Shepperton Studios is a film studio located inShepperton,Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part ofthe Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded asSound City (not to be confused with the Californian recording studio ofthe same name).

Shepperton Studios

Shepperton Studios in January 2014
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Film, television
Genre	Film studio
Founded	1931; 94 years ago (1931) (as Sound Film Producing & Recording Studios)
Headquarters	Shepperton, Surrey , England
Parent	The Pinewood Studios Group

Shepperton Studios was built on the grounds of Littleton Park, which was built in the 17th century by local nobleman Thomas Wood. The old mansion still stands on the site.

Scottish businessmanNorman Loudon purchased Littleton Park in 1931 for use by his new film company, Sound Film Producing & Recording Studios; the facility opened in 1932. The studios, which produced both short and feature films, expanded rapidly. Proximity to theVickers-Armstrongs aircraft factory atBrooklands, which attracted German bombers, disrupted filming during theSecond World War, as did the requisitioning of the studios in 1941 by the government, who first used it for sugar storage and later to create decoy aircraft and munitions for positioning in the Middle East. TheMinistry of Aircraft Production also took over part of the studios for the production ofVickers Wellington bomber components early in the war.

After re-opening in 1945, the studios changed hands. When SirAlexander Korda purchasedBritish Lion Films, he also acquired a controlling interest in Sound City and Shepperton Studios.^[1] Among the films in which he was involved during this period wereThe Fallen Idol (1948) andThe Third Man (1949) which was shot both at the studios and on location and has been referred to as the best Britishfilm noir.^[2]

In spite of such successes, British Lion ran into financial difficulties in the 1950s when it was unable to repay a 1949 loan from theNational Film Finance Corporation and went intoreceivership on 1 July 1954.^[3] In January 1955, a new company, British Lion Films Ltd, was formed andRoy andJohn Boulting took over at Shepperton Studios. The studio was rebuilt and reopened in September 1958.^[4] The Boulting's comedies, such asI'm All Right Jack (1959), were produced there, as were dramas from other film-makers such asJ. Lee Thompson'sThe Guns of Navarone (1961). The studio's other projects from the same decade includeStanley Kubrick'sDr Strangelove (1964)^[5] and the musicalOliver! (1968), which won theAcademy Award for Best Picture.^[6]

Despite the financial ups and downs of British Lion and the changing of hands, the studios remained active until the early 1970s. In 1969, the studios produced 27 films; by 1971 this number had fallen to seven. Production throughout the 1970s was erratic, reaching a low of two films by 1979. Among the problems faced by Shepperton Studios during this time was the desire of new British Lion director John Bentley to sell the grounds for housing, since redeveloping the land would have nearly doubled its value. A compromise was proposed, and in 1973 the area of the studios was reduced from 60 acres (24 ha) to 20 acres (8.1 ha).

The studios' 1970s credits include Kubrick'sA Clockwork Orange andJimmy Perry andDavid Croft'sDad's Army (both 1971),Richard Attenborough'sYoung Winston (1972) andFred Zinnemann'sThe Day of the Jackal (1973). Also around this time, the rock groupLed Zeppelin filmed some concert scenes at Shepperton that were used in their live concert film, "The Song Remains the Same". These scenes were used to fill gaps in footage of aMadison Square Garden concert from 1973.

In 1975, the studios were again transferred to new ownership and in spite of sparse production schedules served as the filming site of some high-budget productions, includingRichard Donner'sThe Omen (1976),Franklin Schaffner'sThe Boys from Brazil (1978),Ridley Scott'sAlien (1979),David Lynch'sThe Elephant Man (1980), Attenborough'sGandhi (1982) and David Lean'sA Passage to India (1984). In 1978, rock bandThe Who filmed live concert scenes at Shepperton for their documentaryThe Kids Are Alright (1979). These turned out to be the band's final live performance with drummerKeith Moon, who died later that year.

In 1984, Shepperton Studios changed hands coming under the control of brothers John and Benny Lee, who renovated the studios but soon lost control as a result of the "Black Monday" of 1987, the1988 Writers Guild of America strike and internal issues within their company,Lee International. BankersWarburg Pincus acquired the studios, which became busy with the filming of TV shows includingThomas & Friends and its sister series,TUGS, as well as such films asFranco Zeffirelli'sHamlet (1990),Kevin Reynolds'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) andNicholas Hytner'sThe Madness of King George (1994). In 1995, the studios were purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley andTony Scott, which led to an extensive renovation of the studios as well as the expansion and improvement of its grounds, and was also involved with the filming101 Dalmatians in 1996.

In 2001, Shepperton Studios was sold to thePinewood Group, which also ownsPinewood Studios in the UK, as well as Pinewood Studio Berlin in Germany,Pinewood Toronto Studios in Canada,Pinewood Indomina Studios in theDominican Republic andPinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Malaysia.

In July 2019,Netflix announced that it would be opening a hub at the studios.^[7]

In November 2021, Netflix announced that it would extend its long-term deal with the studios. The studio's owner Pinewood Group also announced that the studios would expend approximately 1 million square feet of the new production space, with the overall studio set to comprise 17 sound stages.^[8]

In February 2022,Amazon Prime Video signed a multi-million pound long-term deal with the studios for exclusive use of new production facilities.^[9]

Shepperton Studios has 31 stages,^[10] ranging in size from 3,000 square feet (280 m²) to 30,000 square feet (2,800 m²), five of which are equipped with interior tanks for water and underwater filming. Although often described as the home ofindependent film and TV production in the UK, the studios have also served as a production base for big-budget films such asCaptain America: The First Avenger (2011), the filming for which used eight of the fifteen stages. The British TV seriesThomas & Friends was shot on the "T Stage" from 1986 to 2008, after which the live action models originally used were replaced withcomputer animation.

The nearby Little House and surrounding grounds have been used as a filming location for films such asThe Omen (1976) andThe Young Victoria (2009). The studios also have two large backlots, which were used to create two castle compounds for the film47 Ronin.

• List of productions filmed at Pinewood Group facilities – for a list of productions shot or produced at Shepperton.

• Shepperton Studios
• The Pinewood Studios Group
• Official history
• Shepperton Studios Biography

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