Docklands Studios Melbourne
Encyclopedia
Docklands Studios Melbourne is a major movie and film complex located in Melbourne’s redeveloped docklands precinct. The studios opened their doors in 2004 under the former name (Melbourne Central City Studios). The site is located approximately 1.5 km from the city of Melbourne’s Central Business District
. It has an area of 60,000 square metres and currently consists of five film and television sound stages.
in 2004. The following year 2005 Ghost Rider
was the first major American
production to start filming at the Studios with a budget of almost $120 million, at the time it was the biggest feature film to be made in Victoria and features scenes involving Melbourne landmarks. Since then the studios have housed international productions such as Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are (film)
the Knowing (film)
with Nicolas Cage
and Steven Spielberg
's The Pacific (miniseries)
. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011 film)
starring Katie Holmes
and Guy Pearce
is due for release in early 2011. In 2010 feature films The Eye of the Storm (2011 film)
, directed by Fred Schepisi and starring Geoffrey Rush
, Judy Davis
and Charlotte Rampling
; and The Killer Elite (2011 film)
, starring Jason Statham
, Clive Owen
and Robert De Niro
were housed by the studios.
On 11 October 2010 the studios were re-branded as Docklands Studios Melbourne (formerly Melbourne Central City Studios), formally adopting the name by which the Studios were commonly known.
, Nine Network
, Network Ten
and Cable operator Foxtel
all use the complex. The 5 Sound Stages are becoming more common with the TV Networks, due to the closure of their own Melbourne based studios and the preference for larger and modern facilities. Television series that have been produced at the studios include Project Runway
series 2, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
, Satisfaction
series 2 & 3. Beat the Star (Australia)
, Australia's Got Talent
, Iron Chef Australia and Winners and Losers. On 25 October 2010 it was announced that GTV9 will record larger scale studio production, such as The Footy Show and Millionaire Hot Seat
from the new Docklands Studios Melbourne. Stage 4 will become home to all GTV9 productions, before moving into a refurbished Sound Stage 5 in twelve months time.
Nine Network
Network Ten
Past projects
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. It has an area of 60,000 square metres and currently consists of five film and television sound stages.
Studio history
The first film to be shot at Dockland Studios Melbounre was the Austrailan film Hating Alison AshleyHating Alison Ashley (film)
Hating Alison Ashley is a 2005 Australian comedy film based upon the 1984 novel of the same name produced by Elizabeth Howatt-Jackman and directed by Geoff Bennett...
in 2004. The following year 2005 Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
was the first major American
production to start filming at the Studios with a budget of almost $120 million, at the time it was the biggest feature film to be made in Victoria and features scenes involving Melbourne landmarks. Since then the studios have housed international productions such as Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are (film)
Where the Wild Things Are (film)
Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery...
the Knowing (film)
Knowing (film)
Knowing is a 2009 American-British science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicolas Cage. The project was originally attached to a number of directors under Columbia Pictures, but it was placed in turnaround and eventually picked up by Escape Artists. Production was financially...
with Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's The Pacific (miniseries)
The Pacific (miniseries)
The Pacific is a 2010 television series produced by HBO, Seven Network Australia, Sky Movies, Playtone and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010....
. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011 film)
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011 film)
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a 2011 American horror film written by Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro, directed by comic book artist Troy Nixey and filmed in Mount Macedon, Victoria and Melbourne, Australia...
starring Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
and Guy Pearce
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...
is due for release in early 2011. In 2010 feature films The Eye of the Storm (2011 film)
The Eye of the Storm (2011 film)
The Eye of the Storm is an Australian drama film directed by Fred Schepisi. It is an adaptation of Patrick White's novel of the same name. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Charlotte Rampling and Judy Davis...
, directed by Fred Schepisi and starring Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
, Judy Davis
Judy Davis
Judy Davis is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, A Passage to India and in the TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows....
and Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling, OBE is an English actress. Her career spans four decades in English-language as well as French and Italian cinema.- Early life :...
; and The Killer Elite (2011 film)
The Killer Elite (2011 film)
Killer Elite is a 2011 action film starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro, Yvonne Strahovski, and Dominic Purcell. The film is based on the 1991 novel The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and is directed by Gary McKendry.-Plot:...
, starring Jason Statham
Jason Statham
Jason Statham born 12 September1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels...
, Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
and Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
were housed by the studios.
On 11 October 2010 the studios were re-branded as Docklands Studios Melbourne (formerly Melbourne Central City Studios), formally adopting the name by which the Studios were commonly known.
Television
The Seven NetworkSeven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
and Cable operator Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
all use the complex. The 5 Sound Stages are becoming more common with the TV Networks, due to the closure of their own Melbourne based studios and the preference for larger and modern facilities. Television series that have been produced at the studios include Project Runway
Project Runway Australia
Project Runway Australia is a reality television show based on Project Runway wherein fashion Designers compete by making specific garments for specific challenges. All contestants appearing on the show are designers residing in Australia. The show features Megan Gale as the host, and Kirrily...
series 2, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Australian game show)
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is an Australian quiz show produced by Roving Enterprises that debuted on Network Ten on 26 September 2007. It is hosted by popular TV personality Rove McManus...
, Satisfaction
Satisfaction (TV series)
Satisfaction is an Australian television drama series which screened on the subscription television channel Showcase. It also screens in the Republic of Ireland on free-to-air channel TV3 and its sister channel 3e and in New Zealand on free-to-air channel TV2 respectively.The series was filmed in...
series 2 & 3. Beat the Star (Australia)
Beat the Star (Australia)
Beat the Star is an Australian game show, based on the British version, which in turn is based on the German game show Schlag den Raab . The series is hosted by Daniel MacPherson and produced by Seven Media Group for the Seven Network...
, Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show which premiered on 18 February 2007 on the Seven Network. The show was based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell...
, Iron Chef Australia and Winners and Losers. On 25 October 2010 it was announced that GTV9 will record larger scale studio production, such as The Footy Show and Millionaire Hot Seat
Millionaire Hot Seat
Hot Seat is a spin-off of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire that began airing on Australia's Nine Network on 20 April 2009, and is hosted by Eddie McGuire, as with the original version of the show...
from the new Docklands Studios Melbourne. Stage 4 will become home to all GTV9 productions, before moving into a refurbished Sound Stage 5 in twelve months time.
Future investment
In 2009 the Government of Victoria, together with the Studios, undertook the Future Directions project. This has resulted in the State Government committing to the Studios to focus on both the international and domestic film and television industries. Further developments to the infrastructure of the site are planned for 2010, including a refurbishment of Stage 5 as a television studio and redevelopment to the workshop. Long term plans for the Studios include a large sound stage, mess hall, workshop and retail spaces, production offices, and permanent commercial tenancies.Feature films
- Hating Alison AshleyHating Alison Ashley (film)Hating Alison Ashley is a 2005 Australian comedy film based upon the 1984 novel of the same name produced by Elizabeth Howatt-Jackman and directed by Geoff Bennett...
-(2004) - Ghost RiderGhost Rider (film)Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
-(2005) - Where the Wild Things Are (film)Where the Wild Things Are (film)Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery...
-(2006) - Charlotte's Web (2006 film)Charlotte's Web (2006 film)Charlotte's Web is a 2006 American live-action/computer-animated feature film, based on the popular book of the same name by E. B. White. It is directed by Gary Winick and produced by Paramount Pictures, Walden Media, The K Entertainment Company, and Nickelodeon Movies...
- The Pacific (miniseries)The Pacific (miniseries)The Pacific is a 2010 television series produced by HBO, Seven Network Australia, Sky Movies, Playtone and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010....
-(2007) - Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King-(2007)
- Knowing (film)Knowing (film)Knowing is a 2009 American-British science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicolas Cage. The project was originally attached to a number of directors under Columbia Pictures, but it was placed in turnaround and eventually picked up by Escape Artists. Production was financially...
-(2009) - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011 film)Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011 film)Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a 2011 American horror film written by Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro, directed by comic book artist Troy Nixey and filmed in Mount Macedon, Victoria and Melbourne, Australia...
- The Killer Elite (2011 film)The Killer Elite (2011 film)Killer Elite is a 2011 action film starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro, Yvonne Strahovski, and Dominic Purcell. The film is based on the 1991 novel The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and is directed by Gary McKendry.-Plot:...
- Frankenstein (2013 film)
Television productions
Seven NetworkSeven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
- Australia's Got TalentAustralia's Got TalentAustralia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show which premiered on 18 February 2007 on the Seven Network. The show was based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell...
- (Seven Network, 2010–) - Winners and Losers - (Seven Network, 2011–)
Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
- The Footy Show (AFL) - (Nine Network, 2011–, started in 1994)
- Millionaire Hot SeatMillionaire Hot SeatHot Seat is a spin-off of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire that began airing on Australia's Nine Network on 20 April 2009, and is hosted by Eddie McGuire, as with the original version of the show...
- (Nine Network, 2011–, started in 2009)
Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
- Talkin' 'Bout Your GenerationTalkin' 'bout your GenerationTalkin' 'Bout Your Generation is an Australian game show produced by Granada Productions which premiered on Network Ten on 5 May 2009. It is hosted by Shaun Micallef....
- (Network Ten, 2009–)
Past projects
- Between the LinesBetween the Lines (Australian TV series)Between the Lines was a game show which aired on Nine Network in Australia. The show premiered on 19 May 2011 and is hosted by Eddie McGuire and the team captain Mick Molloy and Ryan Fitzgerald....
- (Nine Network, 2011) - The Million Dollar DropThe Million Dollar DropThe Million Dollar Drop is a game show which airs on Nine Network in Australia. It is based on the U.S. series Million Dollar Money Drop. However, unlike the original UK version, it is not broadcast live, and there are several changes to the format...
- (Nine Network, 2011) - This Is Your LifeThis Is Your Life (Australian TV series)This Is Your Life is an Australian television documentary show based on the American show of the same name, in which the host surprises guests with a show documenting their lives, with audience participation from their friends and family....
- (Nine Network, 2011) - Ben Elton Live From Planet EarthBen Elton Live From Planet EarthBen Elton Live From Planet Earth was a 2011 Australian comedy television series produced by FremantleMedia which aired on the Nine Network. The program was performed and broadcast live as a sketch comedy and variety show...
- (Nine Network, 2011) - Iron Chef AustraliaIron Chef AustraliaIron Chef Australia is an Australian cooking show based on the Japanese show Iron Chef, as well as its American adaptation Iron Chef America...
- (Seven Network, 2010) - Project RunwayProject RunwayProject Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
- (Foxtel, 2008) - Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Australian game show)Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is an Australian quiz show produced by Roving Enterprises that debuted on Network Ten on 26 September 2007. It is hosted by popular TV personality Rove McManus...
- (Network Ten, 2008–2009) - Beat the Star (Australia)Beat the Star (Australia)Beat the Star is an Australian game show, based on the British version, which in turn is based on the German game show Schlag den Raab . The series is hosted by Daniel MacPherson and produced by Seven Media Group for the Seven Network...
- (Seven Network, 2010) - Satisfaction (TV series)Satisfaction (TV series)Satisfaction is an Australian television drama series which screened on the subscription television channel Showcase. It also screens in the Republic of Ireland on free-to-air channel TV3 and its sister channel 3e and in New Zealand on free-to-air channel TV2 respectively.The series was filmed in...
- (Foxtel, 2007–2009) - 1 vs. 1001 vs. 100 (Australian game show)1 vs. 100 was an Australian spin-off game show based on the American version of the same name and the original Dutch version created by Endemol. The game pits one person against 100 others for a chance to win one million dollars...
- (Nine Network, 2007–2008) - Hole in the WallHole in the Wall (Australian game show)Hole in the Wall is an Australian television game show hosted by Jules Lund, based on the Japanese game show Brain Wall. In the show, contestants are required to fit though holes in a polystyrene wall that moves towards them...
- (Nine Network, 2008) - Last Man Standing - (Seven Network, 2005)
- The Rich List (Australian game show)The Rich List (Australian game show)For other versions of the show, please see The Rich List.The Rich List is an Australian game show which is based on the format initially created for transmission in the United Kingdom created by 12 Yard. The game consists of two teams who name as many items relating to a topic as they can while...
- (Seven Network, 2007)