A LEGENDARY TV firm that have worked on RTE smash hits Love/Hate and Kin has shut down “with immediate effect”.
The award-winning studio, Windmill Lane Pictures, which was a pioneer in the Irish TV and film sector, has closed its doors.
The production company was originally based in Windmill Lane, but moved to Dublin’s Herbert Street.
The studio grew out of the legendary recording space where many stars have passed through since recording engineer Brian Masterson opened it in 1978.
Some of the great albums produced there include Kate Bush’s 80s classic Hounds Of Love, The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge and Def Leppard’s Hysteria, along with several of U2’s.
Windmill Lane Pictures focused on post-production work for ads, TV and film, and worked on the beloved RTE series Love/Hate, Kin, Smother and Young Offenders as well as movies such as The Rifleman.
And despite their best efforts to stay afloat, the business is insolvent and no longer viable in its current form.
It is understood that the 31 employees were notified of the decision on Wednesday, January 8.
The company’s directors have released a statement that said: “The global film and post-production industry has faced significant headwinds in recent years, including increasing cost pressures, rapid technological changes, and the ongoing challenges of operating in a competitive international market.
“More recently, the extended writers’ and actors’ strike in the United States has caused a severe disruption to production pipelines worldwide, creating a knock-on effect that has impacted businesses across the film ecosystem, including ours.
“In addition to these global pressures, challenges on the domestic front have further compounded the difficulties faced by the business – the erosion of international competitiveness of the Section 481 VFX [visual effects] film tax credit has made Ireland a less attractive location for this type of work.
“Although we explored every available avenue, including attempts to secure additional capital and restructure the business, these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful in stabilising the company.”
The directors have expressed how “grateful” they are to their “talented and dedicated team”, as well as their trusted partners who they’ve collaborated with over the years.
The company’s focus now is to manage the “transition responsibly” and support their stakeholders.
COMPANY’S HISTORY
Windmill Lane was founded in 1978 as a recording studio and TV commercial post-production facilities and was set up by Brian Masterson and James Morris, who was later a founder of TV3 [now Virgin Media TV].
In 1990, the company split with Masterson moving Windmill Lane Recording Studios to Ringsend Road where it still thrives today.
Windmill Lane Pictures stayed on Windmill Lane until it moved to Herbert Street in 2009.
This is where they developed its visual effects (VFX) services and continued to work on major TV and film production
During the 2000s, the business worked with some major film and TV directors including Jim Sheridan, John Boorman and Neil Jordan.
