Thomson's Technicolor Business to Break Ground for New, State-of-the-Art Film & Post-Production Facility at Pinewood Studios

http://www.technicolor.com/Cultures/En-Us/Extranet/pinewood-studios.htm

Source: Technicolor

“Technicolor at Pinewood” to Become the Go-To Destination for End-to-End Film

and Digital Cinema Services in the UK

PARIS, France and LONDON, UK (January 29, 2008) – As part of its European entertainment industry growth strategy, Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453, NYSE: TMS) announced today that it is relocating Technicolor London Ltd. to better serve its customers. Thomson’s Technicolor Theatrical Services business will move from its West Drayton location of more than 70 years on Bath Road (Heathrow) to a new film post-production facility within the Pinewood Studios complex at Iver Heath in the Greater London area.

In addition, Thomson announced today that its Technicolor Content Services business plans to relocate its West Drayton-based digital intermediate (DI) and other digital post-production services to a new, state-of-the-art facility. Technicolor Content Services has leased a seven-story building in its entirety on Lexington Street in Soho – a few blocks from Technicolor’s sister visual effects business, MPC (Moving Picture Company). The new Soho facility will combine Technicolor’s digital postproduction operations, currently at West Drayton, and select DI operations from MPC. Technicolor will release more details on its plans for the Soho facility in future announcements.

The new Technicolor at Pinewood location will offer integrated film and front-end services, release printing, and digital cinema distribution services.

To kick off this effort, Technicolor will host a groundbreaking ceremony and private reception at the Pinewood Studio lot on January 29. Customers will be joined by Joe Berchtold, president of Thomson’s Technicolor Theatrical Services, Pino Filardi, COO of Thomson’s Technicolor Theatrical Services Europe, and Ivan Dunleavy, chief executive, Pinewood Shepperton plc. to celebrate this new investment in the future of the UK film and media industry.

"This new investment demonstrates Thomson's commitment to provide filmmakers and producers with state-of-the-art solutions that will maintain and build on this tradition well into the future," Berchtold said. “For more than 70 years, Technicolor has been an important cornerstone in the history of UK filmmaking, with a commitment to quality, service and innovation that is unparalleled. By relocating to Pinewood Studios, Technicolor will provide customers with the best possible on-location service, while also taking a key step in our development strategy to extend Technicolor’s role in the UK and worldwide as the leader in end-to-end film and digital media services."

Dunleavy, chief executive, Pinewood Shepperton plc., said, “We are thrilled that Thomson's Technicolor business has selected the Pinewood Studios as the home of its Theatrical Services operations. This underlines the attractiveness of our studio sites as clusters for the creative industries of the future. The presence of Technicolor sends a strong signal to the creative community that London, and Pinewood in particular, continues to be among the world’s top destinations for quality filmmaking.”

For the new Technicolor at Pinewood facility, Thomson will make a significant investment in state-of-the-art equipment to support front-end and release printing needs for integrated film services, offering an integrated service model based at London’s premiere shooting location. The facility will also provide the highest levels of physical and digital content security measures in the industry.

The new facility will also be home to Thomson’s Technicolor Digital Cinema distribution activity, bringing film, digital copies production and services under one roof. The Pinewood location will feature a high-speed, secure shared private network to easily and securely move content locally and globally among Technicolor’s other post-production facilities, customers and vendors.

Construction and setup of Technicolor at Pinewood is scheduled to be completed within 2008.