Elstree Calling

One of the dressing rooms at Elstree Studios. Photo: © Elstree Studios Ltd.

Chris & Liz Clark:

Chris & Liz Clark are a scenic art partnership based at Elstree Studios who specialise in painting backdrops, gauzes and sets etc. for the entertainment industry. They are based there as one of several on-site tenants who are part of the Production Village.

Chris & Liz's credits include creating backdrops for many high-profile theatre productions including The Lion King, in 1999, and work on productions stages by the R.S.C. in both Stratford and London. Opera credits include backdrops for Glyndebourne; while rock and pop credits include backdrops for Robbie Williams' World Tour in 2003 and the Rolling Stones Tour in 2006.

Television works has included backdrops for the Brit Awards after-show party for the last four years and designing and painting an Ayers Rock scene in the Elstree Studios-located Big Brother house for Big Brother 8, in the summer of 2007.

I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Chris & Liz at their workshop at the studios in September 2007 when, at the time, they were painting a backdrop for the Australian tour of the highly-popular Eric Idle musical, Spamalot.

Paul: How long have you been based at Elstree Studios?

Chris: We originally moved into Workshop's 1 & 2 at the studios on 1st October 1992.

Paul: What was it like to be based at the studios during the Brent Walker years?

Liz: Back then we gradually began to feel that the studios were closing down. When things really wound down in 1994, Brent Walker centralised us all (the tenants) under one roof in the John Maxwell Building.

During this time there was a great deal of vandalism and Brent Walker closed the boiler house so there was no heating. We continued to work at Elstree despite the fact that by then it had fallen into dereliction.

Paul: So what has it been like since Hertsmere took over the studios in February 1996?

Liz: It has been wonderful and we have been treated extremely well by Hertsmere.

Paul: What immediate improvements did Hertsmere give to the workshops you were based in?

Liz: Hertsmere listened to all complaints we had about the leaks in the roof and had them repaired. The studios' management had a wooden floor laid for us to paint our backdrops on. They also had heating installed at no cost to us. They did everything they could to make us welcome.

Paul: What are your hopes for the future of Elstree Studios?

Chris: We hope to stay at Elstree and that things will remain as they are, although we would like to see the re-introduction of an on-site store where we could buy basic supplies for our work. I am sure this would also be appreciated by visiting production companies.

My special thanks go to Chris & Liz Clark for their time and help.

To view my photos of Chris & Liz's workshop at Elstree Studios, please here.

For more information about Liz & Chris' work, please visit their official website: www.lizandchrisclark.com

Please do not reproduce any part of this interview without first contacting Paul Burton to request permission.

An unofficial website dedicated to Elstree Studios