Right in the teeth of COVID, in January 2021, Brian Dowling founded Indie-Zero Film Studios based in Woolwich, South-East London. The objective of Indie-Zero Film is to repurpose the current 3-acre site, which Brian owns and is home to Helix 3D which Brian founded in 1999.
In 2022 Chloe Fitzgerald took over as MD at Helix, releasing Brian from his 23-year tenure at the helm and allowing him to focus solely on Indie-Zero. Brian says: “Indie-Zero studios will be high specification, people-focussed, environmentally sustainable facility. We are building a white hot, creative studio production hub where a new generation of film and TV creative talent will launch their careers, do great things and importantly, bring new people with them on their journey.”
Brian’s strategy includes the demolition of 30% of the existing premises and construction of 5 new high quality sound stages and a network of offices, edit suites, ICVFX stages with on-site art dept and set construction workshops. The final phase of redevelopment will more than double the site’s current footprint of 35,000 sqft, increasing it to over 70,000 sqft plus parking for 100 vehicles. The first of 5 sound stages will launch in early 2023 and will be 56Db sound-proofed with a high capacity 20-tonne fully flexible overhead rig for lighting and scenery, all sound stages in following phases will be designed to the same high specification.
