parcel of land provided by the Victorian government in the Docklands precinct. The studios were a partnership between the Victorian government and a private consortium, Central City Studio Holdings. The complex opened in April 2004 under the name Melbourne Central City Studios and that year hosted the Australian feature film production, Hating Alison Ashley. In 2005, the American-backed Ghost Rider became the first international production at the studios and, with a budget of around $120 million, was the biggest feature film ever to be made in Victoria. However, the number of international productions in the first few years of operation did not live up to expectations, partly because of the fluctuating Australian dollar. In 2008 the private consortium withdrew and the Victorian government took control of the facility. In 2009 the Victorian government and the studios commissioned the 'Future Directions' study, which reaffirmed the government's commitment to retaining ownership of the facility and led to a $10 million infrastructure upgrade. In October 2010 the complex changed its name to Docklands Studios Melbourne, formally adopting the name by which the studios were commonly known. In the same year, the Nine Network announced plans to relocate its television production to Docklands Studios, following the closure of its outmoded facility in Bendigo Street, Richmond.
Recent history
Docklands Studios Melbourne is used by domestic and international productions of all sizes. In recent years its five stages have housed Australian feature films such as The Dressmaker and Winchester, small screen projects Millionaire Hot Seat and Dancing With the Stars, and international productions Upgrade, The Whistleblower, and Preacher. Many films have used the complex as a production base while shooting on location, including Lion, Ride Like a Girl, and True History of the Kelly Gang. In August 2019 it was revealed that two major TV series, Shantaram for Apple TV and Clickbait for Netflix would be filmed at the studios. In October 2019 it was announced that Dick Cook Studios, founded by former Walt Disney chairman Dick Cook, would set up its Asia-Pacific production base at the lot. Its first two projects are a film based on the Ranger's Apprenticebook series by Australian author John Flanagan, and The Alchemyst, based on The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Irish authorMichael Scott. At the same time the Victorian Government unveiled plans to build a super stage at the complex, to allow the studios to host large-scale blockbusters while still providing world-class facilities for smaller TV and film projects. The $46 million stage is expected to be open for business in late 2021. Since 2009 the CEO of the complex has been former film producer and former Fox Studios Australia Director of Operations, Rod Allan.
Facilities
The studio complex consists of five sound stages with a total area of 6,318 m², various production offices, a workshop divided into bays of different sizes and parking for 800 vehicles. The sound stages vary in size from 2,323 m² to 743 m². They are hired for production of feature films, drama series and audience-based television programs as well as television commercials, music videos and corporate events.
