Prague Studios just broke ground on two new stages for TV, film and commercial production. The announcement was made by Prague Studios general manager Jindrich Guttner. The state-of-the-art sound stages will offer filmmakers from around the world Hollywood-style amenities and Prague production value. As part of the expansion, all existing stage space and production facilities at Prague Studios are being upgraded, allowing for support of top-tier international production. Upon completion in Spring 2018, Prague Studios will encompass five stages and total 350,000 square feet of production space.
“Here in the Czech Republic, thanks to incentives, there’s increased demand by filmmakers for more and better stage space,” said Prague Studios owner Tomas Krejci. “With our October groundbreaking, we’re building leading-edge facilities paired with the latest production amenities. When our facility upgrades and the new stages are completed, Prague Studios will be able to handle the most ambitious Hollywood productions.”
Currently, Stages 1, 2 and 5 offer 32,500 sq. ft., 27,000 sq. ft. and 11,000 sq. ft. respectively. New Stages 3 and 4 are 14,000 sq. ft. each, are interconnectable and feature adjacent production offices, make-up rooms, wardrobe spaces, catering, workshop and storage areas.
The Prague Studios complex was built on the site of a former aircraft factory. In 2001, three spacious hangars were converted into film stages. Productions soon came from around the world, including projects from Star Wars producer Rick McCallum. “We shot the LucasFilm feature Red Tails and the TV series Britannia for Sky and Amazon at Prague Studios,” said McCallum. “It was a fantastic experience. It was refreshing to work at a studio that understood our needs and was able to adjust to them flexibly. The local team swiftly reacted to every request and was proactive in solving problems.” McCallum continues to book Prague Studios for a diverse range of filmmaking projects.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children โ isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More