A new revamped broadcast studio with quite a history attached to it has opened in Fairlands, Johannesburg.
Called A Studio Called Wonder, it has a long history in the film and television industry. The studio was built by Wally Philips more than 20 years ago and operated then as Eagle Vision Productions. It changed hands when Philips passed away and came under the new ownership of Bill van Zyl.
In 2010 Alex Radnitz and Tegwin Deacon entered the picture and they currently run the studio.
Radnitz says that it is ideally suited for production shoots and small television shows. “The space is also great for music and corporate videos. Our long term goal is to be a fully kitted broadcast studio that can shoot live to tape,’ he says.
The studio is 136sq metres with a 3.5 lighting gantry. “We also provide lights such as blondes and redheads; Kinos and fresnels; and basic grips including a skateboard dolly, Jimmy Jib and a glide camera kit. We also have two chromatte green screens which use the latest LED lighting system for precision keying.’
According to Radnitz chromotte green screens with LED technology have a number of advantages. “There is no spill from your subject lighting onto the green screen and no reflection of the green screen onto your subject. It makes the set up quick and subject lighting much broader.’
The biggest challenge in such a competitive industry is to remain relevant. “You need to remain on top of this rapidly changing environment. Technology moves at such a rapid pace that it is critical to offer the best service and equipment to clients,’ says Radnitz.
He explains that they have worked hard to create a new studio brand. “We hope that this studio and brand reflects our approach to the work that we do and the service we provide. The name A Studio Called Wonder is playful and hopefully evokes the sense of magic that we all felt when first starting out in this industry. We want production houses to feel that they are in a space that supports and understands creativity, as well as provides technical resources.’
