'Green screen' dome for film special effects called world's largest
Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News
Clinton Township -- A $20 million film complex with a
20,000-square-foot "green screen" dome and training facility is planned
for Macomb County.
The 360-degree Vanir Dome and classrooms
are to be built on 26 acres off Elizabeth Road, south of Hall Road,
according to township officials and Macomb-based Vanir Entertainment.
Construction
could begin in the late spring or early summer, and the studio should
take 18-24 months to complete, said Lew Smith, Vanir COO.
"We have commitment for the financing for phase one," he said Friday.
The
facility's centerpiece is the planned 360-degree green screen dome that
Vanir Entertainment contends is likely the largest in the world.
A
green screen is a widely used special-effects technique -- a
green-colored blank background. Actors or objects can be filmed against
it; the background is added later by special-effects artists.
It's a common technique also used in television to make it appear that a weathercaster is standing in front of a map.
"There's no limitation with the domed screen," Smith said, because it has no height or width limitations.
"We're also planning to make it floodable, so we can do underwater scenes and also put boats in there."
A key piece of the project's financing was securing the participation of Baker College, said Clinton Township Supervisor Robert Cannon.
"The proof, to me, is Baker College has signed on and agreed to take on the cost for building the classrooms," Cannon said.
The college has agreed to have its students
taught at the facility in a variety of film, television and video
production skills. That also will provide a steady revenue stream for
Vanir.
Baker College officials could not be reached for comment.
"Everything I have seen on paper, I'm very confident about this project" Cannon said.
Other
plans for the complex include docking stations for mobile production
units, overnight housing for industry professionals and three
production studios. Docking stations would allow trailers and buses to
travel from film locations to the Vanir complex for post-production
work.
Its relatively modest price tag separates this from other
film studio announcements in Metro Detroit that haven't come to
fruition, Vanir and Clinton Township officials said.
"I know
about those projects you are talking about and they were talking about
$180 million projects, or something in that range. That's a whole
different ballgame," Smith said.
A private equity fund for
investors has been established for the studio construction and to
finance other Vanir projects, including film, television and audio
production and film distribution.
"Our business model calls for
four revenue streams: studio lease, production, film distribution and,
with Baker College, educating the next generation of film production
professional," Smith said.
If things go as planned, Vanir will hire up to 80 permanent employees, he said.
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