Formed in 2000 from a remarkable alliance between the City of Austin and the Austin Film Society (AFS), Austin Studios has become one of the top film centers in the country.
Housed in airplane hangars and terminals from the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, Austin Studios is a 20-acre film and video production facility with over 16,000 square feet of office space as part of more than 102,000 square feet of production space spanning five distinct wireless stages.
A West Coast Alternative
Austin Studios positions itself as a competitively priced production alternative to Los Angeles and other areas, with robust power, silent air conditioning, world-class digital infrastructure, the largest cyclorama wall (87 feet) in Texas, as well as top-notch on-site vendors.
Unique among Austin businesses, Austin Studios works with all budget levels and production categories to fully support Austin’s film and media production industry. Home to more than 235 media productions, including over 80 feature films and television shows, the enterprise generates an undeniably positive economic impact in addition to enhancing Austin’s reputation for creativity on a national level.
More than 40,000 people visit Austin Studios and AFS programs each year to partake in tours, summer camps, workshops and film screenings. The business also offers opportunities to students who are interested in pursuing a career in the film and television industries.
Austin Film Society and Industry Luminaries
The Austin Film Society champions the recognition and respect for film, honors independent and great films, and encourages creativity in media production. Filmmaker Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused) pioneered the launch of AFS, and it was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1986.
Current Board of Advisors members include film luminaries like Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, Kevin Smith, John Sayles, Robert Rodriguez, Mike Judge, Jonathan Demme, Guillermo del Toro and Charles Burnett.
Films Produced at Austin Studios
The facility has been the home to productions as well-known as Miss Congeniality, True Grit, The Lying Game, Grindhouse, Friday Night Lights, Machete, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Secondhand Lions, and The Life of David Gale. Entertainment Weekly, Texas Monthly and NBC Universal have conducted photo shoots at Austin Studios, as have Bud Light, Nike, L’Oreal, and Hallmark.
Getting Bigger and Better
Austin Studios, already a cultural hub for the city, embarked in 2012 on an expansion project that will include the adjacent Texas National Guard Armory. Completed in March of 2013, the expansion added an additional 75,000 square feet of office space and production facilities. Austin Studios, AFS and the city of Austin are increasing focus on Austin as a creative mecca and encouraging film and television development as an engine for economic growth, projecting the facility to increase to 165,000 square feet by 2016.