Hollywood comes to the Boro: the Teesside Barrage to become landmark for film and TV

Written by on 3rd October 2024

A promotional campaign is underway to turn the Tee’s Barrage in Stockton-on-Tees, into a regular, recognisable location used for film and TV productions.

 

Jetski racer taking part in Jet ski racing at Tees Barrage in Stockton 3rd May 2009. Contributor: Paul Morley / Alamy Stock Photo

Sam Mendes’s World War 1 film 1917 (released in 2019) has become the most well-known production to have used this location. The sequence in the film that the Barrage features in shows Lance Corporal Schofield (George McKay) floating down a river having just escaped a near-death experience.

Shot by one of Hollywood’s greatest cinematographers Rodger Deakins (Blade Runner 2029, Skyfall, No Country for Old Men and Sicario), the film was a smash hit, having been nominated for ten Oscars and winning three for Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievements in Visual Effects and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing.

Five years after the release of the film, Tees Active, a community leisure trust, are launching a promotional campaign to finally mark this location as the number one choice in the UK to shoot water scenes for any film or TV production. They are working side by side with film agency North East Screen, who work to provide funding and support to any production working in this region.

Leon Jones, the managing director of the trust, said to North East Screen: ”We have something unique to offer the world of film and TV right here in Stockton. No one else in the UK is offering what we can provide in terms of a safe, controlled and flexible location for scenes involving floods, or anything to do with water” (North East Screen).

More and more productions are using Teeside. Tees Active has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including, Universal, DreamWorks and Sky Atlantic. After The Flood, a drama that played on ITV at the start of this year, involved flooding scenes that were shot here. When speaking to North East Screen, Juliette Charlesworth, a producer on After The Flood, said: “We chose Tees Barrage because it gave us a man-made bowl, meaning we could have actors and crew entirely safe in the water” (North East Screen).

Other productions include Emmerdale, which consisted of it’s cast members jumping down a waterfall, and finally and most dramatically, Storm City (on Sky) which was able to use the barrage to replicate a tsunami. This mammoth undertaking involved a very large quantity of water (one million gallons to be exact) used to create the harsh conditions.

Some more recognizable titles include Antiques Roadtrip, Geordie Shore, Countryfile and Vera have been featured here. Specific details regarding how Tees Active plans to promote and spread word involve a brochure that consists of all productions that have filmed here.

This will then be passed onto location managers, and then used as promotional material for events such as trade shows and events on a national scale. Katie Strachan, North East Screen’s Film Office Manager, says: ”Tees Barrage works amazingly well as a filming location. The team is well versed and experienced with the TV and film industry, working alongside productions to offer the most creative filming solutions whilst being extremely flexible” (North Eat Screen).

Chris Gibbens, the Centre Manager for Tees Barrage, is tasked with cooperating with companies coming to Teesside. Chris spoke to North East Screen, stating: ”The key is the control we have over the flow of the water. We have a great team of certified, highly experienced water sport professionals, so we can continually replicate scenes, giving the producers and directors precisely what they want, while keeping everyone safe.”

One crucial element he must also consider is the confidentiality of film or TV programs and to make sure no spoilers are revealed. He added: ”It’s incredible when you see people of the calibre of Sir Sam Mendes and Sir Roger Deakins at the site, working out what they want, before we produce the water conditions they need. But it’s not just big budget productions we’re working with – it’s productions of all sizes. We’re proud to be working with independent filmmakers and supporting new talent.”

Tees Barrage history dates back thirty years when it first opened. The site was then reopened on July 28th 2012 by the Queen. This happened after Tees Active took over and a £4.5 million renovation was put in place: one to redevelop the longer water course and then another to add a shorter one featuring the steepest drop in the UK.

The North East in general is becoming more of institute for the entertainment industry. Aside from North East Screen, the Northern studios for film and TV is located only twenty minutes from Hartlepool, and is home to thirty-thousand square feet of space committed entirely to studios. In addition to this, there is also the Crown Works Project that is now underway in Sunderland which is destined to become of the biggest studios in Europe.

This in turn will financially benefit Tees Active and provide further beneficial factors for the local economy. Chris Gibbens added: ”If you take productions such as 1917 or After The Flood, there might be 250 people on site, using local hotels, and spending money in the area. And the production companies also like to use local tradesmen – joiners and electricians – because it’s cost-effective.”

Not only is the site equipped with right amounts of water, but other factors that a production needs in order to operate: ability to construct sets, backstage alongside facilities for large crews, catering and storage.


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