In 1963 the SFX wizard Benjamin ‘Jim’ Hole experienced a difficult shoot
in stormy seas on the Spanish coastline.
It was during a visit in Malta one year later when Jim decided to build a
shallow “horizon” tank for his next water-based film called “The
Bedford Incident”. The tank was built with the aid of government subsidies offered by the British
government which then ruled the island. The tank was later kept in
operation for other potential films and aka Malta Film Facilities or MFF was born.
MFF hosted several large films and mini-series like “Orca the Killer Whale” and
“Christopher Columbus”. In 1980 a second tank, this time concave-shaped,
was built by British producer Lord Grade for the film
“Raise the Titanic”.
MFF became renowned not only for its unique horizon tanks but also for its skilled construction
workforce. Eventually MFF's name was changed to “Mediterranean Film
Studios” or MFS.
During it's first 30 years the company was managed by various
government political appointees. Notably the most long-standing was the late
Paul Avellino who earned himself
an international reputation for any filming happening in Malta.
In the mid-90’s the Maltese government, adhering to its policy for
privatization, decided to 'hand-over' MFS to a Canadian businessman
Charles J. Falzon. The mid-to late 90's also saw large films being shot at MFS
such as “White Squall”, “Cut-Throat Island” and “U-571”. The privatization
of MFS proved to be an important step for the company. However, the
company’s overheads were increasing fast and becoming unsustainable
against what was essentially still a very volatile industry. The company
had inherited over 40 employees from its state
ownership. It was the addition of a failed theme park that proved to be
the major blow.
In 1998 the company radically downsized its management team. Local production manager
Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante was appointed by Catalyst
Entertainment Inc. (Toronto) to head its production and marketing
departments. In the two years that followed he introduced radically new
policies and business practises. He fostered the inclusion of Maltese
crew from the local TV industry and tapped into university graduates so
to build up a stronger local crew base. (Previously hardly any Maltese enjoyed key
positions on film shoots and only a rare few were qualified "assistants".)
He also opened the doors to the national press which made the public
(and politicians) more aware of the potential of the film industry and
the need of national support for further industry growth.
Meanwhile the year 1999 was to become the busiest year for MFS at that
time – with
two productions filming in the same tank on one day.
Despite these busy phases the financial debts were too big to disappear overnight and the
failed theme park, which had begun running at an operating loss, was
finally shut down in 2000. In that same year German entrepreneur Jost Merten,
then a minority shareholder of MFS,
purchased MFS with the challenge of ridding it from its
loss-making operations and turning it into a more cost-efficient
enterprise. The unions had no choice but to agree to the radical
downsizing of its overgrown labour force.
Whilst some critics argue that MFS lacks
major upgrades and sound stages, in fairness there is also a valid
argument that Merten’s purchase is what 'saved' MFS from
bankruptcy or from a doomed return to parastatal hands. History has
shown that MFS suffered during its long parastatal years from
political interference and the occasional appointments of incompetent
managers. It can also be argued that the monthly state subsidies that
MFS received were never a good motivation for the company to
structure itself as a truly sustainable and accountable business.
Soon after his take-over Merten appointed as Studio Manager his long-time assistant and coordinator,
Cornelia Schellmann. MFS today proudly boasts more cost-efficiency than
ever before and in the last decade the studio has seen some of its
greatest challenges in terms of tank special effects and construction
works. These range from building full-scale harbour sets and massive
icebergs to huge ship set constructions built on elaborate hydraulic
systems. Its long-standing specialization in boat building and model
work remains a strong attraction to producers.
