Located just five minutes from downtown Melbourne, Docklands Studios Melbourne (DSM) boasts one of the southern hemisphere’s largest and most comprehensive production hubs. Featuring six sound stages, two with LED volumes, and a raft of production offices, mess halls, workshops, make-up rooms and administration buildings – Docklands Studios Melbourne is equipped to take on the biggest international productions.

Hosting recent projects from upcoming blockbuster biopic Better Man (Paramount), to the box-office record-breaking indie Late Night With The Devil (Shudder), as well as the hotly anticipated Peacock series All Her Fault, which has just wrapped filming at Docklands Studios’ state-of-the-art virtual production stages, the Studio is drawing attention for its GreenPower offerings.

Stage 6

DSM’s newest flagship studio, Stage 6 is a 40,000 sq.ft. (3,700 sq.m), state-of-the-art sound stage which can accommodate any shoot, from high-octane action sequences to large-scale underwater scenes in the huge 240,000 gallon (900,000-litre), 15-feet (4.5 metre) deep water pit.

Better Man, directed and co-written by Victorian Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) was the first production to shoot on Stage 6, with builds including full scale recreations of a luxury yacht and London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Stage 1

Docklands’ second biggest production space – Stage 1 – hosts the largest LED Volume in the world, operated by NantStudios. With an area of 25,000 sq.ft (2,323 sq.m). the stage boasts a waterproof pit, and an extensive back-of-house annex featuring greenrooms, production offices, make-up, dressing rooms, and more.

Productions recently filmed on Stage 1 include the Apple TV+ series Shantaram with Charlie Hunnam and feature film Foe starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal.

Stage 2

Stage 2, a versatile production space of 15,000 sq.ft. (1,394 sq.m.), often serves as an auxiliary or second-unit stage to Stage 1. This studio includes a dedicated annex with a range of production amenities that mirror those in Stage 1, making it a suitable and seamless extension for larger projects that require multiple setups.

Stage 3

Stage 3 is known for its Flexible LED Volume, offered by NantStudios for dynamic filming setups. Spanning 10,000 sq. ft. (929 sq. M. ) with a 32 feet (9.7-meters) grid height, Stage 3’s volume measures approximately 55.7 feet wide (17 meters), 21 meters long, and 8 meters high. Silent air conditioning and high soundproofing make it ideal for controlled and immersive productions.

Stage 4

Stage 4, a 10,000 sq. ft. (929 sq. m.) sound stage, is well suited for small to medium sized features and television projects. It includes a robust catwalk and “I” beam grid system that can support a uniform load across the stage. Like Stage 3, it offers a dedicated annex with back-of-house amenities such as greenrooms, wardrobe, and make-up areas, often used in tandem with Stage 3 for productions requiring multiple stages in close proximity.

Stage 5

At 8,000 sq. ft. (743 sq. m) Stage 5 has many of the features of a traditional television studio, with motorised lighting hoists, silent air-conditioning and a super flat epoxy floor for camera pedestals. Despite its smaller scale, the stage recently was used as the filming location for horror hit Late Night With The Devil, with the film’s creators fitting out the studio in the style of a 70s late-show set.

Wider Melbourne

Docklands Studios Melbourne is located in the heart of Melbourne’s city; a cultural and fine-dining mecca which consistently ranks as one of the most liveable cities in the world. Melbourne is the capital city of the state of Victoria, which boasts breath taking coastlines, forests, farmlands, desert scapes, snowy mountain caps, and a multitude of architectural styles to double for almost anywhere in the world. This plethora of film-friendly locations compliments Docklands Studios’ state of the art facilities, with many productions choosing to shoot both in studio and on location.

Docklands Studios is a 20-30-minute drive from Melbourne international airport and sits within the Docklands precinct – a beautiful and peaceful part of the city known for its waterfront views, modern architecture, and entertainment options. The studios are only a short drive or trip on public transport from major city attractions like Federation Square, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI), and Queen Victoria Market.

VicScreen – Victoria’s screen development agency – is focused on elevating the city of Melbourne and the State of Victoria as a global screen destination, collaborating with Docklands Studios to offer globally competitive incentives to attract production to the State. 

Whether you’re in planning, production, animation, post-production, visual effects or games development – Vicscreen is committed to helping behind the scenes and across the screen ecosystem to make unique and innovative screen projects possible.