As Lance Corporal William Schofield, alias actor George MacKay, is swept down a fast-flowing river while fleeing from German soldiers in the blockbuster war film, 1917, audiences are transported to the Western Front during the dark days of the First World War.
In reality, MacKay was filmed in the safety of a controlled environment at the Tees Barrage International White Water Centre, just off the A66 at Stockton.
The 2019 film, directed by Sir Sam Mendes CBE and filmed by legendary cinematographer, Sir Roger Deakins CBE, received ten Oscar nominations, winning Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Mixing. It also won Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and Best Director.
And, though the Tees Valley may be more than 5,000 miles from Hollywood, it can take pride in the important role it played in the making of that award-winning movie.
Now, a promotional campaign is being launched by community leisure trust, Tees Active, to cement the Tees Barrage’s claim to fame as the UK’s number one choice for film and TV production companies looking for locations for scenes involving water.
“We have something unique to offer the world of film and TV right here in Stockton,” says Tees Active’s Managing Director, Leon Jones.
“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.”
1917 is just one example in a growing list of film and TV productions that have used Tees Barrage as the setting for dramas and documentaries. So far, Tees Active has worked with Universal, DreamWorks, the BBC, ITV, ITVX, CITV, and Sky Atlantic – and the portfolio is impressive.
The hit ITV drama After The Flood featured the Tees Barrage during flooding sequences, in which drivers got stuck in cars and a baby was swept away.
“We chose Tees Barrage because it gave us a man-made bowl, meaning we could have actors and crew entirely safe in the water,” says the show’s producer Juliette Charlesworth.
In Emmerdale, the ITV soap’s ‘biggest stunt’ saw cast members plummeting down a waterfall following a bridge collapse.
And in Sky’s Storm City, starring Ben Fogel, Tees Barrage was used to demonstrate the destructive force of a tsunami, with more than a million gallons of freezing water used to replicate the brutality of nature.
Vera, Countryfile, Geordie Shore, and Antique’s Roadtrip are among other television programmes to make use of the facilities and expertise Tees Barrage can offer.
They are all featured in a new glossy brochure that will be made available to North East Screen, an agency working across the TV and film industry in the North East. From there, it will be sent to location managers, and used to promote Tees Barrage at trade shows and national events.
“Tees Barrage works amazingly well as a filming location,” says Katie Strachan, North East Screen’s Film Office Manager. “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.”
For Chris Gibbens, Tees Barrage Centre Manager, it’s an exciting part of his job to liaise with production companies, often under the cloak of secrecy.
“The key is the control we have over the flow of the water,” explains Chris. “We have a great team of certified, highly experienced watersport professionals, so we can continually replicate scenes, giving the producers and directors precisely what they want, while keeping everyone safe.”
And confidentiality is a vital part of the process because the companies need to know that storylines won’t be leaked. The audience doesn’t need to know whether Lance Corporal Schofield drowns or survives until they buy a cinema ticket.
“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,” adds Chris.
“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 was created nearly 30 years ago and reopened by The Queen on July 18 2012, after being taken over by Tees Active and undergoing a £4.5m investment to redevelop the long white water course and add a short course with the UK’s steepest drop.
It’s well established as being an international venue for water sports and leisure activities, but it now also part of an emerging North East hub for film and TV production.
As well as North East Screen, the Northern Film and TV Studios is 20 minutes away at Hartlepool, providing nearly 30,000 sq ft of dedicated studio and production space. And the Crown Works Project, set to create one of Europe’s biggest film studios, is underway at Sunderland.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to work together and really sell the region as a place for film and TV companies to consider,” says Leon.
Not only does it present a valuable new revenue stream for Tees Active, enabling it to reinvest in facilities and subsidise activities for local people, there are significant economic benefits for the wider area.
“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,” Chris points out. “And the production companies also like to use local tradesmen – joiners and electricians – because it’s cost-effective.”
As well as lots of still or fast-flowing water, the site also offers everything a production company might need: no working height or backlot limit, ample parking, scope for set-building, backstage and crew facilities, office space, storage, and catering.
The new brochure also highlights the site’s excellent transport links, including Teesside International Airport, ten minutes away, and the mainline railway service at Darlington, 25 minutes away.
