State-of-the-art studio to focus on the South

A state-of-the-art film and television production studio has opened in Cork.

Studio 5108, based on the Monahan Rd, is one of the largest private facilities of its kind outside Dublin.

And its backers are hoping to attract TV production work like sitcoms, music video shoots, as well as national and international advertising agencies to shoot commercials for their global clients in Cork.

“It’s a risk, but hopefully it will pay off,” said Declan Casey of Cork-based video production company Standpoint Media. He has joined forces with Rupert McCarthy-Morrogh, of film equipment hire firm, SLR Broadcast Hire, to launch Studio 5108.

SLR has worked on several high-profile projects in recent months, including National Geographic’s dive expedition on the Lusitania.

Mr Casey said now that they offer a dedicated and fully-equipped studio, they hope more film, television, and commercial production work will come south — creating more jobs in the region’s growing film sector.

“I’ve been working from home for the last six years,” Mr Casey said. “I started working out of my garage, then moved to the spare room, and as the business grew, I needed to expand.

“Now we have new offices here. There is no recession if you go out and look for work every day. And that’s what we are planning to do.”

Studio 5108 officially opened for business on Culture Night with the shooting of a music video. It also hosted a Cork Chamber networking event last week, where chamber members toured the facilities.

The studio — named after the grid reference for Cork City — features a 1,200sq ft studio space, a green room with areas for hair and make-up, office space, lighting and grip hire on site, and a specialised power supply.

“The studio provides a complete end-to-end facility for all types of commercial visual media, including film, television, education and photo-graphy,” Mr Casey said.

Studio 5108 has opened less than a mile away from another post-production facility, Half-Light Audio Post-Production Studio, in Marina Park. It will cater for film, television, animation and gaming and has been opened by composer Conor Barron.

It is the first, and most advanced facility of its kind in Munster, according to Mr Barron and Cork Screen Commissioner Niall Mahoney. It has a 500sq ft studio, with surrounding mix room, recording studio and vocal booth facilities.

Meanwhile, RTÉ is due to begin broadcasting its new live day-time TV show, Today, from its Cork studios on Nov 5. It will be the biggest RTÉ production ever to base itself in Cork.

* www.studio5108.com or www.standpoint.ie