18 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com February 2017
Production and Post
HQ2 has an audience capacity of up to 600 people and is used for programmes such as A Question of Sport, 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown and Vic and Bob’s House of Fools
Broadcasting is in the dock Philip Stevens revisits the dock10 facility in Manchester to review its progress and discuss 2017
T
“We built relationships with a number of northern
Joined up thinking
indies including Red Production Company and
dock10 also offers a high level of infrastructure
Shine North. “Working with Red, for instance, has
services. When the facility was conceived, it was
meant that we now do high-end drama, such as
decided to build around a modular system that
Happy Valley and The Five, and that was just the
allowed complete flexibility when it came to
start of expanding the post side of the business.”
connectivity. This means that all connectivity is routed via the Central Technical Area (CTA) so
here were sceptics who, when they heard of the idea of establishing a major media
Acquisitions bring growth
that any studio, camera or mixture of cameras
centre in an old Manchester dockyard,
The commitment to post production is set to
can be joined to any gallery, and any editing or
continue into 2017 following the recent acquisitions
graphic workstation can be routed to wherever
of Edit 19 and now 422, the Manchester-based
the output is needed. On several occasions, the
shift north has been a resounding success.
post production and vfx business. “422 brings a 20-
piazza outside the studio block has been used
Today, dock10, as the facility is now called, is
year heritage and prestige customer base in the
for producing programmes – with cameras being
providing a level of production, post production
agency and corporate markets, and gives us
routed to the designated interior gallery from
and infrastructure services that has attracted
the opportunity to expand our creative audio,
external plug-in points.
broadcasters and production companies alike.
vfx and graphics, grade, animation and CG,”
Regular output from its seven studios includes
states Senior.
thought it was a disaster waiting to happen. Six years on, there is little doubt that the
programmes such as Match of the Day, Football
He maintains that dock10 is now the biggest
“We think of MediaCityUK as an open air data centre,” explains Paul Clennell, dock10 CTO. “There is a fibre network that connects all parts
Focus, Blue Peter and The Voice. In fact, the last
post production business outside of London.
of the campus, but we have a resilient security
quarter of 2016 was the busiest in dock10’s history.
The expanding post business means substantial
partition protocol in place that prevents data
remodelling work will take place within the
ending up in the wrong place. It means, for
of Porridge and several quizzes in the upcoming
dock10 facility during 2017 to accommodate the
example, that if a freelance editor comes in
diary. So, how has that success been achieved?
additional personnel and their associated work
to work on one programme and then the
spaces. “Key to the next twelve months is the
following week is employed on a different
BBC contract after it decided to move a number
consolidation of those acquisitions and growing
production, he or she can only gain access
of its operations out of the capital,” explains
that aspect of our business,” says Senior.
to the appropriate content.”
The future looks equally inviting, with remakes
“The facility was originally set up to service the
Mark Senior, dock10 CEO. “For the first 18 months,
The stated purpose of such interconnectivity
that was our main production activity and we
is that whatever the requirements of a specific
concentrated on making that a success.”
production or post activity, dock10 will make it
The next milestone came when Granada TV
easy to plug-in any element to facilitate the task
in Manchester closed its studio facilities in Quay
in hand. Increasing the concept of a managed
Street, resulting in a substantial amount of northern
infrastructure will feature heavily during 2017.
ITV production moving to MediaCityUK.
To move that part of the service forward,
“At the outset, our post production work
dock10 recently recruited Fabien Robineau as
was heavily BBC focused, but new clients and
head of platform managed services. He brings
programmes meant that was something we had to look at,” says Senior.
18 19 TVBE Feb2017 Production and Post_v2 JGJMcK_final2.indd 54
The spectacular studio facility at MediaCityUK
over 15 years’ experience serving as a business developer and leader, identifying the best
18/01/2017 16:07