Island Studios, London (2026)

20/04/2026

Join us and Racquet Studios for an exclusive open house at Black Island! This is your chance to explore our stages, see live demos of next-gen virtual production technology, and meet the team making it all happen for your next production. Tap the link below to register! 🎥

https://pvlink.net/3Owgpyy

13/02/2026

We are proud to announce that Racquet Studios has announced an exclusive service agreement with Island Studios! This agreement makes Racquet the sole provider for virtual production (VP) services across Island Studios’ stages in its West London complex, and Racquet’s equipment in London and Buckinghamshire is exclusively available at Island Studios.

This integration provides a seamless, high-end bridge between traditional filmmaking and virtual environments, allowing productions at Island Studios to scale their technical requirements with a single, trusted partner. Racquet Studios’ service offering focuses on flexibility, allowing productions to utilise VP as a standalone solution or as a complement to traditional sets.

Click the link below to book a sound stage for your production today! 🎥
https://pvlink.net/46PPd3z

29/01/2026

“We wanted a look reminiscent of classic Bob Fosse films without becoming overly nostalgic or pastiched, so we pushed Kodak 5217 and added a Cyan 20 to give the video its own feeling,” says cinematographer Jeremy Valender, who shot Wolf Alice's ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’. The vivacious music video was shot with Primo Primes lenses on Dukes Island stage, supported by Island Studios, Panalux, and Panavision London.

“We used Primo zooms to lean us toward a period accurate look without the image falling apart,” Valender continues. “[Director] Colin Solal Cardo wanted the video to be emotive and to add to the choreography with its nods to Bob Fosse, and Panavision & Panalux really helped out with the equipment to see this through. Primos are always a creative and tough proposition as everyone is pushing hard to stretch resources, and I always feel my gaffer Greg Probert and I can always rely on the lighting and camera departments to help us out. Not only with equipment but with the depth of knowledge with the individuals we speak to.”

27/01/2026

Cinematographer Joe Douglas takes us behind the scenes of the vibrant & comical spot for Ariel One and Done. Shot with Primo Primes lenses on the Dukes Island stage, supported by Island Studios, Panalux, and Panavision London.

“A super fun project working with long time collaborator Sye Allen, we shot over 5 days on both studio builds and on location,” Douglas tells us. “The motif nature of the spot meant we had a wide variety of locations, including a working pig pen! While stretching the project across both studio and location and also being such a variety of shots and locations, Panalux and Panavision were very supportive in getting us all we needed. Then helping us get that kit actually into location, supplying the tools we needed for the farm location, including a mobile crane base. The wide variety of kit that Panalux supplies also helped us when having a huge variety of different locations, requiring different lighting needs.”

14/01/2026

Come behind the scenes with us on Uber Eats' ‘Evil’d Enough’ spot from OPositive Films and Mother London, serviced by Black Island Studios and Panalux London.

The spot’s gaffer Julian White tells us, “One of the three sets designed by the excellent Andy Kelly was a brutalist science fiction monolith on a planet in a distant galaxy – dark grey walls and vast rooms lit from a large single aperture. We decided to hang 6 Vortex V8 fixtures on three separate ladder beams behind a 20’ x 20’ half gridcloth with a soft egg crate, lent at a 60 degree angle into the centre of the set. Large 20x20 black solids hung on either side cut any spill, and both open sides of the set were created with further blackouts. The second, a long corridor, had a single slot window running down one side. We used a run of Vortex V8’s with no diffusion to create a sharp endless line of directional light. It worked perfectly, enhancing both the architecture and the frames composition.”

“It was lovely to work at Black Island and do a decent sized set build in London, allowing me to work with my long-time collaborators art director Ashley Dando and prop master Jason Bradley, who are the best to do it,” production designer Andy Kelly tells us. “Our director David Shane wanted to really lean into the cinematic version of this script, and after showing him some thoughts and references, we thankfully landed on moody single source lighting style and minimalist brutalist looking design. We were lucky to have Verity Hawkes tying it all together with her beautifully designed costumes.”

"It was an exciting job to be a part of,” says cinematographer Sebastian Blenkov. “The visual approach came from the incredible Andy Kelly before I was attached to the project, and it was such a great collaboration with him. It was important though for David, Andy and myself to keep the spot in a very cold, soft, dark grey environment until he finally gets into a more warm environment for the final. The main idea was to have this soft key light coming from the big light shafts, no visible windows at all. We were shooting with four cameras at the same time so we didn’t want any lights on the floor and wanted to be able to move quickly."

22/12/2025

“Clean frames, calm chaos, and a team that knows how to make magic happen,” says The Vigilante Group about their festive spot for Debenhams, shot at Black Island Studios with production design by Jade Mortimer ✨

19/12/2025

Gaffer Sam Alberg and Production Designer Gini Godwin take us behind the scenes of Prodigious London's 'Chips Ahoy x Stranger Things', directed by Willum Mcgregor and shot at Dukes Island Studios, Green Stage.

Gaffer Sam Alberg:
"Chips Ahoy was all quite simple really. Gini did such a good job, with so many textures and interesting practicals, that it was all quite easy for lighting for myself and the DP Sam [Heasman].

We had Tungsten Molebeams on stands outside of the windows for our day vibe, combined with extra beams provided by Nanlux 900Cs where we needed an extra splash, with a soft box of Creamsource Vortexs through Magic Cloth above us.

Then, for our Underneath look, we had rows of Vortex 8s outside of the windows, along with Asteras under the soft box, that were all pixellated by our Desk Op Ed Riley, so that we could do lightning flashes and movement across the windows if needed. We then added an FDU flicking the trip for the old telly and we were there."

Production Designer Gini Godwin:
“We very much used the Stranger Things set as inspo but I managed to go to my favourite wallpaper store which does vintage original wallpapers, so the one you see is from late '60s/early '70s, as we wanted an aged feel for '80s America. Palette wise, we drew from the show but also wanted to add in the Chips Ahoy blue and red without it popping too much for the client.

For this one, we did a lot of renders for the client, so nothing was a surprise at all. Window size and placement was very specific for the amount of light we needed for the shots and practicals were chosen specifically also. The only challenge was the redress for the upside down world, but even that was super fun to do as we were prepped and ready to go.

Honestly, I loved every moment of this one. We had such fun creating this—the colours and textures were already there, but we were allowed to add our own bits—dinosaurs, rugs, playful elements—so it really was a great experience all round. I love working with [director] Will director and both Sams [Heasman & Alberg]. Good vibes all round.”

17/12/2025

DOP David Foulkes, gaffer Harrison Newman & grip Jack Jackson take us behind the scenes of G-Star “Pommel Horse” with Felix Brady, shot across stages 1 and 4 of Black Island at Island Studios.

Foulkes:
"The project came around quite quickly with little time for prep. A lot of the work was done on the tech scout, which was in many ways a really nice creative way to approach this. There was a lot of the key crew working through Felix’s ideas in person and within a place to be able to explore the ideas of movement—both in terms of the Rhys’ and the choreography, but also the camera language which played a large part in this project.

I think the biggest challenge about this shoot was getting it done within a single day. With separate studios and various rigs, both for camera and Rhys, the planning was key, giving Felix the freedom he required whilst delivering the set ups and looks for each scene.

I’ve really loved using the PVintage lens in a variety of settings, but with this project they seemed right to cut through the post pro a little, for the connection and imperfections."

Jackson:
“We mainly used a Scorpio 45 technocrane, because we needed a long crane that could also fit in Stage 4 with a Libra head in Mimic mode. Also, Josh Brooks operated AR Steadicam on some scenes and we used a Sony FX3 for some body rigged shots."

Newman:
“We had a ceiling set build in Stage 1 that was going to be extended in post—this encompassed all of the action with multiple talent and set pieces under the ceiling facade. There was a green chroma key set up in Stage 4 for a complete CGI overhaul—this set was for all Pommel Horse shots not grounded in the other stages setup.

Stage 4 was slightly more complex. We designed a U-shaped top rig, using 5 lengths of ladder beam, hung independently each with two Vortex V8’s. The idea was to surround the subject with light. As the backgrounds these assets were being comped into were a mixture of interior and exterior we needed as much control as we could get. There was a separate ring of Skypanel S60s lighting the green chroma."

25/09/2025

Happy with a look at the 2008 concert film, filmed at .

Here is a look at the TV Special of the band's performance during an intimate warm-up gig, live at Black Island Studios in preparation for their 2008 "Dig Out Your Soul" tour, filmed in Stage 5.

Director: Dick Carruthers
Director of Photography: Eugene O'Connor
Lighting Director: Rob Gawler

10/07/2025

It's Christmas in July! 🏝️🎄 We're keeping the holiday spirit alive with this throwback to 2022 from Cadbury's Secret Santa campaign. Cinematographer Nick Morris says: "A fun techy campaign with Tom Speers and a team of legends. Very fun for lighting nerds like me getting very granular in matching the lighting and camera movements between the stuff filmed on location and the studio shoot for the interior of the poster. I’ve tried to organise the BTS so you can see what we shot on location and then how we went about replicating it!

Only Rob Barlow could match these moves without moco of any kind, and dreamboat Bill Rae Smith is the perfect partner for nerdy lighting ❤️". Cameras serviced by Panavision London, lighting serviced by Panalux London, and shot on Blue Stage at Dukes Island Studios.

Production Company: Smuggler London
Director: Tom Speers
Exec Producer: Lucy Kelly
Producer: Tess Mitchell
Production Manager: Charlie Lodder
1st AD: Julian Richards
DOP: Nick Morris
1st AC: Silvio Bersani
Gaffer: Bill Rae Smith
Electricians: Sam Baker, Zoe Williams, Marie Colahan, Ed Riley
Production Designer: Sam Tidman
Stylist: Jenny Cogan
Prop Master: Neil MCCarick

Island Studios

20/04/2026

13/02/2026

29/01/2026

27/01/2026

14/01/2026

22/12/2025

19/12/2025

17/12/2025

25/09/2025

10/07/2025

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