The one place in
the UK without
a film industry
The Lake District draws production into Cumbria every year. There has never been a facility to base it in. That is the gap this studio exists to close.
Ben
Phoenix
Ben has been a filmmaker since 2005, working across the industry in a range of roles for over twenty years. In 2012 he set up a green screen studio in Birmingham — building it from scratch out of an empty 800 sq ft shell, with green room facilities and an office next door.
That studio ran for several years, producing high-end commercials, a lot of television, music videos and independent film. In that time the team worked with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and produced content for The Gadget Show. It closed when a larger facility opened nearby — but the experience of building and running a studio stuck.
Moving to Cumbria brought a different challenge. It is arguably the one place in the UK without a film industry of its own, and yet the draw of the Lake District brings production into the region constantly. There simply have not been the facilities to accommodate those productions. Lake District Film Studios is the answer to that: a small, properly equipped film studio where production companies can base themselves while creating content around the Lake District — and where local businesses, agencies and creators finally have somewhere to work.
Broadcasters and productions worked with across Ben’s career to date.
Keep the budget
in the region
Until now, anyone in Cumbria who needed a studio drove to Manchester, Newcastle or Glasgow — and took the day rate, the travel, the crew costs and the overnight stays with them. A local facility keeps that spend, and that work, in Cumbria.
- A base for productions shooting in and around the Lake District
- Somewhere local agencies can bring clients without a three-hour drive
- A reliable, repeatable setup for businesses making their own content
- A reason for local crew to stay working in the region
Fifteen minutes from Carlisle, with direct connections to every major production centre in the north.
The Clocktower,
Crofton Hall
The studios occupy The Clocktower on the historic Crofton Hall estate at Thursby, fifteen minutes west of Carlisle. There is free parking outside the door, a cafe on the estate open Wednesday to Sunday, and a motorhome and caravan park for crew staying over on longer shoots.
Straightforward
Published rates, no VAT to add, and a facility run by someone who has spent twenty years on the other side of the booking. If something in the space would make your shoot work better, ask — the answer is usually yes.
Published prices
Rates are on the site. No enquiry required just to find out what a day costs.
Run by a filmmaker
Not a venue that happens to have lights. Someone who has shot in rooms like this for two decades.
Adaptable
Four looks in Studio One, three spaces in Studio Two, and a workshop for whatever else comes up.
Rooted locally
Local crew, local businesses, local filmmakers. The point is to build a scene, not just rent a room.
Lake District Film Studios is operated by NEXI Media Ltd, a production company registered in Scotland (company no. SC749267). NEXI is the resident production company at the studio, and is available for full production work as well as studio hire.
The studio
at a glance
The key facts about Lake District Film Studios, for bookers, press and anyone planning a shoot in Cumbria or the Lake District.
Come and have
a look round
Book a walkthrough whenever suits, or drop into one of our open events and see the place with the lights on.