We shone a light on a range of production-related offerings, from SFX to regional film offices.

To round off our editorial year, we bring you a round-up of the Spotlights we published during 2025, covering a range of production-related topics including studios, locations, film offices, production services and more.

Our Spotlight year began in January with our feature on Farnborough International Studios, as we talked to studios director Rachel Morrison about the Hampshire facility that offers more than 210,000 sq ft of stage space, 1,000,000 sq ft unit base facilities and 3,500 parking spaces, plus ancillary areas and facilities.

Next up was our focus on Great Point Studios, Cardiff. UK studios manager Gerwyn Evans told us about how the studio is at its best when providing exclusive hire to Band 3 or 4 shows, such as Young Sherlock starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin, that filmed at the facility for Prime.

In April we turned our gaze to the world of explosions, fires, floods and giant rockers, as we spoke to Real SFX founder Danny Hargreaves about the challenges and high points of creating special effects, and how a certain time-travelling doctor has been a big part of the company’s success.

Next came a Location Spotlight – with the release of biopic Mr Burton in the spring, we talked to the film’s producer Ed Talfan about why the specific Welsh location choices were key in lending such authenticity to the story of the young lad who went on to become an iconic Hollywood leading man and one of the most lauded actors of all time.

In May we launched our new Film Office Spotlight series, with help from Cardiff Film Office manager Sarah Howells. Sarah talked us through her Top Five locations, that included Cardiff Castle, the stunning Cardiff Bay and the versatile city centre, and outlined the high-profile productions to have utilised the backdrops.

Soon afterwards, we published a Production Spotlight, and heard from Compass Travel Management co-directors Kate Watts and Nicola Edmunds about the level of detail and flexibility needed to seamlessly manage travel and accommodation for lead cast, tech crews, extras and support staff.

The second half of the year started with a Spotlight on Patchway Studios in Bristol. Best known for hosting ITV historical drama The Winter King, the studios operate with an advisory board of experienced physical production experts, who were happy to tell us more about what is on offer, including a welfare/social space called The Crew’s Nest.

Veteran animal trainer Gerry Cott provided our August feature, as he chatted about his 42 years in the industry. Founder of A-Z Animals, Gerry has clocked up more than 9000 production days, including his highlight of working on the red deer sequence in Peter Morgan’s film The Queen, and later on six series of Morgan’s The Crown.

We got very excited in October as we published a feature on The Knowledge at 40 – the result of a lovely meet-up with two of the original founders of the book – already well-known in the industry at the time they came up with the idea – and the early-years sales manager, now known as the author of the Whitstable Pearl books.

Later that month we welcomed guest contributors Professor Justin Lewis and Greg Mothersdale, whose deep dive into how and why Wales is a model for green production practices provide a fascinating insight into how much has been achieved – and remains to be done – in reaching low/no carbon production targets.

For our final Spotlight of 2025, we centred on the vital service of freight and logistics. David Allen of Production Freight provided expert insight into how valuable equipment – from small-scale kit cases to apparatus for entire productions – is safely carried across the world by air, land or sea, and told us more about the use of ATA Carnets.

If you would like to have your offering featured in our Spotlight series in 2026, please email Alex or Sarah.

Header image, “_a-stage-light-rack-with-3-colored-spotlights-shining-down-towards-the-middle-of-the-layout-in-a-dark” by www.ilmicrofono.it is licensed under CC BY 2.0.