Doughty cooks up a storm at Carbis Bay Hotel
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Martin explained: “Round World Studios regularly hires kitchen studios in London but had the desire to have their own studio. Through a pre-existing relationship, the company linked up with the Carbis Bay Hotel and Estate near St Ives in Cornwall, which has just been announced as the location for this year’s G7 Summit, to create a permanent television production space available for hire by television producers and other content creators.”
The studio, which is located in a shop front on the beach promenade, has been built as a box within a box consisting of three solid walls and a front glass wall. “The box is essentially the set,” explains Martin. “We built a stage, fitted a kitchen and added blackout/ green screen, sound insulation etc. To the ceiling we fitted Doughty Studio Rail 60 for the lighting rig which covers a 5.5m x 5.5m area. We also used a selection of Doughty’s rails, dollies, clamps and cable safety chains. And on the perimeter, we used the same system to put up a curtain track and hung a sound dampening curtain.”
Doughty’s Studio Rail 60 proved to be the perfect piece of kit for the studio. “A LOLER pull test can hang up to 300kg of lights on the Studio Rail easily. With today’s modern tech, lights are getting lighter and there is more flexibility to be creative so it really gives us everything we need. The biggest challenge we had was that we were a bit tight on space with the lighting rig – it is much easier with high ceilings, but we managed,” said Martin.
While the studio and the wider hotel is open for hire to producers nationwide and globally, Round World Studios is initially working with Plymouth based Rock Oyster media to use the studio as a hub for its regional production activity.
Eric Woollard-White, managing director of Round World Studios added: “Rock Oyster Media has just completed filming with Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc for his new ITV cookery series and is the first of three new Rock Oyster productions either confirmed or pencilled in to be filmed at the new Carbis Bay Studio. We hope to build an active production base within the county and are keen to support Cornwall’s creative economic growth.”
This is the first studio build that Mad Dogs TV have built but, Martin concluded, “working with companies like Doughty who provide first class consultation, advice and customer service made the project relatively problem free. Doughty’s Dan Phillips was a great source of information and support which is exactly what you need.”
