The Underwater Stage is an underwater film and television studio stage at
Pinewood Studios in
Iver
Iver is a large civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. In addition to the central clustered village, the parish includes the residential neighbourhoods of Iver Heath and Richings Park.
Geography, transport and economy
Part of the 43-square- ...
,
Buckinghamshire,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It is the only one of its kind in Europe. The stage was opened in 2005 after four years of planning and development. The stage's tank is permanently filled, and the water is constantly heated, maintained at . The water is filtered using an
ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...
system which creates crystal clear water and a comfortable environment to work in, for both cast and crew.
Plans for the construction of the stage were first announced in April 2004. The stage was opened on 18 May 2005, by
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
, the then
Chancellor of the Exchequer. Brown opened the stage by pressing a button that dropped a car into the water tank.
The stage has been used for television, film, commercials, pop videos and photo shoots. The stage has hosted: ''
The Da Vinci Code
''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Lang ...
'', ''
Basic Instinct 2
''Basic Instinct 2'' (also known as ''Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction'') is a 2006 erotic thriller film and the sequel to 1992's '' Basic Instinct''. The film was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and produced by Mario Kassar, Joel B. Michaels ...
'', ''
Scoop
Scoop, Scoops or The scoop may refer to:
Objects
* Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging
* Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things
* Scoop stretcher, a device used for casualt ...
'', ''
Silent Witness'', a music video for
James Blunt
James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After l ...
, and a
Water Aid promotion with actress
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...
. It has also been utilised for scientific experiments involving imaging sonar.
It has also been used for a sport relief special called ''Strictly Underwater'' where two couples from the 2011 series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing'' battled it out by dancing underwater. It is also commonly used by ''
EastEnders'' when the cast and crew are filming underwater scenes.
References
External links
Pinewood Studios Underwater Filming Stage
British film studios
Television studios in England
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